Rajesh was hoping being outside might cause less problems than his water issues had inside, otherwise his favorite class was going to be a mess. Things were still unpredictable, and the umbrella spell was already in place in case the sunnier outlook of the day turned wrong, at least for him. He tried to still be happy about it as he approached the gathering space, the presence of his aunt helped somewhat though he could also feel the ground soften beneath him from the water leaking from him.

“Afternoon Professor Paton,” he greeted the woman with a weak smile, having gotten used to not being so familiar with her when it was lesson time. At least the charmed warmth of the space meant it wasn’t ice he was dealing with.

Jude felt the warmth starting to chase the chilliness away as he got closer out towards the pasture. It came as no surprise since all the professors did their best to ensure the students were comfy; he was especially sure that Hady would see to that. It was still weird for him to call her professor but he had a few more lessons in the school year to get there.

That warm smile was all too familiar to the Hufflepuff. “Hi, professor!’’ Jude grinned and added in an undertone, “See? I didn’t call you 'cousin' Hady this time!’’ A wink was thrown at the woman. “Please let Bry know that I’m up for teaching her dancing this summer. Totally forgot to let her know earlier…” Sorry, Bry! He could only hope the nine year old didn’t beat him up the next time he saw her for that. Eyeing the covered tables, the Hufflepuff headed off to flop himself down on a hale bay somewhere in the middle of the cluster.

Annoyed was what this dark haired sixth year snakette felt as she headed down to Comc class surrounded by a big swarm of butterflies that was being too close for comfort. Bella waved the ones sitting on the bridge of her nose with an exasperated sigh. "Must you, can't you fly and smell some flowers? Please?" Her 'power' was being worse than ever, but at least she didn't have one of the gifts that made your hands glow or turn invinsible. Coming down to the pasture she shot Professor Paton the best smile that she could manage. "Good afternoon Professor Paton. Can we learn about fire creatures today?" Something that could keep them hot in the common room. Going over to sit down on one of the hay bales near Jude she whispered. "Hey Jude, want to study with me, and eat smores after dinner?"

The sixth year snake was annoyed beyond annoyed you might add, his powers were to a point he couldn't even stay visible for anyone to see him. He was really annoyed by it and having to carry his wand around so people could see him of so. It was time for one of his favorite subjects with one of his favorite Professors. Walking closer to the pasture he felt the coldness slip away and warmness surround him. "Hello Professor, hope you're well."

Vera was genuinely TRYING to get to Professor Paton's class NIIIIICE and EARLY. Mainly because it was Logan's mom, which meant SHE knew Vera's Papa and that meant that anytime she was particularly late or uh... Vera-like, word might get back to Papa and then she'd have to deal with the disappointment. And Papa being disappointed was one of her LEAST favorite things, which was really rather difficult when it seemed a natural response to her most favorite things.

Mischief.

Skipping down with her peers, she beamed at Professor Paton. "Hi Professor Logan's mom! Will we get to learn about and handle a basilisk today??" Did she ask this question the start of every CoMC class? Absolutely.

Care of Magical Creatures used to be one of the classes Desiree looked forward to most, back when it meant petting creatures instead of turning into one. Now it was one of the classes that worried her most. Aside from the usual shame she felt every time she transformed in front of people, now she had to worry about the creature of the day thinking she was an actual wombat and attacking! She wasn't sure why she kept coming to lessons. It wasn't like she'd stay human long enough to fully participate! Maybe she just wanted a distraction?

Whatever the reason, she was here. She mustered a faint smile for Professor Paton as she approached. "Hello, Professor," she greeted. Despite everything happening, she still made an effort to be polite (at least to everybody but Peeves!). It wasn't the professor's fault she was like this!

With the pleasantries out of the way, she made her way to a seat at the back of the semi circle. No sooner had she sat down that she felt that ominous tingle, and she looked down to see her painted fingernails turning into claws. Ugh, not this again! A second later, a wombat sat where Desiree once was. Wombat!Desiree looked around at all the humans, blinked, and curled up on the hay bale to take a nap. Pay no attention to the teddy rat!

