"Oh, her name is Minerva McCarthy.. I mean it would have been Minerva Wheatborn here sir, my dad is Ethan McCarthy." Though she wasn't sure what her dad thought of him since it was her mom who spoke up about the man when mirroring. Anyways, lalala, she wasn't embarrassed by that at all, nope, she was good. Something else she was not embarrassed by anymore was being caught staring at him because Curtis questioning the spidey thing had her biting her lip and just looking between the two boys.

She leaned down to scratch teacup and whispered to Curtis she could find him a name if he was jealous before sitting back up and putting up her hand. "I'm Chloe sir, Chloe McCarthy and this is my cat Teacup. She was super small as a kitten so that's how she got her name." People always seemed to look at her funny with the name, so getting that out of the way she could focus on the question, though she didn't really have an answer after hearing something from someone else.

"I'd like to add to someone's response at they are good at keeping their food all day. Some are, but some, especially ones that have had to hunt for food or fight for food can try to rush to eat it all or they have an issue that if they eat too fast they will throw it all back up." It was really gross when they did that, so she made sure to only give Teacup small bits at a time.

Heath was so focused on the obstacle course that he didn't even notice the crate until Professor Williamson brought up "other animals". He eyed the crate with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. What was in there? It wasn't something that could hurt Rey, was it?*

Speaking of whom, the gray bobtail cat was still meeping meowing her head off from inside the carrier, making it nearly impossible for Heath to concentrate on the question. Geez, Rey! You're going to get me in trouble if you don't stop that, he thought. He slipped a finger through the carrier bars, giving Rey a little scratch under the chin to keep her calm. Losing points because his cat kept talking over everyone was not his idea of a good start to the term!*

Still petting the cat through the bars, he considered the question. Heath's first thoughts turned to (surprise!) bobtail cats like Rey. He knew that some tailless cats had spinal problems that led to incontinence, but there was no way on Earth he was bringing that up! Not after being laughed at in herbology last term… for all he knew, this professor might also have the sense of humor of a five-year-old! He remained silent, lost in thought, until Rey's antics reminded him of something else.

Heath raised a hand, keeping the other on Rey so she wouldn't start meowing again. "I'm Heath Jones," he introduced himself when called on, "and this chatterbox-" He jerked his head toward the carrier. "-is Rey." As if on cue, the cat gave a meep in greeting. "Adult cats don't usually meow at other cats; they do it to communicate with humans. Like for example, I think Rey is saying she wants to come out and play." Whoops, was he talking too much? Probably. He was just going to… go back to being quiet now and hope Rey would do the same.

Meep! Hey! Remember me? I'm still in here, hooman! What's going on out there? I hear voices. Hiiii, other hoomans! Can I come out now? Plz!

So the school kneazle she was now cradling in her arms like a big old baby looked LESS than enthused about the cuddling situation, but it WASN'T scratching or anything, so Cecelia assumed he liked her just as much as she liked him. It was love at first meow. Thing was, she didn't know his name and she felt bad not knowing, especially when she was supposed to be introducing him to everyone. He'd be the nameless kneazle in class and then what if the other kneazles teased him? He looked like he could defend himself well enough, but the emotional toll that would take would be DEVASTATING and Cecelia could NEVER live with herself if she let that happen. No, she needed to at LEAST give him a nickname.

hmm...

Oh, it was her turn to share! Uhhhhh.. "Well, I'm Cecelia Summers, like I said, but you could also call me Cece if you wanted." A lot of people did. "And this guy is...well, I don't actually KNOW his name, but I'm calling him Mate 'cause we're going to be good friends." So the name totally fit. "And I know that kneazles like this guy can fall in love with cats and have a bunch of cool baby kitty!kneazles. Or would they just be called kittens? I'm not sure about the NAME part, again, but I know that can happen." Mhm!

Naya kept her eye on her new friend the kneazle. He seemed to be getting more comfortable in her presence......which was good. She wasn’t sure what they would have to do with the animals, but she was all in. Naya was just about to give his head a scratch when the professor began to speak. Class was in session, so she turned her focus to him.

The first question of the day was rather broad, so Naya had a lot of possible answers to give. She raised her hand to add her comment to the conversation. “I’m Naya Lindsay”, she said to the new professor. “Cats are rather tidy creatures. They clean themselves often by licking their fur. Doing that can also help keep them cool when it’s hot.“ And other things, but enough said for now.

