Lesson One: Unicorns

[Professor Lucas Hubbles]

Luke had sent an Owl to every one of his students telling them for their first lesson to meet him just inside the forbidden forest. He was currently stood here, looking appraisingly at the White Horse with a Horn on its Head in front of him, wondering how best to go about this, all he could hope was that his apprentice showed up as Unicorns had a preferance for Females and not males. Luke was sure the look the beast was giving him was saying If you come near me I'll skewer you. Luke folded his arms as he looked at the beautiful animal. Still, Luke preferred Dragons, least they werent sexist, they'd burn anyone.

"Will you stop glaring at me!" Luke sighed. He refused to turn his back on the Unicorn in case it did decide to skewer him. That just wouldnt be fun at all now would it? He leant back on the fence and waited for his students to arrive, just wishing they'd hurry up and hope that at least some girls would show up or this lessons would be wasted. The boys wouldnt be allowed near it, hell he himself couldnt go near the creature, he had to get Dia to help him get it here. Some professor he was.

Ten minutes passed and he knew his students would be arriving soon. He let out a breath of relief, hating the fact he had to be alone with a Unicorn who had a thing against men... well all unicorns did but even so.

[Rian Calhoun Winters]

When Rian had received the owl from the Professor, he had nearly chocked on his mouthful of bacon and toast from excitement. He had been looking forward to being taught by another Hubbles since he heard of this new Hubbles' appointment. Rian had always found the nepotism shown by their current headmaster very amusing. Rian had spent countless hours over the past holiday talking with his sister about it and she found it amusing too ... well, either that or him but he'd always say it was the Hubbles rather than him. So, swallowing hard before coughing all over Olivia, Rian drank deeply from his goblet of pumpkin juice and grinned wildly at her.

Now, it was time. Rian had had a free before Care so he headed towards the Forest early. This would probably be the first and only time he has or ever will be early for a class and today this didn't bother him. As he strode down the hill, Rian spotted the professor standing by the fence with a unicorn next to him. The Gryffindor obviously recognised the creature and this too was a first. Perhaps he was turning over a new leaf? Perhaps he would start doing his homework on time instead of scribbling something minutes before the class it was due for? Perhaps this was being a little optimistic?

Whatever happened, Rian would enjoy this lesson. He could just tell. He jogged the last few feet down the hill and carried on quickly towards the professor, smiling broadly. "Hey, Professor," Rian greeted cheerfully. The professor seemed to be slightly awkward though and Ri had an idea as to what might be behind it. He looked at the unicorn and his cheeky smile widened. "Lovely creature, isn't it?" Rian tested.

[Pierce Williams]

What luck that potions ended almost exactly before Care of Magical creatures started. Playing dutiful student only thanks to his secret love for both classes--they were truthfully the only classes he really enjoyed--the Gryffindor gathered whatever supplies happened to be on him before heading up to the common room to dump them. Being his next class was of a more hands-on variety he didn't feel the need to bring a quill. And thankful for that too as he joined Rian and Professor Hubbles, eyes landing briefly but steadily on the unicorn present. So that was the topic of today's lesson. He hadn't caught the bait his friend had thrown to the professor, though due to the almost palpable cheekiness his friend was secreting and the slightly irritated state of Hubbles Pierce guessed that the professor was treading eggshells around these beasts. They didn't have a preference for males after all, and he didn't blame them.

He wanted to tell him to pet it, try and ease its nerves--sarcastically of course, trying to touch it would probably only set it off--but remained silent, due to lack of desire to speak. Using words was so tiresome actually, he rarely bothered to. Even emotion was lost on him half the time, pulled out only at Rian's persistence. Nodding to his friend now, corner of his mouth quirking to signal that a smile for him would have been there if it wasn't Pierce and his usual attitude, the Gryffindor crossed his arms over his chest in wait for everyone else.

[Julianna Farraday]

Julia received an owl from the new of Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Julia scoffed seeing that the name on the note was Hubbles. Another one? Jeez how many of them were there in the world? It seemed like the country was overrun with them. Julia couldn't help but shake her head. This was going to be interesting, another Hubbles, well hopefully he would be normal unlike the Headmaster who Julia thought was a little bit out there sometimes. The note said they were to meet just inside the Forbidden Forest. Cool, Julia liked the forest wished that they were allowed to go in there, she was dying to see a centaur or two she just couldn't find anyone with enough guts to go with her.

