Sun sleeping (open)

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Lucas was the new guy. It didn't feel that way much anymore. He had been around long enough. Though he didn't feel like he had interacted too much with the other teachers. This was probably because he insisted on staying in the small hut on the grounds. This hut was close to the animals., not to mention the hard time he had being inside. The most student interaction he had had was with his own students, and the select few who chose to spend their free time close to the hut. He had most of his lessons inside. There had been the occasional few that had been inside the castle dungeon during the coldest times of the year.

He had a number of responsibilities, that he absolutely loved to partake in. It was the warmest day they had had. It was nice, es specially after a cold winter. Lucas had gotten to work, rolling up a button up shirt so that the sleeves exposed his elbows, the top three buttons of the shirt undone. He walked back to the hut from the forbidden forest. He had been checking on the Thestrals that had been there. With five small cages still covered, just where he had left them, he moved to a barrel that was close to the hut entrance and opened it up, placing on a magically enforced chain mail glove, he pulled out five softball sized lumps of a pink and light red looking substance. It didn't smell bad, but it was still raw meet. He walked over to the covered cages and pulled the fabric off of them. In each one, crouching down, were creatures that were about a foot tall and their heads very much resembled rocks. This was his newest lesson for one of his classes. He opened a small hole on the top of each cage, dropping one pinkish lump into each. The first moving over to it and picking it up. It seemed to grumble and grunt disapprovingly and looked at Lucas "That's what your going to get, I've heard it's close." He said and shrugged as he dropped the last piece into the last cage and closing it up tight. He moved a little ways away and sat down on the grass. These creatures had a talent to make one feel quite depressed. But Lucas was still happy. He had the perfect job. He worked all day with wild animals, and had the opportunity to teach about them to students.

He laid back on the grass, enjoying the day. Closing his eyes, and his hands under his head, he started to relax, feeling a familiar, warm shape come and sit on his chest, he moved one hand from under his head to stroke the large read bird who seemed as content as he was. He didn't know how long he was like that, when a shadow moved over his closed eyes. He opened one, looking up to see who had blocked the sun.

@open

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@lucas

the days were getting longer, more dragged out and sometimes there just wasn't enough to do to fill a day. people were busy and by some miracle he'd done all the work he'd needed to do for his classes, before it was all due. so he'd figured a walk wouldn't kill him. the quiet he faced while on that might but the fresh air and being outside might be tolerable. he loved being outside, there was something about being able to have the sun beat down against a neck or feeling the wind blow and brush it's way past a body and even the feeling of a raindrop hitting him, they were all things he never wanted to take for granted because even though he and his sister didn't see eye to eye, he had the opportunity to experience the world at it's greatest and she was denied that.

by some natural instinct to find the nearest animal and gravitate towards it, he found himself on the path to the care of magical creatures hut. the building that he'd spent many excited lessons at. magical creatures and defence against the dark arts were two of his best subjects, fuelled by his love of animals and duelling. it ran in his blood of course, both his parents worked with animals and he had to have something passed through them to him and it seemed that was it.

ahead of him, was two figures on the ground. the professor one and a Phoenix the other. he let his attention be drawn to the cages that were covered close by and wondered what creature was under there. was it something he'd worked with before, or was it something new. the odds were it was something for the younger students but he could wonder. he stopped just before he reached the body of professor king and he stopped, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked down at him. "is that where you're gonna lock up the first years that don't listen in your classes?" he said with a quick grin and a nod towards the cages.

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A shadow moved over him, blicking his eyes from the sun. Lucas took this chance to open one of his eyes. After his eyes focused, he saw one of his older students. One that seemed to love the creatures almost as much as he did. Almost. The boy had spoke up, asking about the cages that were placed closer to the hut. Lucas streached and then sat up, holding the large bird close to his chest. Odin, the bird, didn't seen too excited about the wierd angle, and so he helped the bird onto his sholder as he stood up and brushed himself off. "While it would be entertaining, someone wouldn't find it too funny."

He gave a chuckle and moved over to the cages. Flipping the covering up and turned to his student. The uncovered cages showing what looked like a fairly small rock mounted on a larger rock. "Now, what do you think they are?" He leaned against the cage with a smile "I'll give you a hint. This creature is from further north, and is known for stalking its pray making them more an more depressed. Once their mark collapses in a hopeless stupor, it attempts to eat them." The creature was from Russia, and he didn't know how many students would have had a chance to interact with it. He wouldn't be too surprised if his student didn't know what it was. "And what do you think the best way to protect yourself against them?" Lucas never passed up a chance to teach someone about magical creatures.

