Fear not, Professor!

This Hufflepuff would not let you do this de-gnoming by yourself! “Hi, Professor!’’ he chirped. Hey, it was a remarkable day to be out. Never mind his time was numbered here at Hogwarts; Jude wouldn’t be thinking of that right now. He was just here to help out the Slytherin Head of House.

Already Jude was casting looks about in an effort to locate those pesky gnomes. As a little boy, he had always thought that de-gnoming a garden hurt the creatures. As a teen, he learnt this was not true and seemed to make the gnomes more determined to sneak back into the gardens they had been unceremoniously evicted from.

Freddie was always up for an adventure, even if it was considered a chore. It was a fun type of chore at that! "Hello, Professor!" At his usual volume (a bit excessive) as he came up to the gathering.

As for Jude, he got his trademark beaming smile, "Heello again Jude," Gnomes were a pesky bunch, weren't they?

See, Raj was a fan of most creatures, the dark ones not included in consideration for his appreciation. But gnomes were up on the list that were just plain annoyances. And with his dad’s own potions garden, they had dealt with their fair share of them, so the seventh year certainly felt for the potions master and his creatures issue. Which was why he had taken note of the notice on the common room board and made sure to be down on the grounds at the appropriate afternoon time to assist the man in his degnoming.

“Afternoon Professor,” he greeted as he came upon Hernandez and his fellow seventh years already there. “Hey.”

De-gnoming gnomes was FUN! Bella had done it before in her grandmas garden some summers because gnomes were annoying pests that always caused trouble amongst vegetables and fruits. So this snakette headed down to help with the de-gnoming. Maybe it'd become a contest to see how many gnomes they could get rid off during an afternoon.

Bella headed up to the ground outside the fence to the groundskeepers hut and smiled around. "Hi Jude! Hi Freddie! Hi Rajesh!" Turning her dark eyes to their professor she called over "Good afternoon Prof Hernandez, I'm sorry the gnomes have taken over your garden."

The thing about Apollo was that even though he enjoyed flying and creatures, he did not in fact have a green thumb. He was a total 'city boy' in those regards. But seeing his fellow seventh years out here was all the more reassuring because he realized this might be one of their last few times all together. Not to mention the stress relief of de-gnoming as a nice NEWT study break and take his mind off the anticipation of finding out if he was going pro or not.

"Hey all," he said in greeting. This wasn't just an activity for older students, was it? Just a coincidence that only seventh years were here now?

Norman had some free time this afternoon, so when he heard that Javier’s garden needed de-gnoming, he left his office and made his way to the grounds. The potions master had shown up to help with his “the floor is lava” tournament; it seemed only fair that he helped out in return. Besides, he’d handled much worse than gnomes!

As he arrived, the first thing he noticed was the annoying pests crowding the garden. The next thing he noticed was the group of seventh years already gathered, “Hello, Mr. Anders, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Atreyu-Rehman, Miss Connolly, Mr. Adara-Stark,” he greeted the students as he passed. Standing aside, he greeted his colleague with a polite nod. “Good afternoon, Javier,” he said. “Thought you could use an extra hand with this.”

For the record, de-gnoming was not Desiree’s idea of a fun activity, but she knew it was necessary. Those potions ingredients were important! She hated to think of someone getting sick or injured - or worse, turned into a teddy rat! - and not having the right ingredients to help them! So she was here to help save the garden, and who knows? Maybe she’d learn something that would help her become a healer someday.

Just because she was here didn’t mean she was okay with getting dirty or disfigured - those gnomes could bite, you know! So she took all the precautions she could: coveralls, boots, and dragonhide gloves. There was no Disney inspiration behind today’s outfit; it was just to keep her from getting muddy or bitten. “Hello, Professors,” she greeted Hernandez and Carton with a slight smile. Cue another cheery smile and princessy wave for the other students. “Hi, everybody!”

Zero athleticism and in possession of what was arguably a black thumb when it came to Herbology? Obviously he was the perfect candidate for de-gnoming. A couple of faded scars on his fingers beneath a couple of callouses would also serve as evidence to just how much of a professional he was at this.