Care of Magical Creatures wasn’t necessarily one of Sable Ileana’s favorite classes. But it also wasn’t necessarily not one of her favorite classes. Of course, part of that might have just been because now she sort of felt like she knew the professor. She knew Logan, after all. He was on her crew. Just because Vasco was on her crew, but still, he was on there. He was helping with the pirate ship, again probably not entirely voluntarily, but he was part of the group. Therefore, she knew his mum, even if she didn’t really know her. Plus, she thought she remembered seeing her on one of her trips to Scamander’s Zoo with Juli and her cousin.

Either way, it counted. Plus, Vera was there and the blonde had beelined for the side of her bestie and first mate even as she’d grinned over in the professor’s direction. Learning about basilisks would absolutely be awesome. “Hi Professor Paton!”, she called out, only flinching the tiniest bit as the voice had sounded more like, well, she wasn’t entirely sure anymore but someone other than herself. Stupid Peeves.

SPOILER!!: Replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline

Rajesh was hoping being outside might cause less problems than his water issues had inside, otherwise his favorite class was going to be a mess. Things were still unpredictable, and the umbrella spell was already in place in case the sunnier outlook of the day turned wrong, at least for him. He tried to still be happy about it as he approached the gathering space, the presence of his aunt helped somewhat though he could also feel the ground soften beneath him from the water leaking from him.

“Afternoon Professor Paton,” he greeted the woman with a weak smile, having gotten used to not being so familiar with her when it was lesson time. At least the charmed warmth of the space meant it wasn’t ice he was dealing with.

It was getting to be that time. The few minutes right before her lesson began when students began to start arriving. And they surely didn't disappoint today. The first being a face she recognized immediately. "Good afternoon, Mr. Atreyu-Rehman," she greeted with a smile. It appeared as if he had his 'gift' under control for the moment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Jude felt the warmth starting to chase the chilliness away as he got closer out towards the pasture. It came as no surprise since all the professors did their best to ensure the students were comfy; he was especially sure that Hady would see to that. It was still weird for him to call her professor but he had a few more lessons in the school year to get there.

That warm smile was all too familiar to the Hufflepuff. “Hi, professor!’’ Jude grinned and added in an undertone, “See? I didn’t call you 'cousin' Hady this time!’’ A wink was thrown at the woman. “Please let Bry know that I’m up for teaching her dancing this summer. Totally forgot to let her know earlier…” Sorry, Bry! He could only hope the nine year old didn’t beat him up the next time he saw her for that. Eyeing the covered tables, the Hufflepuff headed off to flop himself down on a hale bay somewhere in the middle of the cluster.

Ah, there was another face she would know anywhere. Family was family after all. "Hello, Mr. Anders," she returned with none other than her familiar smile. "I did and for that I must thank you." There was a soft laugh from the brunette who had to admit on many occasions she had paused to remind herself not to call the students by their first names, especially her family. "I will make sure I tell her tonight to add dancing with Jude to the very long list of activities that she already has going on."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Annoyed was what this dark haired sixth year snakette felt as she headed down to Comc class surrounded by a big swarm of butterflies that was being too close for comfort. Bella waved the ones sitting on the bridge of her nose with an exasperated sigh. "Must you, can't you fly and smell some flowers? Please?" Her 'power' was being worse than ever, but at least she didn't have one of the gifts that made your hands glow or turn invinsible. Coming down to the pasture she shot Professor Paton the best smile that she could manage. "Good afternoon Professor Paton. Can we learn about fire creatures today?" Something that could keep them hot in the common room. Going over to sit down on one of the hay bales near Jude she whispered. "Hey Jude, want to study with me, and eat smores after dinner?"

