COMC-401 Lessons

Everything is Not What It Seems

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you have all been keeping up and taking good notes, because in the next class we will be taking midterms! But today, we are going to discuss two new creatures. Curiously, these creatures both have resemblances to more mundane ones. I will be beginning by talking to you about the Nogtail. Let’s go ahead and get started! 

Nogtails: Bringers of Curses

Nogtails are classified as beasts, with a rating of XXX by the Ministry of Magic. At first glance, the Nogtail appears to be a sort of pig. They certainly aren’t the most beautiful of creatures, but they are not pigs either. Nogtails seem to have a certain demonic appearance about them, so distinguishing them from pigs should be no problem. Their black eyes are very small, with narrow slits. They also have rather long legs and a short tail, which is fairly thick.

These beasts are typically found in the countrysides of Russia, America, and Europe. The reason they normally populate these areas is because farms are more commonly found there. What do farms have to do with Nogtails, you ask? Well, everything. These creatures are pests; in fact, Nogtails feed off of ordinary pigs. Nogtails will creep onto a farm and into the pigpens there. Since they look somewhat like piglets, they are able to blend in and feed off of a sow among the litter.

However, there is a catch. Feeding off of the pig causes the entire farm to become cursed. The curse can cause one’s livestock to fall ill or even die. It is a selfish creature, and feeding from the mother can cause the other piglets to not be able to get satisfactory nutrition. It can also make crops wilt or make the fields barren. The longer the infestation continues, the longer and more severe the farm’s curse will be.

The reproduction of Nogtails is a very curious subject. There are times when a Nogtail will go to a farm to feed, where pregnant sows are present. When the Nogtail feeds from a mother pig, the first to be affected by the curse is always the pregnant sows. The pregnant sow will die quickly. After the death of the pregnant sow, the Nogtail will then consume the pig fetuses, becoming pregnant itself.

A normal gestation of a pig is three months, three weeks, and three days, and there are typically eight to twelve piglets in a litter. However many piglets the mother was expecting is how many babies, or noglets, the Nogtail will have. The gestation period is then an additional three months, three weeks, and three days. The reason for the extended gestation is because since the Nogtail is a Dark and magical creature, the pigs (who have no prior magical power) need extra time to let the magic help develop their limbs to the appropriate size. After the full gestation period, the Nogtail moves on to the next farm and gives birth to the litter.

So theoretically speaking, let’s say you own a farm and you notice things aren’t quite right. Knowing of Nogtails and their tendencies, the first thing you check on is your sow and her litter. You are able to easily tell a Nogtail apart from a pig; as a farmer, you’ve been warned of these Dark pests. Your instinct is to immediately chase the thing away and protect your livestock. But you know better.

No, you never want to chase a Nogtail on your own (although some people do this recreationally). The reason why is because they are extremely speedy and difficult to capture. And even if you do manage to catch it and remove it from your farm, the fix is not permanent. The only way to keep a Nogtail from returning to your farm is to scare it off with an entirely white dog.

This process can be a little stressful for farmers, especially if they don’t have a white dog on hand. Luckily, the Ministry of Magic is well prepared for such situations. Upon finding a Nogtail infestation, the easiest thing to do is to contact the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and ask for the Pest Subdivision. They take matters like this seriously, and in fact, they keep a pack of albino bloodhounds ready for the occasional Nogtail infestation.

The next creature we will discuss is the Murtlap. Very similar to a Muggle creature, just like the Nogtail, but with a magical twist. They can be fairly alarming to look at, so I do warn you going forward.

Murtlaps: Aquatic Rats

Murtlaps resemble mundane rats, though they are aquatic instead of terrestrial. The magical modification we see is the blueish-purple tentacles on their backs. They are the size of average mundane sewer rats, about ten inches long at the body and then another five to ten inches with the tail, and have bright blue eyes that match their tentacles. While mundane rats come in several different colors, like white, brown, spotted, black, and grey. Murtlaps only come in grey. Murtlaps are omnivores, eating seaweeds and other vegetation and small crustaceans and fish. Human feet will be gnawed on if left too close for too long, so do be careful of that. They are native to the freshwater streams and lakes of Great Britain, and are classified as an XXX beast.

Unlike their mundane counterparts, they are not fast breeders. Mundane rats go into an estrus cycle every four to six days. Their gestation period ranges anywhere from twenty one to twenty five days. Murtlaps, however, go into estrus every three months, and have a gestation period of fifty nine to sixty two days long. Mundane rats usually have an average litter size of ten to twelve babies, while Murtlaps have three. They will either have all male or all female, never a mixed gender litter. It takes about eight months for the young, called Murtles, to reach adult size. They reach sexual maturity at about the same time, but usually do not breed until they are roughly a year old. With an average lifespan of eight to twelve years, female Murtlaps will have one litter a year on average until they are about six, when they start losing their fertility. Male Murtlaps will breed with females throughout their life.