The real reason he had decided to exert himself and offer Professor Hernandez some help? Well that was no one's business but his own and if anyone were to ask him he would insist it was the guilt he felt and debt he owed to his aunt that pushed him to be here...and that would be a bold faced lie. He had gotten over that guilt some time ago now and, well, his eyes immediately went searching and located another, more boisterous, motivation with ease.

Internally groaning to himself, Atlas trudged forward for a dose of obligatory socialization until he came to a stop along Freddie's left side with his own hands shoved deep into his pockets. Said internal groaning intensified as he realized entirely too late that he had not slipped his metallic matchsticks into this particular pair of trousers...so he had nothing to occupy his fingers with. Settling for tugging on the inside fabric of his pockets in the meanwhile, he offered Freddie a sheepish shoulder bump and then looked around at the rest of the crowd from beneath the brim of his baseball cap.

Just chillin' with some seventh year gnomies.

...oh thank Merlin he had not said that aloud, his mouth for once being ten seconds behind his brain instead of the other way around.

"Why do you think muggles decided that gnomes are good luck when they are real pests?" he wondered aloud to anyone really before his eyes shifted from blonde to professor. Jude, maybe? Didn't Jude know a lot about plants? "...think Professor Hernandez uses them for Christmas tree toppers or general interior decor?"

Hady was no stranger to pesky critters lurking about where they weren't wanted. So when she heard that Jarvier was looking for some extra hands in helping him with a gnome situation was currently having, well, she was more than happy to help.

Making her way over it was easy to see that there was clearly a gnome problem. At least there was a small group of students and now a few professors gathering! Hopefully they would all be able to clear up this garden in no time at all. "Good afternoon everyone, I heard that some extra hands might be needed so here I am." Hady joined the group with a smile.

"Hello Mr. Anders," Javier said with a smile as Jude bounded up to the fence. He'd had a feeling the seventh year would show up. As he greeted the seventh year, a gnome skittered across his foot, laughing maniacally as it took off into his pumpkin patch. HEAVY SIGH. These things were on ANOTHER LEVEL this year and they were getting reckless. The cheek, the nerve, the audacity and the gumption!

"Good day Mr. McLeod," he greeted the next student to arrive - goodness, even out here the boy had a, erm, POWERFUL voice. It seemed all the seventh years wanted to head out into the sun today, and Raj got a nod of a greeting as well as he entered the area. Good, they were strong boys - prefect for flinging gnomes over garden walls!

"It's a perk of the job I'm afraid," he said with a small sigh to Bella as she came in and expressed empathy at his gnome situation. Some people had rabbits in their gardens, others had foxes in their hen houses - Javier had gnomes. Blegh. He grinned at Norman as he joined the group and nodded. "Yes, I can always use an extra hand when it comes to de-gnoming. Thanks for coming down!"

Apollo and Desiree both got a smile as they walked in. As for Atlas' question, he wasn't sure if he meant to ask it aloud or even expected an answer, but still..."Well, my guess is muggles don't really know what gnomes actually ARE. As we've seen, they seem to be under the impression that they're jolly fellows with long beards and pointy hats," he explained. Like Santa Claus. He was sure there was some fascinating reason for this, but he didn't know, nor did he really care right now to be honest.

"Thank you for joining us," he turned to Hady as she walked in, giving her a grin. Yes, the more hands the better! Then he could be rid of these things for a while.

"Ok everyone, lets get started. Here's how it's going to go - for those of you who have never de-gnomed a garden before, it's quite simple. Grab one of the little buggers as they run by and hold them by the ankles. Then, spin around a few times - enough to get THEM dizzy, but hopefully not YOU so much," he added with a small smirk. "Then...release them over the fence. They'll be dizzy and disoriented and hopefully just give up and wander off into the forest," he explained. Or into the lake. Either one was fine with Javi.

