Lesson 1 (All Years)

Headmaster Posts : 208

Sitting on the edge of his desk, Codey casually leaned back, using his hands as support beams. On the blackboard behind him was his name and, underneath that, his job title as a dragon trainer. Looking over the desks, he made sure that he had not missed a table – he wasn’t sure how many students would be coming, and as such, decided on doing just the front two rows first; on each of the tables sat a piece of paper, turned around so that the students only saw the blank side of it. After much though, he had decided on opening class with a quiz, to see how much the students knew and which areas he had to work on. Straitening up and slipping out his wand, he gave it a lazy flick and watched the blackboard move out from behind his desk to beside it, giving all students who entered a clear view of what was beginning to write itself out.

On each desk is a sheet of paper with 10 questions. Please find your seat and answer as many as you can. You have 15 minutes, after which, nothing else can be written; the paper is charmed, so do not bother trying to cheat. If you complete it earlier, you may pass it up. No discussing or talking until everyone has finished. When asked to describe, please use your own words to describe the dragon in terms of appearances, in one or two sentences. Do not copy word for word from your textbooks.

With a small smile, he leaned back again, his legs hanging unmoving over the edge of his desk as he waited for the students to arrive.

OOC: Questions are in the code below; please copy and paste it for your post.

Code:: [b]1) What are the 12 species of dragons?:[/b]

[b]2) What are two notable features of female dragons?:[/b]

[b]3) Which is the most dangerous dragon species? (Describe):[/b]

[b]4) Which is the smallest dragon species currently known? (Describe):[/b]

[b]5) What are hybrid dragons?:[/b]

[b]6) Which dragon species is the largest (describe), and what is its maximum weight?:[/b]

[b]7) Which parts of the dragon have magical properties?:[/b]

[b]8.) Why are Ridgebacks declining in numbers?:[/b]

[b]9) Which dragon has long horn (describe), and what is its purpose?:[/b]

[b]10) Why did you choose this course, and how do you see yourself contributing to this class as well as the working world, upon graduation?:[/b]

Dragon Trainers In-Training Posts : 42

Dragon training, sounded pretty damn excited, if he was about to be honest. Dragons seemed like the biggest most badass thing that he could think of, and ever since Ben told him that they were real, well it seemed pretty much like the best career path for someone like him. Grinning at the thought, Conner pushed the door to the classroom; he had high expectations, cool pictures, a promise to see dragons, anything basically an adrenaline junkie like him could thrive on. He had even prepared himself; while he had the green uniform of his school, he had gotten ready to take on anything. He had heard that there was a physical education class for Aurors and he figured he'd get something similar in this classroom.

But as he entered he realized he was wrong: dead wrong. The bright smile on his face disappeared, and he felt as if his skin paled as he realized that the desks had a white piece of paper faced down. He knew what that meant. He wasn't the brightest bulb of the bunch, but he knew a pop quiz when he saw it. Muggle education and summer school had taught him enough. Was it too late to walk out? He cursed especially as he realized he was the first one in.

"Afternoon professor" he mumbled distracted as he began to read the rules. This man was not playing around. Also, did a dragon trainer wear suits? Cause if so he'd sweat through all that fairly quickly.

Sitting down, he picked up the only quill he owned and realized perhaps he shouldn't have done leisure reading of the book and should have actually written notes. Cursing again at his stupidity he began to write in his messy calligraphy.

1) What are the 12 species of dragons?:

Grumbling he began to count his fingers trying to see how many he could remember.

Hungarian Horntail
Norwegian Ridgeback
Ukrainian Ironbelly
Catalonian Fireball
Common Welsh Dragon
Chinese Fireball

He bit back a whine realizing that this was basically fifty percent, give or take one guess. He wanted to just die now. Moving on to the next question, he figured he had a fighting chance...or blind faith.

2) What are two notable features of female dragons?:

Female dragons tend to be bigger and more dominant of their mate.

3) Which is the most dangerous dragon species? (Describe):

Hungarian Horntail

4) Which is the smallest dragon species currently known? (Describe):

He didn’t know it exactly at the top of his head. He realized that the ones he had mentioned on the list above missed it too. Wracking his brain, hoping to find something useful he began to describe and an bull his whole way through.