Another student with butterflies. Hady knew how these 'gifts' were getting to everyone but some of them she didn't mind so much. Perhaps because it wasn't affecting her directly. She did however feel badly for her overwhelmed students and colleagues. "Good afternoon, Miss Connolly. I'll see what I can do." The soft ever present smile on the woman's face didn't give away anything to the day's lesson.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Granger Danger

The sixth year snake was annoyed beyond annoyed you might add, his powers were to a point he couldn't even stay visible for anyone to see him. He was really annoyed by it and having to carry his wand around so people could see him of so. It was time for one of his favorite subjects with one of his favorite Professors. Walking closer to the pasture he felt the coldness slip away and warmness surround him. "Hello Professor, hope you're well."

Now the arrival of the next student was a little more complicated as there wasn't much to see. All that was visible was a wand at best unless the young man glitched in and out of visibility which seemed to be quite rare at the moment. "Hello, Mr. O'Neill. I am, thank you. I hope even with all things considered the same can be said for you today. If you need anything at all just let me know."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

Vera was genuinely TRYING to get to Professor Paton's class NIIIIICE and EARLY. Mainly because it was Logan's mom, which meant SHE knew Vera's Papa and that meant that anytime she was particularly late or uh... Vera-like, word might get back to Papa and then she'd have to deal with the disappointment. And Papa being disappointed was one of her LEAST favorite things, which was really rather difficult when it seemed a natural response to her most favorite things.

Mischief.

Skipping down with her peers, she beamed at Professor Paton. "Hi Professor Logan's mom! Will we get to learn about and handle a basilisk today??" Did she ask this question the start of every CoMC class? Absolutely.

Annnnnd there she was. The little ball of energy that reminded her of Logan and her youngest daughter Bryony who was still at home. "Hello there, Miss Thanatos. It's Professor Paton next time." Wait for it.. wait fooor it. She knew the question was coming. There it was! Hady gave a soft gentle laugh. "Not today but I think you might enjoy this lesson anyhow."

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Care of Magical Creatures used to be one of the classes Desiree looked forward to most, back when it meant petting creatures instead of turning into one. Now it was one of the classes that worried her most. Aside from the usual shame she felt every time she transformed in front of people, now she had to worry about the creature of the day thinking she was an actual wombat and attacking! She wasn't sure why she kept coming to lessons. It wasn't like she'd stay human long enough to fully participate! Maybe she just wanted a distraction?

Whatever the reason, she was here. She mustered a faint smile for Professor Paton as she approached. "Hello, Professor," she greeted. Despite everything happening, she still made an effort to be polite (at least to everybody but Peeves!). It wasn't the professor's fault she was like this!

With the pleasantries out of the way, she made her way to a seat at the back of the semi circle. No sooner had she sat down that she felt that ominous tingle, and she looked down to see her painted fingernails turning into claws. Ugh, not this again! A second later, a wombat sat where Desiree once was. Wombat!Desiree looked around at all the humans, blinked, and curled up on the hay bale to take a nap. Pay no attention to the teddy rat!

As another student made there way over, Hady smiled warmly as she always did. Being an Animagus she knew what it was like to change into a creature but she was able to do so at her own well, so her heart went out to the young girl who didn't ask to become a wombat nor be unable to control when it happened. "Hello, Miss Marchand." She watched as she took a seat and no sooner had the girl sat down then she changed into a wombat. Not to worry, she would keep an eye on that to make sure she couldn't get far and run off or anything and hurt herself accidentally.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverTiger

Care of Magical Creatures wasn’t necessarily one of Sable Ileana’s favorite classes. But it also wasn’t necessarily not one of her favorite classes. Of course, part of that might have just been because now she sort of felt like she knew the professor. She knew Logan, after all. He was on her crew. Just because Vasco was on her crew, but still, he was on there. He was helping with the pirate ship, again probably not entirely voluntarily, but he was part of the group. Therefore, she knew his mum, even if she didn’t really know her. Plus, she thought she remembered seeing her on one of her trips to Scamander’s Zoo with Juli and her cousin.