"Allow me to demonstrate," he said as another BOLD gnome ran right over his foot. He bent down and grabbed the little beast, taking both of its ankles in his hands before planting his feet squarely on the ground and spinning, arms held out in front of him. The gnome struggled a little, trying to bite his finger, but this was not Javier's first rodeo with these guys. After a few turns, he released the gnome over the wall and into the grassy knoll up the hill. He stumbled a little - it was impossible not to get a LITTLE dizzy of course - and then smiled at his successful launch. Anyone here have 'Professor Hernandez Performs a De-Gnoming Demonstration' on their 2110 bingo card? No?

"Don't worry about the gnomes and their safety - they'll be just fine. Be careful as you're picking them up, though. They know what we're up to, and some WILL try to fight back. You can wear your dragonhide gloves if you have them on you just in case you want protection against bites, but I find I can't get as good a grip on the ankles as I'd like when I have them on," he added.

"Come on in and start grabbing the ones you see!" he announced, opening the gate and making room for them to all come on in and begin the fun!

OOC: Ok everyone, have at it and HAVE FUN! As Javier warned, these little gnomes might fight back...so be on your guard Otherwise, don't take it too seriously and lets do some de-gnoming!

Tapio had read Javier's notices with great sympathy and concern. As a herbologist, he was only too familiar with the havoc gnomes could wreak on a garden. So he had not hesitated to answer his colleagues request for help. Besides, if there was one thing the large Herbology professor was good at, it was getting rid of gnomes. Once Javier had finished his speech and instructions, Tapio bent down, seized a gnome in each of his large hands, and began twirling them around while standing in place, rather like a very strange baton twirling exhibition.

Hope Archard was not entirely unfamiliar with gnome infestations--though the small creatures weren't native to America, at least not in their European form, enough of them had managed to emigrate along with their human families to make them a problem across the pond as well. But though she had helped her father with the task at home, she had never done it on her own, having been deemed "too small." But now was her chance. Though, as she approached her first gnome, Hope began to worry that perhaps she was too small after all. Unwilling to give up without trying, though, she reached out with her dragonhide gloves and tentatively attempted to grasp the smallest gnome she could see by the ankles.

Aurora practically bounced her way down to the grounds all the way from the Ravenclaw tower because for some reason helping her professors garden sounded somewhat.. fun? Or at least it was less boring then sitting around in the Common Room because her sister was too busy studying somewhere and her friends had disappeared off to who knows where. The other option was to go to the kitchens and see if she could sneak a cupcake out but her Ma’s warnings about eating too much sugar was freshly running through her head. She couldn’t help it if cupcakes were much yummier than the salads that her Ma liked to eat, she was a human not a rabbit after all!

The Ravenclaw was a little concerned as she turned up that she had stumbled into an activity just for the older students however was relieved as her dorm mate Hope arrived too. She stood somewhat near her as the Professor explained what they would be doing. The problem was that Aurora was used to the cheerful looking porcelain gnomes that her muggle grandparents had in their back garden rather than the real life kind of scary looking gnomes of the magic world. She was particularly fond of the cute looking gnome that stood on the side of her Grandma’s fish pond with his miniature fishing rod and bright rosy cheeks although after today she would probably not be able to look at that gnome the same way again.

Her eyes widened as Professor Hernandez picked up the biting gnome, spun around and flung it away from the group. Then suddenly it was their turn and Aurora considered whether it was too late to back away and pretend that she was never there because quite frankly she didn’t want to get bitten nor was she particularly good at the hammer throw in P.E. classes at Primary School. Grateful for remembering to bring her gloves down with her, the eleven year old slipped them on and looked around for the least aggressive looking gnome she could find that maybe wouldn’t put up so much of a fight.

One ran by her and she scrambled about trying to grab it by the ankles through her oversized gloves. She eventually managed to get somewhat of a grip on it before spinning around (which thankfully as an ice skater wasn’t a difficult task) and pathetically tossing it as far away as she could manage with a girlish squeal.

