Aspirants, Assemble! PV: League of Aspirant Animagi Finished

"Oh." It shouldn't be surprising that the Ravenclaw would ask. "Sort of. It's a Muggle thing," he tried explaining to @Pericles Dralt. "The Justice League is a group of superheroes. Superheroes are people with special powers, and they wear costumes to hide their identities, fighting crime and bad guys." He hoped he was dumbing this down properly. "Superheroes aren't real, though. They're just story characters. Not like us. Magic is like a super power. In a way…we're all superheroes. Or villains." He smirked, glancing around the circle of members. Who knew what fate was in store for each one of them.

@Aurora Ranvier's reply about the Avengers piqued his curiosity. Was she a Muggle-born? Half-blood? Then again, Dan and Tyr were pure-blood, yet they knew more about Muggle shows and video games than he did. "I'm not much of a superhero fan," he admitted. "But my dad is. He showed me the old Justice League cartoon. I've seen a few Avengers…stuff." Thor, Captain America, Iron Man…It was all a blur. Too many films to keep track of. He couldn't remember which ones he had seen. "I have no preference though." He shrugged his shoulders. Justice League. Avengers. Marvel. DC. They were all superheroes. He didn't get why one ought to be "better" than the other.

Addressing @Kazuo Shimada's and @Aurora's concerns, Andrew replied, "It's a matter of time. They get used to each other's company. My cats at home just sorta picked it up that Penelope wasn't for eating. Dan Palmer, if you know him– Quidditch captain, Slytherin– his cat Loki gets along great with Penelope. They snuggle all the time. It is so cute when they groom each other," he stated seriously, internally fangirling at:

"They look out for each other. Well, more like Loki looks after Pin—that's Penelope's nickname, easier—And she's pretty fast, when she wants to be. Honestly, I'm surprised she's still alive," he remarked dryly. "Lost count how many times she's nearly been eaten by a cat, owl, snake." He shuddered lightly. "But she's a trooper." He questioned Penelope's sanity at times. If not for him (or Loki) stepping in to rescue the rat from certain death, well… he coincidentally wouldn't have met so many new people. Maybe Pin was onto something. Either she enjoyed playing dumb, or it wasn't an act.

Smiling at Haru, he added optimistically, "Loki was a kitten too, when he met Pin. Sooner than later…we'll see how they get on." If the next club meeting allowed, he would definitely bring Penelope for Haru to get acquainted with.

In response to Kazuo's comment about rice farming, Andrew nodded passively. Just because he owned a rat, just because he liked his rat, didn't mean he liked all rats, or that he aimed to convert everyone into liking them too. Show, not tell. He was confident Penelope's charm would rub a soft spot on Kazuo, eventually.

@Jack Burnett's question made him pause, digging deep within himself. "Hm." His gaze dropped in thought. "I s'ppose I just felt bad for her. Pin. She was already three years old when I got her. Average lifespan for a rat is about…2-3 years. Just…didn't seem right to let her die in a pet shop." It hit a nerve, sorrowful of what might have become of Pin, had he not come along. Some connections were just…unexplainable. "I thought…if I could give her a good life, then…why not." He glanced at Haru. The kitten. What could've been his. "It's nice to have what you want, but…it's also about them too." More or less talking to himself. "I just knew she needed me. And…try something new, for a change. I already have two cats at home." He smiled weakly. He hadn't thought much about his choice at the time, not expecting much from an old rat like her, but surprisingly, had learned a lot of things from her. He had no regrets about his choice at all.

"She's five years old, by the way." He perked up. "Her birthday's on Leap Day. 2016. Old as dirt. I didn't think she'd be around this long. I could've gotten my dream kitten by now," he joked.

"Of course I do," he replied, almost defensively as if offended by @Ruka Burnett-Tân's presumption of him. Referring to Aurora's bag of chocolates, he explained, "I'd dig in, but Pin's on a diet, so I'm dieting with her, so I'm refraining from chocolate this whole month of May. Puts the 'die' in 'diet', I'm telling ya," he feigned dramatically.

He already had lunch, but since Jack had offered, well…now the beast had awoken. His stomach could squeeze some more in.

"Sure. Apple, if you have one. Thanks…Jack." He'd munch on the fruit as quietly as he could, as the meeting progressed.

Jack. It felt a little weird saying the name of his old "enemy". Huh. So that's how it would sound like, if he and Warren were 'friends'.

Listening to Peri's and Kazuo's discussion about Animagi transformations, Andrew's head turned to the latest arrival–s, @Anastasia Beckett and the spotted cat at her heels. Andrew gave a little wave and friendly smile, inviting the girl into the circle, locking eyes with the beautiful Bengal as it passed by.

