Waiting with the rest of the class for class to begin, Yoongi was a bit nervous about the new teacher. A centaur. Like what? did he have a forest to protect? Hearing hooves coming from one of the bushes, Yoongi directed his gaze towards the place and couldn't help a gasp escape him. He had never seen a centaur before except for in his textbooks and he couldn't help but stare at the creature in both admiration and unease.

Huh? what? He had missed what he had said earlier. Something about orion being bright and respect. Shaking his head to focus himself, the Gryffindor raised his hand. "Uhm..well, they are good at magical healing?" he said. "Sorry to ask...but..how do we call you?" sir? professor? professor centaur? horsey?

He'd heard the hooves in the distance as had everyone else, but somehow Zeke missed that it was a cue to take a seat. So when the Centaur emerged from the trees, Zeke was still standing. Whoops? Quickly he shuffled to the edge and sat himself down along with his peers. Talk about awkward, but HEY CENTAUR.

The stars of Orion... righto then. What did Orion have to do with it?

He could understand the whole respect thing, and that this WASN'T a CoMC class, but what he couldn't comprehend, was what he knew about Centaurs. What he knew was limited, VERY limited. BUT.... ironically enough, and perhaps obviously too, was the whole Orion thing. Hand raised he added his two knuts. "You practice astronomy." Mmhm. Orion and all.

As Adi paid attention to his surroundings now, all trace of sleep gone from his eyes, he was sure he heard the clip- clop of hooves. He tilted his head as he kept listening but did not disregard [color= yellow]Polly[/color]'s statement. "Not in a million years,'' he said with a cheerful grin. All things creatures was something he was NOT going to miss.
...................

Aha! There was the centaur Professor!

Orion was bright? Er, if the Professor said so. But in reference to his kind, Adi already knew centaurs were immensely proud and required no kind of care from humans. And he already did respect them.

"Centaurs have human intelligence.'' Yes, his hand was up.

Hazel eyes instantly shifted towards Thereos as he made his appearance. Not a sound was made from her nor did she move when he spoke. A Centaur was something she had yet to see up close so this was a big deal for her and she wasn't about to mess it up.

The only time she made a move was to raise her hand waiting her turn to give her answer. "Centaurs usually live in groups of about ten to fifty." That can be one very large group all living out in the forest together. Hady knew a bit more about them but she wanted to give others a chance to say something as well.

Angel looked at the Professor as the creature entered the lesson, now this was going to be interesting and she couldn't wait to see what was going to happen this lesson but first she had to answer a question.

"Centaur live for ages I think." Angel wasn't sure about that but she thought that she would guess that as an answer, now she was going to wait to see what the Professor thought.

For the first time in her life, Ava saw a centaur and he's teaching a class too here.

How cool was that?

HEHEHE.

Once the centaur came, the young lioness couldn't help but widened her eyes. She was in awe. That's a real centaur and they really looked like half human-half horse. And when he asked them what they knew about centaur, she raised her hand and tried to answer. "My brother said that you are good in practicing divination." Yup, Teddy told her that.

What did he know of centaurs?

That they were very specific with their needs of the wizarding kind. Had he assumed that they would want to groom and feed him? The thought hadn't even crossed Rooney's mind, but he couldn't speak for his fellow students. What he could do, was watch Olly and Miss Charlotte Hannah Kettleburn diligently out of the corner of his eyes. Miss Charlotte and her boyfriend. What was it about that Slytherin boy? He annoyed Rooney to no end with his inability to look further than his nose, but Miss Charlotte clearly thought the sun shined out of every snakey orifice. He shuddered at the thought before raising his hand.

"They are a very proud species, and chose to themselves to be called "beasts" instead of "beings", right?

Had Miss Charlotte Hannah Kettleburn noticed him yet?

Sophie's presence was very appreciated at the moment. And y'know, it wasn't like he was expecting anything to go wrong. They had strength in numbers. And most of the Prefects were present and so was Professor Myers, apparently. And well... No, nothing would go wrong. No one was going to die. This was fine. It was all real fine.