It’s from Latin America, copper color, and known for spreading dragon box? It’s small like twelve feet or something, maybe bigger. Super aggressive too and known to hide from humans cause of it’s size.

5) What are hybrid dragons?:

Dragon hybrids are rare offspring of two of different species dragons. They’re rare to happen and often times more dangerous because of them.

6) Which dragon species is the largest, and what is its maximum weight? (Describe):

Ukrainian Ironbelly is the biggest dragon. It’s huge like sixty feet, it weighs….

He left the weight off, he didn’t know and he wasn’t about to guesstimate the amount. He was stupid, but not that stupid.

7) Which parts of the dragon have magical properties?:

Dragon blood is used in potions? And claws are sold and used.

He guessed, and it seemed the same for the other options.

8 ) Why are Ridgebacks declining in numbers?:

They are declining in numbers because their populations are being disturbed? Also their poached and hunted leaving their populations to dwindle

He had no clue.

9) Which dragon has long horn, and what is its purpose? (Describe):

Hungarian Horntail has a horn. Oh god. They use it to smash into things and show their aggression. They’re super crazy aggressive and they can kill their prey with it.

10) Why did you choose this course, and how do you see yourself contributing to this class as well as the working world, upon graduation?:

Dragons are amazing and powerful. It seemed to me that someone that can train them is someone that you can trust, and know they’re hard working. I want to do that, be that to somebody. I may not be the smartest in this class, and I apologize for my answers above, but I swear if you ask me to jump, I will ask how high. I want to pass this class, and not by the skin of my teeth but because I know it. I will contribute heart.

Placing his head against his desk he was tired, his brain hurt and he already failed the very first thing. Ugh. Life was cruel.

Headmaster Posts : 208

Never once moving when his first student entered, Codey merely watched in complete silence as the boy greeted him and then sat down to answer the questions. As the first student to arrive, Codey already could make a few guesses about his character, and let the silence grow, as it was disturbed only by the scratching of the quill. Counting the time in his head, he waited till the fifteen minutes were up, glancing at his watch only once to confirm that his internal clock was accurate, before slipping out his wand and giving it a tiny flick, summoning the piece of paper to him.

Keeping his expressions mostly neutral, expect for the arching of an eyebrow when he reached answer 4, he read through the entire paper. Glancing over the top surreptitiously to observe his student, Codey hid a smile at the obvious nerves, instead going back to going over the boy's answers a second time. Most of his answers were obviously made up, and he resisted chuckling at some of those that were way off the truth.

Most impressed with the only answer that truly mattered - the one to the last question - he finally slid himself off the his desk, looking to the door to make sure no other student was there before approaching the boy. "Mr. Conner," he started, placing the sheet of paper back onto his desk. "I am not going to lie - your answers were not all correct. I know bullshit when I see it." He paused, only then breaking into a slight smirk. "It takes balls to do that, but next time, if you do not know something, it is perfectly alright to admit it."

Tapping the last paragraph written on the paper, Codey gave a single nod. "You do have what it takes; I see potential in you. Study hard, and remember, dragon training is not about memorizing facts."

With that, Codey turned around and started back to his desk. Halfway, he paused, glancing back at the boy, and, with the tiniest wink, added, "Also, if I ask you to jump, don't waste time with questions - you jump. Out there, it could be the difference between life or death." Taking his position back on his desk, he waited, facial expressions back to neutral, as he waited for the other students to arrive.

Dragon Trainers In-Training Posts : 87

Humphrey walked into class a boy already there ahead of him, already busy working. Not wanting to get behind, he quickly took a seat and got out his quill and ink It seemed for this questionnaire they had fifteen minutes to answer as much as they could. Scanning the paper, Humphrey smiled softly to himself thinking he would be able to do a good job. Nodding to himself, he set to work.

1) What are the 12 species of dragons?:

Antipodean Opaleye
Catalonian Fireball
Chinese Fireball
Common Welsh Green
Hebridean Black
Hungarian Horntail
Norwegian Ridgeback
Peruvian Vipertooth
Portugese Long-Snout
Romanian Longhorn
Swedish Short-Snout
Ukrainian Ironbelly

2) What are two notable features of female dragons?:

Two notable features of females are that they are generally larger than their male counterparts. They are also more dominant in their interactions with other dragons. Sometimes females even oust males from their territories and bar them from coming back.