Dressing warmly just in case she would get cold, Julia left the castle. Her robes dragging across the floor and her shoes making crunching noises in the grass every time she took a step. She didn't spot anyone else making their way to the forest, which made her think that she was late. Hurrying she saw the forest come into view. Speeding up even more she entered it.

She reached the spot the professor asked them to meet them, and the only other person she saw besides the newest Professor Hubbles was her friend Rian. Julia smiled, this was great she would at least have someone she knew in this class. Smiling and nodding at the professor, she walked right up to Rian. "Hey there handsome happy to see you hear" she giggled quietly then winked at him. She noticed Pierce too, and smiled nodding to him.

When she turned to look in front she noticed that there was actually five of them there. Next to the professor there happened to be a beautiful white unicorn. Julia couldn't help the smile that escaped her lips "Oh wow it's beautiful" she said out loud excited about the prospect of studying such a gorgeous creature. "Can I touch her" she asked unable to help herself.

[Amari Zeller]

Having a free period before she had to set off to the Forbidden Forest left Mari with too much time on her hands. Divination was before her free period, but she didn’t have any homework in that class. So, she just went back to the common room and lounged on the couch. Nyx wandered over and curled up on Mari’s stomach, purring contently before lapsing into sleep. Too soon after, Amari dozed off as well. Definitely not a good idea, considering she had a class in less than an hour.

She woke to someone shaking her, and shouting something about her being late. Mari groaned and pushed the kid away. She sat up slowly, blinking and rubbing her eyes as she did. The boy had walked away by now, and Mari noticed that Nyx was no longer by her. Yawning, she turned around to look at the clock. That certainly woke her up.

“Oh no! I’m going to be late!”

Jumping off the couch, she snatched her shoes from the floor and hopped on one foot to the door as she tried to shove her shoes on. Amari tucked her wand in her robes and ran into the corridors. She flew past a prefect, who shouted at her for running. “I’m sorry!” She shouted back, but didn’t slow her pace. How could she be so stupid? Sleeping in like that! Hopefully the new Professor Hubbles had a soft spot for Hufflepuffs.

The grass was slick as she ran outside, probably from the rain in the morning. She slipped and stumbled her way through the lawns, before catching sight of the forest. Amari slowed down her pace once she entered the forest. Who knows what sort of twigs or roots could trip her there. Soon enough, Mari found the small cluster of students with Professor Hubbles, and she sighed in relief.

Her cheeks were flushed from the run and her hair looked quite frazzled. Amari ranked her fingers through her hair as she took a spot next to one of the Gryffindor fellows. She glanced up at him, squinting against the sun to make out his features. Nope, didn’t know him. “You have nice eyes.” Amari stated rather bluntly as she continued to squint up at him. What a way to introduce herself to a person.

Not pausing to wait for any sort of response, Mari turned her gaze back to Professor Hubbles, who stood rather awkwardly next to a unicorn. Unicorns were notorious for being sexist, seeing as they often preferred girls to guys. Wouldn’t it be ironic if this lesson consisted of mostly guys? Amari grinned at the thought, probably looking like a fool just standing there, smiling to herself.

(Amari's talking to Pierce, by the by xD )

[Pierce Williams]

"Hey there handsome happy to see you here!"

[/I]
The high-pitched, squeaky trill of the approaching Gryffindor girl signalled the pair of Julianna's arrival, and Pierce had to bite down on his bottom lip to swallow back a scowl while he nodded back. She was in this class? Oh, great. Dont get him wrong, she was a nice girl, but the way her and Rian openly flirted with each other made him want to puke. He could smell the pheremones dripping off their skin like sweat, and it made the animal inside cringe at the thought of panting after someone else so foolishly like that. He wasn't against it per se.. Just the manner they expressed it; and it was going to take a hell of a lot of patience to prevent him from pissing the likes of them off. If you looked past the terrifying quality of angry women there was a certain level of amusement behind them, so long as you didn't bend under their violent wrath.

