Jude bounced his way over to the pastures, quite looking forward to today’s CoMC lesson. He always felt a little more at home during these because of Hady teaching it. Not to mention his numerous cousins and Keigh being there. It was like a big ole family gathering in his mind. Oh, he was going to miss these in a few months!

“Hello, professor!” The Hufflepuff gave her a wide grin before eyeing the dome. Since Hady didn’t dissuade him, he quickly took a peek through a window but saw… nothing but blackness. Fine, Hady! Keep your secrets for now.

Jude was quite torn by the choice of mats {especially when they were SO colourful!} but eventually opted to take a seat in the grass. Yep, just a guy at one with nature.

Bella walked down to the pastures basking in the sunny warmth on the way that she felt touch exposed her skin. Entering the pastures the snakette seniors eyes first took in the dark dome and then the colourful mats to sit on. On the way to grab a mat for herself Bella greeted Professor Paton with a smile. "Hello Professor! It's a nice day for learning about creatures. Can we learn to care for some winged horses please?" With a very pink mat in hand Bella headed over to sit down on her mat next to Jude greeting him in a whisper. "Hi Jude, aren't you worried about getting grass stains on your clothes?"

With the warm weather, Rajesh was definitely doing his best to spend his time out of doors, whether studying or other stuff. Beautiful weather and a Care of Magical Creatures class? Yes please for this seventh year, said Ravenclaw making his way down to the familiar grounds after lunch. He couldn’t help notice the rather large dome that resided in front of him, causing his curiosity to peak with slight eyebrow raise. Judging by the size, he could definitely name a few creatures that would fit inside. Though he could also see his Aunt Hads using that sense of humor she shared with his Dad and have today’s lesson be on something small and the size is a fake-out.

“Hello Professor,” he greeted the woman with a bright smile as he gathered with the students already there. Jude and Bella both getting nods of greeting. As for seating, Raj figured it didn’t hurt for him to stand for once. He certainly did enough sitting when reading and studying.

What a beautiful day! The unusually mild, sunny weather was giving Desiree spring fever, and she was dressed for the occasion. Channeling Mirabel Madrigal today, she wore a white t-shirt, teal overalls with a flower and butterfly prints, and matching floral sneakers. Fashionable, yet comfortable because she'd been at Hogwarts long enough to know that when a professor said comfortable attire, it usually meant one of two things. Either they were going to exercise or going to get dirty!

As she approached the group, Desiree tilted her head to one side, searching for any clues to what they were doing today. But there were none to be seen. Hmm… maybe they were working with a creature that most people wouldn't see, like a thestral or a demiguise in its invisible state?

Whatever the case, Desiree was all smiles as she greeted the professor. "Hi, Professor Paton," she said with a cheery wave. Cue more waves for Jude, Bella, and Raj as she joined the group, not minding standing at all. "Hi, everyone!"

CoMC was always one of the classes she looked forward to. If only because Sable Ileana figured creature knowledge was useful in whatever she decided to do after she graduated. Which, there was plenty of time before that needed to be considered. As of now, it was a tossup between a pirate and a secret agent, but as always piracy was the first choice. Except, odds were they weren’t studying water creatures with the big dome she’d been able to see long before she arrived at the lesson, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, her hair in two braids. Plus, she had pins to tuck the braids away if necessary. Creature things.

“Hi Professor Paton!”, she greeted the professor as she breezed into the area, waving at the other students there before snagging a watery blue mat that got plopped down not far from the dome itself. Better to see if the darkness inside ever cleared up and showed whatever was hidden. Plus, it left room if Vera or the boys showed up to join her.

Odds were at least one of them would. Not that she remembered who had chosen to take this subject.

Care of Magical Creatures was always one of those lessons that Apollo had a love-hate relationship with. He loved the fact that lessons were ordinarily outside. But sometimes keeping track of the varying creatures and how to best approach was difficult. But he also liked creatures for the most part.