3) Which is the most dangerous dragon species? (Describe):

The most dangerous dragon breed is the Hungarian Horntail. They have black scales, yellow eyes, and bronze horns and spikes across their body. The dragon's roar is a loud yowling, screeching scream. Horntails are known to shoot flames up to fifty feet. Horntails are known for being vicious, in addition to being extremely fast and maneuverable while in flight.

4) Which is the smallest dragon species currently known? (Describe):

The Peruvian Vipertooth is the smallest current species of dragon. Their scales are smooth and copper-colored. It has black ridge-markings and short horns on its head. Like the Norwegian Ridgeback, it's fangs are venomous. Smallest and fastest dragon, is usually about fifteen feet long.

5) What are hybrid dragons?:

Hybrid dragons occur when dragons interbreed with other species. The hybrid dragons that are produced are rare.

[b]6) Which dragon species is the largest, and what is its maximum weight? (Describe):

Ukrainian Ironbelly is the largest dragon species. They can weigh up to six tons.

7) Which parts of the dragon have magical properties?:

Dragon blood, Dragon claws, Dragon horn, and Dragon hide.

Why are Ridgebacks declining in numbers?:

One of the reasons Norwegian Ridgebacks are declining is because they are very aggressive towards their own kind, in particular the females of their species. They also develop fire-breathing abilities between one and three months, rather early. So, it would be safe to assume some of them may have incidents when learning to control it.

9) Which dragon has long horn, and what is its purpose? (Describe):

Romanian Longhorns is the species that have them, and they use their horns to gore their prey before roasting it. The powdered horn is also used in potion ingredients, and is a class b tradeable material.

10) Why did you choose this course, and how do you see yourself contributing to this class as well as the working world, upon graduation?:

I chose this course because I've always had a passion for animals and wanted to work with them. Dragons in particular, are majestic and amazing creatures I would love to work with. In this class I hope I can contribute by asking questions and participating as much as I can. In the working world, I would maybe hope to go to other countries and work in training them firsthand.[/b]

Headmaster Posts : 208

A second boy entered, and Codey simply sat still, watching as the quill flew across the paper. Obviously this other boy knew what he was doing, and had either studied, or knew his facts. But facts, Codey understood, were easy to memorize. Anyone who put in effort could do it, so knowledge was not what he was truly testing for. After the fifteen minutes were up, he summoned the paper to him, snatching it as it flew towards him and began to read through it.

Nodding along with each answer, he was not particularly impressed - he hardly ever was; it wasn't because of the boy himself - until he got to the last one, and then a small smirk grew on his lips. Pushing himself off the desk and landing with a soft click as his shoes made contact with the wooden floor, he walked towards the boy. Laying down the paper, he said, in a quiet voice so nobody else could hear, "Words like 'hope' and 'would' are not something that are part of dragon trainer's vocabulary. You will contribute, and you will work with dragons first hand. Or, in the very least, I hope you do." A sly smirk towards the boy accompanied with a tiny wink, and then Codey turned back and settled back onto his desk, waiting for the other students.

Posts : 8

Entering class, Janique hid a raise of her eyebrows as she noticed their Professor, who apparently was a dragon trainer, and she muttered a hello. Rolling her eyes at the mention of a quiz, taking a seat in the second row and turning over the paper. Removing her quill, she sighed, knowing that the questions were not going to be ones she knew answers to - not even that last one.

1) What are the 12 species of dragons?:
Ukrainian Ironbelly.
Chinese Fireball.
Hungarian Horntail.
~~Something adertooth~~
Vipertooth.

2) What are two notable features of female dragons?:
They are bigger and more fierce than the males.

3) Which is the most dangerous dragon species? (Describe):
The Hungrarian Horntail. It's large, and breathes fire. It's also black in colour.

4) Which is the smallest dragon species currently known? (Describe):
The vipertooth. It's small, and breathes fire as well. It likes eating humans and as such the Ministry sent in people to kill them.

5) What are hybrid dragons?:
They are the result of two dragons from different species mating.

6) Which dragon species is the largest (describe), and what is its maximum weight?:
It's big. I think it's 20 tons or something. It flattens houses when it lands.

