Care of Magical Creatures

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

It was a bit after classes, but Eri had decided to stay after class. A big sketchbook was set in front of her and the page it was opened to revealed a half finished sketch of a horn tailed dragon. A pencil sketched along the page adding details here and there to the dragon. It was one of the young artist's favorite things to draw, other than landscapes. Some days Eri could be found just sitting on the vast Hogwarts grounds sketching a small view she sees. Other times she imagines she is in a place and just draws that.

The Ravenclaw is lost in her art. If someone were to walk up to her she wouldn't hear them at the moment. The main reason she is there anyways. She wanted to ask the professor if they would be learning about dragons or some other creatures that she fancied, but her mind was too focused on the drawing in front of her. 

The area where they had class had cleared out making her the only student there and hopefully soon realization would dawn on her and she would go ask her question, but for the time being she was lost in her art.

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

A little girl was sitting out by the stables on the grass when Morfran Griffith was walking back, holding a rather large sandwich that was rapidly being eaten. He had missed out on several meals, and had finally gotten hungry enough to warrant him going to the kitchens and accosting a house elf who made him three large sandwiches, two of which had already vanished into his stomach. It had been more than a little bit amazing, to be honest. It wasn’t every day that he was perfectly set up for a shameless quote from a muggle movie no one here even knew about. When he had eaten the two sandwiches in front of the elf, she had said, ‘I don’t believe it’ in english surprisingly eloquent for a house elf. To which he responded, ‘that is why you fail’ and then left, leaving the elf confused, and leaving himself with a huge grin.

The tall man peered over the girl’s shoulder, as she was clearly drawing something. It was a dragon of some kind, but he couldn’t quite make out what the picture was supposed to be. She had done a pretty good job for an eleven year old, but it wasn’t exactly fine art. That, and her body was obscuring most of the page. He gave a sort of half smile to himself, and then kept walking towards the stables, hands tucked in cavernous leather pockets. If the rest of the day kept this up, he was going to be more than satisfied.

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

As Eri drew she felt like someone was standing right behind her and before she could look Professor Griffith started walking to the stables. Scrambling to get up and put everything back into the army satchel that accompanied  her, the girl stood up and hurried to keep up. Some smudges of pencil led covered her fingers and when she wiped something off of her cheek a streak of black smudge left itself there. "Professor Griffith." She wanted to go ahead and ask her question, but she thought it would be rude to just blurt it out and he seemed to be in a good mood already. So instead the Ravenclaw waited.

Eri wiped a strand of her black and brown hair to tuck it behind her ear and blew a maroon strand out of her face so it wouldn't obsequie her vision. Her silver eyes scanned the stables with curiosity and longing. If someone had asked Eri what she wanted to do last year her answer would be to become an Animagus and work as an unspeakable, but after something happened in the summer a passion for magical creatures had found its way inside her and she wanted to learn more about them. That's why she was here at the stables.

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

The little girl stood up, he heard her scrabble her art supplies together. The professor squeezed his eyes shut, still facing away so she couldn't see. Was she really just waiting there for hours hoping he'd pass by eventually so she could ask a question? At least she wasn't just sitting there doing nothing, he supposed. Still, that meant she was either a really nerdy ravenclaw, some hufflepuff with nothing better to do or she thought it was going to impress him or something.

When he heard his name called, he knew he was right, choked down the rest of his food and then turned. The first thing he noticed was her hair. It was black, maroon, brown and white. That was something muggles did when they were trying to get people's attention. This girl was only eleven, twelve tops. But that could just be some parent issues he wasn't going to worry about. She looked healthy and happy enough.

As he stood there, a good 5 yards away from her, he contemplated what her next move was going to be. Was she going to wait for him to walk over there, or was she going to come to him? He wasn't going to come at the beck and call of some student, anyway. So that meant she was going to have to keep yelling, or come to him.

"Yes?"

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

Eri had been sitting there drawing for a while, but even if he hadn't passed by while she was there it wouldn't matter. It wasn't about impressing people, or just waiting for the chance to ask a question, though it did so happen to be a little bit of the reason she was sitting there, but the girl liked to go outside on the grounds and draw it was one of her hobbies. 

Eri smiled when he turned and she decided he wasn't going to walk back over to her so she would probably have to walk over to him. After a couple steps she was about four feet away from him. A little troubled by the fact she didn't know how to word her question, the twelve year old thought for a quick second before speaking. "I was wondering if you would teach me about creatures. I know you teach a class, but I mean something more than what we do in class. I'm also prepared to do work. Like help you around here." Eri knew there was a big chance he would deny her request, but she meant what she said. She would do anything to learn more about magical creatures. It was a big passion of hers.

