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Now, then, listen up.  I don't want to have to be saying this twice.

Fourth Year - Lesson 1

Guards.  Pets.  Things Designed To Eat You.  Creatures Smarter Than You Can Ever Hope To Be.  These are magical creatures.  But how do you decide what they are to you?

The first consideration is your own temperament, size, and abilities.  Do you find giant three-headed dogs to be cute?  Does the idea of raising a dragon give you happy little shivers?  Do you stand more than 8 feet tall in your bare feet?  You may find a lot of magical creatures to be ideal pets.  But keep in mind, while you may be able to wrestle with a Hippogriff, most wizards cannot.  You may find yourself attached to a creature that is too dangerous to be around others.  Letting go can be hard.

The second condition is what purpose you might have for a magical creature.  Do you have a large treasure horde?  Have you done spell research that is highly valuable to everyone who shouldn't have it?  Or perhaps you are just very anti-social, and are tired of having guests?  In this instance, you may use magical creatures as guards.  But be warned, many guard creatures are powerful, and the situation can easily get out of hand.  Consider the results if your guard beast eats people who fail the tests set for them.  The consequences will ultimately be yours to face.

The third condition is how you taste with barbeque sauce.  Or without barbeque sauce for that matter.  There are a lot of creatures that view all other life as toys and food.  If you look at a large beast under restraint, and all you can think is that if it escaped, you would be the first eaten, you have probably identified a carnivore successfully.  These, of course, should be avoided if you do not have the proper magical skills.  And terror can greatly decrease your abilities.

The final condition is your own intelligence.  Do you view everyone as stupider than yourself, no matter what?  Is 'arrogant' the first word that comes to people's minds when they think about you?  Get used to the fact that a lot of magical creatures are smarter than you are, or ever will be.  You will probably be mostly safe because you will never admit this, however.  As far as you are concerned, they are beasts, undeserving of respect.  Watch out for Centaurs.

Fourth Year - Assignment 1

Direct your answers to your professor at comc@starpaw.com.  Clicking on this link will fill in year and assignment number.

All answers must be in your own words.  

Remember, making your answers interesting and/or amusing may result in bonus points at the end of the term.

1.  What are four classifications for magical beasts, in the context of this lesson?

2.  Can you think other reasons?  (Be detailed)

3.  What classification do you fit?

What is your name and House?