COMC-601 Lessons

Welcome to the first lesson of Year Six Care of Magical Creatures! I am so delighted to see so many familiar faces. Professor Cattercorn and I were worried we wouldn’t see as many of you in the hut again, but we’re delighted to know so many students decided to continue after your Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations. Speaking of, I hope you are all pleased with your results on the exam. Considering you're here, you must have scored well! We were confident you would.

As you may have discovered in your other courses this year, the workload will intensify for the last two years of your magical education. I don’t say that to scare you, I say it to prepare you. Your classes now are meant to ready you for your career. Because you are continuing in the course, you either are going into a creature-based field, or a field that requires knowledge of our world’s creatures. Professor Cattercorn and I plan to do our very best to prepare you in any way that you need. As always, feel free to come to either of us with any concerns you may have.

As a reminder, we will be focusing on creatures that are much more dangerous in the next two years. This year will be entirely devoted to XXXX rated creatures, and next year will have some XXXX and XXXXX. Because of the danger of some of these creatures, and whether or not they are allowed to be kept and bred, we may not cover certain aspects like have been covered with other creatures. For example, I will not go into depth on how to breed a basilisk because it is illegal. Attempts to gain this information outside of the lessons will not be tolerated under any circumstances. We are coaching your creature knowledge, but we will not allow you to participate in acts that break wizarding law.

On a final note before we start the lesson, I hope you have enjoyed the year-long projects you have had thus far. Those will continue in Years Six and Seven. While we go into more depth on this year’s project next lesson, all I will say now is that I hope you are ready to look into the unknown and the unconfirmed.

With that, we have two fascinating creatures we will cover today: Erumpents and erklings. I will now turn the lesson over to Professor Cattercorn to discuss the erkling.

Thank you for the introduction! I will start us off with the first creature of the year, which is the erkling, as Professor Anne previously mentioned. Now, normally when I begin discussing a new creature, I like to start off with where they are commonly found before getting into specific characteristics, such as their diet. But I think I’m going to switch it up today.

For my students who grew up in a wizarding household, do you remember being a child and getting into trouble? Did your parents ever attempt to make you behave by telling you that if you weren’t a good child, an erkling would come snatch you and eat you up? Well, they weren’t lying, except for the fact that erklings don’t care whether you’re a well behaved child or not.

Yes, it’s true. Erklings like to eat children, literally. Don’t look so alarmed! The last erkling attack happened over a century ago and no one died. Today, there is nothing to worry about and nothing to fear. Thanks to the German Ministry of Magic, the government that claims control over these beasts, erklings are now currently placed in sanctuaries. Though their native land is Germany, at one point, erklings could be found worldwide. However, this species is now confined to only specific parts of southern Germany, specifically the Black Forest and the Bavarian Alps. To even bring one out of Germany, you would need a license that is very difficult to obtain. You must be at least seventeen, submit a very thorough application with references, and have an interview with someone from both our Ministry of Magic and the German Ministry of Magic. There are very strict laws in place that surround erklings. If you need to be in possession of one, for example, you are under no circumstances allowed to have children anywhere near where you hold the creature.

Erklings are given the Beast classification. They are, of course, recognized with a rating of XXXX as assigned by the Ministry of Magic. As you can see from the photos that I have provided, erklings are very resemblant of house elves. They have very angular features and their faces are often described as pointy. As a matter of fact, their noses are much pointier than a house elf’s. Some have also been seen wearing clothes, however this is not common. Erklings aren’t overwhelming in size; they’re barely as tall as the average house elf. They are no more than three feet tall, with the females typically being the taller ones. This is a common example of sexual dimorphism, a term we learned last year. Their size is important because they usually attack animals or humans that are their size or smaller. They can’t hold their own against anything larger, though if they do find a larger dead animal they will eat it. In the most recent documented attacks of erklings against children (remember, the most recent attacks happened over 100 years ago), the children were actually able to defend themselves and kill the erkling. The most well-known example of this was when six-year-old Bruno Schmidt killed an erkling by hitting it over the head with a collapsible cauldron. These beasts aren’t particularly smart or strong. Their high rating comes from the fact that they have killed beings before and they specifically hunted children.

They have shrill, high pitched voices that they use to attract their prey. This call of theirs is very interesting to human children particularly. Erklings will cackle, which gets the attention of children, who find themselves being lured into a literal death trap. Erklings also have the ability to speak human languages to a degree. They are mischievous like the imp; they trick their victims into following them by telling them they have something they like, whether it be a sweet, or a treasure. Less crucial attacks have involved erklings using their nose to simply shoot darts at their victims for fun.

Due to the laws now in place, the world is much safer for children, thankfully. But if erklings are still around today, and they need food to survive, what do they eat? Since human children are no longer available to them, erklings are forced to hunt for small mammals. They do not like the way animals taste to them, but they can survive off of them. They will hunt for rodents such as rabbits and squirrels, and the larger or stronger erklings tend to go for bigger mammals such as foxes. Erklings have to eat fresh meat at least three times a day, which is why they can become such a problem if they are near children. While they attack mammals around their size, they will eat the meat of larger mammals if they find them dead. However, if the larger mammal has been dead longer than a day, the meat will actually poison and kill any erkling that eats it.