The lesson began and Cole cautiously opened his cat carrier to let Elena come out and stretch her legs, which she did with a loud meow. He observed her closely, scared that she wouldn't like all the other cats and kneazles walking around. So far so good. Looking over at Professor Williamson he answered. "Cats and kneazles have their own distinct personalities. I heard others mention about how cats eat food. Cat's don't want their water bowls to be next to their food. At least my cat doesn't want that. If her food bowl is on the floor in the kitchen at home then i have to have her water bowl up near the sink. And recently she has started to want to drink running water from a water tap and can meow in the middle of the night until someone comes and puts the water on. It's annoying." Remembering now that they had to introduce themselves he said "I'm Cole Vance, by the way and this my cat Elena."

Perhaps she will enjoy her day in this area should they not be allowed to take these kneazles. Jillian brushed her fingers against the fluffy fur and smiles widely. Also noticing the professor's adorable smile at her. His last name sounds familiar, maybe she should write her first letter home. Anyway she will be needing some concentration for this class because these creatures are all distracting her. Kyaaah!

As soon as the professor started, Jillian placed the kneazle on her lap. She thought of cautionary measures or care for her cats at home. She doesn't bring them with her here because of it. She raised her hand "Cats love to jump and climb into everything" yes, she can never forget all the furniture and the curtains that have been involved in this. "Sometimes it can be problem but it all depends on how you manage them as the owner" it requires a bit of training and also innovation on your part. If it still fails, Blake's answer would be a great alternative. Cats do love boxes.

Oh right. Name. "I'm Jillian Kim." she added.

It wasn't that Nem had particularly good hearing - not better than the general population, anyway - just that mutterings generally caught their attention. Their eyes narrowed at Williamson for about half a second, and then they broke into a smile. Wrong name, but close enough. And if that was a hint to provide their real name, Nem was just going to overlook it for now.

So they were back to keeping an eye out for a kneazle, none of which had approached just yet, and didn't look up until someone claimed the stump nearby - Blaze. "Hey." Another bright smile. "It was alright, yours?" Small talk was... the worst. But it was easy to appear engaged nonetheless.

When Williamson kicked off the lesson and started talking to the entire class, Nem still didn't have a little kneazle friend, but that was fine. They were staring down a fairly young looking feline who sat about ten feet away, gazing back, presumably trying to make up its mind. Nem didn't do anything but look directly at it - mentally head-shaking at the initial question Williamson had asked - and wait. Eventually, cautiosly, carefully, the creature stood and began to slink its way over. At this point, Nem broke eye contact and looked instead at the professor, raising their hand.

"They can make you ill, sir. Cat-scratch disease, it's a bacterial infection. Sometimes dogs can be involved, but it's usually cats, and not always through scratches, but bites too. Sometimes people die, but not very often, relatively speaking." Just in case anyone decided to get hysterical about it. "And obviously there's magical variants of it too, which can be more problematic. So you should be careful. About getting scratched, I mean, if you're worried about that sort of thing."

Oh and, if he insisted. "Name's Nemesis Upstead, sir. Nem for short." Not that Nem knew it yet, but Williamson had only been around for one of the most painfully average, most boring, most forgettable Upsteads to exist. It was unlikely he'd recognise the surname. Nem glanced down, and saw their young kneazle was now sat about a two feet away, still not seeming terribly sure. They made no attempt to pet it yet, just looked back up. "No name for this one."

Avalon glanced down at Shadow on her lap. Just minutes ago, the cat had been vigilantly peering around, taking in all the other felines in the area with wide eyes. But now, Shadow was fast asleep, shoulder blades and hips hunched up. Avalon wished she could fall asleep that quickly. The young Ravenclaw thought she could offer a comment about how much cats sleep during the day, but it seemed one of her housemates already covered that. Raising one hand, she ran the other through Shadow's long fur. "I'm Avalon Sinclair, and this is Shadow," she said, gesturing to the fluffy black blob on her lap. "Cats spend a lot of their time grooming themselves. It's a behavior that helps avoid predators and reduces stress." She had seen Shadow immediately start licking his paws after something spooked him. It was odd. "But that doesn't mean I don't have to brush him every once in awhile, or else I'll find little black fluffballs all over the place," Avalon added with a laugh.

WONDERFUL! Absolutely wonderful!

This Professor man was actually going to fix her cat. Her cat who needed fixing more than any cat had ever needed fixing before.

Of course, Flora wanted to know exactly how her cat was going to be fixed. Like, did it involve some kind of special magic? Because really, it was going to have to be the most special kind of magic ever. Or maybe it involved that covered crate he was standing next to. Or Maybe, JUST MAYBE, it would involve the whole student population, standing around in a circle around the cat, whispering some kind of crazy language she didn't understand to finally fix her broken cat!

