The Care of Magical Creatures classroom is by the barn. A colorful pavilion has been set up to keep the weather out. Inside, the room feels more spacious than it seems to be from the outside. Large rugs in earthy tones cover the ground and a large, scrubby doormat has been placed at the entrance, half in, half out, for the students to wipe their shoes on. Pillows of varying sizes and muggle bean bags chairs litter the room, placed in groups of three or four in a half circle. Beside each chair has been placed a smooth board or flat, polished odd peices of wood to be used as surfaces to write on.

Gwenivere Gryphen sits at the opposite end of the room from the entrance flap, seated on a very big black pillow. The desk in front of her looks as though all but five or six inches of the legs have been sawed off. On it are different books about magical creatures of varying colors, and the standard textbook: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Scattered beside the books are bones, teeth, claws and feathers. A six inch long claw holds down a pile of parchments. A black bookbag leans against the side of the table. In front of the desk on an overstuffed cushion lies a white and violet spotted cat with a tail like a lion's and large ears. A cat of the same kind -this one black and white speckled- is sleeping on Prof. Gryphen's lap. Behind her are two rectangular cages with cloths draped over them, and a basket with a lid that purrs and mewls every once in a while.Two crows with colored strings around their necks eye the felines nervously from safe perches in the support rafters above.

As soon as the students are all in and seated, she looks over them, then picks up the cat in her lap and stands. She walks out in front of the low desk. She is of average height and would look plain and normal if it were not for the fact that her sense of fashion was completely abnormal. Her brown hair has been cut in different lengths, but never longer than her shoulders and strips of it have been dyed gold and lavender. One side of her bangs have been spike up away from her face. Her eyes are a golden brown that match the cat's in her arms. Her robes are black and cover her entire body, save her head and fingers. Gathered around her elbows and trailing behind her is a lavender cloak with white star patterns on the bottom. Hanging from her ears are white feathers with gold and purple designs painted on them to match her hair.

She smiles and says,"Hello! Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures. I am Professor Gwenivere Gryphen. For those of you trying to place my accent, I have been living in America since I graduated Hogwarts myself. Forgive me if California has turned me into an airhead." She chuckles and sticks her tongue out playfully. "For our first lesson, we will be studying this fellow here." She scratches behind the cat's ears.

"This is a Kneazle. Well, this is actually Franklyn, but his species is Kneazle, as is that little girl over there." She motions to the creature on the cushion."Her name is Chisa. A rare breed too."

She hands Franklyn off to the closest student, a young Gryffindor girl, Miss Gamgee, she thinks. The girl looks a bit uncomfortable with the creature. "These two are the most even-tempered and sedate of their species I've ever come in contact with, so they won't hurt you even if you pull their tails. I ask you don't do that anyway. Now these," she pulls the cages out into the center of the area, pulling off the cloths to reveal three more Kneazles,"these are mixed breeds. Kneazles can breed with normal cats." She opens the cage with only one Kneazle in it and pulls it out, cuddling it. It seems mildly irritated by this but doesn't complain. "This explains most of the highly intelligent cats you may have heard of. Urban legends of cats rescuing their masters or leading people away from danger."

The one she is holding looks mostly like a Kneazle, except for slightly smaller ears. His fur is gray with a mottling of brown. She hands him off to another student, a boy that she can't quite tell which of the Tannore brothers he is. Whichever one is in Gryffindor."And you get Yeti." She then motions the students around, pulling the basket over too. The two Kneazles in the other cage are both more normal cat looking."And those are George and Gracie. In this basket are seven Kneazle kittens, all pure bred." She pulls the lid off. The kittens are all spotted, speckled and one is even striped, and all are mixes of normal and odd colors.

"Your assignment today is to get in groups of two, three, or four, and bring a kitten or one the older Kneazles to study. Play around with them, get to know them, decide on names for the kittens, even. Observe how different they are from normal cats. I want you to write a paragraph on that and what you think of them, look them up in your textbook and write another paragraph about that, and then another paragraph on any experiences you've had with Kneazles, or any cats you think may have had Kneazle blood in them. Anything extra and relevent to the topic beyond the required three paragraphs will recieve extra house points. And I do mean relevent, meaning it relates directly to Kneazles. Anyone needing information or clarification on the assignment should feel free to ask me. All homework will be due Augest 7th."