Aw, pretty kitty—

"hssss!"

._. okie

"Chocolate?" He offered @Anastasia, motioning to Aurora's bag of chocolates.

"My sister told me she dissected a frog at school," he commented towards the group. "Sounds pretty fun." One couldn't tell which psychopathic level "fun" was for him.

"That would be amazing," he marveled, as Aurora finished sharing, pointing out the dinosaur bit. "Like a T-rex. Is that possible? An extinct creature?" He glanced at Pericles.

Though, he couldn't disagree with Aurora's logic on size:

His turn to share. Oof. He was sorely unprepared for another deep question.

"Well. If I could wish for anything… Air. Water. Wings. Gills. Something different from land. Maybe dolphin. Or a hawk. Something fast. Or vicious. Ha– Maybe a shark." Traversing through a different medium and escaping land, that would be a dream come true. Being at the top of the food chain, also good.

"But if there's a connection, well… Fish. Goldfish?" He mused aloud. The first thing that popped into his head. "They're just sort of…blah. Like me. Nothing fancy." He shrugged. "I like aquariums. It'd be cool to swim around in one. Maybe I don't need to travel anywhere. Just float around in a bowl of water whenever I wanna relax. Doesn't sound too bad, being a goldfish."

He didn't see a point in thinking about Animagus forms. It wasn't like the Sorting Ceremony where you had some say over the matter. Sure, the incentive for everyone was turning into a neat animal. But realistically, not to give his hopes up, Andrew anticipated the worst. An earthworm. A snail. A mosquito. Regardless of animal, he was here for the challenge. Knowledge. To prove he could do it. Just to check it off his bucket list.

Kazuo and Aurora were bringing up such good questions. Andrew never really thought twice about the Animagus process. He took it all at face value. Trying to make sense of magic was a surefire way to give him a migraine.

On hearing Pericles's question to the group, Aida's eyes fixated on a distant corner of the room as she backed away to the opposite end. She hadn't really thought about it before; she just had the feeling that this was the right path for her. Sure, she had studied the details of animagi and their history in the library just as she did on innumerable topics related to creatures. If there was one defining aspect to Aida's love of creatures, it was that she loved them all fiercely. Still, Aida just hated when questions went unanswered and so she squatted in the corner, arms draped over her knees, and thought.

Her greatest animal relationship had been with Manticore, an Andalusian horse. One could even call her connection with the creature formative in her development as a person. Yet, though Aida loved the almost unbreakable spirit of that beast of a stallion, she didn’t feel that a horse would be the natural extension of herself as an animagus. It needed to be even wilder, less capable of subjugation by humans… something that could watch over creatures not strong enough to defend themselves from muggles and wizardkind alike.

Looking up at Pericles, Aida stood.

“Something with teeth and claws,” she concluded.

Speaking to @Pericles Dralt.

The tension in Kazuo's body at his close proximity, particularly when Ruka sat on the other side of him, did not escape Jack's notice. Normally he might have teased the Japanese boy about it, but the way that he allowed his disdain about Jack's comment to show and yet mentioned nothing about his personal space being invaded suggested to the Slytherin that he didn't want that particular discomfort to be acknowledged. Thus, Jack withdrew himself from Kazuo's person without another word, chuckling lightly at his proclamation that 'he knew he was the cutest'. "Right, right...guess you don't need me to stroke your ego for you, then. Pardon me."

Going for his bag, he reached in to grab his apple from lunch and give it over to Andrew who had accepted it. To be honest, Jack was surprised the other boy paid attention enough to know him and his name, especially as an upper classman, but he also wasn't oblivious to the hesitation before the name 'Jack' was said. The Welsh redhead grinned.

"You were thinking of Warren, weren't you?" he asked Andrew, grinning. "You can call me Burnett instead if you like. Most people do."

Considering what Andrew had said about why he had selected Penelope as his pet, the second year nodded, deep in thought. At last he smirked and shook his head. "Ugh...reminds me how I adopted an older brother even when I was perfectly happy just being an only child," he remarked, leaning over to throw Ruka a playful look. "Because he seemed like he needed me."

He sat back in his chair, returning his attention to Andrew. "It's admirable how she was an older animal and not the one you wanted and you still got her. Most people just go after creatures they think are 'cute' like young ones. Personally, I'd be terrified of having to get a pet only for it to die not long after. But I'm glad she's lasted so long; probably because of all the TLC you've given her."

Aurora's comment about a toad or frog animagus singing naked gave him pause. Did animagi change with their clothes on, or did they have to take them off? He supposed they would be finding out. Either way, at least it probably wouldn't be as humiliating if all of them had to deal with being naked. If that was the case, of course, which he still hoped it wouldn't be.