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

She wanted him to teach her? Aside from the fact that he did, in fact, teach a class, she did seem to know that. So it was extra, and early, instructions she wanted. There was a very good reason for the 3rd year age limit. It was to ensure that no students got hurt because of something stupid or immature they happened to be doing at the time. But there was also just the smaller creatures, XX or lower, that second or first years could easily handle, provided they used just a touch of common sense.

But he had a program for things like this, specifically because people like her existed. R.O.A.M, or Research Opportunities for Aspiring Magizoologists was basically extra lessons, but with more fun stuff and less actual lessons.

"I have a program. Just sign up for R.O.A.M, and skip out on the extra work. You have homework to do, you don't have time to go gallivanting off mucking stables for extra lessons. Just work on getting yourself an O average."

His hands were still deep in his pockets, and one eyebrow was raised. This girl certainly was unique. He'd peg her either a ravenclaw, or a hufflepuff. Ravenclaw for uniqueness, Hufflepuff for everything else.

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

Eri frowned and wiped a strand of annoying hair out of her face. There were some creatures she was anted to learn about that she wasn't positive weren't in that lesson. "I appreciate that offer, but I'm not sure that program teaches about dragons and graphorns." If he told her to look in a book to get information on those creatures she would most likely be a little frustrated. She had read many books, but still didn't know a lot on them. She knew that graphorns were dangerous creatures and dragons were interesting. 

The brunette didn't mind doing homework late at night. She never slept well anyways. But if he wanted her to just concentrate on her homework that would be fine with her. Though she wouldn't mind helping him, hard work wasn't a stranger to her. Though a little disappointed that she would probably not be getting any help. 

Eri was proud that she hadn't snapped a sarcastic remark at him yet. The Ravenclaw girl was infamous for being overly sarcastic and was showing signs that she could actually restrain herself from those stupid actions. But that didn't mean she still wouldn't be sarcastic, just had a better hold on controlling the outbursts. 

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

So she wanted to learn about dragons and graphorns? That was predictable, sure. People either fell in love with the cute little things or the big cool things. There was very little in between, and he knew it. So it wasn’t a surprise. But he still wasn’t going to just go ahead and teach some girl about huge magical creatures she was just going to go try and tame. These children seemed to think that knowledge translated to know how when it came to creatures, and that if you did everything right dragons would eat out of your hand.

“If you would like to learn more about either graphorns or dragons, there is an amazing book on the subject. I believe it’s title is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, by Newt Scamander. It’s on the shopping list, you must have gotten it before you came to hogwarts.”

And then he slowly turned around. Better things to do and all. If she said something else important he’d turn around and continue the conversation. But otherwise he saw no reason to teach this girl about creatures like that. She was eleven, twelve at the most. And her reason was just that she wanted to know more. Well, that was what books were for.

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

Eri frowned just like she thought he would answer. It wasn't just the big cool things she liked Shen just said that because they were probably not in the lessons. "I read the book. It's fascinating. Don't get me wrong dragons and graphorns are cool in all, but they aren't  the only creatures out there. And I want to learn more and be able to study them and figure out everything there is yo know about every creature. I also want to work with the creatures too." The twelve year old thought all creatures were interesting and unique. If someone wanted her to pick a favorite she couldn't. It's okay if he misunderstood her. She didn't have to explain herself. There were other methods of learning about all the creatures. 

When he turned around a small flicker of defeat came across her face. It was clear that she would probably have to continue her ambition to work with and learn about creatures elsewhere. Though if she wanted to work with creatures safety would have to be read about before doing so, but hopefully he didn't think she would go and find creatures on her own. He didn't need to know that.

Lost In Art  Pv Professor Griffith 

A mini magizoologist, then. Someone who wanted to learn all about magical creatures and work with them. At this age it was like wanting to be an astronaut. Was she honestly expecting extra lessons because she showed up? She had nothing. No letter of recommendation to help show she wasn't a total clown, no report card ready to show, nothing compelling at all. Her reason was literally just because creatures were cool and fascinating.

"You are eleven. I know it's annoying, but your age comes with limitations. Please accept those limitations. You can seek to overcome them with time, by focusing more on your homework and less on becoming the next Magizoologist supreme. Take your time, and you'll make it eventually."

He wouldn't say he didn't like the girl, but she was more than a little bit naive. It made him happy to see young minds reaching out towards creatures but she was going about it the wrong way entirely. People who worked with creatures had to be patient. Not rushed and dashing headlong into dangers that were entirely too great. She was expecting to work with the creatures? That wasn't going to happen, not for a few years. That was what class was for. Extra lessons cost him time and resources, things this girl hadn't proved herself deserving of, or needing.