The possibilities were endless!

But, because of endless possibilities, Flora decided she was just going to wait to be surprised and bounded over to take a seat. And although she didn't know the answer to the question, her hand raised anyway. "My name's Flora. And this broken cat is named Catastrophe. Cat for short. Can I eat a cat treat?"

Kneazles!

This boys attention was lost to the kneazles wandering around the moment he had greeted the professor a few minutes earlier. And really who could blame him? They were incredibly adorable and super smart. Many many times he had nagged his parents for one (and a cruppie!) but to no avail well not with getting a kneazle anyhow. He had actually gotten a cruppie over the summer which was back home likely being driven insane by his three younger siblings.

Lukas knew loads about kneazles and cats. Honestly he knew loads about most creatures since he dad had been the shopkeeper at the Magical Menagerie awhile back and his older sister was a Magizoologist vet. Basically he had been around creatures of all sorts his entire life.

Leaning over slightly on the hay bale he was sat upon, he held out his hand waiting patiently for one of the kneazles to come to him. If there was going to be any connection with one at all it would be on the kneazles part. Letting the creature choose you was something his sister and dad had taught him. This meant sitting where he was doing nothing at all for the time being.

As the lesson got underway, Lukas sat up straight once more, resting his hands on his lap. "My name is Lukas. Lukas Donovan." Name first. It was important. Now on to answering the question. "Most cats don't like water other than drinking it. They really don't like being bathed and normally it's not necessary to give them baths anyhow." Which was a good thing because he had seen what could happen when giving a cat a bath. Lots of meowing, scratching and water everywhere. "I don't ha-" he started to explain about his lack of cat or kneazle when one suddenly leaped up onto his lap causing him to pause talking due to laughing. "Well hello there." Grinning widely now he pet the kneazle on his lap as he looked back at the professor. "I was going to say I don't have a cat with me today but this one seems to like me so I guess I have a kneazle for this lesson... I don't know his or her name though." Which made sense seeing as how it wasn't his.

Although Missa was a bit rattled at the sight of so many cats and kneazles, she was trying her best to stay composed and not spiral into a sneeze fest. Her corner was good too, it was keeping her away from the creatures for now. That was until someone else noticed her corner - that someone who had also passed her a smile in DADA earlier. Blushing without realising it, the Ravenclaw smiled back at Nina. This was just VERY nice, okay? They were now .. friends, yes? Not hug-it-out, hanging-out friends - but subtly-smile-at-each-other kind of friends. It was like they were friend-dating, just starting out slowly and seeing where things went.

Before she could overthink the simplest of things to say to the other girl, Eiji arrived - WITH A CAT.

Oh dear.

Stepping away a little with caution, Missa smiled a bit nervously, “looks like he likes you,” she commented lamely - which was exactly when a grey cat started making it’s way to her too. Could they not just share a cat? Could this be a group lesson, please?

She turned to look at the professor to ask, but he had already started speaking. So the grey cat by her feet would have to do. And while it was too soon to judge what kind of professor he was going to be, her brows rose when he called Eiji ‘James’. Eiji was definitely quitting this class, wasn’t he? Yikes.

When her turn came, she tried speaking without looking too alarmed that the cat was now trying to bite at her shoes or that her boyfriend was probably simmering with even more emoness than he usually did around Hogwarts, “My name is Missa, professor.” she started.

“Different cats have different kinds of fur. Some short, some long. But the ones with long hair need a lot of care because they shed .... a lot” she added the last bit with a frown. “And suffice to say if you don’t brush it often, it can get troubling for the cat as well as for you”

Class had begun and her attention was immediately on the Professor as he addressed the class. His first question was asked and answers were immediately being spoken, along with the students introducing the names of their feline companions, some of them being very interesting to hear. She looked down at Astrid as she sat in the third year's lap, looking back up at her letting out a small meow.

Faye giggled quickly kissing her little nose. She lifted her head when it was her turn to answer. "Faye Asztalos, sir, and this is Astrid.." Making sure to speak clearly as she continued with her response to the Professor's question, "Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees...OH-Cats also have five toes on each front paw, but only four on the back ones..." She hoped that that was at least decent of answer to have earned Astrid a treat, if not, she would be sure to make sure that she gave her a treat back in her dorm, since she was being so good thus far.

Morgan went from being excited about finally being able to take cool electives this year, to being super annoyed that they were ALLOWED TO BRING THEIR OWN CATS to class, when he STILL didn't have one! His brother had his own kneazle and his sister had her own cat, who she even brought to class, and what did he have? A giant snail. Sure, Larry was cool and all, but he didn't even bring him to school because he didn't really DO anything aside from sit in his tank and eat lettuce. He even lost track of that stray cat he was going to steal adopt from Diagon Alley.