The young Ravenclaw's other questions made him blanch. They were good questions, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know all the answers to them just yet. He breathed a deep sigh of relief when Pericles mentioned that they weren't going to dissect animals, however. That, at least, was one less thing to worry about.

When Pericles asked everyone if there was any sort of animal they thought they had an affinity with, Jack thought about that for quite some time. Like Andrew, he also didn't want to get his hopes up, and unlike Ruka, he didn't have any special love for animals, let alone any particular kind. Still, something about what Pericles described about his own idea of an affinity with birds intrigued Jack.

He wasn't sure what Pericles meant by 'external', exactly...maybe more superficial? Or did he mean the opposite of spiritual? Jack also found cats appealing as animals to spend time with if not to anthropomorphize like some people did. Cats, snakes, spiders...such as the pets of his dorm mates. But to think of himself turning into any one of them? To be any one of them? He couldn't picture it.

Jack thought he would have been happy to work with whatever animal he was able to change into if he could manage it. It was just so difficult having to wait to find out which one he might have a chance to become. However, there was a nickname that sprung to mind when Pericles had said 'affinity'. Selim, his dorm mate, had called likened him to a particular animal the first night they had talked and it had stuck with Jack since.

"Well...I'm not part of Shimada's bloodline or anything, but..." he murmured uncertainly, "some people call me 'Fox' or 'Chatter Fox' as a nickname. I think mostly because of my hair or maybe for causing trouble or being sneaky, but...I don't know if that really counts," the boy added with a sheepish grin. "Haven't really spent time with real foxes like you have with real birds, Dralt. I guess it's more of the anthropomorphic and symbolic idea of what the animal represents to humans that I get associated with."

He shrugged. "Personally, though, I think there'd be an advantage to being almost any sort of animal, so I look forward to finding out what we'll each turn out to be if we're able to end up doing it." Jack scratched the back of his neck. "Becoming animagi, I mean."

@Ruka Burnett-Tân, @Kazuo Shimada, @Pericles Dralt, @Aurora Ranvier, & @Andrew Vance

@Aurora Ranvier | @Andrew Vance | @Kazuo Shimada | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | @Jack Burnett

One of the most gratifying aspects of accumulating a club was witnessing variety. While the concept of creating a group typically entailed joining together those with a like-minded purpose, that wasn't at all to say that their ways of thinking were entirely alike. A certain beauty lay in the diversity of perspectives, personalities, and thought processes. Andrew's explanation of superheroes was entirely alien to Pericles. While he could have been embarrassed over asking if the Justice League was an actual organization, he instead absorbed the correction with quiet intrigue. Tragically, superheroes were not a common fantasy in his household, but with any luck, he would become a Marvel fan when he grew up. Aurora, too, was brimming with never before conceived concepts. Pericles attempted to look abashed at the realization that animagi in animal forms did not wear clothes, as it was the politest expression, but instead managed a blatantly fake "Oh, my..." with a smile lurking beneath the surface, shining in his eyes.

Kazuo's questions were more theoretical in nature. They continued the comparison of metamorphmagi and animagi, with Pericles slowly nodding. "Their forms are human, yes, but wildly malleable all the same. Strange that they are able to shift their appearances at will, while animagi are stuck to a single form. It may very well be because they are biologically inclined towards transfiguration, while animagi are required to develop their ability. Why we cannot learn more than one shape, though... that is beyond me." He didn't have all the answers, though the energy in which he admitted to not knowing implied he was excited. Where was the fun in knowing every last little thing about a subject? Learning was an adventure in and of itself. Some famous muggle once said, the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. He believed the name began with an E....

A particularly odd aspect of animagi was the fact that the animal could not be chosen. Those who achieved the transformation were said to take on the form of whichever creature suited them best, but then, how was such a vague term to be interpreted? For Pericles, it was a sense of intrinsic understanding between himself and the raptors he'd interacted with all his life. For Kazuo, it was a matter of bloodline, the symbolism and symbiotic relationship his family drew from foxes. Andrew wasn't certain on specifics, but his speculations were as valid as they were entertaining. Pericles felt another smile slowly growing. It was something many of them could surely relate to: that craving for alternate experience, to see things from different eyes, to feel, hear, taste, and touch in a new way, be it slicing through the sea as a shark, or achieving peak relaxation as a lazy goldfish. This could extend to Aida, the director supposed, though he could only speculate on her reasons, turning in his seat to nod encouragingly at her answer. It would not have surprised him in the slightest to know she wished to use said teeth and claws as a means to protect innocent creatures by any means necessary. Jack took his turn speculating on the animal most often associated with himself, and when a flicker of uncertainty reared its head, Pericles encouraged "If it's meaningful to you, it counts." The notion that any animal form would surely be a perk was agreed to with another nod. There was always an allure to otherness, to variety, to experience.

