Echo yawned, she made her way down to Care of Magical Creatures.. why did it have to be so early! she didnt even have time to tame her bed head. Really looking like a hot mess, Echo reached the area and yawned yet again. "Morning Professor Draper" did this man have coffee, because she could go for like 10 cups of it.

Wrapping her cloak around her further it was quite chilly. yess, please some coffee. to wake her up and keep her warm. or her bed, Echo didnt know which one sounded better. She sat down on one of the benches hoping not to fall asleep.

The "early" morning wasn't a problem for Azura. The girl still wasn't sleeping well and has awoken at 4 that morning. She had done all of her homework and was working on some charms when she had noticed the time.

She had grabbed her cloak and some mittens and headed down to the barn!

Ahh, right on time! A bit early even! She waved at the Professor. "Mornkng Professor Draper." She said with a nod. Her voice wasn't exactly cheerful, and she didn't have a smile on her face, but she didn't look sad either. This was going to be a hard month for her, and she was trying to keep her expression nuetral so as not to worry anyone.

She sat down on a bench and wrapped her cloak around her as she looked around, wondering what the stations were for.

A 9am class? That must be a joke right?

This late riser didn't really want to wake up but he knew he must attend some lessons if he was ever planning on graduating. Well at least he was going to a class he enjoyed. After he ate his little breakfast and rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes, he made his way to the class. He felt the nip of the cold air hit his skin and now he was wide awake. He found the area and saw Echo was there. Man was he delusional there was no one here yet. I guess he came here too early. He could have slept later if he wanted to.

He saw the Professor and nodded towards him and mumbled, "Morning.." and then sat on the cold benches. "Professor I think it is time to invest in some bench warmers.." Just a simple suggestion.

What the actual hell? -___- WHY DID THEY HAVE TO BE HERE AT 9 IN THE BLOODY MORNING???!!! Didn't Professor Hawt-Stuff know that she was still ASLEEP this early in the morning? It was still waaaaayyyyy too early for her taste, since she usually woke up around 11:30 and that was only on a good-day.

The Snake gave a little grumble and wrapped her cloak tighter around her popsicle-body. Not only was it super early, but it was bloody cold as well. Mason's nose was gonna freeze off by the time the lesson was done. She gave Professor Draper a little glare as she passed him, if he was smart he'd take it as a light suggestion to start moving their classes indoors. He had an entire BARN, she wouldn't mind the smelly place as much if it stopped her from getting hyperthermia.

She spotted the poker-faced Azura and gave her a frozen-handed-wave. Colt didn't look all that pleased, so they were in the same boat. Snakes are cold-blooded after all. . . And now they had to sit on benches, it this weather? Was he trying to make them suffer???

Despite having CoMC class in the morning, Hadley Denaker was in a good mood. Mostly. And not even Draper was going to spoil it. Gently humming the suite to The Nutcracker--holiday appropriate and a subtle ballet jab--Hadley made her way down to the barn.

All intentions of keeping her good mood however, soured at the sight of the man. She couldn't help but picture that smug gloating expression he had on in the spare office. The sting of him beating her hadn't faded either. But she was different now. Not the same broken girl she'd been then. She had her fight back. Actually, all she felt like doing these days was fighting. Which was completely the opposite problem from what she had that day in the office.

"Good morning," she said sourly and gave the man a nod of the head. How would she address him? The silence was allowed to linger a moment, building the suspense. "Drapes." There was her Denaker smirk again. With that Hadley made her way to the benches and took a seat far from anyone else. She wasn't in a great mood anymore and it was probably best to keep to herself for now.

"Hey-o Professor Draper!" the Curly Top popped up with the usual megwatt smile and a beat to his step. Creatures things, these were the activities that made him feel like he's back home. Naturally this will be one of his favorite classes. Early call time or chilly weather cant keep this boy away from....

.... Tubs?

His bright blue-green eyes scanned the area. Ok there was something he could hear but nothing he could see which was the first thing he was expecting when he sees tubs in the area. So yeah he went to blabber out the second thing that popped in his head "We're not gonna do laundry today are we Prof?"