There was something to be said for gnomes, and that something was that they were not beholden to the rules of men or potions masters, nor did they pay much attention to the attempts of said men or potions masters to impose limits upon them with various kinds of signage. Milo could respect that. Milo could relate to that.

He was not here to de-gnome, though he did not have much issue with it in spite of the aforementioned attitude towards the potato-headed pests. There was something else Angelo Milano was after - a secretion from those pestilential salivary glands, to be specific - and this would be the best opportunity to get it. In fact, this opportunity was the one that had given him the idea to go collecting.

"How do you nauseate a gnome." Milo said the words as he straightened from where he'd been crouched by a cluster of foliage, suddenly standing tall among the group. In his hands, he had secured a gnome; the thumb and fingers of one hand pinning its arms to either side of its torso and supporting its back, the other bracing its head and neck so that it was fairly stabilised. Its teeth snapped furiously and its legs continued to flail, but by holding the creature at arm's length, Milo was in no danger from either. "I want some saliva."

Angelo Milano knew a lot of things, and was in possession of a surprising depth of knowledge of certain subjects, but only ever in areas he found interesting. The constitution of the average garden gnome was not covered by any of those, but surely it was in someone else's wheelhouse.

There were others right behind him, mostly older ones Jude noted. “Hey, Freddie! Where’s Aria?” Was Freddie’s cousin not a fan of de-gnoming gardens? “Hi, Raj!” For Bells, there was that huge smile because, hello! The best girl bud right there! “Bet I can toss a gnome farther than you,’’ he challenged quietly. Oh hey, Apollo. Nope, Jude wasn’t stealing your bestie. Don’t worry. The Puff then turned his attention to Carton and younger Housemate. “Hello, professor! Hi, Desiree!’’

Atlas’ question was a good one, and though Jude was more good with the stars, planets and Astronomy in general, he ventured an answer. “I think it’s because for a very long time, it was believed that gnomes buried minerals and treasures… though I don’t see how burying treasure is any different from pirates? Muggles probably figure that having a gnome figurine around would bring them treasures too.” Jude shrugged, his mind quite focused on the correlation between gnomes and pirates. That was why his wave was somewhat a distracted one in cousin Hady’s direction. But those thoughts had to be put to rest for now. Hernande was getting started!

This young man was quite familiar with the process of de-gnoming a garden but welcomed the refresher. Not to mention the demonstration. Yet again, he almost felt sorry for the creature and he chanced a glance at Hady to read her expression. Hernandez’s reassurance about their safety surely helped but when you were an empath, it was difficult to not feel sorry for any living thing.

And so they were given the go ahead to get started. Jude didn’t have to wait long before one particularly fat gnome came scampering into the mix. He was unsurprised when it actually went straight for his foot. “Oh, no you don’t!’’ Jude hopped out of its way before gingerly bending to reach for its ankle. He thought the gnome was pretty nimble for its size and made up his mind not to underestimate it. And yes, he was determined more than ever to eventually grab it, no matter how difficult this gnome was making it!

With Bella and Apollo joining him, Jude and Freddie, it certainly seemed like it was gonna be mostly 7th years coming out to help. That was until Desiree and Professor Carton had both made their way to the garden starting the influx of younger students and professors. He smiled as Aunt Hads joined the fray with Professor Devries not far behind as Professor Hernandez gathered them with his words. A good sized group to accomplish what they set out to do today for the benefit of the garden and potions by extension.

Gnome chucking…how fun.

Rajesh entered the now open gate into the garden proper and spread out a little to avoid spinning into a fellow human before eying the nearest gnome that came near him. It took some maneuvering because they sure could be quick, but the seventh year finally managed to grab hold of both ankles and lifted the creature off the ground. Even still the gnome tried to grab hold of an anchor to keep himself grounded. The Ravenclaw won out though, taking aim over the fence and spinning.

One…two…three…THROW!