7) Which parts of the dragon have magical properties?:
All parts, because dragons are magical beings.

8.) Why are Ridgebacks declining in numbers?:
Because they fight a lot?

9) Which dragon has long horn (describe), and what is its purpose?:
Probably to fight each other, I guess.

10) Why did you choose this course, and how do you see yourself contributing to this class as well as the working world, upon graduation?:
I choose this because it was the best out of all the options available for me.

Sitting back, she realized she finished about five minutes before her time was up, and, scribbling her name onto the top of the paper, stood up. Walking over to their Professor, she handed it to him with a smirk before going back to her desk. If that didn't show him she wasn't interested in his class, or this subject, then nothing else would.

Potioneers In-Training Posts : 36

Jaycie entered the classroom with an odd cocktail of emotions: she was excited for the class as it was one of her favourites, but also anxious and apprehensive about the new teacher, and wary about sharing the period with seniors, freshmen and sophomores alike. It was easier to deal with daily life when things were familiar, but of course new years always meant beginning again. She glanced towards the front of the classroom as she moved towards a desk, quickly reading the instructions on the board and taking her first peek at the new Dragon Training professor as she found her desk. Professor Ellingston did not give Jaycie good vibes - in fact, she felt rather intimidated.

As there was a time restraint, Jaycie decided to use her self-inking quill and flipped over the paper to begin. The questions were, well, basic, in a word. But that might be because she already had two years experience in the course. Jaycie put quilltip to paper and began neatly scribing her answers.

Jaycie's Answers:

10) Why did you choose this course, and how do you see yourself contributing to this class as well as the working world, upon graduation?:

Jaycie paused. She knew what she wanted to say, just not how to say it. She pursed her lips together and soldiered on.

10) Why did you choose this course, and how do you see yourself contributing to this class as well as the working world, upon graduation?:

I chose this course because I am most comfortable with the natural world, and find particular fulfilment from experiences and discoveries I create from time spent with animals and the great outdoors. This major appealed to me because specialising my studies and interests seemed to make the most sense, and I would gain a lot from studying such magnificent creatures and learning to apply that knowledge to other areas of magizoology. I feel that I will and have contributed a different approach so far to Dragon Training, and that, when I graduate, I can continue to be innovative in my studies.

Satisfied, Jaycie lowered her quill, just as the paper zoomed away from her desk. 15 minutes - not bad, really.

Headmaster Posts : 208

Not long later, a female student arrived - his first - and he visibly frowned when he saw her attempt the questions. It was obvious that she did not care, and he was proven right when she handed up early, and he scanned the paper half-heartedly before placing it next to him without so much as flinching. If she didn't care, then he didn't care.

The next female that entered caused him to wonder - she was a short blonde, and looked around with such shyness that he wasn't quite sure she could make a good dragon trainer. Still, he wasn't one to judge based on one meeting, and watched her silently as she began the paper. Her answers came fast, and Codey at once could tell she wasn't a first year from the way she handled the questions - the only one she paused at was the last question.

Mentally counting down, he briefly wondered if she had enough time to finish, but just as the time hit 15, she put down her pen and he wordlessly summoned it to him. Raising an eyebrow the entire time he read, he took his time, slowly going through each answer. The last one he read through a few times before getting off the table and approaching her.

Placing down the paper, he waited till he caught her eyes before quietly saying, "If this were a test, you would get full marks, Miss Jaycie. The only question that remains is if you are able to convert head knowledge - which you very clearly have - to field knowledge, which can only come from experience."

Straitening up, he tapped the bottom of the page, question 10. "See me after class," he added in a normal tone, turning sharply and heading back to his place. Mentally counting the amount of students he had left, he patiently sat back and waited.

Posts : 58

Rhian jogged through the halls, her bag bouncing against her back as she searched for the class she'd found the other day. Upon arrival at the academy over a month ago, she'd made sure to know where all the classes were. But, like everything in life, things rarely went as planned. She'd taken an extra shift at the pub last night and had been late to wake up. Throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweater, she tied her hair into a messy ponytail and ran out her door.