Seeing some of his fellow seventh years present, he gave nods to them... and also to his housemate Sable and to Desiree as well. Also, NEWTs really were affecting Bella, weren't they? He shook his head at hearing her question to Jude. "You need to get some sleep Bells. Grass stains are easily removed with magic." His mum had been doing it for years on his clothes. He took a seat in the grass to show that he didn't mind either. "Hello Professor," he greeted

Brandon raised an eyebrow as he saw the dome. Yes, he tried his best to look through a window without looking like he was doing it. He saw nothing, and gave up. The board was blank. The professors here liked to have an air of mystery, didn't they? He sighed, choosing to stand by himself rather than sit on anything. "Hi Professor Paton. I agree, the weather is nice."

Aurora had always been a big fan of animals and so it came naturally that she would enjoy Care of Magical Creatures a lot. It had blown her mind that there were winged horses in the stables so every new lesson had been a real eye opener. It was therefore no surprise that she had a little bounce in her step as she walked her way out the castle and into the grounds.

Grateful that it was relatively warm for March in rural Scotland and she could therefore be comfortable in just her school jumper over her uniform and she didn’t have to traipse around in her robes. Her blonde hair was tied neatly into rope braid pigtails on either side of her head and her sleeves rolled up ready to get her hands dirty which inevitably in this class they would do. She arrived just as the professor was explaining to the few students that had gathered that they could grab a mat instead of sitting on the grass. She did so, picking up purple mat and plopping herself in amongst a group of students. Her eyes glanced over towards the dome which she couldn’t see inside yet, wondering what fascinating creature could be hidden inside.

She glanced to her left to see Brandon stood up by himself and patted the empty space to her side. “Come sit with me, Brandon!” She beamed. No point in standing around by yourself, was there? The Professor also got a friendly little wave for a greeting.

As the students began to arrive, it didn't surprise Hady at all that the very first one was Jude, nor did it surprise her that he chose to seat himself in the grass. "Good afternoon, Mr. Anders. Becoming one with nature today I see."

"Hello there, Ms. Connolly. Everyday is a nice day to learn about creatures but that may be only my opinion speaking on that. I already have today's lesson planned but I will keep winged horses in mind, how's that?" As a Professor she was always interested in hearing about what creatures the students wanted to learn about.

Paton kept a very straight face at Rajesh's raised brow. No clues were going to be given away as to what was inside the dome as of yet. "Good day, Mr. Atreyu-Rehman. Enjoying the weather?" it wasn't often that they got such a beautiful day like this one in March.

Here came another inquisitive one that made Hady smile as she joined the growing group. The way some of the students were eyeing the dome behind her made her want to laugh but she kept a smile on her face. "Hello, Ms. Marchand, I love the outfit. Very fitting for getting into the spirit of Spring."

"Ah, Ms. Armstrong, you're missing your other half." Hady smiled at the young Gryffindor almost never seeing her without her best friend or her own son and his best friend. Surely, if she was here already though, the other three would be arriving any second.

Here was another not at all bothered by sitting in the grass. "Hello, Mr. Adara-Stark. The grass could be rather comfortable to sit upon, yes?" It had never bothered her at all but she knew that some students didn't enjoy it at all.

"Good day, Mr. Fox. It truly is. I really hope this nice weather continues for a bit longer." Not only was she enjoying it but the creatures were as well.

A friendly little wave from a quiet first year never bothered her, it was much nicer than being flat out ignored. "Hello, Ms. Ackerly. Hady smiled softly and glanced out into the distance to see if anyone else was coming along to join them.

Professor Paton let the students chat quietly among themselves for a few moments until everyone arrived. When she was sure no one else was coming she smiled warmly at them all. "Alright, so as I'm sure you all have all ready noticed we will not be working with creatures out in the open pastures today. In a little bit we will all be going inside the dome behind me for our lesson but first before we go inside there's a few things we need to go over."