Aurora, like Andrew, seemed relatively uncertain as well, though her questions contributed further opportunities to wonder over animagi. Pericles would once again face the precarious sway between wanting to keep the meeting informally introductory, and wanting to dive headfirst into theory straight away. He breathed a light"Ah" as the two talked of dinosaurs, that single syllable hinting at melancholy. "There aren't any records of anyone turning into an extinct creature, to my knowledge." Dinosaurs were very cool so this was a shame. Though this wasn't the last relevant tidbit to be brought about by her unusual questions, and perhaps to the chagrin of others, Pericles was both too curious and too courteous to stop her. After an inquisitive glance at the title Magic in a nutshell, he glanced up again, expression contemplative. "No: while it wouldn't be unreasonable to think an animal anatomy would have an altered lifespan, magic, thankfully, preserves us from this. A rather famous example is the criminal Peter Pettigrew, who lived covertly in his animagus form- a rat- for over a decade." Pericles couldn't recall the exact number. (It was twelve.)

To talk of distinctive features carrying over from human to animal form, the director perked in his seat, pleased to pick at the intricacies of this known fact. "These identifiers vary, from what I've read. While missing body parts could count, in the case of a snake animagi missing a toe, there would surely be an alternate feature. Perhaps they have another scar elsewhere, or a beauty mark. I've also heard tell of some glasses-wearing animagi showing the markings of spectacles on their animal coat." His way of speaking was bookish, academic, yet relaxed. Peri's answers were formed by combining the factuality gained from literature with the wonder and intrigue of imagination. That last question would cause him pause. Again, it seemed the polite expression when discussing cannibalism ought to be shock, but the concept was just too interesting. He tried to look surprised, though this wouldn't carry into his consideration, which sounded just as mellow as ever. "Assuming the animagus hasn't a chance to change back before losing their life, that farmer would be in for a nasty surprise. The transfiguration ends the moment a wix is no longer sustaining it. That is t'say, they would turn back before they could be butchered." That smile broke free from its restraints at last, unable to help shaping an easygoing curve. "Hopefully, that would deter the farmer from eating them."

Considering everyone's animal affinities, answering Aurora's questions.

OOC: Heads up, to keep myself accountable, I'm going to try and not let this sit for more than two weeks at a time so we can keep it moving! If you can, please try to get in posts before the 11th. If you're skipped, don't sweat it, just chime back in whenever you have the time.

Aurora brought up a point that drew a laugh from Kazuo. “Did you think we would keep our clothes?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. “Best to remember that when you transform. Wouldn’t want to return to wizard form in a room full of people, naked as the day you were born.” He teased with a smirk. The rest of Aurora’s questions were actually quite interesting. Even the rather morbid last one about getting eaten. He had an idea of what the answer might be to that one but he kept quiet, leaving it to Pericles to answer her rambling list.

Andrew’s comic talk didn’t really interest him so he turned his attention back to Haru, scritching the kitten’s chin gently as they discussed Avengers and Justice Leagues. He was aware of it all, of course, but he preferred a different kind of hero story, one that wasn’t full of impossible to beat heroes. He lifted his gaze again once the conversation had shifted back to cats and rats. “I’ll do my best to keep Haru from getting too excitable.” He offered with a smile. There were enough rats in the dungeon if Haru wanted to hunt something that wasn’t owned by a student. As Andrew continued, speaking of his own connection to an animal, Kazuo found it very hard for a moment to keep a straight face. He raised his arm to cover his face, pretending to cough into his sleeve to hide the chuckle that threatened to come out. A goldfish. It sounded… unambitious. At the very least, he could pick a carp… at least carps had the potential to become a dragon if they fought for it…

He turned his attention to Jack, snickering when the younger Burnett teased his older brother. “Of course. Definitely not because you needed him.” He murmured quietly, eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement. He considered Jack’s animal, nodding agreement. He could definitely see Jack becoming a fox, at least from the perspective he had on foxes.

Then back to Pericles as he began to answer some of their questions. It amused Kazuo that he glossed over Aurora’s clothing concerns but he gave Pericles his full attention as their leader attempted to answer their questions. It was all very fascinating and Pericles’ answer to Aurora’s cannibal question lined up with what he thought it would be. “For the markings, I would assume that missing limbs would transfer regardless, wouldn’t they? Because you could lose a limb after you’ve gained your animal form and if you transform after that point it’s not like the limb can grow back. Spectacles… that’s interesting. Could your mark have something to do with coloration? Could an albino person’s markers be their eye or hair colour applied to their animal form? I wonder what mine will be...” He mused, considering what features he had that might carry over to animal form. He technically required glasses but only tended to wear them when he was reading so he didn’t think that was something regular enough to transfer. Black hair, black fox? That was possible. “I suppose we’ll only know once we transform.”