Erklings themselves are also mammals and therefore have live births. However, they reach sexual maturity at around age twenty, and they have a life expectancy of approximately 150 years. Their gestation period is seven months long, and they usually give birth to only one offspring, though there have been very rare reported cases of twins and even triplets. Erklings do not breed frequently. Once a female has produced her first offspring, she usually does not have another. It’s uncommon to hear of an erkling who has been pregnant twice.

There are two different breeds of erklings: Germanic and Bavarian. The Germanic erklings are what we have discussed so far. There are only two differences between the two species: where they reside and how they attack. Bavarian erklings are native to Bavaria, a province in southern Germany that is very close to the Black Forest. While Bavarian erklings use similar tactics to lure in children as the Germanic erkling, they often attack children in public places rather than in private. As you can imagine, this causes some trouble if they happen upon a village or town, and ultimately the German Ministry of Magic ends up performing a lot of memory charms.  

Now, should you ever find yourself in the German sanctuaries they still reside in, it is important to know how to protect yourself. The best way to protect you, and any children or young people around you, is to cast a Silencing Charm on the erkling. This ensures that you cannot hear their alluring cackle. Should you come across one in the flesh, you have two options: the Orbis Jinx or old meat. When you covered these creatures during your Fourth Year of Defense Against the Dark Arts, you should have covered how to cast the Orbis Jinx to protect yourself. Remember, you do need to hold the spell for at least thirty seconds for it to work successfully. However, should the blue light die at the end of your wand, showing that the spell is no longer working, you do have one last option: throwing them meat. If you throw them meat, they will immediately go after it. However, you want to give them old meat. Giving them old meat will kill them, as previously stated. After eating it, they will instantly grow even weaker than they already are, causing them not to be able to hunt. Within 72 hours, they will be dead. Just giving them the meat distracts them long enough to get away, making sure they won’t follow you.

That is all you will hear from me today. As always, I am happy to see your familiar faces back this term and I trust you will make your professors proud this year. Professor Anne will take it from here and you will see me in your third lesson.

Be Careful of Exploding Horns

Thank you, Professor Cattercorn! With that, let’s move on to Erumpents. Erumpents are an African beast with an XXXX rating by the Ministry of Magic. Like hippogriffs, they are creatures that need to be treated with the utmost respect. African wizards treat the creature as extremely sacred because of the devastating aftermath that can occur if one tries to harm or harass an Erumpent. Though Erumpents are herbivores, and often feed on the leaves of the plants around them, they have been known to gore people and animals that harass them. They have incredibly thick skin, one large horn, and very small, beady eyes. You may notice the large fluid sack that sits directly above the horn. We will be discussing that later on, but be warned, it is not always the size of the picture below. Oftentimes, it is significantly larger than this, so large it may even cover parts of the horn.

You may have also noticed that Erumpents look very similar to the Muggle rhinoceros. This is due to a spell that went awry. In the early ninth century, African wizards used a variety of spells to secure wild animals to sell or trade to Muggles. Animals like elephants, rhinos, and cheetahs were all sought after because of their horns or hides. During one of these attempts, too many wizards sent a variety of spells at a male rhino that was seen in the plains. Rather than die, like what usually happened when a non-magical animal was hit with too many spells, the rhino developed a large sack above its horn. Over the years, as the rhino aged and mated, we saw more and more rhinos exhibit this sack. It was thought that it was a genetic abnormality, and was not desirable. While it is technically a genetic abnormality, at that moment, the rhino had become a magical creature. The energy from the spells cast was harbored in the horn of the creature, creating an accumulation of magical energy. A sack was then created under the skin for the extra to flow into. Over time, this energy modified the genes of the creature, creating the Erumpent. This goes to show why you must be extremely careful when more than one person is casting magic in a single environment.

Today, the Erumpent’s sack has developed into a defensive mechanism alongside their horn. Though their skin can repel the majority of spells, the creature still needs to be able to protect themselves. When the Erumpent stabs someone or something with their horn, it injects fluid from the sack. This fluid will cause an instant explosion and has been rightfully named Exploding Fluid. There has been a single case in history when this has not happened. Wilfred Elphick, alive during the twelfth century, provoked an Erumpent while attempting to cross a fairly deserted area in Africa. He was gored, and then was able to make his way to the nearest town. He was isolated for several days with the assumption that his explosion was delayed, but it never happened. He was eventually treated for a severe infection caused by the goring, but it raised a question we are still trying to answer today: is there a genetic immunity to the Exploding Fluid from an Erumpent?