Except for the fact that he was still turning his head back to the forrest then to the other surroundings every few seconds. He needed to make sure everything was safe. He hated being this close to the forrest. But he mostly hated that everyone else had to be this close to the forrest. It was forbidden so that probably gave loads of people a hint, but no one knew what could happen that forrest like Zander knew, he was sure of it.

Aegis hadn't ever shown up this term, probably transferred or something... And Henric was... Well he was dead. And Quigley left his job at Hogwarts, plus he wasn't really there for the whole experience anyways... Perhaps the only other people who knew where the ones who were taken last term, but even then... They didn't see death.

So of course when the centaur eventually did come trotting out from the forrest, Zander Adair jumped a bit in his seat and instinctively reached for his pocket where he kept his wand at the ready. But it wasn't an acromantula. It was only their Professor. Right.

He chose not to answer the first question, knowing quite a few things about centaurs but being too preoccupied with their current location to want to add anything to the discussion. He was still staring into the forrest though, but hopefully Sophie Brown was the only one who noticed that.

Paulina smiled at Adi, but didn't get a chance to respond because there was a CENTAUR.

Curiously watching Thereos, she listened to everything he had to say. She wasn't staring - because that would be rude - she just was fascinated by Centaurs. She knew a few things about them as well, for instance that they refused to be listed in the same category as Hags and Vampires - a fact that Blaise shared.

Raising her hand she offered an answer. "They are knowledgeable in magical healing." Soooo if she accidentally shot herself in the foot with an arrow, Thereos would be able to heal her, right?

Well there he was. Took him long enough. Dante has glad he started the lesson right away instead of making small talk. And for his question. Dante did not know much about centaurs other than they keep to themselves and did not want to be bother by wizard-kind. Which Dante could respect.

But that was it.

So he just stayed quiet and listened.

Oh my G O S H.

Reagan had absolutely no interest in anyone else within the clearing after the centaur made himself known. She'd heard the whisperings about the COMC teacher, but hadn't dared to hope. Ugh, look at him! Merlin, she was gushing.

...and mildly flailing.

"You're all very majestic...and..." Rea was kinda breathless, so...she tried swallowing to make her voice work properly. Gosh, she was just so excited. She was practically flushed from head to toe. "You don't typically interfere in the everyday business of witches and wizards."

Welp, she was in awe. Excuse her.

Archery seemed like a dangerous thing to let Hogwarts students do. But, then again, they could do a lot of damage with magic so he supposed archery was fine. Besides, he was excited for whatever they were going to do with that. Oliver opened his mouth to agree with Charlotte when they were joined by Blaise. He grinned at the addition of another friend.

MORE CENTAURS? Olly certainly hoped so. He peered into the forest, trying to spot something - anything - between the trees. And finally, there came a centaur. One centaur. More would have been cooler but even just one was awesome. Olly staaared. Cool.

Right. Question answering. People had already mentioned most of the things he knew about centaurs, but he didn't want to stay silent. So Olly raised his hand and said the first thing that popped into his mind.

"You're fast." Faster than humans. Since they were half horse and all.

"Serpens resonates strongly with you," the centaur nodded at the boy.
"Exceptionally," he corrected. "You may call me Thereos."

Professor felt too permanent.
"Mars is bright tonight," he replied, raising his hands towards the sky and flexing his strong arms.
Human intelligence. Thereos laughed at this notion and thumped his front legs against the ground.

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent."

Hence how these intelligent humans had found themselves in the situation they had last term. Their human intelligence based speech had put them there.

Turning his head a more skyward, his gaze fell upon the professors as he spoke directly to them.

"It would do well to not teach the future of your race in such a narrow perspective."

"Neptune and Pluto are in conjunction with your words," he nodded.
"We centaurs do not live as the waters of Aquarius flow, but do have life energies that surpass those of humans."
"I did not ask what your brother said," Thereos replied. His dark eyes bore into the small frame of the girl. "But your answer is as Venus passes through Aquarius."
"Capella shines brightly with you," he applauded the boy.
"We are as gifted in the art as the sun is bright."
"Swift as the coursing river."
"Libra resonates strongly with you, and rightly so being neighbors to your Virgo," he said wisely.