((The first two students to Roleplay Franklyn and Yeti being handed off to them will be edited into the lesson^^ And I mean it when I say ask me about things. I'm sure all of you don't have a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.))

Alexis picked up one of the Kneazle half breeds. Alexis loved animals, she cuddled it for a while, she could here it purring. It was gorgeous; it had short silvery colored fur that had a very soft texture. She examined it for a while. It was very playful; it kept batting at her hair and grabbing at her large hoop earrings. She decided that he needed a name; she decided on Nastro, it was Italian for silver. Alexis was mostly Italian, and she loved the language. Alexis played with him a little more and decided that she should start reading about Kneazles. She opened her book:

She loved the Kneazles personality, “Intelligent and Independent”, although she wasn’t to fond about it being occasionally aggressive. Alexis decided to see whether Nastro would guide her back to the castle from the lake. She picked up Nastro and walked out onto the grounds, and put him onto the ground. “Okay Nastro, can you lead me back to the castle?” She wasn’t sure if it would work since he was only a half breed, but at that moment he started walking toward the castle. Alexis ran after him, he noticed that she was a ways back from him and stopped and waited for her to catch up. The second she made it back he ran off again. He hoped up onto the steps of the castle and nudged the castle door. “That was brilliant, Nastro!” Alexis picked him up and rubbed behind his ears affectionately.
“Okay, now I have to write about my experience with Kneazles.” She looked at Nastro who gazed back at her, “Well you seem like the smart one here, do you have any ideas?” He looked back at her for a second and then dropped his head as if her were responding. “I guess that’s a no.” She stared at her parchment, and then she remembered an incident when she was really little and she had gotten lost in her neighborhood after her very first day of muggle school. She started to write about it. What had looked like a very funky looking cat came and sat on top of her when she was crying. Right when Alexis had looked at it and reached to pet it it started to walk in the direction of her house. She remembered wondering why it kept coming back and nudging her. When she finally stood up and followed it, it led her straight to her house. Alexis finished writing her paper, this is what it said:

She reread her finished homework. “I really want extra credit,” She thought, “But I don’t know anything else.” She sighed, “Oh, well, maybe my next assignment."

The Professor handed Anna the kneazel called Franklyn. She took him, even though she was not too fond of cats. She carefully stroked his head while listening the the Professor.

After the Professor had finished she carefully lied the animal on the ground and played with it. He was a very nice kneazel and completely different from that cats that wandered to her farm. "Odd, very odd," she said. She then set the cat on her lap and began her homework.

Anna Gamgee
Ravenclaw
First Year
CoMC, Lesson One

Kneazles are very different from normal cats. Normal cats are very independent and often do not like to be around people. You could call normal cats aloof. Kneazles like people and enjoy their company. Normal cats also are very tempremental. Kneazles are not. For example if you are petting a normal cat and it does not want to be petted any longer, it will scratch at you. Kneazels do not do that, they simply walk away. I think Kneazles would make very good pets. And because they are so intelligent, they are probably very easy to take care of.

The Kneazle was originally bred in Britain, but is now exported world wide. They are a small cat-like creature with flecked, speckled or spotted fur, very large ears, and a tail similar to that of a lion. They are independent and intelligent, but if they take a liking to a witch or wizard make an excellent pet. Kneazles have an uncanny ability to detect unsavoury or suspicious characters and can guide its owner home if they are lost. Kneazles are able to have up to eight kittens in one litter and are able to interbreed with cats. To own a kneazle you must have a license because they are suspicious in appearance and can attract muggle interest.

After learning about kneazles, I was reminded of a cat that came to visit my farm. He was a beautiful black cat (or so I thought until now) with orange-ish flecks. My father, being very superstitious, would not go near it and my mum hates cats more than I do, so I had to feed him. When I fed him, I gave him a little rub on the ears and he did not try to scratch at me. I played with him for the several days that he was there. I think he had a hurt paw and wanted a place to rest until it got better so he could go home. When he left I was very sad, but I knew something was different about him, he was not a normal cat. I believe he was part kneazel.

