"I'm so happy to be here!" Millie says. She quickly writes down her information: "Amelia Tudor. Cat named Cleo. Interested in phoenixes, griffins, and HOOT club"

() "Great! Welcome to Care of Magical Creatures and Hoot club Amelia!" Gaia grinned. "This is a fun and interactive club. I do want to tell you something before you join the group. Paddy and Magnus are werewolves. In our last session we had the full moon so it seemed like a good idea for everyone to learn more about them. We just started so if you feel comfortable you can join in the club. " Gaia waved at Aderyn () "This is Aderyn. She worked on the cat table last session. I will be working at my table if you need me! Oh and there are cat treats on the table over there." Gaia pointed at the area with puffy blankets, pillows, and occupied boxes.

"Ohh warewolves" waves excitedly towards Paddy and Magnus.

"It's lovely to meet you Aderyn. Cleo loves soft blankets".

Magnus held the bottle Gaia gave him and waited for more questions. He really did mean he was willing entertain any questions. He saw a girl he didn't know join and felt a familiar ping of nerves. The girl waved to him so he held his hand up as his own version of a wave before fluffing his hair nervously. He wondered if she would join in asking question and how she would feel about him and Paddy being werewolves.

Aderyn continued listening as others asked questions of Paddy and Magnus, and it wasn't until her concentration was broken by the sound of her name that she glanced away from the pair at the front of the room. Smiling, she left her seat and joined and a girl she'd never seen before. She held out her hand as she was introduced.

"It's nice to meet you, too! My cat, Boo, loves blankets, too - he loves to curl up underneath them where he's safe and warm and sleep the days away, the little glutton."

She smiled as she pointed to where her dark gray cat was sleeping in one of the boxes atop the table. Since she'd joined the club and had brought Boo to some of the meetings, he'd become much more social and was content to come down with her each time now. The prospect of all the petting and treats that awaited him each week helped, too.

Rowan sits quietly in the back, listening intently. She knows two things: she won't risk her beloved pet and she also won't abandon her friends. She sees no problem with Paddy, who seems to be quite in control of herself and what she is. Rowan simply needs to be more aware with Paddy's moods and the toll her other form can take.

However, Magnus is another story entirely. He doesn't seem to have learned what to do with himself. He needs sympathy and understanding, but there is an element of danger, so Rowan needs to learn everything, and quickly!

Paddy was about to answer Fade ()'s question when Magnus piped up. That was the first werewolf she'd heard of who had control over his transformation, and the thought didn't sit comfortably for her.

Holding the Wolfsbane potion vial, she spotted a new student joining the group (). Paddy was a little wary, not quite knowing how the new student would react, but she waved at them both so Paddy gave a wave back.

"Wolfsbane potion tastes disgusting," she said to the group, handing the vial to Rowan so she could see what it looked like (), "but it does stop a werewolf from being quite so dangerous, so it was a requirement for joining Hogwarts. My uncle couldn't make Wolfsbane, so he made his own version which did taste better, but didn't have quite the same effect at subduing the werewolf."

Ethel waved a friendly welcome to but wasn't willing to give up her spot near the werewolves and the discussion around them. When Paddy mentioned an alternative (albeit less effective) to the wolfsbane potion, her interest was piqued. "What effect does your uncle's version have?" she asked.

Millie stands quietly after making a second row. She watched curiously but greeting everyone who looked at a with a warm smile. She waited to see what would happen next

Emmy had been sitting quietly with Aderyn during the whole lesson, smiling at Paddy when she looked over, but otherwise staying fairly quiet; she was feeling a bit under the weather, so she simply watched and listened, stroking Banshee, who was curled up on her lap, Elfie making soft cooing noises in her ear as he napped om her shoulder.

((I've been busy with exams, guys, just pretend Emmy was there all along, just not talking lol))

Gaia was smiling at everything happening in the club. Everyone seemed to find a groove and be comfortable.

( ) "I have never heard of someone controlling their transformation before. Is that really possible or just rumors from people?" The ability to control the wolf inside to transform at will for someone so scary was unsettling to Gaia, but she pressed on. "I know muggles have movies about werewolves and different versions of transformation like silver bullets being the only way to kill the beast, but is that really true? If you get scratched or some of the werewolf saliva drips into an open wound would the person transform as well? Have wolf tendencies?" Gaia had completely forgotten her rolls now and was paying close attention to the conversation. There was so much to learn from such a rare experienced change. "Oh and I would also like to know about your uncle's potion! I wonder if it is possible to add it to juice for better flavor!"

()

"Wolfsbane is really complicated to make, and Uncle was worried he'd mess it up completely, but adding anything to Wolfsbane stops it from working, so making his own version of it meant he could control the flavour too - his tasted more like strawberry sweets." Paddy thought for a few moments before adding, "he never told me what was in it, but it meant we were able to control most of the werewolf tendencies - the effect wasn't as strong as Wolfsbane though, so it wouldn't have been safe to be around any humans, just in case. That's partly why he lived out in the forest."

Paddy listened to Gaia ()'s question and waited for Magnus () to answer. He knew more about that particular werewolf than she had ever heard.