Thereos unfolded his arms and took several proud steps closer to the stones of which the humans sat upon.

"This young woman has raised an illuminating topic," he continued, his eyes shining like new growth on the boughs of the trees, free of moss, bright, and enchantingly youthful. "Your kind and mine have a history like Jupiter in Capricorn when Mars is in conjunction. Tell me, what do you know of centauromachy?"

Paul wanted to be.....VERY careful not to trod no pun intended?? on the centaur's.............dignity? Or something. He didn't want to unintentionally insult Thereos....

So he was very quiet right now, observing.

Funny beings, centaurs. Lots of that...Astrology stuff, right? The way the centaur spoke made Paul feel so peaceful, relaxed, and calm, much like the centaur's demeanor.

Until....the CENTAUR said...THAT.

Paul turned tomato red and cleared his throat. Merlin, Adi...what had he said? Paul hadn't even heard--but it surely didn't resonate well with Thereos. "I assure you, I do not condone such things in my classroom." Or...class...greenhouse thing. Paul just kept a straight face but MERLIN centaur bloke, WHY YA' GOTTA' CALL A MAN OUT LIKE THAT? And PAUL of all people...who was open minded he was almost SPLIT in half, Merlin!

And now Paul was feeling bitter towards this guy, and....was remaining silent. Because that was in character of a moody ex-Ravenclaw, apparently.

There was so much Char was missing in the moment, and she even totally forgot to wave at Rooney and only gave Blaise a teeny wave because she could hear CLIP CLOPPING and ooooh there was a centaur and he was asking things and she was SO EXCITED!

But she was paying attention to the centaur!

"Centaurs use different kinds of herbs, like mallowsweet and sage and burn them to aid in stargazing!" Char commented with her hand up. She followed up with a question.

"Jupiter in Capricorn..... that's when Jupiter is at its weakest... but Mars is exalted in Capricorn." She puzzled it out. "Oh! Thereos, do you mean that sometimes its really bad and weak, but sometimes something happens like Mars that might make it stronger if humans try really hard?" Well sheeeee was courageous and enthusiastic enough to try and do her part, she was!

But Centauromachy?

".... isn't machy fighting? Did you guys get in a fight?"

Sure, sure. Thereos may think that but it wasn't exactly what Adi was reasoning when he gave his answer. Maybe he should have explained more? Shaking his head, he added, ''I was thinking more along the lines of centaurs being able to think AND study the heavens and so forth on their own. You know... not all or as many humans can actually study the heavens so accurately. Sorry, I should have explained further.'' Or maybe it was best he shut up in case his justification got him into trouble or something because it may be thought of as offensive. He cast an apologetic look at Myers. Not his fault for the Centaur jumping to silly conclusions. Gosh, he had only been trying to point out that centaurs were impressive with their intelligence not compare them to humans!

Could he just have Thompson back for his Magical Creatures Professor already?
....................

So... centauromachy. Adi knew a teeny bit about it but he actually opted to keep his answers short, to the point and simple in words so that they're not misunderstood again. ''Centauromachy are battles between centaurs and men. There! short and to the point.

Norah sat with her mouth slightly open, watching Thereos with wide eyes. He did NOT like Adi's answer. Oh man. What if she said something that offended him TOO and then the entire population of Hufflepuff prefects would be disowned or something? All two of them. It'd be a tragedy. Especially 'cause she hadn't even learned how to be good at the prefect-ing thing yet.

She hesitated before raising her hand to answer the next question, letting it hover in front of her face before finally putting it over her head. She'd read about the answer to this one in some vague attempt to study for Care of Magical Creatures OWL, but the textbook hadn't given any advice for making sure a centaur didn't get mad at you. Or WORSE, what to do if you made a centaur feel bad. Or sad. Or bad and sad. "Centauromachy has to do with battles that centaurs participate in" How obvious was it that she couldn't remember who the centaurs were battling? She brought her hand down and tried to smile at Thereos, hoping that'd make up for how potentially awful her answer had undoubtably been without her even realizing it.