She found the class and slowed to a stop, calming her breath even though her heart was racing. She'd thought about this day for a while now. Dragon training wasn't always something she'd wanted, since it seemed a bit out of reach before. But her acceptance to this school had made it a possibility. And today would start all of that. As she pushed open the door, her excitement dwindled a little as she was met with a less thrilling sight than she'd imagined. While her smile wilted, her eyes were still bright with enthusiasm.

Since everyone seemed to be working quietly, she grabbed the first open desk in the second row. Looking around, she saw the others either writing or clearly done. Her eyes fell upon the professor, who was moving around the room slightly. Her eyebrows rose then, as she recognized him from the Quidditch field. Lips pursing at the chance, she gave him a small nod in greeting, not wanting to disturb the quiet of the room. Pulling out a quill, she got to work on the quiz:

1) What are the 12 species of dragons?:

All twelve would be difficult, but it was something she'd read many times over the last few months. While she enjoyed the outdoors, Rhian was an avid reader when it was something she liked. Part of what she liked about dragons was that she never lost interest, even in the small things.

Chinese Fireball
Catalonian Fireball
Ukranian Ironbelly
Portuguese Long-Snout
Welsh Green
Opaleye
Hungarian Horntail
Norwegian Ridgeback
Peruvian Vipertooth

The others were slipping her mind, so she moved on to the next question.

2) What are two notable features of female dragons?:

They're dominant, similar to other animals. It causes them to be more aggressive than their counterparts, as well as being larger.

3) Which is the most dangerous dragon species? (Describe):

The Hungarian Horntail is usually said to be the most dangerous. Though the Peruvian Vipertooth is known to prefer eating humans, and may be linked to Dragon Pox.

4) Which is the smallest dragon species currently known? (Describe):

Peruvian Vipertooth. Copper scales.

She wasn't all to familiar with this kind, aside from a few facts. Biting at her lip, she knew she needed to study a bit more.

5) What are hybrid dragons?:

Rare, they're caused through interbreeding of pure-bred dragons. Not sanctioned.

6) Which dragon species is the largest (describe), and what is its maximum weight?:

Ironbelly. Red eyes and grey scales. 50 feet.

No. That was wrong. She crossed out the length. After a few seconds she changed it to 60.

7) Which parts of the dragon have magical properties?:

Rhian felt almost sick at the idea, but she knew many dragons were hunted and killed for their body parts. Using the egg shells after the dragon hatched was fine by her, since the dragons had no use of them, but everything else...it really didn't sit well with her. That people didn't see the importance of each magical life. Frowning, she continued

Claws. Blood. Egg shells. Horns. Hide.

8.) Why are Ridgebacks declining in numbers?:

Her brow furrowing, she honestly didn't know. There were some dragons which were low on numbers for various reasons: inner-breed fighting, loss of habitat, sickness. But she didn't remember something specific for the Ridgebacks. She had to leave it blank.

9) Which dragon has long horn (describe), and what is its purpose?:

Romanian Longhorn. They have two large, golden horns sprouting out of its forehead. They use them to spear their prey before roasting them. They are highly prized by traders.

10) Why did you choose this course, and how do you see yourself contributing to this class as well as the working world, upon graduation?:

Rhian paused. Every question until then, even if she didn't know the answer, was focused on facts and dragons. Looking up at the professor, her quill was poised over the paper with nervousness. Keep it simple. Simple is good. Slowly, she started to write.

My parents worked with animals, and that's where I get my love of them. While I love their beauty and magic, I know that dragons are fearsome creatures as well. I would love to work at a preserve of some kind. I believe in giving dragons their space to be free, so long as we keep them, and the people around them, safe.

It was a shitty answer, she knew. But how could he expect her to adequately put into words what she didn't really understand herself? There was just something about dragons that...drew her in. She'd had a foolish dreams for years now, of taming one enough that she could call it her own. Slightly wild still, but bonded to her. Rhian doubted it would ever happen, but she could still dream.

Potioneers In-Training Posts : 36

Jaycie had felt completely satisfied with the answers she'd given - that is, until the Professor began to read them. She watched with a growing feeling of dread as he scanned her paper, one eyebrow raised in an indeterminable expression. She couldn't tell if he was impressed, disappointed or flat out amused by what she'd written, and so she waited for him to finish, nervously shifting in her seat. Every few seconds, Jay's eyes would dart around the room, yet she couldn't help watching the Professor's reactions. It just made her feel more uneasy.