But his mood had improved significantly when they were allowed to CLAIM one of the kitties for their own if they didn't have one - and not JUST for class, right?! And he went from petting a kneazle, to singing and humming softly to himself, a classmate's answer prompting the earworm in his head, and dancing the uncooperative kitty on his lap.

Cat scratch feverrr, hm hm hmmm
Cat scratch feVERR

Thanks, Nem. But he stopped suddenly when he heard the conversation between the professor and his sister. "He was Mum's teacher?" he blurted out to Chloe. Wow! He must be ancient! He turned and STARED at Williamson a minute. Huh. He wasn't even that wrinkly. "Did you have some plastic sorcery done, because you look great for your age." He had to be at least, like... 80, right?

Oh, oops. Forgot to raise his hand. Doing that now. "I'm Morgan McCarthy, but you can call me MF, if you'd like. A lot of my friends do, because it's my initials. It stands for Morgan Finn." He gave his sister a pointed look before turning back to Williamson. "I haven't given this guy a name yet, but I'm still thinking about it," he added, referring to the kneazle on his lap. Oh, right... there had been a question too, hadn't there?

Morgan hadn't been paying ANY attention after Chloe had dropped that bombshell, so he wasn't exactly sure what answers his classmates had already given. But he added, "Sometimes cats hiss when they're afraid, but it's also a warning too. Because they're about to attack, so you should probably leave it alone or stop annoying it." Unless you wanted to get scratched.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

So, now that everyone appeared to be settled and bonding with a cat (or kneazle), it was time to officially start the lesson. William picked up a bag of kneazle treats, rattled it noisily to get all the animals and their humans' attention, and then stepped forward into the center of the area to begin.

"Right, so as you've all seen, we have some cats and some kneazles here today, and maybe some other animals as well." William didn't glance at the covered crate but he WAS thinking about it. "On the topic of cats of all shapes and sizes, please tell me what you already know about magical or mundane cats? What kind of care (and CAUTION) is required of these animals? If you brought a cat to class today, how do you care for it? Do some breeds require special care? As you answer, please, uh, tell me your name, and your pet's name, and don't be afraid to build onto each others' answers. If I like your answer, I'll toss you and your feline a treat." Just a little incentive to get them going and to keep the cats settled (for now).

OOC: ONE answer per person though, as the options here are pretty limitless! =D we'll move on in ~18 hours idk.

Louise loved cats, particularly her own. But she got along with most other cats and kneazles as well. They were just so sooooft and furry and cuddly. So the fact that they were having a lesson on cats was pretty darn cool. And she happened to know quite a bit about cats since she had always grown up with one and now that she had one of her own.

The young redhead raised her hand right as somebody else spoke up --

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

Morgan went from being excited about finally being able to take cool electives this year, to being super annoyed that they were ALLOWED TO BRING THEIR OWN CATS to class, when he STILL didn't have one! His brother had his own kneazle and his sister had her own cat, who she even brought to class, and what did he have? A giant snail. Sure, Larry was cool and all, but he didn't even bring him to school because he didn't really DO anything aside from sit in his tank and eat lettuce. He even lost track of that stray cat he was going to steal adopt from Diagon Alley.

But his mood had improved significantly when they were allowed to CLAIM one of the kitties for their own if they didn't have one - and not JUST for class, right?! And he went from petting a kneazle, to singing and humming softly to himself, a classmate's answer prompting the earworm in his head, and dancing the uncooperative kitty on his lap.

Cat scratch feverrr, hm hm hmmm
Cat scratch feVERR

Thanks, Nem. But he stopped suddenly when he heard the conversation between the professor and his sister. "He was Mum's teacher?" he blurted out to Chloe. Wow! He must be ancient! He turned and STARED at Williamson a minute. Huh. He wasn't even that wrinkly. "Did you have some plastic sorcery done, because you look great for your age." He had to be at least, like... 80, right?

Oh, oops. Forgot to raise his hand. Doing that now. "I'm Morgan McCarthy, but you can call me MF, if you'd like. A lot of my friends do, because it's my initials. It stands for Morgan Finn." He gave his sister a pointed look before turning back to Williamson. "I haven't given this guy a name yet, but I'm still thinking about it," he added, referring to the kneazle on his lap. Oh, right... there had been a question too, hadn't there?