Uh...Centaurs are scary?

Ethan stared at the creature standing before them majestically. Merlin, whoever dared to cross those guys are St. Mungo's crazy. Those legs sure can kick the air out of a person in a second. The Slytherin instead, kept his answer to himself. He already knows things, based on what his classmates had to say.

And...lol. Did Thereos just used a Star Wars line? "The ability to speak, does not make one intelligent." Very Qui Gon Jinn of him to say, really. And if Adi knew Star Wars...he just compared their professor to a Gungan.

LOOL!

OH, but Centaurmachy something. Nope. No idea what it is. They've got lots of 'mancies' to learn already, you know.

Seemed like Adi had touched a nerve. Raising her brow, Paulina's gaze shifted from Thereos to the Prefect. Professor Myers also got a glance because he seemed rather bitter. It was interesting to see given his normal disposition.

But moving on...

She HAD been right about the healing thing. Go her. Paulina raised her hand to answer the next question. "I believe it relates to battles that Centaurs have with each other - or with humans." She wasn't as sure about the latter, but she knew it definitely entailed battling among themselves.

Reagan fell into momentary silence as the Professor airily stated that bit about Libra and Virgo. Of course, he'd know she was a Virgo! Centaurs were innately wise. Oh, the things he must know, and must've seen via their night sky. And what she wouldn't give to pick his brain for an afternoon.

Also, Rea tried not to be too appalled at the Prefect's words, but according to history, much worse had transpired at certain points between the two. It was heartbreaking to consider...but things used to be much different. People used to be much different; more narrow-minded, even. She, for one, was glad to live in the present day. They'd come a long way as a race, you know?

...but battles. Centaurs in battles.

"Professor Thereos, is this why we'll be learning archery today? Since the bow and arrow are the centaurs' weapon of choice?" Reagan supposed it couldn't hurt to learn as a skill. Since a real CENTAUR would be teaching it...

Y'know all too unfortunately, Zander Adair wasn't really giving this lesson his all. He was too preoccupied with staring into the forrest at the moment. But it was THE CENTAUR'S FAULT for choosing this meeting point. Zander Adair didn't ask for this, okay? It's not like he liked being distracted by the impending thought of ultimate doom.

Class was a bad idea today.

If he had learned anything at Hogwarts, it was that class always seemed to be a bad idea.

It took seven years to figure that one out. No wonder the kid got the 'you're an idiot' superlative every year. It was with merit. Huh.

A fly was buzzing near Ellery…or was that the sound of her brain going to sleep?

Like, centaurs were AWESOME…but it was more engaging to talk about centaur rights and social justice and stuff, instead of actual SCHOOL THINGS. Ellery was lagging a bit behind the conversation, and her lips were slightly parted in confusion. She was also ogling the person in front of her - their notes were VERY thorough.

Centaurowhat???? "Nothing, sir."

Cosgrach had agreed to help, and he was here after attending to a last minute work. He didn't think he missed much, however, as he was able to hear the centaur's question. Thereos. He had to remember that.

He didn't greet him or the other professors as it would disrupt the class. He simply sat down on the farthest stone and listened to the students.

WHOA. There goes Professor Centaur. Owen just sat there, in awe, nodding at things the centaur was saying even though he didn't quite fully understand. Everything he said just sounded...wisdom-y. Owen couldn't help but gape. Whoaaaaaaa.

What did he knew about centaurs? Weeeeell...did them being magical creatures and half-human half-horse count? Because aside from that, he REALLY didn't know anything else about centaurs. Centauromachy? Yep. Owen was clueless. So from that point on, the Hufflepuff was all ears.

Mars is bright tonight.

Is it though?

.... Zeke looked up, not knowing WHAT on earth he was supposed to be seeing. WAS there something to see? In the end he gave up, and listening to others responses didn't seem to be helping either. NONE OF THIS MADE SENSE. The whole centaur cool factor, was dying. He was beginning to understand why people and centaurs seldom interacted. There was a language barrier.

He did not speak stars and things.

As for the next question, THAT too went over his head... so he avoided saying anything on the matter. He be quiet now.