Lesson Two - First Years

by **Natasha Willow** Thu May 03, 2012 8:37 am

Natasha was excited for her next lesson with the first years. She only had a small few in the class, but that did not deter her from providing a great lesson.

As she waited for them to arrive, she made sure the flightless birds were tethered to their posts. It wasn't so much that they would fly away, because they couldn't, but they had their ways. She wondered if any of her students in this class were muggle born in any way. It may prove to be a more interesting lesson if so.

by **CarlyGrass** Thu May 03, 2012 4:14 pm

Carly practcally spipped to hher lesson. She was excited to work with the birds again. She noticed she was the first to arrive, and so watched the teathered birds while waiting.

by **Dahlia Barnette** Thu May 03, 2012 5:37 pm

Dahlia arrived at her class, noticing that she was one of the first there. She gazed at the beautiful birds as she walked up to Professor Willow. "Good morning, professor! Those birds are lovely." she said, delightfully.

by **IolaAvalon** Thu May 03, 2012 10:33 pm

Iola skipped happily to her Care of Magical Creatures lesson, she loved all sorts of creatures with one exception and it was a long shot that hey would ever be covered in class.

by **Natasha Willow** Fri May 04, 2012 7:10 am

Natasha was surprised to see a new comer to the class. She smiled at her, happy to welcome anyone interested in learning about the wonderful world of magical creatures.

Deciding to begin the lesson she walked over to the birds. "I know we studied birds last lesson, Augurys to be exact. These ones are called Diricawls. If any of you have experience with muggle animals, this is the creature that they call a Dodo Bird."

As she stroked the head of the smaller one, the bird let out a caw and her feathers seemed to shimmer.

"Can anyone tell me about the muggle Dodo Bird?"

by **IolaAvalon** Sat May 05, 2012 8:02 am

Iola raised her hand confidently.
"The Dodo bird as was known to Muggles was a flightless bird indigenous to Mauritius, which lost the ability to fly as there was no need for it in order to gather food or escape from predators. In 1598 they were 'discovered' by Dutch Sailors and by 1681 the last one was killed either by hungry sailors or their pets. The reason that most Muggles have heard of the Dodo is due to 'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll because it played a strong role in it." She said, vaguely remembering the lessons from her father.

by **Natasha Willow** Sat May 05, 2012 9:38 am

"Very good, Miss Avalon. 10 points to Slytherin." Natasha was happy to see a fellow animal enthusiast.

"As you have pointed out, these birds had no need to run from predators. What muggles don't know is that these birds have the ability to disappear and reappear elsewhere. Muggles have since believed that they have become extinct." Natasha agreed with the Ministry's reasoning for not correcting them. Besides exposing the magical properties of this creature, the truth would take away from the valuable lesson they learned about the human effect on creatures.

"Today we will be feeding them. They have a very extensive diet, but I have brought fresh fruit for them today." She passed out a bucket to each girl. "Feel free to interact with them. Like most birds, their beaks can pinch, so be careful when you feed them. But otherwise they are very friendly."

by **CarlyGrass** Sat May 05, 2012 6:41 pm

Carly had heard about the muggle dodo birds before, but she had never realised they were not extinct, she was glad though.

Taking a piece of fruit she calmly walked up to one of the birds, and holding the fruit carefully in her flat hand she waited for the bird to take it. After a moment she was grinned when the bird took the fruit from her hand and gulped it down, reaching for another bit of food.

by **IolaAvalon** Sat May 05, 2012 9:44 pm

Picking up a slice of fruit, Iola walked towards a Dodo. It looked a little nervous so she decided to try a trick her father had taught her.
"Mae govannen, mellonamin. Tula, vasa ar' yulna en i'mereth. Uuma dela." She said softly, smiling and holding out her free hand. Cautiously, the bird walked towards her. Smiling she held the fruit in her flat palm and let the Dodo eat it while she stroked it.
"That's it, Aier. You've nothing to fear from me." She whispered, continuing her stroking of its soft head feathers. The Dodo let out a series of happy chirrups and closed its eyes, leaning into her touch.