Morgan hadn't been paying ANY attention after Chloe had dropped that bombshell, so he wasn't exactly sure what answers his classmates had already given. But he added, "Sometimes cats hiss when they're afraid, but it's also a warning too. Because they're about to attack, so you should probably leave it alone or stop annoying it." Unless you wanted to get scratched.

And Louise Bones couldn't BELIEVE her ears. Was that kid calling her Uncle Willy OLD? Uncle Willy wasn't OLD. If he was old, her mother was old and they just weren't that old. Louised SCOFFED audibly at this kid -- Morgan's words. "He's not THAT old," she said, interjecting.

But then she let Morgan finish his idea and then she stuck her hand back in the air and waited for Uncle Willy Professor Williamson to call on her. "Cats need a designated spot to go potty. Indoor cats especially like a clean place to do their business. If you don't clean their litter boxes often enough, they'll search your house for a cleaner spot to go, so it's important to always keep their boxes clean." She had learned that the HARD way and now her mum made her clean the box at least once a day to avoid future... mishaps.

Also, did he appreciate her standing up for him? She thought he might.

He was overhearing both Chloe and MF speak to Professor Williamson as though they were on level ground with him. It didn't really matter too much who he was before and who he taught then. He, Xaria, and Cairo might not be here today if a Baby Dragon decided to eat his Dad....the McCarthy's too.

Don't be too friendly with him yet.

"It's commonly known that male house cats are easier to have as pets than female cats. They can be more affectionate and less reserved than their opposite sex." Shar Khan barely gave him a second glance at home anytime he was away from Hogwarts for the summer. "Oh...um Mark Gunter." He spoke next giving his name. "And this is Roger...." He looked down while he still held Roger up under his forearms...."Roger...ina....Rogina. Her name is Rogina." Glad he cleared that up.

Nina turned to greet Eiji with a small smile upon his arrival. The furry friend he had brought over did not receive as nice a greeting, nor did the cat that had come up to greet Missa, and neither did the ginger kneazle that was trailing right behind the gray one. Could they… Not? Because Nina had come to this kittenless corner for a reason. She eyed both cats to ensure that they wouldn’t move to scratch up her shoes, and only looked up when she heard their Professor address Eiji as ‘James’. Oh no, he was not going to like that one bit. Nina, on the other hand, was quite amused. Maybe Professor Williamson would be okay after all.

Though she did not plan on contributing an answer, she couldn’t help but smile when that third year, Blake Ryan, made it known that he wasn’t a cat person. Nina wasn’t either, for the record. She didn’t say this out loud though, not yet at least. She’d wait to see if Professor Williamson allowed Blake to simply observe for the rest of the lesson. If that were the case, she would obviously insist on the same thing for herself. It would only be fair. She could learn just as much from observation as she could in practice with a class like Care of Magical Creatures. If this was Defense Against the Dark Arts it would be entirely different. But for this class? Observation was enough.

She would prove it too, with just how attentive she was in listening to the answers her classmates offered. Um. Aboli’s answer made Nina want to G A G. Why would she say that? Even if it were true, which in all honesty Nina didn’t know, but WHO in their right mind would say such a thing out loud? In a LESSON of all places. Not only was it very concerning, but it was absolutely disgusting. Answers like these made her worry for some of her classmates and the thought processes they clearly entertained. At the moment, she worried about no one more than this “MF” McCarthy character. It was a shame that Gunnar had graduated, he was her favorite McCarthy. Not only was he easy on the eyes, but he was also very intelligent and made for a wonderful prefect. Chloe was nice, but Nina didn’t trust the girl very much. She still had quite a hard time believing that someone could be that cheery all the time. Even Calyx had his moments. Nor did she care for this younger Gryffindor McCarthy. Did someone need to remind him that Professor Williamson ought to be treated with respect? He's a professor and an adult. Did the Gryffindor McCarthy address his parents in that tone?

For the most part, the other answers her classmates offered up were decent enough. Some were utterly ridiculous, but she expected that from the younger years. Nemesis Upstead’s answer was one of the more unnerving ones given thus far. His fell right in line with the one that Aboli had shared, though this answer was far more concerning. Nina didn't plan on dying during this lesson (or anytime soon, she still had to attend apply for university!), but being scratched was a possibility. Had these cats been tested for disease? ”Nina Castillo. Are these kneazles up to date on their vaccines, Professor?” She looked at Professor W expectantly. There was only one acceptable answer.