Anna read her essay over and turned it in to the Professor. She sat for a moment or two and thought about that half kneazle whom she had named Andrew. Thinking about Andrew reminded her of home and for the first time she missed the farm she had always despised, until now.

((I do! ^^ *whoot*))

Arron looks around in amazment as he walks into the class. This was by far the coolest room he had ever seen! As the students piled in the Professor picked up a cat and started the lesson. He listened to her but got distracted by the neat things in her classroom. So when Arron almost dropped the Kneazle-cat looking thing when the teacher suddenly handed it to him, he was a bit surprised. Apparantly, as the Professor had just informed him a few seconds ago, the creature's name was Yeti. Waiting for the Professor to finish her speech he absentmindedly petted the back of the Kneazle's head, behind its ears. The cat like creature had gray fur that had a mottling of brown coloring. It had a very friendly nature and kept pushing its head into Arron's chest, seeking more contact. He chuckled and said "Yeti I do believe your the nicest cat I have ever had the pleasure of meeting^^" He scratched under the cats chin. He then took the cat, and went over to a table where some other first years were. No to far away there was a chest piece lying on a counter. And though some of the other students were petting him, sorta shy like really, Yeti just stared at the chess game and mewed in an almost mournful way. Arron smiled and got up and grabbed the game, bringing it back to the table and set up a game. The Kneazle looked rather pleased and moved one pawn foreward. It was at that point in time Arron thought his jaw had hit the floor. He never knew a cat could be this smart! Arron moved a pawn from the other side. And they continued in this sort of fashion, moving piece after piece until Arron said "Check mate," there was no way the Kneazle could win. But the creature had somehow or another managed to take down several of his pawns, a knight, and both bishops. Arron smile widened. He had been smiling the whole game, he had never found before, an opponent that was this interesting. And he was a cat! If he told his mum this, he was sure she'd send him off to the loony bin for sure. "Good game^^" Arron told the cat, and Yeti just meowed and went over to get petted. Arron later borrowed some parchment and a pen and wrote:

Arron Tannore
Gryffindor, 1st year
CoMC
Lesson #1

First off I think Kneazles are great. Pure and simple they are bloody brilliant. At first glance they look like a cat-like creature with a lion's tail. The Kneazle; Yeti, that I got the pleasure of working with today carried himself with an air of grace. Although some regular cats act like that as well, it seemed like every move he made, he made it with deliberance. He seemed to like being petted like any normal cat. But he played a game of chess with me, which was not normal. I thuroughly enjoyed the game, and I won, but it seemed that no feelings were lost because of it's defeat. Which is most refreshing.

In our text book it says the Kneazle was originally bred in Britain, though now it is exported worldwide. A small cat-like creature with flecked, speckled or spotted fur, outsize ears and a tail like a lions. The Kneazle is intelligent, independent and occasionally aggressive, though if it takes a liking to a witch or wizard, it makes an excellent pet. The Kneazle has an uncanny ability to detect unsavory or suspicious characters and can be relied upon to guide its owner safely home if they are lost. Kneazles have up to 8 kittens in a litter and can interbreed with cats. Licenses are required for ownership as (like Crups and Fwoopers) Kneazles are sufficiently unusual in appearance to attract Muggle attention. ((This was taken from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander))

Now I've never seen a really Kneazle before now, but I think there might have been one that was related or had some blood in her. We called her Miss Prissy. She was very picky about her food, and could tell when we prepared the fish for her, or if it was tuna fish from a can. And she always seemed to know where me and Merrick were. Which was how Mum would find us. She said she'd ask Miss Prissy to lead the way. But for such a fussy kitty she really was nice. She didn't claw at us when we picked her up, though she'd meow loudly in our ears once or twice when she'd really want to be let down. I don't know if she was one.. but before I met Yeti she was the smartest cat I ever knew.