-------------------------------------------------


A familiar owl had come to perch on one of the fence posts out of the direct line of fire from the tossed gnomes. Celeste certainly didn’t want to wind up being knocked down herself. But if there was anything she and her husband had learned in their own experiences with the troublesome creatures, was they weren’t fans of being around large birds. Incredibly useful information in a household that had two animangus’ with raptor forms and hawk and owl familiars. So she was going to try and do her part…attempting to keep the gnomes from wanting to climb back through the fence and defeating the purpose of the tossing.

Wings partly outstretched, the great horned owl could look intimidating. Come at her…she dared you. She certainly wouldn’t mind scooping them up if need be. Then they’d certainly be carried away.

The gnomes had picked THIS garden in particular because they knew their presence irritated the grumpy old man to no end. They had not anticipated the grumpy man to get a bunch of students to help get rid of them, though. That was ok - they outnumbered them! They'd definitely be able to give them a run for their money!

A stout little gnome with a particularly round potato shaped head noticed not one but TWO of his friends begin flung by that stinky old Herbology professor (Tapio) so he charged RIGHT at his ankles, tiny little gnome teeth out in a ferocious (for a gnome) growl.

Amongst the chaos, another gnome spotted a friend in danger - and the boy (Milo) was going on about wanting to harvest his saliva?! How rude! He must save his friend! He ran straight at him, taking his tiny gnome fists and smacking his shin over and over in an attempt to get him to drop him.

Another one made for the fence where some of the older students were gathered - only to comically stop DEAD in their tracks at the sight of an OWL (Celeste) (wasn't it daytime?! What was an owl doing here?!) and immediately turned tail and headed the other direction. Nope. Not today, Mister (or Misses?) owl! He instead turned his attention to a younger girl (Aurora) who was screeching as she flung his companion over the fence. Aha. Target acquired! He raced towards her, arms flailing as he did his best to scare the girl with his very fearsome SNARL (nevermind the fact that this particular gnome was the runt of the group and hardly bigger than a golden snitch).

Norman returned Javier’s grin with a slight smile of his own. “Any time,” he replied. Anders’s greeting got a polite nod in acknowledgement, as did the other students who arrived. “Hello, Mr. Flamsteed, Miss Archard, Miss Ackerly, Mr. Evans,” he greeted them all. He was pleased to see so many Ravenclaws turn up to help!

His colleagues likewise got a greeting upon their arrival. “Good afternoon, Hady, Tapio,” he said, nodding to each in turn. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a familiar-looking owl and gave it a nod in greeting. Hello, Celeste…

Norman hadn’t thought of gnome hunting in his animagus form before. He might give it a try later, but he’d start out doing it the usual way. Casually biding his time until a gnome wandered near, he grabbed the first one he saw and spun it around several times, not the slightest bit worried about it biting. He’d been through much worse than gnome bites!



Desiree caught Professor Hernandez’s smile out of the corner of her eye and acknowledged it with a polite nod. Soon more professors (Paton, Devries, and Gert in owl form) turned up, and they each got a polite nod and a smile from her as well. “Hello, Professors!” she greeted cheerfully. She waved to the students who arrived after her (Atlas, Aurora, Hope & Milo) but there wasn’t much time to talk. She had just enough time to return Jude’s grin before Professor Hernandez started speaking.

She paid close attention to the demonstration, watching with an intrigued expression as the gnome went flying over the fence. Hmm, maybe this would be more fun than she thought. WHile she didn’t particularly like gnomes or gnome bites, spinning around without getting dizzy was something she could do. She was a ballerina, after all!

Okay, let’s dance, you ugly things! Desiree thought, looking around for gnomes. She spied one tottering by out of the corner of her eye and grabbed its ankle as it passed, holding on for dear life. The professor wasn’t lying about dragonhide gloves making it harder to get a good grip, but there was no way she was taking them off and giving these ugly potato-looking creatures the chance to disfigure her hands! Still holding on to the gnome, she did several pirouettes and launched the gnome.

