Prof. Griffith's door.

Ardis offered a polite smile that quickly vanished when she realized he had not shown any signs of flashing one at her. She cleared her throat and took a small breath.

"Hello, professor. My name is Ardis. Ah, Ardis Byrne. I'm a first year. And... I know that Care of Magical Creatures isn't available until, erm, third year, yes? But I was curious, you see... ah, about magical creatures. I've never heard of most of them, and Newt Scamander's book is fascinating! But, erm, there's only so much information that can be gathered from books. And my father, he's always told me to use all my resources. S-so I figured, professor, that you would be the best resource." She tucked some hair behind her ear. She wasn't so used to talking so much. Ardis was more often than not one of the more reserved students in classes. "B-but of course, if you're busy, I can erm... I can come back another time? Or, I could leave my questions with you? To answer when you have time? I have them written out, you see."

Ardis held out the folded slip of paper as she looked up at the professor. He was huge. Taller than most anyone she'd ever met. But when dealing with magical creatures, perhaps looking big and sort of scary was a good thing.

A pleasant surprise, he supposed. Although the girl sounded like she was about to have a anxious breakdown, she was there for a good reason. Use all the resources, right. That was why he was there, wasn't it? He had made a whole program to help students like her, he certainly wasn't going to turn her away. He felt a pang of guilt as well, after she smiled briefly, only to stop the moment she noticed his own, rather stoic expression.

So he did what was reasonably polite to do, and smiled back. A thin, tight smile, but an expression that could more or less be linked with pleasant things nonetheless.

"I have time now, if you'd like to ask your questions inside."

Griffith opened the door the rest of the way, inviting Ardis to enter the small mudroom that served as his office, should she choose to. He may not have come to hogwarts for altogether altruistic reasons, but he had signed a contract that he planned to make good on, at least for the most part. That involved helping out the young folk when their minds found another question to ask.

That, and the girl had clearly thought this through. She was nervous, but had written down her questions so she wouldn't forget them and so that she could leave them with him if he was busy. That showed that she was not only organized, but also self aware enough to not waste his time. It wasn't as if he had something spectacular planned, anyway.

If Ardis enters the room, Griffith with motion to the chair opposite his own, and will then sit down himself, saying "So, what questions did you have?".

If you choose this option, please make a separate thread in the CoMC area. It doesn't matter what you call it, but just put your response to this there, and either send me an owl with the link or mention me (@morfran griffith)

If Ardis chooses to leave instead, then Griffith with raise an eyebrow and go back inside the stables, closing the door behind him.

In either case this thread will close or move to a different location, meaning Griffith's door is officially reopened for any student who would like to come and rp.

For the record, Ami hated asking people for help. She had been raised to believe that asking others for help or favors was shameful, especially if they weren't family. However... well, she only knew so much about cats off the top of her head, and her brief stint as a volunteer at the pet shelter in Chicago had been, well, brief. She obviously could've checked the library first, but really- who had the time and patience for that? Not her. She was a busy girl with things to do. And when you couldn't Google things at a school that ka-blooeyed electronics, what was your next best option?

Annoy your teachers for absolutely no reason.

Normally, she'd ask Lear first. He had been, after all, the former Care of Magical Creatures professor. However, she'd already bugged him about the pygmy puff infestation in the Hufflepuff common room and dorms, and she really didn't want to bug him again. Instead, she would bug the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, which was why she was here now. In front of the door to the stable. With a cat in her arms.

"Shh... it's okay, Leo," she murmured, kissing the top of the cat's head as he mewled plaintively. "We'll get some help soon, okay?" Shifting him over to one arm, Ami reached out, yanking as hard as she could on the silk cord. "Shh..." She continued to try and soothe Leo, who was squirming in her arms, now.

Alyssa silently made her way down to the Care of Magical Creatures stables. She had a very interesting conversation with a Ravenclaw girl. They spoke about the creatures that lived within the Forbidden Forest. She remembered the warning that the Headmaster had given them, they were not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest, this however brought up a question that she was not sure would get answered in class.

She had spent most of her time in the library, paging through the books that she could set her fingers on but none of them gave her any answers. For a few days, she had to talk herself into asking the one person who could actually enlighten her. She had yet to engage in a conversation with a professor from Hogwarts, but her curiosity got the best of her and she wanted to further her knowledge in the subject of Hogwarts history as well as Care for magical creatures.

She bit her lip as she came to the closed stable doors. It was odd for a professor not to be located in the castle, she shivered, she did not want to seem nieve, but she kept convincing herself that it was for knowledge.

She took the black silk cord in her hand and pulled it. She stepped back a little, waiting in anticipation.

The heavy stone door slowly creaked open, revealing the outline, of a very tall man with broad shoulders, wild hair and a scraggly beard. His face was calm, and as utterly neutral as anyone could possibly manage. This was worth it, talking to the students was worth it. This was the only way he was going to be able to keep moving, keep having a decent life. This was his chance, and all he had to do was talk to these kids, teach them. He could do that.

"Yes? How can I help you."

So many wards, so much magical protection. So many students and professors with defense against the dark arts training. All right here, in this very school. He was safer here than he would be almost anywhere else, and he knew it. That one piece of paper, that on contract that he had signed would determine so many things in his future.