Notes, Thoughts, and Questions:
Thinking about Miss Prissy, makes me wonder exactly what Kneazles like to eat. Do the like fish, what kiinds, do they like it fresh or canned? Do the prefer a bath with water over washing themselves, themselves. Do the like to towelled dried, dried with a hair blower, or do they like to dry naturally? Are there certain smells that attrack them? And if a person is in Slytherin will that mean a Kneazle will automatically avoid them?

*Cara smiled to herself as she listened to the Professor and watched her hand out a few Kneazles to some of the students. when the Professor told them the lesson and told them to begin Cara picked up one of the spotted babys. she petted it calmly while watching it smell her. when it was done she put it down and started playing with it.* a good name fore you would be, Sanoe *Cara smiled at the thought and continued observing it. when it seemed to be getting tired she picked it up and cuddled it. it rubbed against her as she petted it. the little one seemed to want to play somemore so i picked up a ball and rolled it around the little one started chasing it. when it seemed to be stuck Sanoe used its paws, tail and head to get it unstuck.* you all are very smart *she said scratching him behind the ears.* ok now lets see. lets write our homework now *she said pulling the parchment, ink, and quill toward them*

*Cara re-read her essay then when she was done with it she let Sanoe look at it. Sanoe seemed to read it then dipped his paw in the ink and put his paw at the bottom of the essay like he approved it. when he took his paw away it left a paw print. Cara smiled at him and turned it in, then started playing with Sanoe again*

Holly watched a few of the other students play with the kneazles. She herself didn't like cats at all so she really doubted she would like the kneazles. She rubbed at the ink on her hand and began taking notes on the class. She then jumped up and got herself a kneazle. It was a chocolate brown in colour and extremely playfull. She sat down and it pawed lightly at her shoe. "I will name you Mocha." She told her kneazle before scratching her lightly. "You aren't as bad as the cat's that live on my street." She told Mocha softly. She began to work on her homework but she had a few problems with Mocha sitting on her parchement.

She put her quill away and started to play with mocha for the rest of the lesson. The small kneazle seemed to particularly enjoy trying to shred Holly's homework.

Nara was awed by the place. It felt so cozy and nice. He flopped down on a large blue pillow and grabbed a writing board. He studied the room, staring for quite some time at the crows and the felines. Lovely, lovely animals! He had been eagerly awaiting this class all week. When the professor began speaking he listened carefully and took notes. When the assignment came up he crept forward among his classmates and approached the basket. An adorably feisty kitten was running about the bottom, tackling its sibs. He grinned and picked up that one. It mewled in protest but quickly distracted itself by playing with his hair. It was very hyperactive and when he put it down in front of his seat, it set about exploring the inside of his bag. It even grabbed a quill out of the inkpot in its teeth and ran across a parchment with it several times, making splatters of ink everywhere. Nara was quick to take the quill from it. So it contented itself with climbing up his robes and messing with his hair again. Nara turned the nearly ruined parchment over and began writing out his essay, his copy of Fantastic Beasts open beside him.

There is a splatter of ink and a line going off the page as the kitten bites his ear,"Ow!" He puts the kitten on his lap and gives it a spare quill to play with, then continues.

When he finished he picked Spazz back up and snuggled the small ball of fluff. He would hate to have to let the kitten go.