Having decided that getting rid of one singular small gnome was probably about the most amount of help that Aurora would be able to provide the group, the eleven year old was contemplating just mingling herself in amongst the group and pretending that she was doing an amazing job. That was until a tiny snarling creature came racing itself towards her and the blonde let out a terrified scream as it bared its teeth and targeted HER.

There was nothing in Professor Hernandez announcement to say that they were about to become Gnome food! Did gnomes EAT small children?! Were gnomes like sharks and when one bit and drew blood they would all be attracted to the smell and soon Aurora would be overwhelmed by tiny evil chomping machines! Had the first years been lulled to their DOOM by someone who was supposed to be looking after them and that was why it was mainly the older students here who knew they wouldn’t be the targets. Well this wasn’t at all like the smiley happy fishing gnome at her Grandma’s house which she would be SCARRED FOR LIFE from every time she saw it now.

With her feet kicking out in front of her to ward off any oncoming attack and with a loud girlish squeal which she was pretty sure her sister would be able to hear from the tower, the Ravenclaw ran and hid behind Professor Hernandez throwing her gloves in the general direction of the Gnome and hoping that the Professor would be able to protect her from death by garden gremlins!

Jude did eventually manage to seize the annoying gnome and was quite focused on keeping it at arms length. He didn't need those sharp teeth sinking into his flesh, thank you very much! Still, he was aware of growls {was that actually from a gnome? Boy, that was scary!} and the presence of an owl, which obviously was Professor Gert. Jude was very much impressed by her method of choice to handle these pesky creatures.

You know... his arms happened to be in tip-top shape thanks to dance practice. This was quite fortunate for it allowed Jude to toss the gnome with all of his might after taking a few spins. It was quite an easy thing to do for him and he wasn't at al winded. Hopefully the toss was good enough to keep the stout fellow away for a good while though.

De-gnoming was really not Brandon's thing. He felt bad about throwing living things, no matter how annoying and mildly dangerous they may be. However, he was here. Only because he wanted to learn about what gnomes were like, and participate in a social activity.

...he was also here in case of GRAVE DANGER, something he perpetually worried about. This wasn't grave danger, but it sounded like it from Aurora's shrieking. She appeared to be in no real danger, but he intercepted the tiny gnome anyway, picking it up so it couldn't chase her. He didn't much know what to do with it- he felt bad about throwing it- so he sort of just held it by the ankles while he figured out what to do. "Don't bite me." Or he'd throw it. If it didn't bite him, he'd... throw it more gently? Walk it over there? Throw it less far? He only knew that he didn't like being bitten. He started walking towards the fence.

Where's Aria? "Aria? I think I saw her with Luther blowing bubbles in the Great Hall," He would've joined them, but he thought of throwing Gnomes a bit more exciting. "Hiya Bella, Heya Apollo!"

Now he had to get himself a Gnome after seeing the Professor spin around like that. By his side who needed little introduction. Freddie not so casually shoulder-bumped his best buddy (Atlas) back, "Not a bad spin, was it?" Out of the corner of his eyesight he scoped for a gnome in their direction.

Since no one, not even the professor himself, responded to his decoration question...Atlas decided that Professor Hernandez did indeed do such things if for no other reason than it was an amusing thought. Listen, he knew some found all this gnome tossing and whatever inhumane, but this Gryffindor was not one of those people. Still, mostly, avoiding eye contact with his Head of House, the seventh year simply nodded along to the professor explanation of ignorance regarding gnomes and only briefly shifted his attention back to Jude when the Hufflepuff offered some additional perspective. "Huh, here I thought it was leprechauns who were associated with gold and treasure."

Again, not a creatures person unless they belonged to the bug and insect variety.

The Gryffindor offered the Transfiguration professor a mildly curt nod in acknowledgement to the greeting, the blonde stumble stepped a bit when the much bulkier build of Freddie bumped him back. Gnomes might not be the only ones getting their heads in a spin this afternoon. "...yeah...sure...it would be embarrassing for him if it hadn't been." Not that Atlas was projecting or anything - he would be lucky not to fall over backwards himself while trying to get the gnome all dizzy because HE got dizzy.