There was pause as she looked at each student. "What creature might be inside the dome? Why do you think it's dark inside there? Do you think the fact that a dome is being used today matters at all or no?" Before they dove right into what was really inside, she was curious to see what they all thought first. Where did their thought processes go when they had all arrived for the days lesson and saw a dark dome?


OOC: The Lesson has begun! So it's very simple, Hady is just curious to know what creature the students think is inside the dome. Why she chose a dome. And why the dome is dark! They can answer one question, all of them or none! Have fun! I'll be moving on again in about 24-36 hours!

So she was going to stay nonchalant as he looked quizical, his eyebrow relaxing as his aunt returned his greeting. “Very much,” Raj remarked on enjoying the weather. Soon enough there would be less signs of snow and more signs of spring and he was sure many of the creatures under her care would be anxiously awaiting more time outside. The Ravenclaw waited patrient as more students came in, waving back as Desiree sent one to him.

Thankfully class was beginning soon enough and Rajesh listened as the professor began the lesson, speaking on the plans for the doom and the conditions inside that he hadn’t investigated like his fellow seventh year had. It was dark inside….that lead him to believe in one things about the dome’s inhabitants. “The creatures may nocturnal or sensitive to light,” he mused. Maybe one that hadn’t been quite ready to come visit at the sleepover earlier on in the term. “And perhaps the dome shape is used to recreate their environment like a cave.”

“Yep!’’ the boy chirped, in response to Hady. “It’s a good day to do exactly that!” Jude grinned as he watched Bella grab a mat. Even before she had approached the stack, he knew she would be getting one. “Hey, Jingle Bells! Nah. Like Apollo said, magic helps a great deal with grass stains.” Besides, it was so comfortable here! “I like your choice of colour with regard to that mat, by the way. I kinda want to paint my nails the exact shade now.” Maybe Keighley would be game for doing so for him later; the little sister always had fun painting his nails. Jude nodded back to Raj and lifted a right hand, with the nails currently painted in midnight blue, to wave happily at Desiree.

Ohh? They’d be venturing into the dome? Excellent! Because this seventh year was bursting with curiosity as to what could be housed in there. There were so many possibilities! He thought for a moment then raised his hand, a blade of grass unknowingly sticking to his thumb. “A dome can be used to keep an endangered species safe,’’ he began. Jude lowered his hand, tilting his head slightly to the left. “This would help to keep hunters from getting to them. Not only that, it could keep the species from roaming freely. Fire Crabs, Snidgets, Graphorns…” And the other species that were on the brink of extinction.

"Definitely comfortable! The groundskeeper does great at keeping the grass soft and supple!" He nodded at Professor Paton. And Jude agreeing with him about the grass stains being easily removed with magic.

But then they were starting and it seemed they were going to be working in the domes today? In the dark? What Raj said made sense about recreating an environment similar to a cave.... The creatures maybe bats, but there wasn't any magical equivalent to bats, were there? Inferi? That was more dark arts though. "Is there a magical equivalent for bats?" Apollo said, but it came out more as a question than a statement.

Brandon didn't sit with Aurora. But he did kneel on one knee, so he could get up at any moment. It was a compromise between sitting uncomfortably and standing awkwardly. He was quiet at first, observing the dome and listening to other people's answers. "I agree that it might be a nocturnal creature. And the dome suggests that it could fly. The dome would stop the creature from flying away." His first thought was a bat or an owl or another nocturnal bird, but he wasn't sure if these were magical kinds of those.

He nodded at Apollo's question, breathing a sigh of relief that someone else had asked first.

Calling her friend Brandon over seemed to have gained his attention although he did receive a quizzical look as he chose to kneel next to her rather than sitting on the comfortable cushions. She didn’t question it though.

It wasn’t long after Aurora arrived that the lesson had started. The mystery of the contents of the dome was growing more and more intriguing. It was big so it could be a BIG animal inside. But it wasn’t huge so it couldn’t be something massive like a Dragon, right? Unless it was charmed to be even bigger on the inside which meant it could be ANYTHING and the Professor was actually tricking them. The first year raised her hand to answer the second question. “Maybe the creature likes being out at nighttime instead of the day time.” As for what specific creature it could be, the eleven-year-old wasn’t so sure. She couldn’t even name every single Muggle creature in the world, how was she supposed to remember every magical creature too?

