COMC Lesson 1: Beings

Because the day was so bright and sunny, Selwyn had decided to hold the class outdoors.  Other teachers may like the order of a classroom, but, well, Selwyn was opposed to order all together.  It made him nervous.

As students began to turn up to the paddock, Selwyn began to read off the roll.  That had been his fatal mistake last year.  Not knowing people's names.  Not that he usually minded calling people "you there!" but it made it awfully difficult to dock points and assign detentions.  Gosh, just the thought of all that power made him dizzy.

Finally, the talking simmered down and he cleared his throat.

"Beings," he said.

The definition of a being appeared in the air next to him in bright purple writing.

Any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws

He wasn't entirely surprised to hear sighs go up from some of the students in front of him.

"Yes, I know, but we have to do some theory.  It's in the curriculum," he told them.  "Now, can anyone suggest some problems with this definition?"

---

Okies, welcome back to COMC.  Here's the way things are running this year in convenient point form:

• Keep your posts between 100 - 300 words
  
• Use different accounts for different students.  I can't see who's posted if you're using the same account for five people.
  
• If you find you're posting back and forth with someone, feel free to start a new thread in the paddock for your conversation.
  
• Your character should not be the best at whatever we're doing straight away.  In fact, some of your characters may not even be interested in what we're doing.  That's cool.  Distract others from their work, ask your friends what you're supposed to be doing, try to distract Selwyn so you won't be given homework, try to prove you know more than him (you probably do), get attacked by the animal you're learning about, the list goes on.
  
• Maybe your character skips class.  Write me a post about what your character was doing when they ought to have been in COMC.
  

Blech, Adelaide could not stand anything with fur, feathers, or scales, she could barely stand most humans, but off to Care of Magical Creatures Class she went. The only way she would like this class was if they taught about nothing but cats. Cats were the best animal in the world, the creature that couldn’t be bothered to care. She sighed as Mr. Thorfinn Started the class and rolled her eyes. And no top of the icky-ness of the animals that they would be encountering the class was already starting off on a rather boring note. Maybe later she’d be able to sneak away from class early and head off to quidditch pitch for some extra practice

To tell the truth, Calixta was not exactly looking forward to Creatures Class. She had heard some absolute horror stories from her parents. On the other hand, knowing how to handle creatures would presumably prevent you from getting killed by them. Or something.

At least this guy seemed to know what he was doing. And she remembered him from the welcoming speech in the dungeons. The head of her house wouldn't want anything bad to happen to his own house members. Besides, this was a theory lesson, so it wasn't like anything could attack them.

Calixta read the writing he'd conjured in front of the desks again, before slowly raising her hand.

"By that definition, ordinary witches and wizards should be classed as beings," she objected. "Surely that can't be right."

The definition the Professor had given them sounded like a load of gobbledygook to Sam, as was the case with every single definition he'd learnt at Hogwarts. It wasn't that he struggled with magic, he was pretty adapt with a wand and reasonably smart but sometimes the Gryffindor got the idea that whoever came up with these definitions simply threw in as many words as they could to appear smarter.

Glancing across the paddock he noticed he wasn't the only one who was slightly taken aback by the definition and was glad that a small girl chirped up first.

Her answer was pretty useful. Ordinary wizards and witches did fit the description that looked over the class in purple letters - a handy bit of creative magic that Sam could appreciate. But if this class was all about magical creatures then why were humans being mentioned?

Looking over the description again Sam frowned. Sure humans fit the description but they weren't the only intelligent thing on the planet. The Gryffindor was sure the house elves could be classed as beings because, after many trips to the kitchens, he was confident that they had sufficient intelligence to understand laws and if their masters told them then they'd be able to enforce them too.

'We may be classed as beings but we can't be the only ones in that category can we, Professor?' Sam called out, overruling Montague's answer. 'Surely house elves can be classed as beings too?'

Vaughn smiled in relief that they were having their lesson outside in the sunshine. He sat down on some grass that was in the sunlight and soaked it all in feeling happy about being back in Care of Magical Creatures.

Vaughn began thinking about everything that those words could mean and felt a headache coming on. He took a peppermint from his pocket and smiled remembering the girl on the train offering him one. He shook his head slightly to clear it, he began thinking about the statement.