As Millie () took a seat, Aderyn walked over to the table where Boo was curled up to sleep and gave him a few loving pets before sneaking back over to her spot next to Emmy (). She smiled at her best friend and turned her attention back to the werewolf discussion at hand, peering at the wolfsbane potion making its way around the room. It seemed a little off-color to her from what she'd seen in the past, but it was probably either just an old sample or the poor lighting in the hut.

Ethel listened to ()'s response with clear fascination on her face. "That is so interesting! Your uncle must be terribly smart, not to mention dedicated, to come up with something like that. I wonder if other werewolves would be interested in trying it. Outside of your family that is."

He didn't really want to talk about the werewolf that gave him so many nightmares but the questions were important in learning and understanding werewolves. He had spent a lot of time researching on his own after finding out what he had been cursed into becoming.

"If I kiss or lick or even bite someone as a human they ain't gonna get lycanthropy. My guess would be no on dripping saliva in a wound as a werewolf. Don't think mere saliva is enough. But its 'ard ta say because t'ain't many that survive if they are that close. Its typically either they die or become a werewolf as they've been attacked. Most attacks are violent in nature and not just a case of bit of saliva so there's no documentation for that.

"As to the other question, I've a theory. Wolfsbane can keep your mental abilities but I wonder if people try to talk to their wolves in this state? I think you could and the human and wolf start becoming one. And the more awful o' a person ya are, the more the wolf and the human agree on what their goals become. And when the human and wolf align, they can shift at will cos they ain't fighting for control o' the body. Its just a theory an' I'm only a kid so I could be wrong... But I ain't gonna test it. Don't want to be a werewolf," Magnus said bitterly. "What 'e did ta me I didn't ask for. Just wanna be a normal kid, but that ain't gonna 'appen. I've gotta live with this for me life now and its all cos someone chose ta kill me."

Magnus stared off into space for a moment or two, blinking furiously. He tried not to dwell on possiblities or things he couldn't change but this was one issue that his mind would often wonder "what if." There was a tremor in his voice when he continued. "The silver bullets thing ain't true. Last full moon, I was close to shifting by the time I arrived at Saint Mungo's. It took several stunning spells and people 'olding me down to get the wolfsbane down me. I couldn't control meself by that time and broke me collarbone in me struggles. With age I'll be better but anyway... werewolves are fast an' strong. Even if someone 'ad a gun and silver bullet, chances of shooting, hitting the werewolf is so slim that most would be dead long before the werewolf. During the change werewolves are kinda more like giants--tough to kill, but don't mean impossible either. Killing curse would easily work as would several other methods, but getting the chance means being up close to the werewolf and most don't 'ave the time. An' remember, you kill the werewolf you kill the person too. Just cos the slime that did this ta me was a 'orrible person don't mean its true with most o' us. I can't control what I become when I'm close to shiftin' or am a werewolf. The wolf takes over an' its not in me control. But when I wake, I know what's 'append. I feel awful for how I acted last full moon 'ere. Just wanted to be a kid and enjoy me new friends. I screwed up but still 'uman ya know?" His eyes were full of tears that he didn't try to stop. It was important for everyone to know the difference between what he was and the wolf. "O' course if its down ta you or the wolf, then its obvious you gotta save yourself. Don't blame anyone for that and maybe it'd be a relief for the person trapped inside to be free too." Magnus avoided looking at anyone as he waited for replies and more questions.

((ooc: some people did not get this ping, repinging ))

Sam sat quietly as she listened to and Magnus . Her romantic notions of werewolves being one with noble packs of wild wolves running wild and free in the moonlight, seemed pretty silly and childish now. Still, Magnus sure looked like he could use a hug.

Aderyn considered Magnus' () words.

"I wonder if by exposing someone to small amounts of werewolf saliva over time would create a sort of immunity to a bite. I wonder if healers have ever considered that. I'll have to ask dad some time. If this is a new idea, there might be hope for a preventative potion for lycanthropy, and maybe eventually a cure!"

He forced himself to calm down before looking back at his friends. Sam looked like she considered hugging him. Or at least he surmised that look--it was the same one his mother gave him before she embraced him. He wouldn't mind a hug honestly. It might not be rugged and manly but there was nothing wrong with excepting comfort. Then he concidered Aderyn's words. "Hmm, dunno, it could be, or could give 'em lycanthropy. Suspect it'd be an amazing type o' person who'd be willing to take that risk."

Aderyn knew Magnus () was right. There would be no way that any healer would get permission from the ministry to experiment with that sort of a thing, and a person would either have to be insane or extremely sure of what they were doing in order to take the risk of becoming a werewolf in order to find a cure. Still, it was an interesting thought, and her mind wandered as she began to consider other possible applications of her line of thinking.

Emmy finally chimed in briefly to the werewolf discussion as she thought about what Aderyn and Magnus were saying.

"I dunno if that would be possible anyway," she said, a bit nervous to weigh in on the discussion since she'd been silent for most of it. "I've heard even a scratch can make some werewolf stuff happen to you... I bet even just a bit of the saliva would be bad right away. At least, that's what it seems like," she said, blushing slightly as she remember that Aderyn's dad was a healer, and Aderyn likely knew far more on the subject than she ever would.

( )