@Pericles Dralt @Andrew Vance @Aurora Ranvier @Jack Burnett @Ruka Burnett-Tân

Eyeing the chocolates for a moment, Ruka looked back at Andrew with a mournful expression as the boy talked about his rat being on a diet. It was nice, in a way, that he stood in solidarity with his pet, and Ruka decided he wasn't going to make things difficult by adding temptation, so he stayed clear of the chocolates as well. Still, a waste. He was sure they would have tasted amazing.

His attention was drawn to Kazuo next, when the boy mentioned a shapeshifter myth. "What?" he asked with a huffed breath, eyes wide, equal parts intrigued and disturbed by the thought. "What's that myth?" He wasn't sure if he was disrupting the meeting by asking, though at the very least maybe Kazuo would be able to tell him about it afterwards. Either way, Ruka attacked Haru's belly with some tickles as conversation moved on around him, looking up at the sound of Jack's voice very clearly making fun of him.

"Needed you like I needed a rash," he said easily, nodding along with his own words as he pulled off the tie he had tied around his wrist, balled it together in his hands, and aimed it at his brother's face.

Reducio

Accuracy Check: [d20: 17] + 7 = 24
-> Success

Satisfied when the balled up tie hit its intended target, Ruka leaned back again to concentrate on the kitten in his lap, which was by far the most interesting thing around him thus far. It wasn't like he was not aware of the conversations going on around him, but he could feel himself tiring of the company quickly, exhaustion rushing through him with every word said by other people.

When Pericles asked about whether they had any strong affinity to an animal, Ruka was less than surprised to hear about Jack and Kazuo's. It suited them both, he thought fondly, letting his gaze drift between his brother and his friend for a moment and raising his eyebrows when Kazuo seemed to stifle a laugh in a cough. He thought he knew what the reaction was about, and cast a quick glance at the boy who had proclaimed his affinity to goldfish, which was indeed a rather peculiar choice. Still, Ruka had the decency to nudge Kazuo's arm with his own elbow as if to scold the other boy, though he was unable to suppress a grin himself.

As everyone talked about their animal affinity, Ruka fell silent, caught up in his own thoughts. He'd always liked animals, all kinds of them, but he wasn't sure he had one he felt a specific connection to. Not a fish, that much was for sure, and he couldn't quite see himself as a bird either, but when it came to land animals, Ruka was struggling. He loved lynxes for various reasons, but would he have claimed to feel any sort of strong connection to them? He couldn't say, so he remained silent, just stared at the kitten in his lap with a small smile, allowing Haru to nibble on the side of his left ring finger with surprisingly sharp teeth.

At the question about Animagi having distinct features, Ruka looked up for a moment to listen, wondering for a moment what exactly could count as a distinguishing feature for him, but considering he wasn't even sure what kind of animal he was most likely to become, he couldn't even be sure what kind of mark would make sense.

The question asked about possible cannibalism made Ruka raise his eyebrows, expression becoming disgusted for a moment, though he couldn't bring up the energy to comment on it. Instead he rested a hand on Haru's side and leaned his head against Kazuo's shoulder, eyelids fluttering shut for at least a moment. A good reminder for why he usually stayed away from group settings; They drained his energy quicker and much more than a whole day of dance practice.

Interacting with : @Pericles Dralt, @Kazuo Shimada, @Andrew Vance and everyone
Mentioning : None

When Andrew mentioned how his rat magically bonded with a cat, her heart filled with utter joy. She was never quite fond of rats, but after hearing how the Slytherin talked about his Penelope, the way Aurora saw them might change sooner or later. So it was true then? There will be a possibility that she will appear naked in front of people just because she forgot to bring her clothes with her. Now that would be a problem. If only she could reduce the size of her things and make a miniature bag just in case her animagus form would be an itsy bitsy animal, perhaps she would be just fine. “Oh no, I believe there are high chances for me to forget that rule.” A little panic expression was all over her face. Though, the smirk on Kazuo’s face made her think that he would enjoy such a scenario.