Also...the shrieking? REALLY not appreciated!

Sighing mostly to himself as Freddie and Raj went off and made things look easy, Atlas was in no mood to go chasing after gnomes and instead had somewhat planned ahead so he could lure some to him. Work smarter, nor harder. Patting his pockets and pushing aside his metal matchsticks from Nemesis, Atlas found the edge of a box of Bertie Bott's which he then pulled out from his pocket and gave a very spirited shake to draw attention to himself and the object of gnomish affection.

Heeeeeere gnomie gnomie gnomie....come get the nice sugary candy and you may luck out with a worm one to boot.

When the young child (Desiree) grabbed the tiny gnome as he ran past, he VALIANTLY tried to bite her in the finger - only to find that he was thwarted by dragonhide gloves. Ok, Professor-Man, you prepared these kiddos well! The gnome didn't have another chance to try and bite harder before it went flying over the fence.

Meanwhile, it was VERY sweet of the young Hufflepuff (Brandon) to try and reason with the gnomes, but gnomes were not very reasonable creatures. SO the tiny creature in his grasp swung himself a few times, getting momentum before he was able to swing himself up and BAM! Teeny tiny gnome teeth sunk RIGHT into said Hufflepuff's finger. Hehehehehe!

The Gryffindor (Atlas) may have had an excellent idea, shaking the Bertie Botts beans to get the attention of the gnomes. He didn't seem to have much foresight, however, to anticipate that he might get a BIT more attention than he bargained for by doing that. A lot more attention, actually.

Not one, not two, but FIVE little gnomes of various sizes (and one that looked oddly like a squash for some reason) heard the beans. They turned and saw what he was offering, which was WAY better than whatever satisfaction they might get out of irritating the grumpy Potions man. They CHARGED the boy, arms flailing wildly at the promise of CANDY as they ran at him. CANDY CANDY CANDY! GIVE IT HERE!!!!

"We'll see about that! You're on!" Bella whispered over to Jude. The challenge was on and she wasn't going to gnome out. She could throw a gnome longer than a boy could right? She did pride herself with having quite okay aim and arm strength after all. "Hey Freddie! Ready for NEWTs?" she greeted back to her lion buddy before focusing on the task at hand. They had to de-gnome the garden. With everyone around her having started to throw gnomes this way and that, this dark haired snakette didn't want to miss out and not do her part so she donned on her dragonhide gloves for safety.

Grabbing a big potatolike gnome as he ran past her Bella was momentarily distracted by the girlish scream that had her ears curling in on themselves. Who was that? Still holding a firm grip on the gnome her eyes peeled around to try and locate the owner of the scream. Judging that it came from Aurora and that she was getting assistance from Prof Hernandez Bella refocused on her gnome. Rising the gnome into the air with both hands she spinned it around a good four times before she released it, and watched as the gnome sailed over the fence and a good ways away.

Turning she grabbed another gnome on the fly and repeated the routine, wondering how big the hogwarts gnome population was.

Milo did not find it particularly surprising that no one had an answer for him, and had already decided to proceed on his own. Or, at least, that had been the plan, until something else had completely commanded his attention.

As the de-gnoming chaos unfolded around him, Milo stood in the midst of humans(?), gnomes(?), and the usual miscellaneous entities, staring intently at a nearby shrub while the captive struggled in his grip. He was sure, certain... just for a moment... just-

"Ouch." As exclamations went, it was a fairly mild and lifeless one, but a sharp pain - or series of pains - in Milo's shin had suddenly called him back to more immediate, terrestrial matters. In short, the creature launching a ground assault on his lower limbs.

Instinctively, Milo kicked back at it, holding his captive gnome high and fending off the one at liberty as best he could with his bare foot. It was imperative that he harvest the saliva properly, not through his own bloodstream. Anyone could have rigged these gnomes. After all, this was - Milo remembered, with a sudden and terrible sense of clarity - all happening on the say-so of none other than Mr Hernandez.