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Post by Stevie Copeland on Dec 3, 2007 17:19:44 GMT -5
Stevie's hand immediately jerked up. Hopefully, she'd call on him. That would be awesome. Stevie loved to volunteer to do cool things, he liked the experience. And if he knew how to do it now, he'd know how to do it in the future, so that was a plus as well. He was surprised that no other students raised their hand, or, for that matter, called him names. He was pretty well liked within the student body, except by the Slytherins. He didn't know what their problem was. Most were pompous, arrogant, and just plain cruel. Of course, some could be good people. Some just plain couldn't.
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Shellivia Nos Taronin
Wizard
Care of Magical Creatures
Not all magic is wisps of smoke and flashy bangs...
Posts: 125
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Post by Shellivia Nos Taronin on Dec 3, 2007 18:16:14 GMT -5
Shellivia saw stevie's hand shoot up and nodded at him. "Ah, Mr. Copeland, thank you. Come up here please." She waited for the boy to make his way to the gate. Opening the ceramic pot next to her she took out a handful full of dead woodlice and passed some to Stevie. "Now, approch the tree slowly and sprinkle a few on a branch, keeping the rest in your palm. Hold you hand still and nearby where you put the lice and wait for it to walk onto your hand completly. After that you can take you hand away. Any questions?"
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Post by Keladry Lindenshield on Dec 3, 2007 20:36:00 GMT -5
Kel plopped her bag on the bench and then came back to the group so as not to miss anything. She grinned when Stevie's hand immediately shot up when the professor wanted a volunteer. She didn't have any questions, though she wasn't quite sure whether the centaur professor was asking her or Stevie. So the brunette just hung back and watched, waiting for Stevie to do it so that she'd be able to do it, too.
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Post by Stevie Copeland on Dec 4, 2007 16:51:33 GMT -5
Stevie shook his head, and dropped some woodlice on the branch, managing not to get any on the ground. He continued to hold his hand out until the little stick came out. Stevie grinned.
It approached with caution, eating the woodlice as it came. Stevie waited with anticipation, yet held perfectly still. When it crawled onto his hand, he still stayed perfectly still. He did, though, move it slowly to the side, to show Shellivia and the class. His eyes were focused on it, and he couldn't help but think of how awesome this was. It was still dreamlike to him. Day two, and it was still dreamlike. He wondered if he would feel this way in a few weeks.
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Post by Lilianne Wesker on Dec 4, 2007 18:46:28 GMT -5
Lilianne leaned forward on the wall, cooing silently. She glanced over at Keladry: "You know, I think I've been bitten by one once back at home, but I never was able to catch a glimpse of him. This is so great!"
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Post by Keladry Lindenshield on Dec 4, 2007 19:08:19 GMT -5
Kel watched as Stevie carefully dropped the woodlice and then held perfectly still. She craned her neck, trying to see, but then he turned, and she could see a small, stick-like figure on his hand, eating the dead woodlice. Kel found it funny, how careful Stevie was being with the small creature. 'Who knew he loved animals so much?' she thought, smiling. 'He's being so very careful with it, as though it would break if he so much as breathed on it.'
Kel smiled as she listened to Lil. "Once, I was sitting under a tree, and I had some tomato juice in a cup in my hand, because I was at a person's house where they were total health freaks. I was sitting pretty still, just sort of thinking, letting my thoughts drift, and then this little stick-creature crawled down my arm and sipped a bit of juice from the cup! It was so cool." Kel smiled happily, reliving that moment. She had been just like Stevie, afraid to move for fear that the little creature would get scared and run away and the magical moment would end.
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Shellivia Nos Taronin
Wizard
Care of Magical Creatures
Not all magic is wisps of smoke and flashy bangs...
Posts: 125
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Post by Shellivia Nos Taronin on Dec 4, 2007 22:06:42 GMT -5
Shellivia looked over at Kel with a puzzled expression. "That's strange," she said softly, gently cradling the small Bowtruckle that was munching the woodlice in her palm, "Bowtruckles are carnivorous. I haven't heard nor seen of them eating or drinking plant products." Motioning to the students to come into the paddock she walked a bit closer to Stevie. "If you want to hold a Bowtruckle, please get some woodlice and hold your hand still against either mine or Mr. Copeland's. Go slow now. There's no rush. Each of you will get a turn." She let the students approach her and she passed off the little Bowtruckle to an eager Slytherine student. She walked around, talking to the students who were waiting for their turn. "Is everything alright? Does anyone have any questions?"