But for now, he would be calm, he would be neutral. Answer questions, shoo away annoying students doing some kind of weird dare, depending on what this girl was here for. It was usually just some brat who wanted to pet a dragon, but who new? Maybe this girl had a reason, had questions and a purpose for being here. He could hope, anyway.

A frown formed on her forehead as she stared at the heavy doors as it creaked open. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the outline of what she presumed was the professor. She pondered her question, a lump forming in her throat. Was she being naive to be here?

She sighed as she heard his response to her pulling on the silk cord. She seemed tiny against the large man standing in front of her. She fumbled with her fingers as she thought of her question, maybe she was being foolish, she shook her head, lifted her chin and took a breath.

"I.. I was wondering,"she started softly, her words nearly failing her. " I have been reading a lot about the Forbidden Forest, and there is one piece of information that I cannot seem to find." She tilted her head to the side, deciding on how to ask this question. She continued to fiddle with her fingers. It would have been much easier to search for this kind of information in a book, however, she had exhausted the resources that were available to her.

" Hmm, I was wondering, the Headmaster has warned the students to stay away from the Forbidden Forest since there are many dangerous creatures that have made it their home. How does Hogwarts keep the creatures from leaving the forest, if nothing is keeping them in the forest, what keeps them from attacking someone?" She did not want to seem like just another face asking yet another idiotic question, but again, she did not know who else to turn to, her curiosity was killing her and she would like to gain more knowledge of the forest and the creatures that lived within its boundaries without waiting to get to the appropriate year.

"Creatures stay in their habitat. They stay where they're comfortable. Most creatures don't have a driving ambition, the desire to conquer more and more land. If they have all they need, and aren't disturbed, they stay where they are most comfortable, they stay home. Part of my job is to monitor that, to make sure that there isn't any odd shifts or changes going on that could prove to be cause for concern.

Plus, the creatures are scared of us. They don't like the open, weed and cover free grounds or the looming castle. We have some enchantments and charms to keep them out too, so even if a few got some wanderlust, they would certainly not wander over this way. That's why the students aren't allowed back there. It's almost like two different worlds. They stay in theirs, we stay in ours."

He opened the door a bit more, and stepped back just enough to allow room for the girl to enter, should she want to, but a small enough space for her to have a decent excuse to not go in if she didn't feel comfortable. It was a good question, and one that he hadn't been asked before. She had a good head on her shoulders, anyway. It made him happy that she was in gryffindor.

A slight smile appeared on her lips as she listened to the professor. His knowledge of the creatures that live within the Forbidden Forest had to be vast if he was the one who was looking after them. She wondered what he might have been like as a student, fascinated by creatures? She herself enjoyed studies, any type of knowledge attracted her attention.

She wondered if she would seem too forward to accept the professors' silent invitation, she tilted her head as she decided against her thoughts, it would be rude not to accept, and she would love to learn more, that was why she came to him. She took a short sharp breath and took a step forward.

" Do all the creatures live in harmony or are there some instances where you need to intervene?" She pondered out loud. As she stepped into the stables, a soft frown forming on her forehead, this was not at all what she was expecting. An amused smile replaced her frown, it was strange, but she felt comfortable, it was unlike a class. Her nervousness had evaporated, she wondered whether this was on purpose, but she left that thought at the back of her mind.

She would leave these silly questions to her imagination and only ever bother the professors with questions that are within their curriculum. They, of course, did not have time for such silliness.

"Creatures sort themselves out, for the most part. It's a lot different for them. If one species is displaced by another, it's nature. Out here in the wizarding world, they'd call that cruelty, or say it was unfair. I try to not interfere as much as I can. Only if it threatens the safety of the students do I intervene. They're much more adaptable, in a way. If something happens to them, they balance themselves out, always have, always will. When something happens to us, we don't balance ourselves out, we balance everything else to suit ourselves, and in the process destroy the balance we tried to maintain."

That was probably more in-depth than the girl had been hoping for, but it didn't feel right to just give a short answer, not when he had already come this far. A great internal sigh heaved in his mighty chest, but didn't breach the surface enough to be noticed. He had a sandwhich somewhere, once this was over, right? Or wait, no, Perthyn had eaten that, hadn't he. Well, what about the peanut brittle? No, that was a found by the little monkey, who had then proceeded to share it with mickey. He needed food, why did all his food always vanish?

She tilted her head to the side as she pondered the professors' response. The piece of information that he shared with her was very interesting. It was intriguing to learn the differences between their lives and the lives of the creatures.

"They govern themselves, without causing too much of an issue. It is rather silly to think that we are unable to naturally adapt like they do, it makes me think whether we really are that intelligent."

She glanced around the stables. "Sir, I was wondering, what are some of the most difficult creatures to work with? I have learned in Defense against the Dark Arts about the different ranks that are given to creatures. I have noticed that they are not given their rank just for the danger that they can possibly pose but that they can receive a higher rank due to being difficult to domesticate or that they are part of the endangered species."

She wrapped her robe around her body, it was a bit cooler within the stables, a shiver ran down her back. She was interested in the response of the professor, it would be interesting to find out which creature he deemed more difficult to work with, she wondered whether he had ever worked with dragons, she knew that they were unpredictable creatures, but there are many other creatures that she might never have thought to fall under difficult to work with.