Scribble, scribble

Each word that came out from Pericles’ mouth was transferred on the paper with a pen in her hand while mumbled some of the sentences to herself. “Pe-ter-pe-tti-grew? Would his name change when he changed to his rat form? Peter petti-shrink?” Didn’t Andrew just say Penelope was five years old? Of course, the eagle did not know how long a rat could live, but that number seemed a little too long for an ordinary rat. “W-wait, Andrew, Andy, are you sure your rat is not an animagus?”

The prefect Pericles was undeniably perfect, not only he made this amazing club, he was also the smartest person she ever met. That luscious hair must be as soft as that fancy silver quidditch broom the Slytherins used. Don’t let her get started on his eyes. The stormy grey eyes. The only hurricane she would love to get lost in. If anyone would notice, the grumpy Aurora was smiling the entire meeting, looking at the boy with dreamy eyes every now and then. Her cheek flushed as a tomato. Despite all those facts. The young Ravenclaw would act as if nothing bothered her. To be fair, he was not a bother and will never be. He was the sight for sore eyes. “You’re beautiful” Ah yes, the words that had been desperate to be said out loud was finally out there, at last. Realising how dumb she was, Aurora cleared her throat. Her face was even redder than the Gryffindor common room. “I-I meant, your answers are beautiful. Right? Everyone?” Brown eyes looked around the room awkwardly, hoping someone would agree to that statement, or just let it go and never mention it again.

This Animagus talk made her brain hurt, but enjoyable. Maybe it was Pericles’ presence or the fact that it was something that interests her to the core. Then her true crime side of her kicked in. From a young age, Aurora loved to do some research about crimes, not because she wanted to do one, but it was more of the psychological aspect of the criminals that caught her eyes. There were some gruesome unlogical cases that she knew of, but sometimes it just did not make any sense how a person could be so evil. Maybe, just maybe, they never intended to kill a person. Perhaps the victim was an enchanted person in their animagus form just being unlucky to meet a hungry person. “Okay but what if they die because the farmer butchered them? Would the poor farmer go to jail?” Once everyone talked about their thoughts and all that, she would ask once more. “Would you or anyone mind if I ask more questions? I-I could just give you the list of course if you’re fine with that.”

Actions :Admiring Peri

Outfit

Reducio

Without the chocolate

@Aurora Ranvier | @Andrew Vance | @Kazuo Shimada | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | @Jack Burnett

Although the initial meeting had been intended as a mere meet-and-greet, it had turned into something of an early group discussion, unexpected but not at all unpleasant. Pericles was better off in lax conceptual conversations, seeming more content to exchange answers and theories over outlining expectations. He thrived on what ifs and how comes. While some questions sounded more humorous than genuine- ((“Pe-ter-pe-tti-grew? Would his name change when he changed to his rat form? Peter petti-shrink?” "What?" he had laughed softly, baffled but beaming, shaking his head at the combination of cleverness and silliness))- each one sent his little neurons firing, from sparks of speculation to fireworks of fact. He nodded along encouragingly as Kazuo commented on limb loss, enthused despite the topic's macabre nature, mutely confirming that the loss of limb would carry over in either form. Hopefully, none of them would experience this truth first hand... or arm... or leg....

"Could your mark have something to do with coloration? Could an albino person’s markers be their eye or hair colour applied to their animal form?" Kazuo's question was met with a low "Oh", coupled with an expression that implied Pericles had not considered the potential. Due to the lad's lack of pigmentation, it became plenty apparent whenever blood rushed to his face, and the personal possibility tinted his cheeks with a hue of pale pink. After a moment's mulling, he confessed "I'm not certain. Our anatomies change so drastically to take on the form of an animal, but as the trait is present in humans and animals, perhaps it would stay...." Albinism wasn't the same as dying one's hair blue, then discovering your animal form is consequently cobalt, being a matter of genes. It was likely probably, and curious consider, but for now a mystery. Pericles nodded once again in mute agreement as Kazuo observed they would not know until their transformation arrived.

The league leader allowed himself to be briefly derailed again as Aurora asked Andrew if his rat might be an animagus. A small, sly smile curled at the corner of his mouth, eyes lidded and tone teasing. "You might want to consider using an Untransfiguration spell, just to be safe. It won't harm Penelope... if she is indeed a rat." He glanced at the fellow Eagle in expectation of a shared smile, only to be taken entirely aback when told he was beautiful. Pericles, stooped for once, hardly had time to process the adorable compliment before it was hastily, blessedly, rephrased as a commendation of his intellect. "Ah-" his brain spluttered to a start again "-well, thank you. Your er, questions are beautiful too." Aurora's face was red, evidently a contagious condition, as the pink formerly in Peri's cheeks now spread to the tips of his ears. Best to get everyone out of here before they caught it too. Ruka gently falling asleep on Kazuo's shoulder wasn't lost on him, either, and he decided to do the merciful thing. He was unbothered, and could relate; hosting this stuff was tiring too.