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Post by Stevie Copeland on Dec 5, 2007 17:54:43 GMT -5
"No questions." Stevie stated as the bug soon moved to another hand of a willing Ravenclaw, and Stevie dropped his hand. The lice were all eaten, and he had his turn. Plus, he was the one who summoned it from its tree. Nobody else got to do that, and for that Stevie felt privileged. How he found good in even the most trivial things as having a stick walk onto your hand first was beyond most people, but Stevie saw things in a different light. He believed every chance he should get, he should take it. But he would not be pouting when he did not get the chance, he would simply be hoping he'd get the chance next time.
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Shellivia Nos Taronin
Wizard
Care of Magical Creatures
Not all magic is wisps of smoke and flashy bangs...
Posts: 125
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Post by Shellivia Nos Taronin on Dec 5, 2007 18:40:05 GMT -5
Shellivia smiled. "Wonderful. You did an excellent job Mr. Copeland. I think you'll do quite well in this class." She walked beside him and patted him on the shoulder. "Well done." She waited until all of the students had looked over and had a chance to handle the Bowtruckle before she wrapped up class. "Alright everyone, please read the first chapter in your textbooks so that you come prepared for next class. If you have any other questions about the Bowtruckle I can answer them quickly, or you can visit me at my office. Have a nice day everyone."
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Post by Lilianne Wesker on Dec 6, 2007 9:30:11 GMT -5
Lilianne had enjoyed her turn with the bowtruckle. When it came to eat the woodlice in her hand, she looked at it, smiling, barely daring to breathe. The bowtruckle looked at her too. Though it appeared weary of her, it did seem pretty happy. The class was providing it quite a feast, after all.
As students started to gather their things to leave she approached the Professor.
Hum, Professor Taronin? I was wondering... I've read about the Bowtruckles before, and I know they take their homes in trees that can be used for making wands, and that they'll attack anyone who tries to take wood from the tree. But why are they so defensive? Is it that they misunderstand our intents, or is it that they can understand how trees feel? Are we hurting them to make our wands?
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Shellivia Nos Taronin
Wizard
Care of Magical Creatures
Not all magic is wisps of smoke and flashy bangs...
Posts: 125
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Post by Shellivia Nos Taronin on Dec 6, 2007 17:21:59 GMT -5
Shellivia looked down at the girl, she had an expression of mild surprise at the question, but her eyes held a look of amusement in them. "Bowtruckles are like many of the other animals and are very defensive of their territory. If you wander into a tiger's or dragon's territory, you'll get attacked. Some animals won't attack you unless you harm their homes. The tree for a Bowtruckle is both their home and territory. The need the tree to hide in, and also for their food, so they are doubly defensive about it." She walked over to the tree and motioned for Lilianne to follower her. "Taking wand wood, if done properly, does not actually hurt the tree." Shellivia reaches up and strokes a branch tenderly. "Some plants need to be cut abck in order for new growth, and it is not so painful as one might think. To break off enough wood for a wand is probably no more painful than pricking one's finger and having it bleed for a few seconds or stepping on a pointy rock. Yes it hurts, but only for a moment, and the skin or branch continues to grow and the scar is washed over. The Bowtruckle is defensive of anything trying to break off branches or attack the tree. If Butter here," she motioned to her squirrel, "were to try to gnaw off a branch he would soon find a very angry Bowtruckle on his tail. If we could explain to them that we are not going to kill the tree, we would, but they are very much like animals, and unfortunately dont understand us." She turned around and winked at Lilianne. "A very good question though I must say. 5 points for Gryffindor, for questioning your surroundings." She gave her an evaluating glance ans cleared her throat a bit. "You'd best get going to your next class though, or you'll be late. If you want to study them more, you're always welcome at my office, Mondays through Thursdays. Best be off now, you don't want a detention." She smiled a bit playfully and chuckled a bit.
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Post by Lilianne Wesker on Dec 6, 2007 19:18:44 GMT -5
Lilianne smiled at the professor. "Ahh, thank you, Professor. I was afraid Wizards were harming Bowtruckles by distracting them to take pieces of their home."
She positively beamed when she won her house points again.
"Oh! Yes, I have to go now! But maybe I will come visit you later, Professor, maybe I'd like to draw a Bowtruckle if you don't mind. Goodbye, Professor!"
Lilianne picked up her bag and ran back to the school.
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