Either way, it counted. Plus, Vera was there and the blonde had beelined for the side of her bestie and first mate even as she’d grinned over in the professor’s direction. Learning about basilisks would absolutely be awesome. “Hi Professor Paton!”, she called out, only flinching the tiniest bit as the voice had sounded more like, well, she wasn’t entirely sure anymore but someone other than herself. Stupid Peeves.

"Hello, Miss Armstrong," Hady replied noticing the voice change but it was so normal by now that no comment upon it was necessary anymore. If the 'gifts' weren't causing distress or harm she wouldn't be making a fuss unless it appeared she needed to. While it all was a bit much at times there wasn't really a whole lot that could be done about the matter at this very moment.

With the arrival of the final student and everyone seated, Professor Paton moved away from the table she had been leaning on to stand before them all and gave a clap of her hands to announce the start of the lesson. "Once again, good afternoon everyone! I do hope you all are having as best of a day as you can be and I thank you all for joining me for this afternoon's lesson." This was normally how she began each and every lesson so it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

"Now before we have a look under the cloths that are covering each of these tables I would like you all to take a look at these drawings." She was sure they had all noticed the tables behind her and if they hadn't, well they would now. With a flick of her wand at the white board a black erase marker began to draw five things. "Which of these drawings are reptiles? What are some other reptiles that you know of? Both magical or muggle."



OOC: I'm really sorry for the super late reply. I was out almost all day yesterday and didn't get a chance to really be on the computer.. and there wasn't anyway I could reply to this from my phone. We will be moving on in about 24 hours. Also please feel free to still join in and have your student already there

Jude watched as Bella arrived in all her butterfly glory. Honestly, he liked that they had the same power, annoying as said power was becoming. He was all smiles when his closest Slytherin friend sat beside him. Oh, they were whispering? “Hey, Bells! Sure! We can do that, as long as we have extra marshmallows.” A butterfly landed on his left shoulder and Jude gave it the side eye. Yes, he was quite used to them by now especially as he had literally summoned more than a few dozen on his way to the lesson. Thankfully, they had dispersed across the Grounds and had not followed him. Speaking of those pesky powers… poor Desiree. Jude stared at his wombat friend in concern. Should… should he bring her over with him? Or maybe he should let her sit there? He knew she was able to understand speech even in that form. Well, he would just keep an eye on her.

The Hufflepuff tore his gaze away from the younger one as Hady got started. Drawings? Interesting! The images were studied before he raised a hand. “Snakes are reptiles. As are Komodo dragons.” The latter wasn’t there but it was a reptile!

Also, WHY was he NOT surprised this lesson was based on reptiles?? Hady and her immediate family had a thing for them.

Oh uh... Right. Their last name was Paton. Ve just beamed back at the Professor as she settled into her spot and bobbed her head. She's get it right eventually.... Right?

When Sia slipped into the spot next to her, she grinned at her best friend, leaning over. "That sounded a bit like The Grey Lady!" She didn't know if it did, but being able to convince people she was a ghost would be COOL and Vera was trying to make her feel better.

When the lesson started, attention went back to Professor Logan's Mom Paton. Her eyes widened gleefully at the topic and she bounced in her seat excitedly, hand FLYING into the air. It was a correct assumption she would be pleased with the lesson. "ooh oooh!! I know! Snakes, turtles and lizards are reptiles!" The others weren't, because they weren't all scaly. "Professor, are dragons reptiles too? I mean... I know they're DRAGONS but shouldn't dragons as a whole also be reptiles?" Like the komodo dragon thing that the older Hufflepuff mentioned.

Poor Desiree, Bella's heart went out to the eagle girl when she in front of everyone turned into a wombat. She'd have little chance to participate in the lesson now. Shaking her head Bella's attention briefly turned to Jude as she whispered back with a grin. "Of course we can have extra marshmallows." Hopefully the butterflies would keep away while they sat near the fire. Bella didn't want to burn some butterflies by accident.

Focusing on Professor Paton and what she was saying and showing them Bella raised her hand shortly after Jude and Vera had spoken asking "Aren't salamanders considered reptiles? Also basilisks are reptiles since they are huge snakes." If she remembered her creature book studies correctly.