She agreed with the dome being to stop the creature from escaping due to its ability to fly out. Perhaps it was a REALLY big species of moth? “Can the creature climb trees so if it didn’t have a roof it could climb out?” Just another suggestion that wasn’t its ability to fly.

Desiree beamed when Professor Paton complimented her outfit. ”Thank you, Professor,” she replied with a twirl. She knew the twirl wouldn’t be as dramatic and swishy as it would be if she were wearing a skirt, but it would show off more of the flower and butterfly pattern.

She had just enough time to acknowledge Jude’s wave with a friendly smile before the lesson began. Ooh, nice nail color! She’d have to remember to compliment him on it later. For now, she peered at the dome behind the professor, trying to make out the creatures inside, but it was too dark. Her thoughts initially turned to something nocturnal, but other people had already said that. Why else might the creatures need the dome?

The more she looked at that dome, the more it strangely reminded her of her brother. That dome looked like somewhere Adam would hang out! He tended to like dark, quiet places because he was really shy around people. Maybe the creature was like him? Deciding that guess was as good as any, Desiree raised her hand and said, “Maybe the creature is shy and feels more comfortable somewhere dark and quiet?” Yeah, she had no idea!

Bella looked from Apollo to Jude and back with a sigh. "Forget, I said anything about grass stains." She lacked sleep which seventh year didn't. Shifting slightly on her mat to get a better position she focused her full attention on Prof Paton ignoring the dudes.

Before Bella had time to even reflect on the questions asked, answered where thrown out around her some sounding pretty probable and others not. "I agree with the others that said that the dome is dark because the creature in there is nocturnal and thrives best in darkness. It seems plausible. As for type of creature maybe unicorns, thestrals or a species of owl is in the dome. If the creature is endangered like Jude said or has a high X rating then maybe the dome is needed to keep both the creature inside and us humans safe." There was a lot of if's in her answer but Bella considered that they had very little clues to go on.

Hadleigh smiled at Rajesh. "That's a really good thought. Being sensitive to light or nocturnal are both good reasons to keep a creature in a dark area and the dome could very well recreate their environment."

"Keeping endangered species safe is very important, as is keeping them away from hunters. So keeping them inside a dome such as the one behind me is one such way of doing that, very good." She nodded at Jude. These students of hers were very smart!

Paton's smile remained at Apollo's that seemed to build onto Raj's line of answers. "Indeed there are and quite the interesting little fellows they are too!" Nope, she wasn't about to give away whether or not bats were the subject of the days lesson.

A small nod of her head was directed at Brandon as well. "A dome would do very well for fliers, wouldn't it? Especially a dark one."

"That's a good possibility as to why inside the dome is dark," Hady smiled at Aurora. "Now that is a really good question! If the creature can climb trees the dome would keep them from getting away."

"That's a good observation. A shy creature might feel more comfortable in a dark quiet place." She nodded at Desiree.

Hady nodded once more. "Another very good answer." Bella as well touched on an important bit of information. "Helping creatures thrive in a place that is best suited for them is very important. As is keeping them safe and ourselves."

As a Professor she was very pleased with the responses she had received so far. "Wonderful answers everyone! There are many reasons why our creature friends are inside a dome today. It could be for their safety or ours, to keep them from roaming about freely if they can climb, to replicate their natural homes. Just like why it may be dark inside could be due to them liking it that way or a sensitivity to light." As well as the many other reasons they had all just mentioned.

"Our friends inside the dome today aren't nocturnal nor do they thrive best in darkness. They aren't very shy and they don't live in caves but they do fly about extremely quickly making them hard to spot at times. This is why I have it dark inside right now, that way when we do enter, you will be able to see them since they are small and golden, get used to their movements for a few minutes." They would also see once they all went inside that it wasn't completely dark in there otherwise someone could get hurt and that isn't anything she would want.