"Sir if the statement says that any creature in the magical community. Doesn't that apply to everyone? It doesn't necessarily state that what kind of creatures that it pertains to. I mean it can mean anyone from a witch or wizard all the way to maybe a giant or werewolf." Vaughn said looking at the text. "The text is basically saying that anyone with sufficient intelligence can understand the laws and help shape them. In the magical community that is all of people that can shape the laws and can understand them."

Well, this class was at least going better than the last one he'd attempted.  Perhaps he ought to teach theory more often.  People had brought up some interesting ideas, some of them things he hadn't even anticipated when he was planning out the lesson.

Selwyn decided to address each student's concerns one at a time.

"I'm afraid it is right, Calixta," he offered her a sympathetic smile.  "The ministry classifies every type of living creature, which means witches and wizards are a type of being."

He refrained from shocking her with the news that muggles were also a type of being.  If there was time, it might come up later in the lesson.

"Of course there are other types of beings," he agreed with the Thomas boy's assertion. "Although, not everyone would agree that house elves can necessarily be classified as beings."

"Remember, there are many house elves who are still bound to their families and can't express any opinion but their master's.  Even if they're intelligent, do you think those house elves can bear the responsibility for shaping laws?"

---

I'll be posting at least once a week in this thread, probably on the weekend (which will be a Friday for most of you).

If your characters ask lots of questions, I'll try to post more often so you don't have to wait.

Sam frowned. It sounded as though the Professor didn't deem house elves intelligent enough to be considered beings, which mean't they were probably classified as beasts or something else all because of an old wizarding tradition? Sam was well aware of how intelligent house elves were, heck he practically lived in the kitchens after quidditch practice, he was a witness of what they were capable of.

'But Professor-' Sam objected, forgetting to raise his hand once again. 'Just because a some house elves don't have the responsibility to shape laws it doesn't mean they all can't.'

'Children aren't capable of understanding and shaping all of our laws but I'm sure they're still classified as beings.'

He paused, his mouth slanting in disappointment at the revelation he was arriving too. Wizards were egotistical, they valued themselves about other creatures. House elves were deemed irresponsible in shaping laws because wizards had made them that way, they'd placed themselves at the top of the magical food chain.

'It just seems unfair that people would say house elves shouldn't be classified as beings because of how wizards have enslaved them and brainwashed them into thinking they aren't capable of anything more than taking orders.'

Although Calixta could see where the Gryffindor boy was coming from, she didn't feel nearly as sorry for the house elves as he appeared to.

"It's not unfair," she tried to explain the situation to him in a way his dense Gryffindor (probably muggleborn) brain could understand.

"Think about it. If the elves can't do anything but what their masters tell them, having that responsibility might be too much for them. If they had a terribly evil master, like a Death Eater or something, they would know the right thing to do but they wouldn't be able to do it. It could drive them insane or something."

"It's probably for their own good."

Mia was late to her first COMC class. That will create big problems to her because the professor is Selwyn, person who enjoys putting her in detention.
When she finally saw group, began to wriggle between students hoping to remain invisible.
This is a subject that Mia really loves, and she read the lesson already in advance and is not really listening to a lecture now. However, she is rolling her eyes to all who answer the questions, it's so boring.
She looked at what was already written and copied it in her notebook as a reminder. She wanted to make a good impression, so she could relax the rest of the year.

Selwyn blinked as the Montague girl described Death Eaters as evil. That was... not what he would have expected from her. Either she was a really convincing liar or that family had actually learned something. Not that it mattered which, he'd still have to keep an eye on her.

"Uh, yes, actually," he stumbled over the words. "The Freed House Elves Welfare Trust don't want House Elves to be classified as beings. Not so much because they might become mad, as because their owners might compel them to vote for laws that are detrimental to all House Elves."

"And then we have other kinds of creatures, like centaurs, who refuse to be classified as beings because they have prejudices against some of the other creatures with being status," he explained.

He noted the eyeroll from Miss McLaggen. Obviously, she already knew the course material and could therefore offer her informed opinion.

"Do you think the centaurs are being reasonable, Mia?"

"Or does anyone have a better way of classifying magical creatures that could get rid of all this trouble entirely?"