(Dragonology) Lesson 1

[Narcissus Drachen]

The saliva on the blackboard had already dried up, leaving a clean abrasion in the chalk dust.

Girls whispered working under the radar of the dragon expert, and fresh faces appeared, the message at the front of the room sinking their expressions. The woman stressed her point of silence, cutting the circuit of anticipation around the room and Narcissus looked at her with false abash. ‘Apologies.’ He smiled.

On the middle finger of his right hand Narcissus twisted a ring so that the flat reflective stone shone up at the ceiling. Craning his wrist delicately, the stone apparently a small mirror set into the band, Narcissus stopped as he caught the reflection of his own eye. ‘Handsome.’ He declared scientifically before sharply tilted the ring to one side, showing him his surroundings. Erys glinted back. She stared at him curly haired, vulpine eyed, without knowing Narcissus stared back. He smiled without actually looking at her, and gently placed one hand over the ring as two girls – a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw – came to sit behind him.

He looked back at them, both plain - for all girls were plain next to him - his gaze fixed elswhere. ‘Shhhh. I don’t think she likes us.’ He whispered slowly without moving his lips. ‘Do you think we should bait her to play favourites? We’d loose, I’m afraid. She’s so clever.’

[Erys Grace]

Watching as a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw joined the ranks, Erys - who's hair was bedhead today, not curly - pressed her lips together to contain a laugh. She could hear them sneakily speaking, having to admit they put on a convincing show. The lady at the front probably wouldn't be able to hear them, unless she was an animagus too and changed into an animal with extremely keen senses. Those girls would either get docked, or threatened to get docked, if caught. Apparently in this classroom it was the way of the world. A load of bullocks, but she wasn't about to say that to the snooty professor, was she?

Tapping her quill expectantly against the desk for a moment, the seventh year yawned boredly, covering her mouth with her palm meanwhile. Instead of looking at the new guy, Erys stared off into space, thinking about Joshua. Did he take Dragonology? She couldn't remember if he had mentioned it before. Probably not, but at least Veata was here. Twisting her arm around to scratch her shoulder blade, her mind reeled back to when she and Joshua were attacked by a vampire. It had drained him after cutting her up pretty badly. If she ever saw that chick again, Erys would have to seriously mess her up. It was obvious her friend couldn't go near her in fear of him being put under their spell again, so she'd have to do it herself.

Back to the present now, Erys narrowed her eyes icily, put into a bad mood at the recollection of the incident that happened before the holidays. Her eyes were already a deep, emerald green, only turning that way when her mood reflected anger. It was pretty easy to note her passing moods if you associated the colors with them. Green was anger, gold was happiness, steel gray was sadness.. And her regular color was hazel brown.[/color]

[vicky]

The lesson wasn't exactly enthralling yet, but Vicky had confidence it would get much better once it got underway properly, she hoped so at least; taking another boring lesson would be just too much for her mind to take, it needed a challenge once in a while and above all; excitement. Taking her chance to survey the various other students she noticed a gaggle of Slytherins whose eyes had so obviously alighted upon her, noticing how cute the boy was her worst fears were qucikly realised, he was far too confident for his own good, arrogance was something Slytherins seemed to have in abundance, yeah confidence was fine and Vicky herself really had plenty but they didn't have to be quite so flauntingly arrogant.

Stifling a giggle as the boy foolishly called himself handsome she rolled her eyes turning and raising an eyebrow pointedly towards him, "you wish," she mouthed her lips curling into a grin, sure he'd take that as welcoming flirting, but what did she care, nothing bad could come of it.

Smirking at Pixle she muttered "full of himself or what?" But on feeling eyes boring into her back once again she looked back distracedly, surprised to see an evidently Slytherin girl giving her a glance and immediately dismissing her. Eyeing the boy once again she assessed him with a critical eye plainly looking him up and down and shaking her head in a manner that firmly showed he wasn't up to her exacting standards. Hopefully doing that would take him down a peg or two as Slytherins were always in such a dire need of that. Jotting a fleeting thought about Dragons that popped into her head Vicky looked around and smiled at the rooms other occupants.

[adrianjonathan]

Adrian sighed, and looked around the room at all the students; a few more had just entered, so hopefully class would be starting soon. He was itching to do something. To talk to someone. Adrian couldn't stand sitting quietly for any long amount of time. He had to be moving around, had to be talking. That was just how his mind worked. Gazing around, his eyes fell on a rather pretty Ravenclaw girl, who seemed to be smiling at all of the students. He flashed his charming smile, and gave a small wave. "Hi, I'm Adrian Newman." he mouthed, not daring to speak out loud, and hoping that the girl understood what he had 'said'.