@luke

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@lucas

he grinned a little when professor king said some wouldn't find it okay to lock students in cages. "well they used to hang students by their toes in the dungeons, according to my uncles." he said with a small laugh, crossing his arms over his chest lightly as he followed the older male over to the cages and he watched him flip the covers. it looked like a pile of rocks, interesting. he crouched down next to the cage to get a better look at the creature that was inside, though to anyone glancing it would just look like a rock being confined to a cage. he listened to the explanation about what it was from the professor, not taking his eyes off the creature in case it did something that might help him figure out what it was quicker.

then he heard the word depressed and something inside his brain clicked. "it's a pogrebin, isn't it?" he said as he turned his head to look back up at professor king. the only reason he'd about such a creature was because he'd heard stories from his father. "my dad worked in europe with dragons and told me about them once." he said as he looked back into the cage. "he told us if we ever ventured to russia to wear good boots." he said, another small grin forming on his face. if there was one thing that he and his father had bonded over in their years under the same roof it was talking about magical creatures. "and if we saw a rock more than once, kick it away." he stood up and took a step back from the cage, not wanting to start to feel the effects the professor had mentioned.

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Lucas looked at the young boy at the mention of a former punishment. He didn't think that was real, but then again, there were still quite a few archaic ideas still in effect in the wizarding world."Did they really?" Lucas wasn't one to believe in punishments, and if one had to happen, he figured that the one being punshed should learn something useful from it. Medieval torture consents were not learning experiences. But that didn't matter. It wasn't happening now, if it was, he didn't think he would be teaching here.

He stood at the cages, watching the boy draw nearer and crouch down to observe. He was a bright kid. "Very good Mr. Weasley" He responded as the boy got the first part right. There was a little bit of surprise in his voice. There were many students who loved magical creatures, but were only book smart. And while you can learn about these creatures in books, it was much different seeing them in person. He then talked about his experience with this father and Lucas smiled. It made him think of his own family They owned a magical creature reserve where they captured, rehabilitated and released magical creatures. That was where most of his early knowledge came from "While that is correct, the best time to strike is when it comes to try to eat you. There's now reason to kick every rock that looks suspicious." Covering up the cage once the boy backed up Lucas pulled away, rubbing the large bird on his shoulder, who seemed to be unhappy with the lack of attention, and had started to play with Lucas' hair. "And if you cant kick it away hard enough, a good stunning spell or simple dark charm will work nicely." He smiled at the student "Luckily I don't think the third years can kick that hard"

@luke

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@lucas

he grinned a little as the professor questioned the punishment but who was he to argue with what his two uncles had told him. "yeah apparently. filch told two of my uncles about it their first year." he did wonder himself whether it was true but it would be one heck of a way to keep students from breaking the rules. he hadn't been worried about getting the creature wrong, if there was one thing he knew it was magical creatures, he wasn't an expert but he knew more than a little bit, thanks to hours of listening to his parents talk about work back and forth to each other.

"there is if you want people to think you're insane." he said with a slight grin as he leaned back a little and moved to straighten his legs out, keeping his distance from the small creature. he didn't really feel like letting it drag down his mood at that moment. he watched as professor king lowered the cover on the cage and he folded his arms lightly across his chest. "any particular dark charm?" he asked, his curiosity building. he laughed a little at the thought of the third years kicking rocks and he shrugged his shoulders a little. "just put it with a bunch of other normal rocks and watch them try."

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Lucas caught the grim that the boy gave when he questioned the punishment that the school supposedly used to have. He did recognize the name Filtch, though, he had never had the chance to meat the person that the name belonged to. This mostly came from him living out of the castle. He had spent time in the school, but he really didn't like it. He found it hard to focus when stuck inside. Though, it could have been the older man just trying to scare a first year.

Lucas was happy that his student knew the creature in the cage. "there is if you want people to think you're insane." said the boy with a grin while leaning back. He couldn't help but laugh. "You have me there" Though Lucas knew that as the depression feeling that the small rock shaped creature placed on it's target would eventually lead you to stop kicking rocks, based off of mood. There was a chance that you would kick it away before it got to that point. Then the boy asked about the dark charm. "A simple knockback jinx would do it" While Hogwarts didn't condone the practice of teaching dark magic, Lucas saw it as a way of defending against the creature. He chuckled at the suggestion of putting normal rocks out "Not bad, but my biggest concern is losing one of these guys, but it wouldn't be too hard to find them." He patted the cages as Odin the phoenix moved from his shoulder to the roof ledge.