She almost jumped when he lowered the paper and began to walk towards her desk. Jaycie's heart leapt into her throat and she swallowed nervously. Incapable of unglue-ing her eyes from his approaching figure, she followed him as he trekked across the room in what seemed an achingly slow manner. He finally made it to her seat and suddenly Jaycie didn't want to see how close he was. She stared intently at the desk, body stiff with tension, until she noticed that his crouching figure was level with her and waiting for her to make eye contact.

Hesitantly, Jaycie raised her wide gaze to look him in the eye. He opened his mouth, and when he spoke, only quiet words of praise spilled out. Jaycie blinked. Full marks? She'd been expecting the worst but this was exactly the opposite. The initial shock of his words was fading now, to be replaced with steadily blooming elation. The tension oozed out of her body and she found herself nodding to what he was saying, about converting knowledge into action. Then he stood, and neutrally asked her to see him after class. Jaycie thought that could be taken either way by the other students, which was probably why he'd said it like that, but instinct assured her it was a positive request.

Feeling pride flush her cheeks, Jaycie sat quietly in her little corner and waited for the next part of the lesson, no longer feeling as intimidated by the Professor as she had been upon entering the room.

Headmaster Posts : 208

The expressions of those who entered told Codey important things about the character of his students. For example, those who expected action and practical and excitement would appear disappointed upon noticing the test, while those knew theory didn't look as downcast. Which was good and which was bad, he kept to himself - it was for Codey and Codey alone to say what these things told him.

A hint of a smile touched his features and he bit it back as the last student entered the room. He recognized her from a few days ago, when the dragon mishap occurred, and already had taken a liking to the witch. Waiting patiently as she began, he instead went around to the other students and collected their papers, stacking them neatly in a pile and slipping it into a folder on his desk.

Once time was up, he approached the last table and went over the work, not summoning it to him. Skipping over every question, his eyes went straight to the last one, where he broke into a tiny smile. "Good," was all he said, taking up the paper and adding it to the file.

With a wave of his wand, he erased the instructions on the board and turned to face the class. "My name is Codey Neal Ellingston, if you do not already know. You may use Professor, or you may use just my name, but please, no 'sir' and do not use Ellingston." He paused and sent a wink to them. "That is reserved for my mother, when I am in trouble."

Twirling the wand in between his fingers much like one would a pen, he walked up and down the isle as he spoke, making eye contact with with whoever looked him way. "I am a self taught dragon trainer, and have never attended a seminar, lecture, or class in my entire life, simply because I found - and find - them to be dull. They test head knowledge and teach head knowledge and never any heart. Let me make this clear now - dragon training has never been and never will be about memorizing facts from a textbook or knowing. Plain and simple, dragon training is experience. And I can tell you now, experience involves a shit load of pain and hard work." He paused to smirk. "Sometimes, it involves literal shit, and let me tell you, dragon faeces is not something pleasant."

Wordlessly summoning a blank copy of the quiz, he held it up high, waiting a few moments before continuing. "This is not a marked test. In fact, none of the questions mattered... Except the last one. Question ten was the only one that was worth anything, and it is the one that will tell me the most about you. I will say this once and only one - your grades for this course, no matter what other Professors say, will never be reflected by your exam marks. You could fail that, get zero, and still be the best damn dragon trainer the world has seen. I would know - I've worked with one."

Taking a deep breath and waiting for it to sink in, he walked over to his desk and sat, facing the class, wand held loosely in his hand. "That does not mean you forget reading your textbooks - you still need to know certain things. For example, if you do not know the the Vipertooth actively hunts humans, you may not realize they are that big of a threat." Here, he sent a subtle wink towards Conner, an amused smirk on his face. "Still, that does not define your skills. You may know the textbook like the back of your hand, and be the worst dragon trainer possible. I would know - I get called in to fix their messes on a weekly basis."

"Syllabus for this year, I am sure you would like to know, are simple. One, big lesson covering all the species of dragons - which may take up to two classes, if there is no time - and then the rest are practical, dealing with them first hand. As some of you already know, there are seven species of dragons I have brought that are on site. You are not allowed to visit them without me." He stopped, making sure they understood this.