Now, Murtlaps are not just pretty sea rats. Their tentacles are known for their healing properties, and are often ingested to help protect the user from jinxes and curses. It is considered a rare potion ingredient. However, don’t think that by ingesting them daily you will be protected from everything. Excessive use of Murtlap tentacles in this way will cause purple hair to grow from your ears. In order to use the tentacles in potions or to ingest whole, you must pickle them. You would pickle them exactly like you would pickle something in the mundane world. You will need to presoak the tentacles in brine for six hours before placing them in the vinegar for one week. They can be kept in storage for up to three months in a cool, dry place, or in a refrigerator. I’m sure you are all wondering how you are going to collect the tentacles. Once a Murtlap reaches full size, you can harvest their tentacles any time they are at full length, which is between three and four inches. You will simply use scissors to cut them as close to the base as possible. The closer the better, as it helps make sure they grow back properly.

Instead of ingesting the tentacles, the majority of witches and wizards create a potion, called Murtlap Essence, to drink instead. After pickling the Murtlap, it is then strained to remove as much of the vinegar and brine as possible. During pickling the tentacles turn yellow, so the Essence, if only Murtlap tentacles, will be bright yellow. After straining, you can use the essence to heal deep abrasions and cuts. Often, it is best to soak the abrasion in the liquid, if possible. If the abrasion is on the head, or in an awkward place, you can soak a washcloth in the essence and place that over the abrasion. With this procedure, it is best to change the washcloth every three hours. Drinking Murtlap Essence will still protect the drinker from curses and jinxes. For every ounce drunk or tentacle consumed, the user receives about six hours of protection.

It is common practice to infuse different plants and herbs into the Essence to strengthen it. With that being said, I would like to welcome Ms. Tudor, our wonderful former Herbology professor, to discuss some different plants you can infuse into your Murtlap Essence.

Guest Lecture: Murtlap Essence and Appropriate Infusions

Hello, students. Today I am pleased to bring you some information surrounding the relevancy of Herbology in Care of Magical Creatures. I am very honoured that your professor invited me here to speak today. I was asked to discuss what plant substances can be used to dilute the Murtlap tentacles. There are three common plants involved in this process: turmeric, dittany, and roses. In this guest lecture I will cover each of these choices and explain why the plants are used.

As any of you who attended Lesson Six of Third Year Herbology may recall, turmeric is a healing herb which can be made into a juice. This juice on its own is capable of treating many ailments afflicting the skin. Turmeric juice is relatively inexpensive, and mixes well with most substances. When used to dilute Murtlap, turmeric counters the possibility of growing purple hair behind one's ears for much longer than any other diluting agents. Murtlap also boosts the antiviral properties of turmeric, making them a great team.

Another obvious choice  for a dilution substance is none other than the healing herb Dittany. In your first year it was mentioned that dittany, along with Gillywater, can be used to dilute Bubotuber pus. Unfortunately, Gillywater is not an effective diluting agent with other plants and creatures whose habitat is a water based environment, leaving dittany as the sole option of the two for Murtlap tentacles.  Dittany extends all the healing capabilities of Murtlap, and hardly affects the use of Murtlap as a ward against unfriendly spells. Though a little more expensive than a mix with turmeric, using dittany as a diluting agent is more affordable than many of the other options. Dittany is probably the most common diluting agent, but the herb deserves its popularity. No matter the ratio of dilution, there is a much lower chance for side effects and errors when combining the Murtlap tentacles with dittany. Sometimes unbalanced dosages with other materials affect the effectiveness of the solution; however, this has never been documented with dittany as the diluting agent.

Finally, the most expensive agent of dilution: rose oil. Rose oil is incredibly powerful in its healing properties, and can effectively dilute Murtlap with a low ratio of additive, making it preferable in cases where the Murtlap needs to retain its maximum strength. Rose oil, when added in a 1 part to 19 parts ratio (5:95), will not decrease the power of Murtlap in repelling jinxes and curses. Even in this small quantity, as long as the rose oil is not diluted itself, most of the long list of properties of rose oil will be present in the healing mixture. The antiviral, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties will be the most pronounced.

Closing

Thank you so much for that fascinating guest lecture, Ms. Tudor. I do hope you all enjoyed the lesson today, especially seeing some mundane creatures you might be familiar with from a magical standpoint. There is an assignment in regards to your year long project today, so make sure to take the time to read that through. I wish you luck on your assignments, and will see you again in the next lesson!

Main lesson content written by Professor Elizabeth Anne and Professor Aurelia Cattercorn

Guest lecture written by former Herbology Professor Lily Tudor

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