Noah had noticed that the Professor extended a cool, calm greeting but he saw him smile. He nodded and then heard something that he WASN'T expecting. hey there cutie the voice had said. He glanced up, finding that Islay was close to him. Cutie? What. Did she mean ... No, no, no.. surely not. Don't be silly, Nam! he thought before waving back to her. "[b]Hi.[b]" Then he remembered the content kneazle purring away like a little motor in his arms. Oh... she meant the kneazle... Right. He continued to scratch the kneazle's chin to which made he or she quite happy.

And then the Professor began his class with a question. What kind of care is required of these animals? He had stopped scratching the kneazle and felt something bump his hand. Noah glanced down finding the kneazle giving him this look as if to ask him why would he stop. "Oh right..." he whispered, trying to multi-task thinking and keeping the kneazle happy.

Remembering that the Professor had asked for them to introduce themselves, he looked at the collar and found the cat's name. Aslan. Certainly a majestic name for this kneazle. His attention was brought back to Aslan as
he started kneading his legs and curling up in his lap. Right, Aslan seemed content... now time to focus. Noah listened to his classmate's responses. Oh hey! Jina was here. He'd have to catch her later and get her thoughts on Hogwarts. They had been in the same house together back in Ilvermorny. Aboli's answer got an eyebrow raise from him. He paused once more, thinking through his answer, and then offered his thoughts. "I'm Noah Nam. My friend here is Aslan," he began, referencing the curled up kneazle on his lap. "Cats have an extra organ that gives them the ability to taste scents in the air."

As the class was getting settled in, Dylan became more and more nervous that he wouldn't have a pet to participate in class. He didn't have a cat to bring, and none of the kneazles seemed to want to come near him. Standing up, he crossed his arms and listened to what the professor had to say. The giant crowd outside, as well as the animals really did have the 11-year-old on the fritz. What was it about him that animals didn't like? Was it that he was so young? Or that he was always nervous around them? Could they really sense fear?

As he pondered this, he felt a nudge against his leg. He bent back down and saw a little yellow furred kneazle walking in circles around him. It had come close to him once but was now sitting nearby, as if to study him. Dylan sat down and leaned back on his hands. Maybe it was just better if he let the pet come to him, rather than the other way around. Best not to force it into liking him. After about a minute, the kneazle got up and hesitantly starting checking out the young boy. It walked up to his arm slowly and started sniffing. Then it began rubbing it's face against his arm, as if to say it approved of Dylan. Almost with equal hesitation Dylan picked up the yellow animal and placed it in his lap. It purred almost instantly and curled up. His eyes got wide. This was not how he expected this class to go, but he was suddenly very very happy.

When it was his turn to talk about himself he did his best to speak up, although it was still a little hard to hear him. "Uh.. Dylan. Dylan Hunt, and this little one is...." He looked to see if it had any sort of indication of a name, but it did not. "I'm afraid I don't know it's name..." He took another pause. There wasn't much he knew about Kneazles or cats. His family was more of an owl family. They've had two or three owls in their home, although he's only been around for one of them. But any time he brought up the option of getting a different pet, he was shot down. We just can't afford it with your school coming up. They would say. Or it would be something along the lines of You're only really allowed an owl, you know. Even though the paper said he could bring a cat or a toad.

"I do know that they need fed rather regularly." Didn't all pets?

Maybe she had meant both that was always a possibility when it came to Islay Moreau. She was after all, a complicated little lion herself. ”hey” she grinned over to Noah, and her smile brightened as she spotted the kneazel in his arms, ”aww, I didn’t see him there – its so cute” she grinned reaching over she gave the little bugger a pat before reaching down and scooping a sleepy little one off of the floor near her foot and petting it, as it nestled into her arms.

Glancing at the little fluffy cream and golden colored car. Its eyes a piercing shade of green. Her fingers flicked at the collar as she checked its name and continued petting the kneazel mix – it was beautiful. A majestic mix of golden fluff.

Unlike other people, Aboli’s answer didn’t leave a bad taste in Islay’s mouth. It was afterall, factual. ”I am Islay Moreau, and this is Kasha?” she shrugged her shoulder as if hoping she hadn’t messed up the kitty’s name – and with another pet of is head she continued to speak. ”and going on from what Miss Song said – cats, like their larger brethren are carnivorous creatures and cannot survive without meat-based proteins and nutrients.” she paused for a second and then tacked on, ”so your cat can’t be vegan” because there had to be people out there trying to feed their cats vegan options – right?

..............................................

Well...at least he knew that he did not need to introduce himself since the man clearly knew who he was and just which buttons to push. Was this what it would feel like if mum had become a professor like she had once imagined? Or if grandfather actually came to Hogwarts to assist with apparition lessons? He felt like those may be less painful since he KNEW what his mum and grandfather were like...Mr. Professor Williamson was a wild card and Eiji had never been much of the betting sort.