Oh and there he goes parking his bum right next to Denaker who had to pick the faaaarthest corner bench from the lot. He might have to yell out his answers from here.

The 'early' hour of the mornings lesson meant nothing at all to one Miss Hadleigh Lynch. Getting up early was always something she had done since she was a small child. Only now she wasn't waking up extra early to watch her favorite muggle cartoons for school, lately it was to get a morning run in before breakfast and then lessons. Today was no different. After her early run around the grounds she had headed inside, cleaned up, put on her school robes and grabbed her things before making her way to the kitchen for an apple, which she ate on the walk outside. By the time she reached the area where the CoMC lesson was being held the apple was gone and disposed of.

"Good morning Professor Draper," the brunette greeted with a small grin. A quick glance towards her peers and some small smiles of a nod of the head were given to them. Another look around had her raising an eyebrow curiously at the tub stations up front. Were they helping to give something a bath today? It sorta looked like the tubs she had used to help clean some of the creatures at the reserve during the summer. Her attention was already peaked and she was curious.

Taking a seat on one of the benches she pushed her hood off her head deciding she didn't even need it. It really wasn't as cold as everyone was making it out to be.

Unlike ... what seemed like... everyone else being half asleep and barely here, Marsha was wide awake and bouncy for yet another CoMC lesson. As usual, she had gone through her morning routine of running, training and then coming into the barn to help with their breakfast and morning routine. Then she had gone and gotten ready for the day before having breakfast with Vince... who wasn't as much of a morning person as she was but he did love his food.

With a soft bounce in her step, the smiley redhead waved at the her favourite Professor, said "Good morning!" with more enthusiasm than a lot of her peers and then looked around at the class set up. With a shrug, she sat down on the grass juuust in front of a bench and smiled as she looked at the tubs. Curious. She tried to sit up a little, and shrink, and then lean a bit closer to the one just off to her side..

But nope, she couldn't decifer which creature was there... guess she would just have to wait.

Kitty didn't mind waking early at all, but it was annoying to have to go outside this early. In fact she usually did wake up a little bit earlier than the others in her dormitory, though then she would spend the extra time reading a book or applying makeup and combing her hair. Because of the earlier than usual class schedule, this time she only had to put on eyeliner and comb her hair.

"Morning Professor Draper." She slumped down on the grass and looked curiously over at the tubs. "Are we going to be studying water creatures today?"

Pfft, what do you mean by early class? Maggie'd been up for almost three hours now.

Wrapped in her warmest sweater AND covered in the heating charms, the sixth year had made her way down from the castle very much awake and not at all tired. Seriously though, 9am wasn't that early at all. Who even slept that long anyway? Only lazy people, that's who. And she was definitely NOT one of those.

"Good morning, Professor." Maggie greeted Professor Draker once she was close enough for him to hear her. She even sent a smile his way before taking a seat on one of the two benches. Tugging on her pink earmuffs she made sure they covered her ears completely before crossing her legs and waiting for the class to start.

Now, where was the rest?

Fighting the urge to yawn, Esme made her way towards the barn. These early mornings were never her thing, but at least she was up and looking decent. A good breakfast also helped matters - it always did.

"Morning, Professor," she said as she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself; she was COLD. At least there were some heating and insulation charms to make things better. And what was with the little tubs? Seemed that they were going to do some grooming today which could be rather interesting. Sadly she had a feeling that they wouldn't be grooming baby Unicorns. They were way too cute and she wanted one. Her mom had a pony when she was at Hogwarts so Esme wasn't sure why she couldn't get a Unicorn; money definitely wasn't an issue for her family and they could easily house one at the stables.

Her friends all got waves and Esme made her way to sit by Hady. "Hey," she told her friend with a smile. She was ready to get started and this was one of her favourite classes because she loved learning about magical creatures and working with them.

