Augureys Lions and Tigers and... Unicorns? Errand

─────Lilliana sat on the edge of her bed in her dorm, her legs swinging back and forth. She checked the time on a small beige clock, waiting until it read 1:20. Lilliana got up and hastily made her way down to the grounds. She was in a pleasant mood, thoughts bliss and peaceful. When she had first found out that she would get to meet a creature, Lilliana was certainly excited. She had wished that she could have met all three of the creatures, but, unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

She hadn’t decided which creature she would visit, until the day it was supposed to commence. She didn’t know much about any of the creatures, really, but that’s what made them more fascinating to the girl. She was leaning towards the unicorns, at first, but then heard that there were only three, and she was sure that there would be a crowd of people visiting the unicorns. She’d have to wait a while. Plus, she didn’t feel like being around a ton of people today, Lilliana didn’t want a crowd of people to ruin her peace of mind. So, she had decided to visit the Augureys.

From what she had heard, they were the peaceful ones, quiet and shy. Matched her mood, alright. Lilliana let out a sigh, and fiddled with the edge of her braided hair, while walking. A warm hat was pulled on top of her head, and tucked in a manner so that it would cover her ears. It helped with her head, but didn’t really do much to the blush beginning to show on her face, due to the cold weather. February was not Lilliana’s favorite month. While she liked the appearance of snow, it also made the atmosphere much colder than she would have liked it to be.

Her jacket wasn’t much, it was fuzzy and cropped, but Lilliana figured she could survive it for a short period of time, at least. She wore a basic white shirt underneath, and wide legged beige pants, which, on afterthought, wasn’t the best choice because whenever a gust of wind blew, her legs got the full blow of it. Her shoes were simple enough, a modest pair of grey flats. Lilliana crossed her arms tightly, and exhaled loudly. Lilliana walked in a brisk manner, until she found the area where the Augureys were.

There were a few others that were there when Lilliana reached, but not to the extent that made it overwhelming. Who she assumed was the professor, greeted them. "Hello students! Welcome to the portion of today's errand centered around the magnificent Augurey. Please be aware that these creatures are very shy and don't quite like loud noises and big disruptions, so be wary of their comfort and kind to them.” Lilliana was slightly distracted by the outfit the Professor was wearing, it was rather… loud, and it definitely stood out next to the Augureys.

“You may pet their heads--I've found they quite like that--or, if you feel so inclined, read them some books. Mister Sáez has generously provided some books for you all to choose from. I've discovered that our Augureys are far more inclined to trust you if you give them a little food for thought, so to speak." They had concluded. Books, huh? Lilliana went over and took a book from a pile, and went to find an Augurey. There were a cluster of people next to the Augureys already. Lilliana went to an Augurey which was away from most of the other people.

“Hello there.” The first year whispered to the Augurey gently. She stroked their head, after hearing from the Professor that they were fond of that. “Would you like me to read to you?” She said in a small voice, that came out as a whisper. She peered at the creature, which was emitting a melancholy vibe. It looked at her attentively, though, at the word ‘read’, so the girl took that as a yes. She read the book, remembering to remain calm and quiet the whole time. She occasionally stopped to pet the Augurey on the head. Eventually, she finished reading and closed the book.

A while passed, mostly containing of stroking the creature’s feathers and giving it adorning gazes. She sighed dreamily, looking around the place a little. She had to admit, this errand had made her more excited for Care of Magical Creatures. But, she had to wait until year 3 for that. Which was, to Lilliana, at least, a long, long time. She looked around the space, at the other students treating the Augureys with affection. There weren’t that many people near her, except one person, a brunette, who she remembered seeing occasionally in Slytherin’s common room occasionally, but never really talked to. “They’re beautiful creatures, aren’t they?” Lilliana mused to the girl.