"Now, for today, I will be giving you your first term long assignment." Reaching behind, he picked up a basket from his desk, previously hidden with a simple concealment charm. In it, sat 6 spherical objects, all around the same average size. "Dragon eggs. Rest assured, this has been approved by the Minister himself, and is most definitely not illegal - just don't ask how I got them," he ended with a joke. Or at least, half a joke - indeed, methods of obtaining them had been shady at best, what with him forcing a breed. "Each of you will be assigned one at random. The choices are, the Opaleye, Catalonian Fireball, Chinese Fireball, Common Welsh Green, and the Romanian Longhorn. No switching and no complaining. You will hatch the eggs - this will take a few weeks to a month - and continue to raise the draglings until they learn to breathe fire, which occurs at around five or six months."

Going around, he picked out an egg and handed it to each student, skipping over Jaycie. Quietly, under his breath so nobody would hear, he said, "Pretend you have the Longhorn; we will talk after class." Moving back to the front of the class, he asked, "With the egg you have, please identify the dragon, describe its adult form in terms of appearance, and then tell me how you will raise it, as well as how you will overcome foreseen challenges. You may refer to your text books if you are unsure. I give you a few minutes to think and look through your books and then please do begin, one at a time.

[[OOC: Dragon assigned are listed in the spoiler below. I am going away for camp come Thursday, so I will not be on. Please don't wait for me to reply before the next person can post, and you may GM Codey asking for the next person to speak (and that only!).]]

Dragons Assigned:

Dragon Trainers In-Training Posts : 42

He couldn't believe it; Conner couldn't help but smile at the realization that he was going to be able to raise a dragon, if even for a short while. A Chinese fireball was the designated dragon egg for him and he held it carefully, scared to ruin it. The vivid crimson speckled with gold was clear enough for him to know what it was. He couldn't help but already get attached to the egg, making sure that it would be properly taken care of by him. He wasn't the most perceptive student, but he had heart, and he knew it had to pay off eventually.

Raising his hand, somewhat awkwardly, he let himself chat before someone brighter would shine their intelligence on lesser beings like him. 'Merlin you sounded just like Ben' with his froufrou way of talking. Clearing his throat he figured he could start.

"The Chinese fireball scarlet red all over, except for its snout, that has gold accents, spikes. It's snout is a bit short, and its eyes pop out. Very big, and intelligent, and well, some challenges I can see is the temperature of the room where I will keep it. I know it has to stay warm, but not too warm so the range and the control will be a bit of a challenge. Also to make sure once it hatches that it doesn't get hurt."

Posts : 58

Rhian's eyes grew wide as the professor told them their first assignment. She was beyond thrilled, though the task was a bit daughting, honestly. She'd figured the first couple lessons, if not the first couple years, here would be mostly book work. And maybe, if they were clever, they'd get to work with the dragons after that much. In her wildest dreams, she'd never imagined getting an egg on the very first day. Trial by fire, she guessed.

The egg placed before her was a dull grey color. It was very unassuming in appearance, but she caught a few rays of sunlight coming through the window. Where they fell on the hard shell, the scales looked almost colorful. She smiled softly, wondering what the dragon would look like.

Thinking on the question they were asked, she was pulled from her own thoughts by a vaguely familiar voice. She looked around and spotted Conner. In the hast of getting to class, she hadn't paid much attention to the others who had been focused on their own papers. A small smile flitted over her face with recognition, and she was glad to hear him speak up first. She didn't know the boy that well, but he was at least a bit more familiar than the others.

When he was done, she raised her hand to go next. "I've got the Opaleye," she began. "It's going to have pearl-like scales. It's named opal eye for that very reason, the color of it's eyes." Obvious, she scolded herself. Some of this was probably old hat to the others, so she moved on to other things.

"Usually, the egg is bathed in fire periodicly. So the warmth will definitely be a factor. Maybe...it could be carried close to the body. We could use our own warmth as an incubator, of sorts." Rhian was guessing now. Flipping through the book in front of her, her eyes landed on another fact. "It mentions here that baby dragons drink a mix of brandy and chicken blood every half hour. With classes, that's going to be a bit hard to keep up." Look around at the others, she had to stop herself from laughing at the thought of this room becoming a make-shift nursery. They'd all have bottles of the strange concoction, craddling their small reptiles like real babies.