"In fact, this kind of conversation" (about animagi, not his weird looks) "was exactly the sort of thing I'd hoped to harbor by building the League. Thank you all for coming, and for your contributions. Please take your time exploring the display more, if you'd like, see if any animal in particular catches your eye. I can't say for certain we'll be getting in another meeting before the summer vacation, and I intend to attend the camp this year, but- if I manage to work out an arrangement with my family- I hope we can meet on future school breaks, too. Maybe a club trip, if it's alright with our guardians." The vague air of theatrical mystery he spoke with implied that if asked, Pericles wasn't going to spoil what sort of adventures he had in mind. Not yet, anyways. Aurora asked if she was free to leave a list of questions, to which he nodded, assuring "By all means. I'm open to owls, too, and would be happy to answer any questions you all might have over the summer, assuming we don't see one another around camp."

Considering questions, speculating next meeting, winding things down.

OOC: Closing this up, end by 16th! We are closed to new participants

“I’ll do my best to keep Haru from getting too excitable.”

He shot an appreciative smile at @Kazuo Shimada, lingering eyes on Haru for a moment more, before turning to @Jack Burnett.

"You were thinking of Warren, weren't you?"
"You can call me Burnett instead if you like. Most people do."

"No, no, it's fine. Jack." He tested the name on his lips again, masking his surprise that Burnett's guess was on point. Inside, he broke into a nervous sweat, eyeing Jack suspiciously. Oh Merlin, did Burnett know?

Shaking the paranoid thought from his head, Andrew gave a little playful scoff. "Why, you know him? Warren?" Sounded like Burnett had personal experience with the other Jack. Yes, take the spotlight off of him and focus it on Burny. He only prayed that Burnett wouldn't return the question, eager to drop Warren and slide to the next subject.

"It's admirable how she was an older animal and not the one you wanted and you still got her. Most people just go after creatures they think are 'cute' like young ones. Personally, I'd be terrified of having to get a pet only for it to die not long after. But I'm glad she's lasted so long; probably because of all the TLC you've given her."

"I hope so," he said thoughtfully. For many more years to come, for Pin to have a long and healthy life. While Jack's praises were meant to be encouraging, Andrew saw only the gloom, refusing to take credit. He hoped his care hadn't made any difference at all. That it was simply genes. That if he hadn't intervened, Penelope would still be alive and well at the pet shop. To bear the weight of a living being's whole existence on his shoulders, hinging on his actions, his very presence… It was too sorrowful to think about. Those pets he had left behind at home, who might have perished because of him…

Terrified? He backpedaled a little, what Jack said. Realization hit him with a sympathetic smile.

"I'd be terrified of the opposite. Have them for so long, it's…harder to move on. I think short-term is easier to move on from."

He fell quiet, not ready to lecture his own grief just yet.

Listening to Pericles and Kazuo talk about Animagus markings, Andrew didn't think he had any marking of significance that would transfer over, except… Would it…?

A black lightning branch across his left arm. Fin, if he was a goldfish.

Ew. Black fin. Ammonia burn. He'd look like a sick fish.

“W-wait, Andrew, Andy, are you sure your rat is not an animagus?”

-_-

Boy, if he had a knut every time someone brought that up and Pettigrew whenever he mentioned his rat's age.

"You might want to consider using an Untransfiguration spell, just to be safe. It won't harm Penelope... if she is indeed a rat."

What did these two lowerclassmen think he was? A brainless first year? Transfiguration was his favorite subject! He was all too eager to test out Reparifarge on Penelope when he first learned it. Nadda. Zilch. Not a strand of fur budged. Just a plain ole ordinary rat. Would've been disappointing, otherwise.

"Positive. Already have," he said politely. Hardly bothered. @Aurora Ranvier and @Pericles Dralt didn't know him any better. Andrew didn't look or talk or act like an academic, partly feeding on that façade of naivety, so it was amusing to him when others treated him as if he knew less.

"You know, the oldest domestic rat was 7 years, 4 months, according to Muggle world records. If rats raised by Muggles can live that long, I bet a wizard rat can beat that. Wouldn't that be something? Penelope could be famous in the Muggle world record." He chuckled. One could dream. . .

He wasn't the only one dreaming, apparently.

“You’re beautiful”

He noticed Aurora staring at Pericles.
. . . Okay?

Earth to Aurora. Had she forgotten there were others in the room?

“I-I meant, your answers are beautiful. Right? Everyone?”

Nice save. Andrew leaned back in his chair. "Mm-hm." He nodded along with a teasing corner smirk, betraying what his own Keen Eye could detect as embarrassment and flattery between Aurora and Pericles. The flush on both of their faces was…obvious.