Hopefully he could keep the embarrassing nicknames they used to call each other on the down low, yes?

Breathing in, he offered the man a smile. Granted it was a dry one but it was still there. Better? Eiji thought so.

What was not better was the fact that his choice of kneazle now had the sleeve of his robes damp from its saliva. "Yeah...seems completely smitten with me," he whispered wryly back to Missa as he took note of the two felines that were now in hot pursuit. "Careful...they can smell fear," he teased the girlfriend and the best friend.

When it came time to question and answer, however, Eiji did as he usually did and remained quiet. People often took offense to his answers and their relation to potions ingredients and general useful - which kneazles had their uses. Many of them. Whiskers and fur, for example. Which...well...his kneazle was also SHEDDING a fair bit and, not being one to waste, Eiji popped a phial from his pocket and put some of the fur into it for later use.

...he didn't suppose this kneazle was also in the business of dropping a whisker or two, no?

William had been expecting a guest any time now, now that class had officially started. And there he was, the silver fox dude. He saw the fox just out of the corner of his eye while he was checking on his crate, and smiled to himself before turning back around to the students. Their guest would be introduced… shortly.



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William looked around to see if he'd missed anyone and then pointed to the board with his wand again.

FOOD | BEHAVIOR | TRAITS

"We've discussed cats and kneazles being motivated by food, and being particular about their water and grooming, amongst other characteristics...." He wasn't going to spell it all out for them; he'd done enough by organizing their responses, kinda. "But what I'm most interested in, today, is feline behavior, particularly around other felines. Some people say that mundane cats can't be trained, much less magical ones or even wild ones. So let's do a small experiment."

He took a few steps toward the cat run and again gestured with his wand, this time levitating a box of various cat toys, treats, brushes, leashes, harnesses, and the like, so that the box drifted toward where the class was sitting. It seemed to hesitate for a moment and then the box spilled out and scattered all along the ground in front of the kids. And the box itself tumbled to the ground to rest like a big empty temptation to all the animals.

William grinned. "Oops. Well anyway, now that you can see the tools available to you, let's see if you can get your pet, or one of Hogwarts' highly intelligent kneazles, to complete the Cat Obstacle Course, with NO MAGIC help from you, though I do recommend that you run alongside the course. We'll have you race one feline at a time, and I'll clock your times to see who wins." He held up an ordinary stopwatch so they could see. "Remember, use the tools at your disposal to keep your feline in line. If you're a scaredy cat," he added, thinking of the few kids who hadn't picked up a kneazle yet, "you can also work with ONE partner and their animal. Ready? GO!"

Whoever was first could step right on up and get going...

He, meanwhile, was going to hang out at the back with Carwyn. Er, the silver fox resting just behind him. He'd save the fastest one for last, heh.

OOC: No need to wait for your turn or anything! Just start by RPing yourself, your cat/kneazle, and your reaction to the obstacle course, and of course feel free to expand on the treats/toys I've linked lol. Please RP for a cat/kneazle in a different color so that I can see how it's going! This mini-activity should last for the next two-ish days. I'll be responding to you all and writing down your times as you RP!

He turned bright red when he heard Islay's comment. So she... she had meant HIM!? Oh my.... Yep, he looked down and glanced at the kneazle in his lap. Please Aslan. Meanwhile he could have sworn that he saw Aslan roll his eyes at all of the dramatics. Same Aslan. Same, thought Noah.

He nodded, grinned, and caught the treat the Professor threw. Glancing at Aslan, he smiled a little more and offered the kneazle a treat.. "Hey buddy. You earned this." He noted how the Professor tapped his own lips and as the kneazle happily chewed on its treat, Noah glanced at it, trying to see if he could see the extra organ.

As he stroked Aslan's head, he continued to listen to the Professor as he gave his next instructions. "Right." he said, noting that they would have to find a way to get through said obstacle course without magic. Scratching behind Aslan's ear, he whispered to the kneazle, "We got this, right?" Then he glanced around, looking for someone to partner up with. "Any one want to work together through this?"

Huh? What was this about not understanding? *perplexed look* Oh, wait. That last little thought had snuck out her brain and exited her mouth, hadn't it? She decided not to reply to the question, as she doubted he really wanted an answer to it anyway. She wasn't expecting a treat to be tossed at her at that exact moment, but she managed to catch it anyway.

She started to give Maleficent her treat, but looked up with an 'THAT'S SO UNFAIR' expression on her face when he mentioned staying after class. UGH. Now that he'd gone and requested it, she'd have to stay! She'd been planning on merging in with the departing crowds and taking off.