@luke

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@lucas

a knockback jinx. he was right, it was simple enough and as professor king had said, it was easier than kicking something. he'd do his best to remember that, just in case he found himself in the presence of one of these creatures in the future. since they lived so far away the chance was slim, but there was always that small chance. "that's where the punishment comes in. sit the misbehaving students in the middle of the rocks and then when one strikes, you found it." he did think there was probably some rule against using magical creatures that could cause harm and possibly fatal injuries to students but it was a funny thought all the same. he brushed his hand through his hair as he stepped back a few more steps before he settled himself down on the grass, sitting cross legged he watched as the phoenix that had been sitting on professor king's shoulder climb onto the cage.

"so if these are what you have planned for the third years, is there anything new and interesting for us seventh years?" he asked as he picked up a blade of grass and started shredding it with his fingers absently. he could feel the sun beating down on the back of his neck and he rolled his shoulders a little to try and lift the back of his shirt a little higher on his neck but he doubted it would do much good. he looked back at the cage and watched the phoenix for a few moments. "how did you get him?" he asked, curious as to how someone came across a creature so rare. the only person he'd heard of having one before was a previous principal and well, that had been albus dumbledore so it really wasn't surprising.

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Lucas smiled when the student suggested standing in a circle and waiting for one to strike. "Not a bad idea Mr Weasley. The students might enjoy that as well." Though he didn't think he would use that for the bulk of his class, but maybe if a student has trouble understanding the creatures, he could do something like that. But he would need to be careful to protect the student. He didn't want the nurse yelling at him because some young student walked in with small bite marks on them.

A plan for the seventh years? "Well, the seventh years are definitely not ready for the Nundu. Shame really." Lucas joked with a smile. In truth, he was looking into the likely hood of taking the class into the black lake to see the merpeople, or perhaps to bring in a kelpie. But those were till in the works. He moved to be near his student, and joined him on the ground. He looked at the large read bird as the student asked about him. He whistled, and held out his arm and Odin, the large phoenix flew over and perched on his arm once again. He didn't brink Odin to his classes, or talk too much about him to his class. The most that he had told his students, was that his name was Odin, and that he would be found around the hut. "I was younger than you are, when I went to Egypt with my family to help with an erumphent migration." At this, the bird started to nuzzle Lucas, and he moved his hand to ruffle the birds feathers in a friendly manner. "I got separated from the group with a calf. Not sure why, but he came around and helped me back." He then set the large bird on the grass between the two. "He didn't leave after that" He smiled at the student, not surprised that the boy would ask about the bird. There weren't many wizards that had birds like he did.

@luke

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@lucas

not ready for the nundu? well he couldn't disagree there but if there was one creature he'd love to see up close and not die, that would be it. "i mean .. are you sure? i feel we're ready." he joked a little as he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. he'd decided against working with animals straight after school, it was something he could do late in life but if there was ever a time he felt like he could change his mind it was during his care of magical creatures class. he watched, almost a little in awe, as the large bird flew over to perch on professor king. they were as rare an animal as a person could come across and he really did want to know how his teacher had come to own one.

he listened and nodded a little, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward to get a closer look at his feathers when the bird was placed on the ground. "so he took you under his wing, literally speaking." he said with a slight grin. "i guess an in depth lesson about phoenixes is out of the question?" he said as he leaned back a little, not wanting to crowd the bird lest it get annoyed with him.

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Lucas couldn't help but laugh when his student joked about being ready for a Nundu. That wasn't the fact, but it was nice to joke about it. Though, these creatures were extremely dangerous. It wasn't a bad idea to talk about them with his seventh years. As he interacted with Odin, his phoenix, he failed to notice Mr. Weasley watching him. He had heard about the bond people had with these creatures was something else, though Lucas didn't understand it until he had forged the bond himself.

Lucas enjoyed telling the story about when he met Odin. It wasn't one that he told often, and the boy he was next to seemed to be soaking it up. Laughing again, "You could say that. He really helped me out that day." He smiled lovingly at the bird and rubbed one of his wings. Looking back up at the boy he nodded. "He's still a wild bird. Maybe once all of you are prepped well enough for your N.E.W.T's, we can have a discussion about the creatures that aren't required. We can cover in discussion what every you want. Including those that you can't interact with." He always loved to help his students understand the magical realm and the creatures in it. It was his passion.

