I was hoping for a practical lesson. on Care of Magical Creatures

Prof. Adrian Meade

June 11, 2013 5:53 PM

Advanced class! by Prof. Adrian Meade

Adrian had become a permanent ficture in Sonora, and he kind of liked it. His apartment was now fully furnished, and the professor was dating regularly. The time had come for him to settle down and start a family. It had taken a long time for Adrian Meade to come to his point in his life, but the middle-aged man was sure nothing would have stuck if he had attempted this a little earlier. It was clear to anyone that saw him closely that he had lived life to the fullest. He had lifes lines all over his face, his skin was sun kissed from all those years searching for new creatures and the rough living of a magizoologist, but Adrian was content with everything he had learned so far. He was happy, he was ready and the only thing that was amiss was the lack of a serious relationship. However, he was actively looking to right that situation. Adrian Meade had finally slowed down.

The COMC professor had seen a lot of things in his lifetime, some of them weren’t very pleasant, but they had forged him into the man he was today. He wouldn’t really change anything in his life. Every single experience was important to him, the good and the bad. The brown-haired professor smiled as he entered the classroom he had prepared for his advanced class and smiled ruefully. Today’s lesson wouldn’t be too happy or full of fluffy creatures. No, Adrian wanted his advanced students to study thestrals. It wasn’t the most cheerful topic and would hit home with some of his students, but it was important for them to know this. There were a lot of legends behind this majestic animals and it was his duty as a professor to dissipate them.

The cheerful ring of the bell rang all around the school to signal the start of the classes. Adrian waited by his desk for the student to come in. He had been at the school for a few years now and they all knew that he didn’t like tardiness. One by one they started to pile in right before the time allotted to settle in finished.

“Hello,” he greeted them with a smile. “I hope everyone has had a good time back at school.” This was the first advanced lesson since school had started. He waited until the last one was seated and giving him his full attention.

“Today we won’t be able to see the real animal, but if everything goes according to plan next class I will be able to procure a thestral for you guys.”

All around the classroom he had hung up pictures of thestrals. Sketches and even some frightening pictures of what people saw them. Thestrals had a very bad reputation in the magical world. Pictures showed the reality against the imagination of the wizards and witches.

“Open your book to page 347,” he instructed before his notes appeared on the blackboard in front of the classroom.

“A Thestral is a breed of winged horses with a skeletal body, face with reptilian features, and wide, leathery wings that resemble a bat's.They are very rare, and are considered dangerous by the Ministry of Magic. Thestrals are, undeservedly, known as omens of misfortune and aggression by many wizards because they are visible only to those who have witnessed death at least once (and fully accepted the concept) or due to their somewhat grim, gaunt and ghostly appearance.”

Adrian took a deep breath before continuing.“Thestrals can be domesticated and mounted, so they are used as an alternative to brooms, Apparition and other methods of transportation. Once trained, they are very diligent and will quickly carry their owners wherever they wish to go. Due to their classification as XXXX, only experienced wizards should try to handle Thestrals. Breeding as well as owning these beasts may be discouraged or even illegal without Ministry consent; in fact, wizards that live in areas not protected against Muggles are forced by law to perform Disillusionment Charms on their Thestrals regularly”

Once his small introduction was over, Adrian smiled at his students. “These animals are extremely interesting. You need to find a partner and write an essay. Use your books and I have more if you need.”

OOC: posting rules apply. If you need Adrian just tag him! and if you need more info on thestrals go here

Subthreads:

Happy that I cannot see these! by Regina Parker

I was hoping for a practical lesson. by Maximilian J. McLachlan

0 Prof. Adrian Meade Advanced class! 0 Prof. Adrian Meade 1 5

Regina Parker

June 14, 2013 7:31 PM

Happy that I cannot see these! by Regina Parker

Reggie’s Seventh year was going by somewhat slowly. She really didn’t know why. This year was supposed to be a busy year with her last finals and incredibly difficult classes, but she just wasn’t feeling it. Maybe it was because Derry hadn’t been his usual self during the Welcoming Feast and that had thrown off the rest of the year for her. She was still contemplating whether or not she really wanted to run a booth this year for the fair, but figured she still had a lot of time before finalizing that idea. Plus, she wanted to see if Derry thought her idea was good and if he maybe wanted to help her run it. She thought that he might, he had always supported her in the past, but she wanted to be the nice girlfriend and ask instead of just demand it of him.

She made her way to the Care of Magical Creatures classroom, sad to find that it had returned to the classroom setting after a brief stint outdoors, and sat down in an available spot. Since taking the CATS, Reggie had not dropped a single subject. She wasn’t really sure why she had been so compelled to take these classes when she knew that her life would be completely about potions. She had found a love for making them when she had helped her father create his for her entire childhood. Reggie just liked to have options. Maybe that was the Bellrose in her that her mother so wonderfully provided to her being an Auror.

Reggie pulled out her book and flipped it to the page requested. Threstals. Okay. She was surprised that these weren’t covered with Winged Horses. She knew all the myths about them, but after listening to the lecture, she was surprised to find that they were great for traveling. Reggie had never seen a person die (and hope never to do so), but death was something that was always in the back of her mind. It wasn’t so much a morbid thought to have for someone like her whose mother work put her life on the line often. She wondered if her mother could see them. Or her father, who happened to work for a hospital.

She wasn’t really sure what the point of having a partner would be for an essay, but she supposed working together with someone and go over all the facts and myths of the creatures would be easier way to kill time and flesh out the essay than sitting there working it out all on her own. Looking around, Reggie smiled at someone who didn’t seem to have a partner yet. “Hey, want to work together on this?” She asked, although figuring they probably already knew what her question would be.

6 Regina Parker Happy that I cannot see these! 187 Regina Parker 0 5

Maximilian J. McLachlan

July 04, 2013 7:08 PM

I was hoping for a practical lesson. by Maximilian J. McLachlan

This was Josh's last year at Sonora and he wanted to learn as much as possible before he was forced out of the school's protection. Since the term had started, Josh had been forming his plans for post-graduation. He did not want to go back to his relatives and he needed to think through his plans carefully in order to avoid interacting with them ever again. It was all very complicated business and because of it he'd had to think very carefully about which classes he wanted to continue taking.

Of the Advanced electives, Muggle Studies seemed the least beneficial for his line of work. Though he wanted to learn more of how muggles lived, he could not put too much on his plate this year. He found no reason to drop any of his classes so his knowledge of magic could continue growing, but he had almost dropped his COMC lessons. It seemed the least helpful in his field of interest, but at the last minute he had decided to take it on anyway. It would help to know about different magical creatures for harvesting potion ingredients.

Josh sat down at his desk while there were still only a couple people in class. More arrived, but he kept his head down, his brain whirring with thoughts beyond this class. Their lesson for today was clear from the pictures of thestrals covering the walls. He knew very little about thestrals, but from what he did know someone had to see a person die before really seeing a thestral. Josh himself had seen people tortured, drugged, and abused, but he could not remember seeing anyone die. He wondered if he had witnessed his parents' deaths as an infant. The next class would tell.

The essay Professor Meade assigned would be easy enough. Josh excelled at essays and research. The only problem was finding a partner. Josh had alienated himself from his peers both purposefully and accidentally. He did not care to work with anyone else and he knew it would be better if he continued to keep a distance from everyone. After all, he was planning on disappearing completely after he graduated and ties leading back to this life and identity had to be severed.

0 Maximilian J. McLachlan I was hoping for a practical lesson. 0 Maximilian J. McLachlan 0 5