"We will be learning about Golden Snidgets this afternoon. Those of you that did suggest that they we may be learning about about a creature with a high X rating would be correct. Snidgets have a rating of XXXX. And they are currently on the endangered list." This is where Professor Paton paused and looked at her students for a moment.

A glance was than cast over her shoulder at the dome before her attention settled back onto the class. "What can you tell me about Snidgets? Why do they have such a high rating and why might they be endangered? What do you think they might eat/drink? Like I mentioned before, if they are so fast.. how might you capture one?" Were these trick questions? Was she simply testing their growing knowledge? It was clear that they were a very smart bunch. Truthfully, she liked seeing where their thoughts took them when she asked them questions such as this.


OOC: Moving along! Sorry about that wait everyone! Golden Snidgets! Feel free to answer any of the questions, all of the questions or none of them haha! xD

Rajesh listened to all the answers being given and all the remarks being given back by his aunt and tried to decipher what could possibly be awaiting them in the dome. But there was nothing that definitively gave any sort of conclusion which was making him a very stumped Ravenclaw. At last Professor Paton was moving them on, FINALLY revealing what they would be learning about in the lesson. GOLDEN SNIDGETS! They were certainly a reason to be kept in a dome, given how fast they flew if their mechanical replacements were anything to go by.

Well as such, he knew why they were endangered. The seventh year having learned that somewhere between information on flying and quidditch and creature research. “They are endangered because before the golden snitch was invented, the golden snidgets were what was used in quidditch games", he remarked with a frown” Poor creatures…to be abused in such a way. Now if only they could replenish their numbers.

Thank Merlin for Bowman Wright!

Ooh, Snidgets!

True, Jude had mentioned the creatures just in passing as an example of an endangered species but he still was pleased that these were the creatures they were working with today. He also thought that Hady was pretty brilliant for putting them in a dark dome since the humans could easily spot them. Hopefully the Snidgets didn’t mind the lack of light!

Jude’s hand went up immediately after Hady finished setting out the questions. “The high rating isn’t because of the Snidgets being dangerous but rather because of the harsh punishments that someone could receive if they captured or injured a Snidget. It's a way to detour us from wanting to do exactly that.”

"If they're endangered, how did you get them here?" Brandon was shocked that the snidget-protecting-groups would let school kids be so close to them. How did they ensure safety? He frowned, thoughts turning to the cruelty that led to their endangered species classification. He hated when things were hurt, whether they were birds or people.

"I imagine you could catch one the same way you would catch a snitch, by watching from above and then a quick maneuver with unpredictable patterns so they can't get away. I assume this because snitches are modeled after snidgets, with special wings that let it copy the movements."

There was only one snitch per game. Just like there was only one snidget per game, because they died at the end. Brandon frowned, disgusted by that. He was glad that snidgets were protected now... that didn't make up for what happened before. He twisted one of the rings around on his hand, still frowning.

"This is correct. These tiny birds were in fact used during Quidditch matches and the poor things most often than not would end up being crushed when they were captured. Thankfully they are no longer used at all and are instead being protected." Hadleigh replied to Rajesh. It hurt her heart to even think about injuring a creature.

Hady smiled at Jude's answer. "Very good. It's to help protect the Snidgets from hunters. Not everyone is out to keep out little friends safe." It was sad but very true.

"Yes, you can try to be very quick with how you capture them but you must always remember to be extremely gentle. Snidgets are super fast but also incredibly fragile." Hady smiled at Brandon. "Good question and I'm glad that you asked me that. The Snidgets that I have here with me today are ones that I helped tend to at Scamander's Zoo. So they will only be here for a very short time." She basically pulled a few strings because she knew some people and still technically was the vet for the zoo when she wasn't at Hogwarts. "If you would like to talk to me more about that after the lesson I'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions."