A slight unnoticable smirk touched his lips for a moment at the thought, and he almost chuckled, the collage of his mind frozen and interrupted at the arrival of a wild Hufflepuff. There were little leaves in her hair as if she ran in lack of time, blue eyes wide as her heart hammered in her chest. The animagi simply stared, almost startled at her appearance. Breaking his eyes away and glaring angrily at the ground Pierce traced the outline of the leaves and rocks underneath his battered shoes, blatantly ignoring her as crimson touched the tips of his fingers. Someone sat next to him as he looked back up. She was there beside him now, staring unflinching into his eyes without regard of norm or politeness. You have nice eyes. She told him as he stared back at her, unwilling to form a reply as he stubbornly remained silent. Squinting up for a moment or two more her eyes then fell to the professor, and Pierce found himself noticably relaxing. The tense feeling in his shoulders vanished and he took a large breath, bending from where he sat to rest his head in his hands, elbows propped on his knees.[/color]

[Professor Lucas Hubbles]

Luke stood away from the Unicorn who was wandering around the paddock, its white hooves pawing at the ground, looking at Luke through one eye. He let out a groan, he'd never hoped for anything in the world but he seriously hoped that a girl would show up. He knew most students tended to avoid classes, but maybe if a girl did turn up then the unicorn would ease up. He'd turn his back on it once people arrived, but until then, while he was still alone with it, he'd keep his eyes on it like the unicorn was keeping her eyes on him. Finally, a student turned up. Rian Winters. Of course, he was one who usually came to this class so Luke knew his face by now. He smiled warmly at Rian before answering, "Oh yeah, it you're a girl..." There was no denying the unicorn was beautiful, but the fact it was looking at Luke with such hate was making the hairs on the Professor's neck stand on end. "Even Unicorns dislike the Hubbles name." He mumbled to himself as another student turned up.

Luke opened the paddock gate and walked out, leaning on it keeping his eyes on the students. His eyes fell on a girl with long brown hair, Luke let out a sigh of relief. Finally, a girl. She came near the paddock and Luke turned to the unicorn who too, was looking at Julianna. At least it wasnt looking at him with hate, which was good. He noticed another girl running up, seeing the Hufflepuff crest on her robes Luke's smile widened noticeably. Of course he had a soft spot for Hufflepuffs, just like any Hubbles did. Of course, Luke tried to be as fair as possible with all the houses. After a further five minutes, he gave up waiting for anyone else.

"Right then!" He clapped his hands together, "Lets get cracking, boys it would be best if you stayed away from the Unicorn, possibly best to stay outside of the paddock. Girls, if you would..." He opened the gate and stepped through himself, he noticed how the Unicorn was watching him, yeah yeah, I'm not coming anywhere near you... he thought to himself. "Step into the paddock and walk slowly up to the unicorn. Pet it gently if you like or speak to it, but be careful not to pull any of its mane or tail hairs out. They hate that, wandmakers have been known to suffer bad injuries for plucking a Unicorn."

Once they were inside the paddock, Luke turned to the boys with an apologetic smile on his face. Mentally promising himself next time he'd bring a Hippogriff or a Dragon or something that all the students could enjoy. "Now, as you know, Unicorns prefer a womans touch. Why? Maybe because females are naturally more gentle by nature. Or maybe they're just natually sexist but we'll get to that later. Can anyone tell me what colour a Unicorn is when born, and what age they are when they finally turn whiter than snow?"

[Amari Zeller]

Amari grinned up at the boy, who made no move to respond to her statement. She shrugged after a moment, drawing her gaze away. Her fingers continued to slide through her hair as she picked out leaves and small twigs tangled in it. Light scratched scattered across her face and arms from where the branches brushed against her exposed skin, but she hardly seemed to notice. Out of the corner of her eye, Mari noticed the boy lean forward and place his head in his hands, hiding his face. Perhaps he was doing in on purpose, so hide his face so she could drum up more reasons to compliment him. The thought brought a small smile to her lips.

Her attention was snapped away by the sound of Professor Hubbles voice as he called the class to order. She had failed to see the unicorn when she had run up in a flurry, but now with the Professor out of the way she could see it fully. Amari’s eyes widened and she couldn’t resist gasping at the sight of the creature. It was beautiful. Mari walked forward slowly, hardly aware that there was also another girl who could walk up to the creature. Once she neared, she brought her hand up to the horse’s snout and waited patiently as is sniffed her palm. Mari giggled as its lips brushed against her palm in greeting.

She leaned forward and gently rested her hand on the horse’s snout and stroked it. “You don’t dislike people now do you? You’re just a little different is all.” Mari cooed softly to the horse. She giggled childishly as the horse shook its head lightly in response. “Now, I’m going to stand on the side of you if you don’t mind. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to kick me.” Amari stared at the creature for a moment longer, before moving to the side of the horse. She began to pet the horse’s neck as soon as she settled facing Professor Hubbles.