Taking notes the best he could, Tadhg nodded at some of the others replies while writing down a few of his own. Hm... reptiles hm? He knew a few magical and non magical but not that many but it was a shot in the dark right? Raising his wand so Professor Paton could ar least see something of his he replied. " What about the Occamys Professor? I think they might be extant but they're still reptiles right?" He really didn't know, to be honest he was a bit scared of snakes due to something happening at a young age that traumatized him.

Class was beginning and so far it wasn’t a complete mess. It was a point where Rajesh was glad he didn’t have one of the gifts that happened when one spoke or changed his form. Mostly just causing puddles and the occasional storm. He was slow to take notes, not wanting to cause an overflow of inkish water from his quill.

Reptiles…he mused, looking at the drawings indicated. He could definitely pick them out. “The snake, turtle, and Iguana are reptiles,” he remarked in answer with the class. The frog and salamanders were amphibians because of their skin, smooth versus scaly. And then a young Gryffindor mentioned dragons which definitely got his attention, being the son of a dragonologist. “Yes and no…dragons are reptilian in nature but are classified as their own field of beasts…I think,” he said, adding the last when he realized that maybe that was stepping on Aunt Hady’s toes so he tried playing it off.

The students gave some really wonderful answers and as they each had spoken all of their replies had been magically listed on the white board underneath the drawings.

Quote:

Drawings
Snake
Frog
Turtle
Salamander
Iguana

Reptiles
Snake
Komodo Dragon
Dragon - Beast
Turtle
Iguana
Basilisks
Occamy - Beast

"These were all great answers everyone! That's not a bad looking list we have there." It was all in all, a start. They would be talking about more reptiles as the lesson progressed. "Before we move on to more fun things I have a few more questions I would like to ask. Don't feel obligated to answer them all because that isn't necessary." No need to get themselves overwhelmed for any reason.

Hadleigh looked out over the class and gave them all a warm smile, her eyes falling upon the snoozing Desiree/Wombat. She would make sure she got all the notes and as always she was welcome to stop by her office anytime to discuss the lesson or anything else if needed, as was anyone else. "Now moving on.. what do you know about reptiles? Have any of you had any personal experiences with any reptiles? How do we handle them?" How much more could they all add to the growing list they had started on the white board before they got to the fun part of their lesson?

OOC: Hello everyone! Awesome answers! I love the enthusiasm .. I just wanted to point out that Hady classified Occamy as both reptiles and beasts as when looked up they are described as both feathered and then scaled for the books and movies so we used both. The lesson will move on in 24 hours! XD

With the date between him and Bella set, Jude settled fully into the lesson, his gaze shifting between Hady and Desiree. He made notes in his book from the board before they were moved along to the next set of questions. Said questions turned out to be ones relating to dealing or handling reptiles, something which Jude hadn’t had much experience with. If he were being honest {and he usually was}, he wasn’t that interested in getting to know reptiles too well.

The sixth year raised his hand. “Er… aside from meeting with a few snakes, and the occasional reptiles here during CoMC lessons, I haven’t had much experience. I know it’s advisable to use slow moments with them- that way they don’t become startled or think that you’re a threat.”

And those snakes he had been referring to? Yes, they belonged to Hady and her family. His fave by far though had been Hulk smash and Amie.

Perfect! Bella now had a date with Jude after dinner. Her focus could now soley be on the lesson and the reptiles they were discussing. Snakes gave her the creeps though even if she wasn't about to admit it out loud. They were so slimey and slippery and she just didn't like something that slithered and hissed. A cat was much better. Snake encounters? Thinking Bella raised her hand to say "Um, I have seen a few snakes at the zoo and in COMC lessons, but I did though encounter one in our back garden once, but when it saw me it slithered off like it was scared is that common?" Remembering the other question she added "Also I think pet reptiles are supposed to live in heated terrariums, and eat whole dead animals or vegetation like leaves." Depending on if it was a snake or an iguana.