Headmaster Posts : 208

From the reactions of his students when he gave out the eggs, Codey managed to get an even better read on them. The first person to reply to his question was Conner, and Codey hid a smirk, wondering if the man was going to try and bullshit his way through this one. Honestly, it wasn't something Codey minded, as long as it was smart bullshit, but as his student continued, it was revealed that he did know his facts, and Codey nodded.

"Good, that is correct. Temperature is definitely something to keep an eye on, so I would be careful if I were you. Spells, I find, are a saving grace. Which spells, I am afraid you have to find out for yourself. I do not spoon feed anyone." He paused and gave a little smirk. "Humans, that is. Dragons are another thing altogether."

The next student began, and he turned his head to look at her. Rhian. He liked her already, and it wasn't just because she had his favourite dragon. At her worry about classes affecting the health of the dragon, he nodded again. "Yes, I have taken that into consideration, and I have spoken to your other Professors. Permission has been given to take your dragons into your respective classes, but let me make this very clear, so that there will be no doubts." He paused to make sure he had all their attention before adjusting his body language to one of 'no nonsense'. "None of you are to slack in your other work or skip classes, assignments, or homework because of your dragon. As dragon trainers, you will need to learn how to manage tasks and deal with stressful situations. Consider this your initiation. If I find out - and believe me when I say I will - that you have compromised other classes for mine, no matter how flattering, there will be consequences." That was the last thing Codey wanted to do - have another Professor angry at him because his students had their priorities right.

Time passed and no other student had the guts to speak up. Slightly disappointed, Codey let out a small hrump when he saw there were only 5 more minutes till the end of class. "Seeing as nobody else wishes to speak, I shall let you off now. If you have any problems or wish to discuss anything with me, my office is right down the hall. I am in there everyday when I am not teaching, until six. On Saturdays, I am here until two pm. Sundays are my day off. If it is an emergency, and only if it is one, send me an owl."

Giving his wand a flick, he opened the doors behind them and crossed his arms, nodding towards them one last time. "Have a good rest of day," he said calmly, waiting for them to leave.

Headmaster Posts : 208

[[OOC: Codey has split his grading into two parts. Practical is basically their answers and how they perform in class. Character, as defined by Google, is 'the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual'. To put simply, that is NOT a grade based on your character him/herself, but THEIR character/personality.]]

Conner Bailey
I said it before, and I will emphasize again: it takes balls to bullshit on tests. However, your risk did not pay off, because you got some very important facts wrong - the Vipertooth does not, in fact, hide from humans but actively persue them. No matter, you have shown me a glimpse into your heart, and I like what I see. With reading comes knowledge, but that is not as important as wisdom, which only comes with experience. From what I have seen, you have potential; self belief is the only thing holding you back. In future classes, I want to see you give up your fear of failing and give it your all.
Pratical Grade: Acceptable
Character Grade: Outstanding

Humphrey Williams
It is clear that you have done your readings, and the answers to your test prove this much. However, I am still uncertain as to your heart. You have mentioned a passion for animals, but your words ended there. Passion is something that should be apparent in all you do. Perhaps you felt like you shouldn't have elaborated, or perhaps you were simply giving me a reason you thought would gain you marks. Nevertheless, I expect more from you in the following classes.
Pratical Grade: Outstanding
Character Grade: Acceptable

Jaycie Simple
There is not much to say, simply because you are an advanced student. Your answers were, as I would expect from a second year, all accurate and all in your own words, not copied from a textbook. Innovation is something rare and dangerous to have in ones character, and it can either lead to success or failure. In you, it seems to be leaning towards the latter. I look forward to you in my other classes.
Pratical Grade: Outstanding
Character Grade: Outstanding

Rhian Kael
I quite honestly was fairly disappointed to see your answer to ten. The passion I saw when I bumped into you that day on the Quidditch field, the spark in your eyes, the curiosity. I do not expect you to know the answers; like I said, head knowledge is not heart knowledge. However, I did wish to see more of the passion I know you have. Do not be afraid to show me your heart. Your grades are based on what I see in class, and not outside, and as such, I have no choice but to lower it.
Pratical Grade: Exceeds Expectations
Character Grade: Acceptable

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