[Alexis Heart]

Alexis walked into the classroom and found a seat toward the far side of the room. It was a nice day out and she wished that she could be out there instead of cooped up inside a stuffy old classroom. Unfortunately missing class and hanging out on the grounds wasn't something teachers and parents would be pleased about. So here she sat, trying to appear interested but feeling that she was failing miserably. Looking at the board she rolled her eyes slightly. What was the big deal if they chatted a little, they weren't babies that had to be scolded to be quiet.

This class was already irking her and it hadn't even begun yet. Then she watched as the professor actually told off some Slytherin's for chatting. Now usually Alexis would have thought if funny to see Slytherin's in trouble but not this time. The teacher was out of order with her threats of docking points on the very first day of class. What in the world did she have against people talking? Figuring she wasn't going to like this class too much she looked away from the pathetic scene going on at the moment and took the opportunity to take her parchment and quill out.

She hoped things were going to get started soon, because the sooner they started the sooner they would end.

[Professor Aurora Turolia]

Aurora saw the Slytherins' reactions and the reactions of the other students in the room to the directions she had on the board. If these students were reluctant to follow these simple directions then she might have to change her plans for this class. If it continued that they found following rules and directions as unimportant then this class would have to become mostly bookwork, which she didn't want. She always had hated boring classes. This made her doubt her decision to come to Hogwarts and teach.

She walked over in front of her desk and looking at the few students who were whispering she said, "Enough." When it the whispers stopped she started again. "Welcome to Dragonology, everyone. I am Professor Turolia." Her eyes scanned the room hesitating upon the face of every student. From what she had gathered about this school, Slytherins and Ravenclaws would probably be her most talented students, so she was glad to see that they were the majority of the room.

"I feel that I must inform you that while you may see the directions on the board as ridiculous, they are still rules and must be followed. And if you do not learn to follow these rules then, I fear, this class may become excruciatingly boring," she looked at each of the students that had been whispering as she spoke. "Now, let us begin. As I'm sure you know, dragons are some of the most powerful and most dangerous creatures in the wizarding world. They are uncontrollable and have the cause of death of many wizards. However, dragons are beautiful majestic creatures, who deserve the fascination they hold. Now, let's see, how about you all start telling me about the species of dragons. Give me a little information on each. Anyone." She looked around the room and waited for someone to volunteer to answer.

[adrianjonathan]

Adrian spoke up, "Well, there's the Chinese Fireball, also known as the Liondragon. The Chinese Fireball is the only Oriental Dragon, and it has a noticeably striking appearance. Scarlett in color, and with smooth scales, it has a fringe of golden spikes around a snub-snouted face, and prominent eyes.The Chinese Fireball, gained its name for the mushroom-shaped flames that burst from its nostrils when it gets angry, the Fireball genarally weighs between two and four tons. The eggs of a Chinese Fireball are vivid crimson speckled with gold, and the shells are much prized for use in Chinese Wizardry. The Fireball is aggressive but more tolerant of its own species than most dragons are, sometimes consenting to share its territory with up to two others. The Fireball will feast on most mammals but seems to prefer pigs and humans. This, of course, contradicts the Chinese dragon myths, in which they are usually benevolent to people and are aligned with water as opposed to fire." Adrian stopped and took a breath, he had been holding his breath pretty much the whole time he was talking. He waited to see if Professor Turolia would be impressed with his answer, or if he had made a fool of himself. Or worse, if he would get in trouble for speaking without direct permission. Although he doubted that would happen... He hoped...

[Erys Grace]

Waiting until the Hufflepuff was finished, Erys started speaking, "The Peruvian Vipertooth, native to Peru, live mostly in the mountains. They are a tawny, copper color to them, and short horns. They have very venomous fangs, and their diet consists of cows, goats, and mostly humans. They're pretty small compared to their cousins around the world, growing up to around 15 feet." Smiling pleasantly, prepared to add on if need be, she tapped her wand against the desk, remembering that the core of the wand was the heartstring of a particularily nasty Peruvian Vipertooth. No wonder she picked that one.