SPOILER!!: Replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

With the date between him and Bella set, Jude settled fully into the lesson, his gaze shifting between Hady and Desiree. He made notes in his book from the board before they were moved along to the next set of questions. Said questions turned out to be ones relating to dealing or handling reptiles, something which Jude hadn’t had much experience with. If he were being honest {and he usually was}, he wasn’t that interested in getting to know reptiles too well.

The sixth year raised his hand. “Er… aside from meeting with a few snakes, and the occasional reptiles here during CoMC lessons, I haven’t had much experience. I know it’s advisable to use slow moments with them- that way they don’t become startled or think that you’re a threat.”

And those snakes he had been referring to? Yes, they belonged to Hady and her family. His fave by far though had been Hulk smash and Amie.

There was a small smile and a nod of her head. "Slow movements are always very important when handle any creature you don't know, not only snakes and other reptiles. That's right. One of the worst things you want to do when approaching a reptile you haven't come in contact with before is appear as a threat to them. She knew very well that Jude wasn't fond of snakes and that was perfectly alright, not everyone was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Perfect! Bella now had a date with Jude after dinner. Her focus could now soley be on the lesson and the reptiles they were discussing. Snakes gave her the creeps though even if she wasn't about to admit it out loud. They were so slimey and slippery and she just didn't like something that slithered and hissed. A cat was much better. Snake encounters? Thinking Bella raised her hand to say "Um, I have seen a few snakes at the zoo and in COMC lessons, but I did though encounter one in our back garden once, but when it saw me it slithered off like it was scared is that common?" Remembering the other question she added "Also I think pet reptiles are supposed to live in heated terrariums, and eat whole dead animals or vegetation like leaves." Depending on if it was a snake or an iguana.

It really didn't come as much of a surprise to her that a lot of her students weren't very well aquatinted with reptiles outside of lessons. Unlike her children and a lot of her family, they all likely weren't raised around reptiles or all types of other creatures. "A lot of the time that is much more common than you might think. Snakes and many other reptiles are much more scared of you than you are of them. Truth be told, they would probably rather to be left to their own devices than be bothered by us. Those that are kept as familiars or companions should have specialized terrariums, that's correct. Whether it's heating, lighting or evening the types of dirt, sand and plants they like. It can be extremely difficult to maintain their homes and keep them healthy." Therefore one should always do their research before getting a reptile as with any other creature.

While the students spoke and took notes, all that was being said was listed onto the white board. As a professor she found it helpful to keep all useful information towards the lesson up on the board for the entire duration of the lesson. It gave all of the students more than enough time to write things down without having to rush.

"Great answers everyone! As we said when handling reptiles you want to be gentle, go slow. You shouldn't come from behind as that could startle them, just as you might get startled if someone came up behind you suddenly. Always allow them to see you first." Hady smiled and turned towards the tables that were behind her now and removed the long dark cloths that had been covering them to show what had been underneath. There were many small tanks with different reptiles in each one of them. At the end of one of the tables was a box of gloves so the students didn't have to touch the reptiles with their hands if they didn't want to do so.

"Now what I would like for all of you to do is please come up here one by one and select a pair of gloves from the box here if you don't have a pair with you would like and then select a tank and bring it back to your seat. For the remainder of the lesson the reptile you choose will be yours to look after, bond with and look after. You can keep it in the take or take it out if you feel comfortable enough to do so." There was a brief pause as she looked at them all to make sure they were paying attention. "On each take is a small sticker with the reptiles information written on it so there will be no surprises. I'll be walking around and close by if there's any questions or concerns as always."

Stepping aside Hady gestured for the first row of students to come up and choose a tank and a pair of gloves until everyone had a tank and was back in their seats.