Date: Feb 12/2023
Location: Care of Magical Creatures
Character(s): Shay
Mentions: @Serena Towers

Chill air nipped at his skin as Shay loped for the area the animals were supposed to be. He didn't participate in many events around the school, but this interested him. He knew regular animals with a familiarity most reserved for friends and family, so finding out that there was a whole other section of magic ones lit a veritable fire of excitement in the pit of his stomach.

There were other students already there when he arrived, but they were all being quiet and respectful. For the first time in a long while, Shay felt comfortable in his own skin in this place. The shushed voices and cautious stories could be the wind rustling through ferns if he imagined it hard enough, and nobody was grouped together or jostling each other in that claustrophobic way crowds did. Eyes seeking out the birds, he lit up with a toothy grin when he found one alone. That sharp beak was wicked; even if the professor said they were shy and kind, they definitely weren't prey animals. They must eat something living - sharp beaks were made for that sort of thing.

Crouching down, he waggled his fingers to get the bird's attention and then crab-walked sideways towards it, outstretching a hand in its direction. He paused when he was within a foot, sneaking a peek to see the bird... Augurey?... regarding him curiously. No malice or fear, and its body language was calm. Used to humans then.

Closing the space between them, he moved his hand slowly to the top of the Augurey's head, first stroking the soft gray feathers with the tip of index finger to make sure that was okay. When the Augurey leaned into his fingers like it was enjoying the contact, he gently cupped his palm onto its head and gave it a real good pet. "Are ye caged too?" he whispered to it, finally turning his body fully towards it. "Guess that's a silly question. We all are. But did ye pick yer cage or did someone force ye into it? Did they take ye away from yer Ma?"

The bird, of course, didn't respond. It had kind eyes, though, that he noticed even though he only darted gazes at its eyes instead of staring directly into them like a challenge. "I read a book about ye. I'm not too good at reading yet, but I tried real hard. It says yer kind used to scare people because they thought ye were talking about death when ye were just talking about rain. I'm sorry that happened to yer ancestors. People can be stupid when they don't understand things, ye know?"

Tilting its head to the side, the Augurey blinked curiously. Shay smiled, close-lipped, so as not to show his teeth. Then he stepped back and bowed deeply to the creature. The book had also said it looked like an underfed vulture, but that was just rude. You didn't go around saying a person's face looked like a fish arse with googly eyes, even though that was the case for some people. The lack of respect for the world that kept them alive was something that always made Shay bristle about humans. He thought the birds looked great, just right for camouflage. They looked as they should, and nobody should be ridiculing them for that.

Leaving the Augurey in peace in case being near it too long overwhelmed it, he cast a glance around at the other students. He recognized the girl who was short enough that he didn't feel like a dwarf next to her... he had met her back at that reunion of his cousin's weirdo friends. Usually he'd turn away and pretend not to notice someone when he recognized them, but with the calm, hushed atmosphere his keen ears picked up her words. A little girl who carried a secret...

Shay still had trouble understanding secrets even though he had his own, and so he crept closer. He dropped into a crouch again when he was close enough to hear, cocking his head in an unconscious imitation of his Augurey's earlier movement, arms resting loosely on his knees as he listened.

WC: 696

Simon arrived late, and unfortunately missed the beginning statements made by the professor. Luckily though, he was fortunate that he and AngelFyre had dedicated a study session in the Library to learning about these birds. Augureys, a native bird to Britain and Ireland with greenish-black feathers and big blue eyes. They were pretty unique in their appearance and their demeanor and Simon was looking forward to meeting one. He knew very well what it was like to seem 'off-putting' due to his classification and he felt there would be a kindred spirit there.

He had been running late. He had taken to his Sunday morning reverence and then tried to fit in some Charms review and his lack of accuracy in wand casting had caused a slight disaster. It wasn't the disaster that caused him to run late, but his annoyance in not being able to cast the simplest of spells. The backfire had led to a black sort of soot like substance all over him and therefore a trip to the Prefect's bathroom was in order to decompress and get cleaned up.