Gesturing to Veata to go next, since Slytherin needed the points, Erys glanced at the other boy, hoping he was going to add into the information session. "And, the popular Norwegian Ridgeback, native to Norway. They live mostly in mountains, and have black scales. Apart from their bronze horns, they have black ridges on their backs, hence the name 'Ridgeback'. Just like the Peruvian Vipertooth, they have very venomous fangs. They eat pretty much any large mammal, and that isn't limited to the ones on land." There, two dragons down chock-full of educational goodness. Maybe that would reel in some points.[/color]

[Veata Bane]

Veata still eyed the teacher with venomous eyes, rolling her tongue over her lips. Seemed to V the hag was trying to redeem herself by saying the class would get 'boring' without them following the rules. A small smirk quirked in the corner of V's mouth, followed by a small, barely audible snort that the professor would certainly be unable to hear from so far away. Rules were only fun, ever, in this history of life itself, when they were being broken. Even this idiotic Dragonology teacher must know that much.

All the same, to keep Slytherin from losing the House Cup as pathetically as they had last term, she kept her mouth shut. She slipped one slender hand into her pocket to pull out her wand as the dirty Hufflepuff offered an answer. Even though she had basically made friends with one of those bumble-bee robed losers, she still hated the house with a passion. V watched Erys' lips move as she answered, making sure that she didn't hear the words "Hungarian Horntail" anywhere, then turned to face the teacher again with her cat eyes.

"Also, there is the Hungarian Horntail, obviously native to Hungary. These dragons often have a very nasty temper, and don't respond well to being held captive by humans, who happen to serve as a main part of their diet." At this Veata's lips curled into a sickly sweet smile, but it quickly faded as she continued. "Their roars are more of a yowling noise than anything, and their flames can reach as far as fifty feet. They have vertical slit eyes, much like a cat." While describing her favorite animal of all time, V stroked that of the species which was carved oh-so-coincidentally into the length of her willow wood wand.

[Narcissus Drachen]

Narcissus, his own favourite dragon, held one hand in the air as he spoke. ‘Ukrainian Ironbellies are so much more impressive, I think,’ he said boredly. ‘They’re the largest breed, from Northern Carpathians, although they’ve been spotted as far down as theTransylvanian Alps. It can grow up to six tons.’ His hand dropped, and he gave the professor a slight smile before looking back at the Galapagos Greyback, its whiskey eyes blinking sleepily.

‘But I’ll never get that fat.’ He added offhandedly.

[Alexis Heart]

Alexis liked the professor's attitude even less when she once again reprimanded them as if they were a room full of immature toddlers in a day care center. She hated teachers who acted that way, had no use for them actually but again she wasn't in the position to do much about it. She just hoped that she would make it through this term without getting into it with her.

Alexis did have an interest in dragons which was why she was keen to sign up but so far she was a tad disappointed. When the class finally started, they were asked to name some dragons. The first student to answer was a Hufflepuff, and the next three to answer after that were Slytherin's. Well Alexis couldn't let the Ravenclaw's down she she piped up, 'There is also the Antipodean Opaleye, not sure if I pronounced it right but anyway. It would mostly be found in New Zealand but you wouldn't be hard pressed to find on in Australia if you were so inclined. This dragon doesn't actually go after humans, it prefers sheep or perhaps a kangaroo or two if it's in the mood. It shoots bright scarlet flames, has iridescent pearly scales and multi-colored pupil-less eyes.'

Pleased with her answer she looked at the teacher a smile, not quite reaching her eyes plastered on her lovely face.

[pixle]

Pixle beamed when the class finally began, the explanation of the topic of interest being the goal for the first question. She listened patiently as the other students each explained their favorite dragons, then when there were only a few meek pupils who had not spoken, Pixle decided to show why Ravenclaw was known as the sharpest crayon in the box...

"Welsh Greens,” she began, “Quite obviously located in Wales. They nest in higher mountainous regions, as most dragons do. Though more often then not they locate themselves in mountain caves because of magical barriers put in place to protect muggles as opposed to the creatures own choice of habitat. I don’t think I should need to explain that they are, as their name states, green. They shoot flames in long narrow jets, synonymous with muggle welding torches, one can assume. They only eat sheep when they have a choice about it, but will revert to munching on other small mammals as well in dire circumstances. They lay eggs which are mostly an earthy brown color, but have flecks of emerald green which help to camouflage them from predators and naïve standers-by alike.”

“The Hebridean Black lives, redundantly enough, in the Hebrides Islands, cared for solely by the MacFusty family for the last ten centuries. The Black’s have dark, rough scales and tough ridges along their backs that turn into to treacherous spikes towards the tips of their tails. It’s one of the more manageably sized dragons at thirty-feet long, but one must still be careful of its violently violet fire breath. Its diet consists solely of deer.”