Quote:

Reptiles
Karma Chameleon (a magical chameleon that mirrors its handler's attitude and emotional energy)

Luminescent Lizard (a lizard that glows)

Tortoise Turtle (a creature that causes complete confusion by morphing between a tortoise form and turtle form every so often, so that no one is quite sure how to classify it other than as both)

Golden Year Gecko (a gecko that is born silver and turns gold with age)

Songsnake (a small and mostly harmless snake that emits faint music from time to time)

Moke (a small lizard that grows up to ten inches long and has the ability to shrink at will)

Firedrakes (small flying lizards with long antennae, though they do not breathe fire but rather emit sparks from the ends of their tails)

OOC: The Mini Activity has begun! All the students have to do is go up to the table and select a table with a reptile inside (there's more than one of each and you can choose the gender if you like!) I'll be moving on in about 48 hours so in that time the students can get to know their reptile and Hady will walk around and help them out. There's still plenty of time to jump in and play!

Rajesh waited until it was his row’s turn to come up to the front and handle the various reptiles that Professor Paton had supplied for today’s lesson. His footfalls were squishy as he walked and judging by the feeling of his hands, he doubted his first choice would be alright, even if he chose to wear gloves for once. The sixth year didn’t want to mess with one of the firedrakes with his perchance to summon water and a Karma Chameleon didn’t need to deal with his frustration. So, he opted instead for one of the songsnakes.

Maybe its song would help his mood even a tiny bit.

“Hey little fella…” he greeted, slowly bending his head down towards the snake to present himself. “Just gonna move you a little.” Gently and carefully, he picked the tank up and returned to his spot with his tank. Raj settling it down to let his charge adjust after moving before he did anything else. “There…not so bad,” he mused, tentatively lowering his hand into the tank so as to not shock the creature within but instead let the songsnake investigate him.

Intrigued, Jude watched as the pieces of cloths came off. No surprise again, there were reptiles in the spotlight. He eyed them all cautiously, not exactly sure how he was going to handle all this reptilian glory. At least there were gloves, that much he was grateful for. The Hufflepuff got to his feet and headed off to grab a pair. He didn’t pull them on but stuffed them in his pockets. Jude wasn’t sure as yet if he wanted to take his reptile - whatever it was that he selected - out of its tank. Sorry, Hady! His side of their family didn’t really get the love-for-reptiles genes!

His reservations melted away the second he saw the Karma Chameleons and Jude’s face lit up like the sun. Oh, yeah! One of these little guys was going to be his new friend! Lifting the tank carefully, it was taken back to where he had been seated. It was set on the ground near his feet. The sixth year didn’t sit back down on the bale but rather on the ground next to the tank.

“HI!” Jude waved at the reptile rather enthusiastically. Oh look! The chameleon actually bobbed its head at the same speed as his wave. HOW COOL!!! Then, just like magic, the little creature turned bright yellow. “Whoa!!” DOUBLE COOL!!!

Vera was distracted from offering any answer about experience with reptiles, because she was sulking on the fact she did not NEARLY have enough. She would sneak into the Menagerie often to try and interact with some of the snakes and try to sweet talk her Papa into letting her have one and yet... no dice yet. Maybe once she could get approval to bringing one to school. Which... she put a pin in that thought to ask Professor Logan's mom Paton later.

Her pouting was immediately dissipated at the reveal of what was under the sheets, and Vera could have ROLLLLLED around their meeting place in excitement. The whole fact that they were to approach gently and slowly was going to be VERY difficult for the girl, because all she wanted to do was cuddle with one of the song snakes and make it her best friend. But... the chameleons also caught her attention. If only for the fact that it's mood and attitude was supposed to match her own, which sounded VERY exciting.

As soon as they were allowed to go make a friend, Vera quickly slipped her hands into her pair of gloves from inside her bag, the colors changing instantly though... at least that should protect the chameleon. She skipped up to the chameleons, trying desperately hard to calm herself, before stopping in front of the case and reading the sticker. Ooooh, was there going to be a limit to how much exuberance the reptile could have?

Taking a couple of deep, DEEP breaths, Ve reached as sloooooooowly as she could amongst them, waiting for one to crawl onto her hand and pulling him out to look at him. "Well, HI there. Aren't you just one of the cutest little things!?"