It was as AngelFyre was returning her wizarding camera back to her bag that he approached, slowly. He really was hoping she wouldn't pick up on the fact that he was there so he could watch her interact with the bird. He knew it would be the same as if she knew he was nearby, but still, he wanted to be able to reflect on it and observe, instead of participate for the moment. AngelFyre had so much experience with all creatures great and small that he knew the bird would feel comfortable with her.

Simon smiled widely when he saw the book she had in her hands. While she had brought "Oh Say Can You Say" by Dr. Seuss, he had brought with him one of his favorites "Tender Is the Night" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Both were American authors but that was probably where the similarities began as well as ended.

The bird spotted Simon and craned its neck, but it didn't seem to draw AngelFyre's attention. Simon listened as she began to read about two ducks. It was quite the tongue twister, as Dr. Seuss was often known for.

The bird became mesmerized by either her voice, the words, or the pictures upon the page because he took no mind of Simon anymore and turned his full attention toward AngelFyre. Simon could see why - she often captivated his entire attention which made their study sessions or homework moments a struggle at times. It was the best sort of way to find oneself though and Simon didn't mind sharing her - for the moment.

The bird began to sit on her shoulder and as she finished, she slowly encouraged him back to his perch.

"You win the prize for best story selection," he told AngelFyre as he now joined her side and made his presence known. "I believe Ulysses enjoyed that very much," and then he looked to the bird and did as AngelFyre had done at the beginning of their introduction. Sometimes the two Hufflepuffs could be very different and other times they could be very similar. "Hello there, Ulysses. My name is Simon and it's nice to meet you." As he spoke, he realized how similar the blue eyes were to his girlfriend's. He loved them.

Simon knew that AngelFyre had already partook in some quality time with the augurey but maybe, just maybe, she would want to spend a bit more time with him and Simon together. He was pretty sure his girl would welcome it, and it seemed the creature might too. Simon smiled as he observed the bird closer up. He was magnificent!

Word Count: 624

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Emma held her breath as Professor Blumenthal replied ""That there is Stanley. I've found he enjoys children's picture books the best." She couldn't hold back the giggles at the thought of the quite sad looking bird enjoying children's pictures books which typically had such happy themes. She wondered how Professor Blumenthal had figured that out, but then decided she must have just spent enough time around them to figure out their likes and dislikes. Replying, she did her best to quiet her giggles. “Sorry, they just look so sad that the thought of Stanley enjoying Dr. Seuss kind of made a funny picture.” Emma took a couple deep breaths, working to settle her features into a somewhat serene look, or at least less of a laughing face before grabbing a children's picture book, which was not Dr. Seuss, but instead looked to be about some imaginary creature.

Admittedly it could be about an actual creature in the wizarding world as she was not familiar with as many as she'd like but she decided for the moment she'd just assume the creature was imaginary. Heading back to Stanley, Emma showed him the book. “Professor Blumenthal mentioned you preferred these types of books. I hope this is one you haven't gotten read before...or at least aren't sick of.” Emma waited a moment to see if Stanley gave any indication that they did not approve of her choice, before opening the book and showing the picture on the first two pages to Stanley.

Turning the book slightly, she read the few sentences, and then flipped the page. Emma enjoyed the tale, giving different voices to each character, hoping that Stanley was enjoying. It seemed to take only moments, but was probably more like a half an hour as she did find several of the pages more fascinating than others and enjoying pointing out various different aspects of the pages.

“Well Stanley, I hope you enjoyed it. I've certainly enjoyed your company. Do you....do you think I could pat you?” Looking to Stanley for a moment, she took a breath and nodded her head, moving closer to the bird and lifting her hand slowly. Smiling as she brought her hand to his head, Emma pet Stanley for several moments, admiring his plumage. “You're very beautiful. I hope you know that.”

Waving goodbye, Emma turned back to the pile of books, returning the one in her hand. She thanked the professor for her time and effort, before turning back towards the castle, shoving her hands into her pockets.

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