COMC-201 Lessons

Time For Your First Final!

Congratulations, everyone! This is the last lesson of your first year in Care of Magical Creatures. I hope you have had an excellent time in this class and that you choose to take it again during your next years of schooling. There will be many changes in Year Three regarding lessons and assignments and you will see the introduction of year-long projects! Please owl me if you have any suggestions for lesson content or assignments, as I would love to develop material that you want to complete, rather than it feeling like a chore.

Today, we will be reviewing all the lessons up to this point, to prepare you for your final in this class. There will be a short answer test and an optional extra credit project, so please take note of what I’m reviewing, as that will help you prepare for the content on the test.

Let Us Review

In Lesson One, we discussed the Ministry of Magic. There are three divisions of creatures: beast, being, and spirit. There are five classifications a creature defined as a beast can be: X, XX, XXX, XXXX, XXXXX. This year, we covered both X creatures, some XX creatures, and one XXX creature. We learned about Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and how he helped with the development of the Werewolf Department of the Ministry of Magic. We also learned that he created the Ban on Experimental Breeding, which is one of the most important laws in the field. He is the most credited individual in the field and has given us much of the information we possess today.

In Lesson Two, we learned about Flobberworms and Horklumps, the only two creatures classified as X, or boring, by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. While both are boring, they have a place in our world. Flobberworms produce mucus, which is used to thicken potions and is an essential ingredient in the Wiggenweld Potion. Horklumps are considered a wizarding pest as they invade gardens and entice other creatures, like gnomes, that consume them to infest your gardens. They can only be killed with certain types of substances like Streeler venom.

In Lesson Three, we learned about our wand tree guardians, Bowtruckles. Bowtruckles are very protective of their home trees, or the trees they guard. They are vicious when someone tries to touch their trees and require an offering to be given before you can advance on their tree. The best offering to give them is fairy eggs! They protect our sacred wand making trees and help keep these trees in pristine condition, to ensure that wand makers have trees available to them to make great wands.

In Lesson Four, we learned about fairies. While fairly vain creatures, their wings are used in many different potions. Fairies are easy to keep and breed, making them profitable, but remember, you can only pull the wings off every four weeks. Fairies need to be kept happy, so they will be more cooperative about the wing pulling, which is why it is best to keep a mirror with them in order to help with their vanity. Fairies believe that their wings make them beautiful, so always keep that in mind!

In Lesson Five, we learned about gnomes. Though considered a pest in the wizarding world, some people believe their saliva could have magical properties. Most people remove them since they consume your garden plants and create tons of underground tunnels, which can ruin a garden. Others, like Xenophilius Lovegood, like to have them in their gardens and try to get bitten by them to prove their saliva is magical. They are not intelligent creatures and removing them is a fairly simple process. They often go where Horklumps are, so two pests could reside in your garden at once.

In Lesson Six, we discussed grindylows, the first of many Dark creatures we will be studying throughout this class. Remember, just because it is a Dark creature, does not mean it was associated with Death Eaters, Dark magic, or He Who Must Not Be Named. Grindylows are Dark creatures because they are known to consume humans, though this has not happened in several hundred years. Not much is known about grindylows, because of their negative attitude towards humans, so we can only make predictions and assumptions as to how they live, what they eat, and their mating habits based on our discussions with merpeople. They always have twins, and can shoot sparks from their hands!

In Lesson Seven, we learned about imps and Jobberknolls. Imps are little swamp creatures that have a simple form of humor. They enjoy tripping people and tying their shoelaces together. Their humor is learned, so they do not start off that way! Jobberknolls are a small bird, which has a great memory but doesn't make a sound until its death. Its feathers are important ingredients to memory potions and truth serums as it increases the effects. The color of their feathers is dependent on the color of the insects they feed on.

In Lesson Eight, we learned about Fwoopers. A bright, vividly-colored bird that produces beautiful feathers for fancy quills and pretty patterned eggs, used for decoration. Both the quills and the eggs cost quite a bit of money in the wizarding world and are always in demand. The patterns, and colors of the patterns, vary depending on which color Fwooper it came from. Their call can drive a listener insane, so Silencing Charms must always be kept on them.

If you need more information on the creatures, for your essay and project or for enjoyment, remember you can always look back at your notes and the lectures. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me in an owl.

Now, for your final exam. You will be completing a test that is all short answers or fill in the blanks. The questions are numbered differently from the numbering you might see. Please follow the second set of numbers attached to the questions to ensure you answer them in the correct order. Along with your test, you will have an optional extra credit multimedia project. You can choose the medium from the list of approved mediums on the list given with the assignment. It would work best to write your test first, and then your project, if you choose to do it. You will see why when you look at the prompts. Please do your best, proofread, and only submit it when you feel you are absolutely done and have done your best work. Please owl me if you have any questions at all on your exam!

Closing

I wish you all luck on your exam and again extend my congratulations on completing your first year of Care of Magical Creatures. Thank you for an amazing first year not only of you in the course, but of my teaching! I was very hesitant to start, but all of you have made it such a rewarding experience. I hope to see you all next year, and that your summer break is as relaxing or eventful as you like!

Lesson content written by Professor Elizabeth Anne