Ellia had walked into the Classroom and noticed to her it seemed more like a sort of zoo. There were animals everywhere, and where there were not animals there seemed to be strange and interesting artifacts. She almost had the urge to get up and just investigate this wonderful room. But that would have been rude, and unseemly. She sat down in the row behind the first one, near the beginning and began to meticulously arrange her school paraphernalia. She absentmindedly played with the small braid over her right ear and wished she had a puzzle or something she could do while waiting for her other classmates to arrive. One thing above all else she loathed was the feeling of not being able to do something when she obviously had time to. She liked being kept busy. Maybe it kept her from thinking too much on certain subjects, maybe she was just a workaholic. What ever the reason she had a sudden urge to start chewing her fastidiously manicured nails. 'Bugger, I thought I had kicked that habit back when I was five,' she thought. Oh well nothing she could do about it now. She moved her hands down to her lap and clamped them together so as to remind herself not to even think about biting her nails. But that effort failed unfortunately. Fortunately it seemed as the rest of her classmates had decided to commence their arrival. She almost sighed in relief as the teacher came around her desk and started the lesson. She pulled her notebook out and started taking notes as she walked around observing several other groups. Then she went and approached the pure-blood basket with the kittens in it with just a bit of trepidation. She had heard from another student from her house that last year know of the Kneazles would go near a Slytherin because they were all evil. 'Well that right there is rubbish,' she thought. 'Everyone knows there is no white and no black just variant shades of gray.... Well okay maybe Voldermort would be just this side of black, but still.. there was no one in the history of this planet that was pure white.... Hmm except for what some religious muggles say... but now I'm getting off the topic..' She had read the book on magical creatures earlier in her spare time, and it had said that they only avoided suspicious characters. She wasn't being suspcious... just cautious. She walked just a bit closer and reached her hand into the basket expecting to get bitten, but instead a warm furry head bumped into her hand and started purring. She petted the baby Kneazle for a little bit more, relieved that she hadn't gotten bit, and then pulled it out of the basket. Her eyes widened just slightly as she took in the.... male kittens appearance. He had dark blue fur mostly everywhere except at the end of his tail, and his paws. Which were a light purple and then on top of his where three white-silver stripes leading over his head. That combined was rather odd to take in, even though she had seen Kneazles before, what was more odd was his eyes. They were a beautiful light green with hints of blue specks. She scooped him into her arms and he looked up at her his head cocked to the side. He leaned up and started to bat at the braid that hung down in front of her right ear. She smiled at him. "Hmm I do believe you need a name, now what to call you...." She thought for a while and then said "I know the perfect name, you should be called Kronis." He looked back from the braid into Ellia's eyes and then leaned up and licked her cheek. She could help but giggle a little, it had tickled. He then proceeded to climb up more on to her shoulder. She really didn't mind if he wanted to perch, but he kept going. Soon he was on top of her head and play with her hair, which was coming down out of its bun. "Hey now, stop that." She playfully scolded the kitten and tried to get it down. But to no such luck. "Do you like it up there, is my head comfortable?" she teased and he meowed in return. "Well that may be, but if when I start my homework you had better not make me mess it to much or I might be inclined to turn you into a new fur scarf," She teased laughingly. He meowed again and climbed back down to her shoulder and wrapped himself around her neck and shoulders. She laughed again. Kronis sure was a cutie. Ellia brought him outside the hut for a bit to see how he reacted to the outside world. Later she tried to play with him using different objects like a stick, a piece of string, a flying pterodactyl. 'No I was kidding about that last one,' she thought to herself. Besides where would she find one of those? And forget the museum, she didn't like the sight of bones. Those were creepy. Later as Ellia was finishing her homework Kornis decided to be rather bratty and ran across her homework leaving a small scattering of paw prints arcoss it. "Oooh you little horror!" She grabbed the kitten and gave in a kiss on the forehead. That apparently upset it cause it began to mew pitifully. She took pity on the poor, though slightly unpleasant kidling and put it on the floor, where he proceeded to rub up against her leg. Ellia sat down and tried to finish her homework while every once in a while petting Kornis who had decided to be nice and just sit by her leg and purr.

Ellia smirked as she read that last line over again and then continued on.

Merrick walked into the class room and looked around tried to figure out where to sit. He whistled as he looked around and looked up at the teacher sitting at her desk. “This is a rather interesting set up you’ve got here teach^^” He winked at her and went to go sit down. Her lesson seemed rather easy and he loved animals so he really could wait to begin. As soon as they were given free reign, he got up and went to go look at some of the mix breeds. They looked just like the other Kneazle’s only they fluffier tails and their ears were just the tiniest bit smaller. They were really soft too! Merrick picked up one, and it mewed at him while tilting its head. Merrick brought the Kneazle near to a small group of people and set it down, hoping to have some interaction with his peers. He took out some parchment and a pen and began writing down his homework while he observed the Kneazle, while trying to come up with a name for it. He never was really good at that particular thing though, and so wasn’t able to.