Early morning was not Niomi best time of the day. She hated getting up. This morning, she got up a little extra early to make sure she wasn't last for class. Five minutes before nine, she arrived. Niomi was a little grouchy, but she arrived on time. "Morning Professor," she greeted, with a small smile on her face. Waiting off to the side, she was ready to start this lesson. Who knows what we will learn today. This was one of her favorite classes, she always loved to learn something new.

Scarlett always appreciated when the professors held lessons in WARM, heated places. She was all for being one with nature and everything, but not if it meant freezing down to her very core. Plus, it meant she could show off a bit of her style, so her cardigan and skirt uniform was accessorized with a cute gold headband and some sparkly rings she'd gotten at Florida almost a year ago.

"Hello Professor!" she said happily as she walked into the class area, selecting a nice little patch of grass and laying her coat on top of it so she could sit without getting her bum cold. It was at least warm enough in here that she was pretty toasty in her cardigan.

Although she had a feeling that was going to change as she eyed the tubs in front of them. Oh great. Something was going to get a bath today, wasn't it??

Now this was a lesson Dante would willing show up. No thought of skipping crossed his mind. This was Dreary Draper's class how could he miss it. Even if it was nine in the morning and Dante seriously needed some more coffee and well he would rather be sleeping. So with a giant yawn

"Hello Professor. Nice to see its a little bit warmer here than in your office"

Now to sit and wait for probably a Dull lesson since well....

Dante did not even need to say anymore. But he was here so Draper you better give him full marks for being here.

Brooklyn’s personal opinion on CoMC was essentially that it could be interesting, but it all depended on the subject. For example, dragons were infinitely more interesting than fish, yet she doubted, even after the field trip, that Professor Draper would choose to teach them about dragons. Not to mention she was still not the biggest fan of holding early morning classes outside. It wasn’t the mornings that bothered her, as she could wake up whenever she chose and occasionally that meant early. It was the matter of dealing with it being winter outside. At the very least he could’ve held the class inside the barn or something, but no, they were meeting outside as always.

She wasn’t particularly surprised as she’d reached the vicinity of the class that the area was warmer than normal. At least it meant the professor wasn’t completely unintelligent. “Good morning Professor Draper,” she said, giving the man a nod as she headed for a seat on the bench near Hady. She was determined not to let anything annoy her today, and she took her wand out and cast a quiet heating charm on the bench before she settled in. Just for precautions.

Olly really liked Care of Magical Creatures. He liked to be outdoors, and he liked creatures, so it was an all around good time. He didn't mind the early hour like some people did. He was an early riser anyway, but 9am wasn't even that early. It was, like, a regular time, right? People should be awake anyway. He always was. So he was bright eyed and wide awake as he arrived a few minutes early to class. He couldn't risk being late but he didn't like to be too early. Olly took a seat in the grass and looked around, wondering what sort of creatures they would be studying that lesson. So far he didn't see any.

Besides Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures was another class that Vivian was definitely looking forward to. Waking up early wasn't even a bother to her, because she knew this class was going to be GREAT and was very excited. At least, that's what her mum said. Also, she liked the Professor as well. Professor Draper was awesomesauce. And she didn't care that the trip from her common room to the barn was long and tiring.

Vivi skipped her way towards the barn and peeked inside to see if she wasn't late or anything. But then... why would she be late for such an awesome class? Seeing that the coast was clear and that she wasn't late, Vivi skipped inside. "Good morning, Professor Draper! Seems like a splendid day for yet another lesson!" She was so full of positive happy vibes. Then she went to take a seat in front and looked around her. Weird sounds, though. She tried not to mind it.

But the TUB STATIONS caught her attention. The Slytherin looked at them, and then back at the Professor in front. Were they going to take a bath? LOL. "Uhh... I've already taken a shower, Professor..." Silly silly. Why were their tubs here anyway?