Because the Erumpent evolved from the Muggle rhino, we see many similarities between the two in regards to reproduction and life expectancy. Males attract females using a musk, which puts females into a frenzy. If you are around during mating season, be very careful not to get in their path. After they have gained the attention of the female, the male will do a mating dance. This involves a strange movement of the rear that one can only describe as a type of wiggling. This will cause the female to lay down and be ready to mate. Erumpents have a single calf, or baby, at a time, just like a rhino. Unlike the rhino, Erumpents are pregnant for 20 to 24 months, which is an incredible amount of time. Once the calf is born, it will stay with its mother for at least the first year of its life. After this point, it can choose to leave its current herd, or stay with its family. Many males end up as loners simply because each herd has one to two alpha males. They are the main breeders of that herd, until they blow themselves up during breeding season. Males can become incredibly rambunctious during breeding and actually cause the sacks containing the Exploding Fluid to pop. This usually occurs by hitting their heads really hard or fighting over females with another alpha male. It is a more common occurrence than you may think. Lone males will be accepted into herds after a male has exploded, so there is a constant cycle. Adults live into the forties and fifties, with very few living into their sixties. While population numbers are low, African wizards are doing everything they can to preserve the species. These attempts have strengthened in numbers since the late 1800s.

The most significant attempt to preserve the species was done by none other than Newt Scamander. Though more commonly known for the time his female Erumpent ran amuck through the Central Park Zoo in 1926, Newt Scamander made many advances in preserving the species. He made strides in draining the Exploding Fluid from the sack, causing fewer males to explode themselves and allowing the population to grow. Erumpents are usually calm creatures, unless otherwise provoked. Slow approaches and soothing sounds work best when trying to get close to one, and should you do this often enough an Erumpent will grow to trust you. This will allow you to be close enough for a significant period of time to drain the fluid sack.

While the draining of the fluid sack is useful for keeping the population alive, it also serves another purpose: use in potions. Exploding Fluid is used in a variety of potions, like the Erumpent Potion, which is a type of exploding potion. Erumpent horns and tails are also used in potions. Extreme caution must be taken when using the horns in potions because they still have Exploding Fluid inside them. One wrong move could cause an explosion, thus ending your life, and the life of anyone around you. Attempts to remove the Exploding Fluid from the horns have, for the most art, been unsuccessful because the horn ends up exploding. In the very rare occasion the attempt was successful, the horn was found to be significantly less effective in potions. That being said, it has since been assumed that the Exploding Fluid is what gives the horn its usefulness for potions, so attempts to remove the fluid have rapidly decreased.

Erumpent tails, horns, and Exploding Fluid are all considered Class B Tradeable Items. This means trading is allowed of these items, but it is moderately regulated by the Ministry of Magic. This is the opposite of Non-Tradeable Materials, whose trading is strictly prohibited by the Ministry of Magic. It is important to take this into consideration when breeding creatures. Because we are getting into more dangerous creatures, we will cover this each time we mention any part of the creature these regulations apply to. Some individuals, like Xenophilius Lovegood, keep the horns as ornaments. While this could work if you were able to successfully remove the Exploding Fluid, which is highly unlikely, it is not recommended to attempt this practice. Lovegood, though thinking it was a Crumple-Horned Snorkack’s horn, ended up with an exploded house by keeping the horn. Nothing is worth losing your home, or your life, over so please use common sense and do not keep explosive objects in your home, no matter how cool they look.

While Erumpents are not considered endangered today, they once were an endangered creature. Like Golden Snidgets, they were poached for a significant portion of their life. While African wizards have put different preserves in place to protect them from poachers, we still see a slight issue. However, because most are gored and explode, many poachers choose not to try and take horn or fluid. Currently, a license is not required by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, however the department does require that all owners have their Erumpents on file with them. If you are found with an unregistered Erumpent, the consequences can be severe. First and foremost, they will take away the Erumpent and rehome it. You will then have to pay a fine, and be placed on a list of individuals that will not be allowed to apply for any type of creature license for the next year. Finally, you will be subjected to unannounced searches over the course of that year, to make sure you are not in violation of any other laws or regulations. Ultimately, it is best to follow all rules that are put forth by the department.

The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is looking into creating a license for the creature. That might involve showing proper handling methods, discussion of how you plan to gain their trust, and how you plan to keep the Erumpent from escaping and going near Muggle areas. It is best to have a very spacious outdoor area as their main enclosure. Boundary spells will need to be placed so that they do not wander. It is also essential that you make sure there are no poisonous weeds or other plants growing in the enclosure. While oleanders might taste yummy, they will only make your Erumpent sick. Should they find a poisonous plant, it is essential that you take your Erumpent to, or bring to them, a magiveterinarian so they can help them pass the toxins.

That is all for today students! Next week, I will discuss the year-long project. It is my favorite of all the projects Professor Cattercorn and I will assign you, so I have been eagerly waiting for the lesson. You have an essay to complete based on today’s lesson. Have a good rest of your day, and I will see you next week!

All pictures are found using the Google Images search engine, and belong to their owners.