“Unicorns are born gold, then when they’re about seven they turn white.” Mari piped up. She glanced to the unicorn at her side and grinned. “I bet you were a very pretty shade of gold when you were born.”

[Julianna Farraday]

Julia couldn't help but stare at the unicorn. It was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen before and it was standing there near enough for her to touch. Which she wanted to do more than anything else. Of course who wouldn't want to touch a unicorn they are one of the most famously magical creatures, people would stop at any lengths for a glimpse of one of even to possess one of their own. As beautiful an animal as they were one had to be careful with them. From what Julianna had studied about them they really didn't like boys. Julianna wondered what all that was about, boys weren't so bad. Perhaps it was because they were rougher than girls or maybe sneakier than girls were. Who knows what the reason but at least she knew she would be able to go up and touch it since she was a girl.

Next second the newest Hubbles professor was urging the girls to come up and do just that. Julianna had already been near the paddock so she simply walked in, right behind her though there was another girl. This one a Hufflepuff one she didn't really know. Julianna stared at her, but really didn't say anything just nodded at her politely.

Right now the only thing she wanted to do was to pet the pretty creature staring at her with its most beautiful eyes. The other girl was already petting her, not paying much mind to what she was saying Julia began to pet the animal as well. It was shockingly soft impossible to believe. The creature was just as gorgeous in person. Julia bent down lower to its ear to say "You are the most beautiful" to which the unicorn banged its head into her hand gently as if saying thank you. Julia couldn't help but giggle and continue petting.

The professor had to continue on with class so he asked about what color a unicorn was when it was born and when did it turn all white. Before anyone else could say a word the Hufflepuff girl answered. Oh well, came her thoughts as she continued petting the pretty unicorn

[Pierce Williams]

Even without raising his head from his hands Pierce knew the Hufflepuff had stood, and as his ears focused on the noise her footsteps made across the leaf-spattered earth he imagined the way her hand stroked the creature's face. His shoulders tensed again and he ignored it this time, choosing instead to listen to the girl's wonderous voice as she childishly giggled, making aquaintance with the unicorn. It was comical, he made a point of mentioning, the way she spoke. As time sluggishly rolled by he purposely picked out things to place against her, little things that would bother most, things that most really wouldn't notice otherwise. Like the shoes she was wearing, how ridiculous. Only the effort was half-assed, and he really wasn't sure why he was doing this in the first place. Habit, maybe. Whatever the reason Pierce tried to avoid it, surprised at the effort he had made on something so pointless. Back to the lesson, Williams..

It was his Julianna's turn now to stand and gawk as she pressed her fingers against its flesh, and even he was drawn to its presence. Shocked as he stood to awkwardly shudder his way towards it the moment he stretched his hand out even an inch it snorted in his face, stamping a hoof slightly and swinging its head the other way. Resisting the urge to flash his eyes and make a face--surprising as that sudden expression of emotion might have been for him--he simply tried again, more slowly this time. Maintaining eye contact and whispering near-inaudible soothings to the beast it was ages before his palm finally made contact. He ignored its shudder, thankful it hadnt decided to kick the crap out of him for coming closer. While his face was void of context it was his eyes that betrayed him; then and only then did they soften. Care of Magical Creatures was such an engrossing subject for him, it was all he wanted to do.

Seeming to remember himself then his hand fell to his side, and he grudgingly sat back down on the log, once again resting his elbows on his knees, appearing not to listen to the questions of the professor but in actuality quite fascinated by it all.

[Riley Harris]

Riley just stood in the background too much in awe to approach the unicorn. She did note that the Professor seemed rather skiddish around it and her thoughts began to wonder around how in the world he managed to get it. She came to the conclusion that he must have had help from at least one of the other professors if not two.

As Riley thought about this she decided that it was silly to be this close to a unicorn and to not touch it when she had the chance. With this decided she slowly approached the unicorn inside of the paddock. She waited for it to see her and began to whisper softly to it, "You certainly are a beauty, aren't you." Riley finally placed her hand on the side of the animal amazed at how delicate and unimaginably soft it felt. Riley stood there with the other two girls petting the beautiful animal waiting for the Professor to continue the lesson.