Finally the trickle of students began to lessen after the sudden peak in arrivals. It was always a bell shaped curve and by the time the seconds started to matter most, the majority of the class was already in attendance. Glad to see they were choosing to practice punctuality. James took a look at his watch, waiting until the minute hand reached it’s proper home before walking over to center himself in front of the class. ”Good morning,” he started. ”Instead of wasting time with a lengthy introduction, we’re jumping right into business today.” How did that sound? No complaints yet, were there? Because if so, James really didn’t care to hear them. #SorryNotSorry.

”I have been in contact with a local animal shelter since the beginning of term and with their help, we made it possible to bring some furry visitors in for the day.” And with a flick of his wand, he revealed the cruppy pen which had previously been under a disillusionment charm. The cruppies were as enthusiastic as the bounciest of Hufflepuffs, jumping on top of each other and letting out soft barks in excitement. Even James Draper couldn’t help but smile warmly at the sight. It was enough to melt even the coldest of hearts.

”Today we’ll be going over proper crup care, as well as getting some hands on experience,” he said walking over to the pen pausing momentarily to let the students take a look. They were excited, yeah? Cruppies were a lot more fun than some of the other possible lessen subjects. ”With that being said, I’m going to ask everyone to walk over to the pen calmly and single file. Once I hand you a cruppy, you can take it and sit by a tub station. You want it to gain your trust from the beginning so now would be a great time to make friends. Be gentle, show them some love, while we wait for everyone to get a cruppy.” Nothing too difficult, yeah?

Just to be sure, he picked on up and held it in his arms, giving her a nice rub behind her ears. Did they get it? Gentle. Calm. Love. Fairly straightforward. Easy enough even for the first years. ... Alright so what were they waiting for?

OOC: This marks the official start of the lesson! Any arrivals posted after this point will risk point loss dun, dun, DUN.

For this task:
+ Don’t wait for me to post James giving you a cruppy, just play as if you’ve been handed one
+ Each cruppy has a collar with a name plate, so feel free to make up the name
+ This is your chance to play with the crups, pet them, talk to them, etc

Only one post needed, but feel free to do more! I’ll post again in 15+ hours.

...

Well that was awkward. But really, Vivian didn't seem to have a filter to her words at the moment. She literally blurted out whatever her eleven year old brain could think of. Usually that got her into trouble but at least not today. Yay for that, then?

When class started, the Slytherin paid close attention. She wasn't really sure about the real reason why they were presented with tub stations in class today. She tilted her head a little bit. But when Professor Draper mentioned FURRY VISITORS, her jaw dropped. "GODZILLA!" Hehehehe! "Except... he's not furry. He's actually pretty scary." Meh... could someone stop her from talking please?

It was only when the pen was revealed when Vivian's face lit up. CRUPPIES! OH MY GOSH! She was literally all heart eyes at the moment. Of course, she wasn't going to allow herself to be LAST to receive a cruppy so when they were allowed to form a line, she blotted up and went immediately. Ain't got no time for slackers, yo! Also, since she was soooo far away from Prancer, she was very excited to play with one today!

When it was her turn, the blonde tried to contain her excitement... which she failed at, by the way. She was oozing with enthusiasm. Once she was handed one, she felt like she was going to burst into happy tears. A cruppy... in her arms!

BEST. DAY. EVER. ;______;

"Hi, cutie patootie! What your name be?" Vivian said as she stroked the fella's fur. Adorable. This was amazing. "Oh, your name's..." Vivi squinted at the name tag around the puppy's neck. "Pepito." Strange name, though. She wouldn't name her dog that, by the way. Oh well, the fact that the cruppy looked SO CUTE made up for it.

And yeah, she received cruppy appreciation licks and cuddles. Happy Vivian was happy.

"Yes Sir," Hadleigh replied to James' comment about always being ready. Almost always was she ready for her lessons. Even when she wasn't fully in her proper mindset she had been rather prepared and today was a good day so far. Nothing drastic had happened yet and the lesson being one of her favorites made it that much better.

Waiting for everyone else to arrive she couldn't help glancing back towards the two large bins. What was inside them? Whatever it was it must be semi smallish to fit in there but then again it all depended on how many of whatever they were was inside.