“There’s very little known concretely about the Romanian Longhorn, one can speculate that they’re extremely reclusive and territorial creatures, though. We do know their appearance; probably somewhere between twenty and thirty feet with dark green scales. They get the term ‘Longhorn’ in their name because of the glittering golden horn they posses on their heads—probably like a reptilian version of a unicorn. It’s highly argued that their preferred nesting grounds are in Transylvania, Rome, but again, no one knows for sure. Perhaps they’re a migrating species.”

“Swedish Short-Snouts,” she continued, rounding on the final unclaimed dragon species, “Live in the wild northern mountains of Sweden, probably Norrland specifically, bordering Norway. This may mean they are somehow distantly related to Ridgebacks, I’m not sure how much research has been done in that area…” though in fact she was. She had done in-depth research on dragons before coming to this class. She was not going to let her grades slip again this year! “They are silvery-blue in color, with hard, slick scales which contrast with their rough feet and sharp claws for getting through the snow and ice easily. They have a brilliant blue flame, and although their eating habits are not documented, their habitat would suggest they dine on fish, or human flesh, or perhaps their digestive system is such that it can turn water and ice into the nutrition it needs to survive.” She finished and leaned back in her chair, quite pleased with herself. Perhaps too pleased… she did tend to get a big ego when she rattled of facts and debated speculations.

[Erys Grace]

Oh, this chick was just asking for it. There was nothing Erys hated more than a Ravenclaw chick with an ego the size of an elephant. I'll show you dragon. The words were a snarl in her mind, as, eyes narrowing, she drew her fist under the table to hide the claws sprouting from her fingernails. Fixing on her game face, she arched an eyebrow, looking to the professor. There were only ten of the species in the world, and everybody had just rattled them off as if it was that simple. Having summed the information up, there was no need to continue the lesson, was there? Unless the lady had decided to pick a volunteer to fight one off or something.

"She said a little bit of info, bookworm." Erys mouthed to Pixle, once the fourth year was looking her way. Fuming in silence, she corrected the expression on her face, at least trying to be calm for her house's sake. Why, the whole girl was a textbook example of a nerd, who recited definitions straight from the book. At least use your innovation or creativity to spice it up, like the three Slytherin's had. Her pride counted for nothing in this world.

Looking at Veata, Erys widened her eyes, silently saying they should beat her up after class. V would know what the gesture meant, as she probably felt the same way. Cat's were also very keen with that kind of communication, as well. Good god, was the professor going to grant Ravenclaw even more points? The prospect made her blood boil.[/color]

[Professor Aurora Turolia]

Aurora stood silently listening carefully to the students' answers. All in all she was pleased with her students knowledge of dragons. With a slight nod after all the species had been named she spoke again, "Excellent. You all are rather knowledgable about dragons, I see. I believe I will give five points for each student who gave me an answer." She took another moment to think. "Except for Miss Grace and Miss Ewing," she said looking at one girl then the other. "Since they both gave multiple species I will give them ten house points apiece."

Aurora took a moment to calculate that in her head. "I do believe that makes five points for Hufflepuff, fifteen for Ravenclaw, twenty for Slytherin," she looked back at the group of Slytherins with a small smile. They had proven quite knowledgable as had the Ravenclaws. "And no house points for Gryffindor." She looked at the small Gryffindor sitting quietly. She looked up at the clock then back at the class. "I do believe that will do for our first lesson. Class dismissed." She walked around and sat down at her desk, waiting for the room to clear.

[Erys Grace]

Pleased that Slytherin was leading even if it was only by five points, Erys smiled, pleased. Clicking her tongue with satisfaction, the Slytherin nodded her head to the teacher, grateful for the increase in points. Her house was going to do excellently this year, she could feel it. "Thank you professor." The seventh year replied calmly, popping her ink jar closed mean while. Depositing the supplies inside her bookbag, she rose gracefully, slinging the bag over her shoulder and sweeping past the rest of the students on her way out. Pausing just before the doorway, she looked at Veata, hoping she was close behind.

Since she was quite knowledgable about dragons and their species, Erys hadn't needed to take notes. In fact, she had her own book on the subject, which proved useful on more than a few occations. "Later." Waving a goodbye to the boy - hopefully with her best friend at her side - she filed out, but not before adding a little chill to the air. That Pixle girl deserved the cold shoulder. It was admirable to be so intelligent on the matter, but to be so arrogant and egotistical about it.. Ugh.

"Did I tell you I'm sort of seeing somebody?" Erys remarked casually to V, smiling radiantly. She should introduce Joshua to Veata sometime, maybe if they ran into him. Classes were ending all around the school, they might run into him. Clicking her heels rhythmically against the floor as she walked, the Slytherin couldn't help but smirk at the fact that her house was going to rock this school to its knees. They were getting the cup this year.[/color]