"Yes, sir," she half-heartedly said.

THAT got her attention.

"Sir? I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say shoveling dung with...Bellchant?" she asked. Surely there had to be some mistake. Was there another Bellchant around here somewhere? SHE was staying after class to discuss kneazle homes, after all. It was Lazarus who'd wanted a pet in exchange for poop.



Isla blinked as all the toys, etc. scattered out in front of them. Really, Williamson? Isla stayed in place as she surveyed the mess. In the meantime, she came up with a plan. She had toys, she had a kneazle, and she a treat that could be broken up into pieces. Treats weren't magical, and he'd said no magic, so she was going to use the treats to move her kneazle along!

She grabbed a pretty pink harness and gently pet her kneazle as she secured it around her. Then she grabbed a random toy (some ball) and headed to the beginning of the obstacle course. Hmm...a red hoop. Isla tossed the ball through the hoop then tried to steer Maleficent along. The kneazle wasn't amused, though, which Isla didn't figure she would be. So she broke off a tiny piece of the treat, showed it to her kneazle, and then tossed it through the hoop.

The kneazle took off so fast that the harness slipped out of her hand, and it was only when Isla called for her pet and waved the treat around that the kneazle stopped. "Merlin!" she called out.

Nem was right about the scratches, of course. Claudine supposed that was why they were asked to bring their dragonhide gloves. It seemed her own answer was right also which earned the kneazle beside her to receive a treat. It gobbled it up hungrily which made her wonder if this kneazle was one of those which loved to eat. As she studied it, she couldn’t help but notice it had a little fat belly. This made it very likely that the kneazle was indeed a food junkie. Also, was that a fox? Claudine momentarily frowned and eyed it suspiciously. What was that doing here? Clearly, Williamson was expecting it, however.

And what was this? Isla in trouble? Claudine smirked. Weren't she and Bernadette quite the friends now? Dare Claudine think it- Bernadette was actually the one who was a bad influence? It was in that moment she decided to stay away from Isla, Blake and anyone else who were too chummy with Bernadette Grantham.

The moment that box was emptied, the kneazle at Claudine’s feet bounded up, stretched while kneading the ground below its front paws and jumped into said box. Um…

Wait… they were not supposed to use magic? Was this a Muggle Studies lesson? Claudine rolled her eyes as she stood up. “Good luck, Nem,’’ she said warmly, and meaning it. On the other hand, good luck to her in luring this kneazle out of the box. The girl hesitated at the group of toys at the students’ disposal. Cats like mice and fish, right? After a moment’s hesitation, she grabbed one of the fishes. “Here, kneazle. Check out this fish.’’ She waved it in front of the kneazle’s face. Much to her disappointment, the kneazle was more interested in grooming itself; it was licking a paw and rubbing its right ear.

Ugh. Could she get another kneazle?

But something about Claudine? She was stubborn and determined at times. This was why she tried to get the kneazle’s attention again. She whistled softly and that did the trick. Swiftly, she grabbed a treat from among the other things and stowed it in her pocket then moved for the start of the course.

The kneazle wanted more treats. That fish the hooman was holding? It was pure fake; it did NOT have that delicious tuna scent. It was quite intent on staying in this box but the shrill whistle was not something it could resist. Besides, what was that DELECTABLE smell coming from the hooman’s clothing? Sniff, sniff. He was quite willing to follow this hooman now.

So the Blake kid had ignored him completely. Noted. Didn't know what he'd ever done to him but there were more pressing concerns. Kitt's mouth fell open at the professor's response. Cheek? "But...but Professor....but..." The boy was absolutely floored. Him? Cheek? He'd been offering fair trade. Was the man not acquainted with the barter system? This was hardly how he expected things to go and he was already shoveling dung for the man. How much more could he really be shoveling? Truly. Abraxans couldn't possibly poop that much.

Kitt looked over at Bellchant. Bellchant? Isla? Ah, Bellchant, got it. Yeah, he knew her. She was alright.

It didn't take long for his attention to be drawn back to Sparky. The kneazle began to wiggle and hiss to be put down. The professor hadn't been kidding, yikes. Kitt adjusted the kneazle, tucking him in close so his feet were no longer dangling in the air. There was a small sigh of relief when he settled down. Here bud, have a treat.

Now then, what's this about an obstacle course? "I wanna race!--I mean work together!" Kitt sidled over to his housemate (Noah). "Do we just set 'em down and start yelling? Or should we feed 'em first?"