Ah, young love. Gross.

Well, whichever way Aurora meant… Both were true. (What? He wasn't blind.)

"I can't say for certain we'll be getting in another meeting before the summer vacation, and I intend to attend the camp this year, but- if I manage to work out an arrangement with my family- I hope we can meet on future school breaks, too. Maybe a club trip, if it's alright with our guardians."

Just. Keep. Smiling.

Deep down, he paled a little at Peri's wishful thought.


How could these people do it? Eleven years old and they were already expected to live like adults, spending 75-90% of their lives away from their families, and then graduation – boom, they were working.

Was he the weird one for wanting to be with his family? It felt like no one at Hogwarts really pined for their families at all. Most seemed glad to be rid of them. All everyone cared about was Hogwarts. All everyone wanted to be was at Hogwarts.


He had to get out of here before they brainwashed him into believing the same.

"By all means. I'm open to owls, too, and would be happy to answer any questions you all might have over the summer, assuming we don't see one another around camp."

"Summer. Riiight." Acting as if he'd forgotten. Pretending to mull it over, rub a hand across the back of his neck, half-muttering to himself, "Still have to ask my parents about that."

He already knew the answer. The unanimous vote of five. These were the fledgling teen years he would never get back. He'd have the rest of his life to be independent and apart from his family. For now…Let's still grow up together. Homebody FOMO, he was not going to sacrifice any more family time than what was already demanded of him the rest of the school year. He would have to make the most of the club while he was still at Hogwarts.

"Question. Well- curiosity." One of those questions he wasn't sure had an answer, unless he had missed a hint in the Library. "Is there any other way to become an Animagus? For example, Death's-head hawkmoths are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. So what about North and South America? Did Animagi not exist there before Death's-head hawkmoths were brought over there by wizards? Or before teaspoons and phials were invented?... Or is it just a marketing thing to make us buy teaspoons and phials?" He joked. "I'm curious if there are different processes throughout the world, ones we don't know of, ones that the ancients used." Perhaps Animagi were the same modern invention as electricity. He doubted it, though.

"I suppose you could relate it to magic and Latin. Like, did magic and spells not exist before Latin was invented? Because what about other continents before then?" His brain rambled.

But he digressed.

As the meeting wrapped up and members dispersed, Andrew would be on his feet once more. On his way out, he'd give a slight wave, browned apple core in hand, at Jack. "Well. See ya around, Burny." He smirked.

If there was no objection, perhaps he'd keep that nickname.

Peace out.

@Aurora Ranvier | @Andrew Vance | @Kazuo Shimada | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood | @Jack Burnett

The end of the first meet was expected to be bittersweet, but instead of experiencing a disappointment for the closure, Pericles was too busy buzzing on excitement. The thoughts brought into their little circle had sent off a series of curious signals arching through his head, unusual questions and thought-out speculations making for a delicious smorgasbord of cognitive conversation. Andrew's parting ponder posed an especially excellent mystery:

Reducio

"Question. Well- curiosity. Is there any other way to become an Animagus? For example, Death's-head hawkmoths are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. So what about North and South America? Did Animagi not exist there before Death's-head hawkmoths were brought over there by wizards? Or before teaspoons and phials were invented? I'm curious if there are different processes throughout the world, ones we don't know of, ones that the ancients used. I suppose you could relate it to magic and Latin. Like, did magic and spells not exist before Latin was invented? Because what about other continents before then?"

Pericles' eyebrows arched. He sat back in his seat, fingers folded loosely in his lap, all focus on Andrew as he spoke. The Ravenclaw hesitated before answering, allowing himself time to savor the possibilities. "Well there must have been," he eventually enthused. "We've had other means of magic, such as the old use of runes, so surely there are archaic methods of achieving... 'animagushood'? Uagadou School is famous for its focus on self-transfiguration, namely the fact that students can become Animagi at fourteen. They used to simply use their hands to cast spells before adopting the European tradition of wands. I wonder if they have a different means of managing the change, too...." His words faded, then the default smile sprang up, neutral yet warm. "A good question to close on, I think. I'll be looking into that one myself, but if any of you find information on different animagus rituals, please bring it to our next meeting." He gestured around the room with a languid sweep of his freckled fingers. "Thank you all for coming. Help yourselves to reading the informational collages, otherwise, I will see you in or after the summer." Peri pressed himself to stand, bringing his bag onto his shoulder. He collected the sign-in sheet and stopped to admire its contents with an encouraged expression.

Answering Andrew, closing up the meeting

This thread is finished, thank you all for joining!