The second year Lion had been uncharacteristically quiet during the discussion part of the lesson, not because Sable Ileana was lacking in any knowledge about reptiles. Mostly just learned from her visits to the zoo, and knowing Vera and her desire for a snake. She was fine with her cruppy, but support for her bestie and all. No, she’d been quiet because she’d much rather not deal with sounding like anyone other than herself when she was actually trying to participate in classes. Even if she was oh-so-grateful to bestie for trying to make her feel better about the earlier slip. She wasn’t entirely convinced the voice had been the Grey Lady’s, but tricking people into thinking she was a ghost was kind of a cool idea. Pirate-y, too, what with the tricking people thing.

Aside from the uncharacteristic silence, it was a bouncy blonde that had followed Vera up to the tanks, veering more toward the firedrakes instead of the chameleons like the other girl. Firedrakes seemed nearly like tiny dragons, after all, and prate queens needed familiars. A mascot, even, and she’d slipped her own gloves on from her bag before moving the tank of a particularly brilliant she-drake over to her earlier position. Only then slowly slipping her hand inside to let the tiny lizard decide if she liked her. Hopefully, because having a firedrake mascot would be awfully fun. Especially when she couldn’t have her crup at school with her.

When professor Paton first instructed them all to choose a tank with a reptile in it to bond with Bella thought she had been joking. Watching how her peers pulled on gloves and then went over to pick a tank it dawned on her that this was real and that they had to do this for the practical portion of the lesson. Out of nowhere Bella felt scared and nervous to do wrong and hurt the reptile. Could she bond with a reptile together with someone? Not wanting to ask she took several calming breaths before she slowly got up from her seat and pulled on her dragonhide gloves that she had pulled out of her robe pockets.

Dragging her feet Bella eventually came over to the tanks to read the plaques. She didn't know what to pick. She was really not up for bonding with any reptile to be quite honest but she had to pick one. In the end she chose a take with a female songsnake in it. Back at her seat she studied the snake from outside the tank. "Hello, little girly Emma. What can you sing?" She didn't have the courage yet to life the snake out.

Apollo was presently very distracted by the swarm of butterflies that were surrounding Bella and Jude individually. Surely the saying 'follow the butterflies' wasn't meant to be taken in reverse?? Although he supposed that had to be cooler than poor Desiree over there turning into a wombat. Wait, was she ... had she done animagus training? She wasn't old enough though, was she? The sixth year found himself contemplating about animagus training instead of focusing on the questions and he completely missed Professor Paton introducing the topic. Why had he even continued care of magical creatures anyway? It wasn't like he wanted a career in creatures. He did alright in the subject, but it definitely wasn't one of his top.

Oh... they were meant to pick a box and bond with whatever creature was inside. Not even really paying too much attention to what the choices were - did it matter? - the gryffindor picked one randomly and returned to his seat before peering inside.

Firedrake. Okay that was kind of cool, actually, even if it would have been cooler if it emitted REAL fire. "Hey little guy... girl..." He spoke to the creature, just as sparks came from its tail in an angry fashion. "Oh... uh.. right... you don't know me." He chewed his lip thoughtfully, as he went to get some food and hold it out for it to take. Food was always the way to win someone over, creatures included.

Walking up towards the tanks he looked at the stickers placed in front of them. Biting his lip he didn't know which one to pick, maybe the one who calls out to him more. Although he was sorta scared of snakes he could've sworn he heard a faint tune coming from the tank. Wow... it sounded nice and sweet, but he was also intrigued by the golden year gecko and no seemed to get these poor little fellas Tadhg bit his lip. Wow... this one was hard, but seeing the golden year gecko he decided to see how it was going to go.

Getting his gloves on he took the tank and headed back to his spot. He didn't know how this was going to go basically being invisible but it was worth a shot. Carefully and gently he put his hand in the tank. "Sorry I'm invisible basically but I know you can sense me, I'm Tadhg." As the golden gecko climbed upon his hand he smiled. "Hi there girl, aren't you a pretty thing?