Drapers voice caught the girls attention and she turned her head to where the man had been standing. The fact that there weren't any questions being asked left no hint to the days lesson but then it wasn't needed. A charm was lifted making many little cruppy visible and Hady nearly, nearly beamed in excitement! Eeeppp! Crups were one of the cutest ever and having spent almost her whole summer helping with one the teen liked them even more then before.

Rising to her feet she joined the line to get a cruppy to work with. With a small grin she took the little one from the professor and was already smoothing the fur between it's ears the second she got it. Cradling it in her arms close to her chest she returned to her seat on the bench. "Hey there little one, lets see what your name is hmm?..." she whispered rubbing one of the crups ears while checking it's name tag on it's collar. "Sammie? Well that's a nice easy name." Hady grinned down at the one on her lap.

Hadley gave Salamander a smile that failed to reach her eyes and seemed to say typical. If anyone would be oblivious to her mood and happen to choose today to sit by her, it would be Tenacius. He might just succeed in cheering her up, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Sometimes, you just wanted to be in the mokd you were in, you know.

And yet, today just seemed determined to not let her keep her mood. Hadley was mostly ignoring Drapes as usual, but the man got her attention the second he dropped the disillusionment charm. Hads perked up instantly, her bad mood already draining away. She tensed and grabbed Tenacius' arm. A quick glance at the Too much cute, I can't even... face she had going would tell him instantly she was being overwhelmed by the "Puppies!

HE GOT A PUPPY.

A PUPPY, A REAL PUPPY. HA, MA. YOU THOUGHT BRIAN WOODS COULDN'T POSSIBLY TAKE CARE OF A PUPPY AND NOW THEY WERE GETTING ONE FROM SCHOOL. HA. He was going to take such good care of this puppy, mmmhmmmmm. "Thanks, Professor!" AND CUE LARGE AMOUNTS OF CUDDLING. WHEEEEEEEEEE. PUPPY. This hufflepuff had wanted a dog since forever, okay.

And the fact that it was a crup could go mostly unnoticed. He could dig the forked tail. Okay cruppy puppy, to the washing tubs they go!

Azura's face couldn't help but break into a smile as she saw the cruppies! They were so cute! And they got to hold one? Eeeeeee! Almost instantly her mood depressed mood was gone as she got the crup and gently cuddled it in her arms as she carefully walked over to the washing tubs.

"Hey little guy! What's you name?" She asked as she sat down and gently stoked the crups head before looking down at the name tag, what she saw instantly made her purple eyes fill with tears..

"Piper... That's an amazing name. It was my moms. " She said in a slightly stilted whisper as she kissed the crups head and snuggled it. "I'm going to take good care of you Piper. " She whispered softly as she buried her head in its fur.

It always felt good to make a Professor smile, specially one who was known to be a bit grumpy-pants, or so they say. Specially by the one he sat next to. He gave the man a thumbs up at his response. At least that sounds like a go signal to give everybody a bath?? Just kidding.....

But oh sweet Merlin! His first thought has been confirmed with such rounding jubilation with the sight and sound of--- "CRUPPIES!!!!!!!!!"

Stand up and form a line calmly? Sure. He didn’t say nothing about moving quickly. So there the Curly Top goes vaulting over the benches and practically gazelle-ing into line. Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme!

He finally got his hands full of the furry energetic furball. "Heyyyy---" boy? girl? Gonna get biological here ahem.. peeeek "--Boy! Hey boy! How you doin??" he greeted the crup so excited to be finally out of its pen its two tails were slapping together to a beat of just pure joy. "What your name bud?" he asked between licks of the happy crup. He has a collar that for sure.... But wheres the name tag?

And so it seems, its name tag went missing.

"Awww, you got no nametag boy.... Which means I get to name yah! Yeah yeah??" beam beam beam.

The little crup paused for a moment as it angled its head, as if weighing if this was a good idea. But before it can agree or disagree he can feel himself flyiiiing..... Or at least that’s what it seemed to him at the speed that Tenacius move to find a nice tub station.