@luke

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@lucas

all the ones they couldn't interact with. they were the words that luke never wanted to hear. he didn't like the thought of not being able to do something. he did understand it on a level, they couldn't risk the lives of students, well they weren't supposed to but it appeared they could be blase about it when it suited them, but they were supposed to make a conscious effort to keep their students alive. but still, the chance to interact with an animal that dangerous and amazing all in one, well that would really be something. maybe he'd get his chance one day.

"guess there is some kind of rule that say's it's bad to put student's lives in danger." he said with a grin as he stretched back onto the grass and tucked his hands behind his head. "still, would have been fun to see what we made of them." he watched the clouds passing above them for a second, seeing some birds soaring high, their wings riding the wind as it blew across the top of the forest. "so what animal do you wish you could teach us about but aren't allowed to?" he asked, curious to know the professor's thoughts on what would be a great lesson.

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Lucas chuckled, he had defiantly heard horror stories, from more than one source about the position he now held. These stories ranged form instructor and student injuries, to exciting and boring classes. Because of that, he knew to be careful, but he saw no reason to be overly cautious. His students were bright and had the potential for greatness. He figured that if he treated them as such, there wouldn't be many problems. There were some overly proud and confident students that he had to kepe an eye on them when he shows the more dangerous creatures. He chuckled as he thought about what he was told when he first got the position. "Well, we wouldn't want any students getting hurt here" There were rules and approvals that he had to work through when he wanted to bring something new.

Lucas continued to stroke and scratch Odin as his student laid down in the grass. It really was a nice day. "I agree with you there". He had to stop and think about Mr. Weasley's question. He stopped giving the Phoenix attention, which resulted in a few loving nips from him. Returning the affectionate touch he looked up into the sky. "Definatly the Erumpent. I may be able to get exceptions for them, but ones that I would never be able to show the class..." He paused, slightly for dramatic effect "I'd say a Nundu and a Lethifold" Both classified by the Ministry as impossible to trai, and "Known wizard Killers" While Dragons would be fun, everyone already knew some things about them. "If you could learn about any magical creature in this class, what would you really want to learn about Mr. Weasley"

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@lucas

luke let out a low whistle when professor king mentioned the creatures he'd like to have taught them about. luke knew some things about those creatures but the chance to learn more, well he'd always jump at that. "yeah i can see why they don't want you showing us those in person." he said with a light grin. the nandu was probably the one that would scare him the least if he ever came across one. that wasn't to say he thought he'd have a chance against one, because they were nigh impossible to kill but something about the lethifold freaked him out. maybe it was because it wasn't actually a corporeal creature.

one creature he wanted to learn about if he could? there were so many that he could think of but one stuck in his mind more than others in that moment. "it might sound stupid, but the thestral." he said as he pulled another small tuft of grass from the ground. "we've learned about them i know and gone over them but .. i want to see one. to know what one looks like, to be able to see and hear what they sound like with my own eyes and ears, rather than what's been written in a book by someone else." he knew there were coole creatures that some would say were scarier but, there was something intriguing about a creature you knew was there but couldn't see. "i'm just not itching for someone to die in front of me."

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Lucas could tell that the student was impressed with the creatures he mentioned. Many of them were classified to be known wizard killers, so the students should know about them, at least, but he would never be approved to bring the creatures onto the castle grounds. Lucas often found himself thinking about what creatures to teach his students about, and how to do it. It was important to keep them safe, but also entertained. That could be quite difficult with magical creatures. You didn't want to bring something so boring in, that the young students would just mentally check out, but some creatures could hurt the students, if they didn't listen to what he was teaching them about the creatures.

When given an opportunity to ask what creature he would most like to learn about, Mr. Weasley said the one that Lucas knew quite a bit about. "i'm just not itching for someone to die in front of me." Lucas nodded. "Many do find them to be scary creatures, but I think they are quite majestic, if not a little haunting." He always liked watching Thestrals, and now he was in a position where he helped take care of a herd of them. It really did help to be able to see them "Seeing them does come at a heavy price. This does make them harder to show to a class." He thought for a moment, he did have an idea "You know, I could take you to where the herd is in the forest sometime. You wont be able to see them, but I could touch one." He was always eager to help students learn more about the creatures in their magical world. If he could do something to help, he would.

@luke