Professor Paton stepped away from the door of the dome, her eyes looking around the group of students. "What we all will be doing today is observing the Snidgets. Getting to know them. Learning how to take care of them should you ever come across one that may ever need your help." These chances were rather small that they would come across any out in the wild but it was always best to be prepared!

"If those of you that have mats could please return them to the pile here, we will be going inside the dome now. We will go through this main door here into a small room that is closed off until everyone is inside. Then and only then will everyone go through the mesh curtain like door (almost like a tent flap opening to pass through). This is so that if any of the Snidgets are flying around near where we will be entering they will not get out of the door." Not that they would since the entire area is charmed like crazy but she wants them all to be careful anyhow.

"Once inside you may look around all you like. Watch how they fly around. Look at the plants and flowers that are around, see if you can locate any of their nests. Ask as many questions as you like." With a warm smile Hady walked to the door and turned the handle. "Let's all go inside, hurry along now."


OOC:Mini activity time! Into the dome they go! You don't have wait for me/Hady to post again. So basically all the kiddos are really doing is going through the main door, then through the other mesh door into the dome itself. Right now they are observing the Snidgets! Watching them fly, looking for their nests, checking out the different plants.

Jude was all for observing the Snidgets, hopefully for the most part. He really didn’t want to hold one and accidentally squish any! He got up to follow the rest of the class. Through the main door where he waited for a bit while everyone else gathered there. Then it was through the mesh door. It might be dark in the dome but not pitch black.

The Hufflepuff was immediately able to spot the Snidgets flying around. His first thought was, “Look at how round they are!’’ That’s right. It wasn’t the bright red eyes that caught his attention first; it was the cute roundness.

“Professor, are the Snidgets born with this roundess? Or do they grow into it?” Jude asked, his eyes following one particular Snidget that was flitting towards a cluster of flowers.

To observe the snidgets in the flesh sounded fun. Bella got up and returned her mat to the pile before following along in the group of students as they headed into the dome. She blinked several times to let her eyes adjust ot the darkness before they walked through the mesh door. Bella immediatly spotted the snidgets golden coat as they flew about over their heads. It caused her to ask as question. "Professor, are the snidgets golden when they are born or another colour like some other creatures that change colour with age and maturity?"

SPOILER!!: catch-up

Desiree blinked. The more she heard about today’s creature, the more intrigued she was. So it wasn’t nocturnal or shy, and it could fly really fast… what creature was that? Ooh, snidgets! Her face brightened when she heard which creature they would be learning about. She’d never seen a snidget in person before, but she’d seen pictures of them and they were adorable. They looked like little gold Christmas baubles! She wasn’t a fan of the name, though. “Snidget” sounded like a cross between the words “sneeze” and “fidget”... neither of which sounded like words one would want to associate with a cute little golden bird!

She considered the next question carefully, trying to recall information information about snidgets other than the fact that they looked like flying Chrsitmas baubles. Vaguely recalling something about their wing rotation, she raised her hand and said, “The snidget’s wings can rotate 360 degrees.”

Desiree listened intently to the information her classmates and Professor Paton provided about the snidgets. She couldn’t believe people used to use golden snidgets in quidditch! What kind of monster would want to hurt a pretty bird? And for something as boring and unimportant as a stupid sport?! As if she needed another reason to dislike quidditch! Thank Merlin people finally came to their senses and protected the snidget!

Eager to see the snidgets for herself, she followed the group into the dome. Her bright blue eyes widened as she saw the tiny birds fluttering past her. They really did look like little golden Christmas baubles. She giggled softly as she imagined a Christmas tree decorated with hundreds of flittering snidgets. How would that work? Maybe if someone hid the snidgets’ favorite foods in the tree branches?

All thoughts of a snidget tree were pushed out of her mind as she watched one of the birds hover over a flower near her, a pink flower! Ooh, was pink the snidget’s favorite color too? That question led her to another one, and she asked, “Do snidgets prefer a certain type of flower?”