If one creature with all this features existed, it would be pretty ugly but it would look something like this: The head of a Fwooper with silver colored feathers, the body of a Leprechaun with the arms of a Bowtruckle (only larger to fit the body), and the four legs of a Mooncalf. The name would be Lemootruckalf. Here is my bad attempt at a doodle of it:

When I lived in the orphanage, I would slip away from the other kids and the headmaster. I also had a penchant for getting the coppers annoyed--yet I often gave them a run for their money. Sometimes they caught me and brought me back to the orphanage but many times I was able to evade. Because of this, I think I'm similar to the Diricawl--which can disappear and reappear at will to escape danger.

I think because of the fact I don't seem to be able to shut up, that I'd also be a Fwooper--surely someone has wished I they could use a silencing potion on me. It also comes in orange, which is me favourite colour... and their quills can be used for writing and art.

I'm also a werewolf-- I hate it, but it is part of me. I can be temperamental, aggressive, violent--most of the time this comes around the full moon. The pain of the shifts wears me down, as does the lost energy and sickness brought on by those shifts. Sometimes I find people who don't want to be around me simply because I turn into this three times a month. I get that-- I grew up as an orphan. I don't know if my parents meant to leave me behind but I worry that they didn't want me... so I understand if people don't want me now as the werewolf. Werewolves seem to be rather lonely--which is something I struggled and still struggle with. Maybe thats why I love it when people touch me--reasure me that I am not alone. I try to be human, try to be good and not let the battle pull me down. Sometimes it doesn't always work. Its like I'm being torn apart--much like the shifting itself--from if I'm a human or if I'm not. But I keep trying to be upbeat, to be better than that mindless beast. In short, I try to be Magnus Lee...

I find certain qualities in myself that I can't help seeing outside of myself as well. For instance, back home in the village of Barrons Hollow in Ireland I often caught glimpses of an Augurey or two while out walking. It wasn't until mentioning the birds to my family that I realized that the creatures I had taken for granted were not a common sight. They come out only during a heavy rain, which incidentally is one of the few things that could coax me outdoors! Unlike me, these magnificent creatures can predict coming storms, a handy trait that I would love to possess.

Boggarts, as scary as that sounds, are another creature that I can relate to. Though often seen as inconvenient or even horrifying, the boggart is not that hard to understand. It spends its time in dark quiet places and reacts only when approached. Could its ability to conform to a persons greatest fear possibly be a natural defense? Perhaps the boggart simply dislikes company. I too prefer seclusion a majority of the time and find the darkness to be relaxing and tranquil. If only I could keep others from interrupting my quiet time so easily!

One trait that I link more easily to a magical creature than to other humans is my detached nature. I prefer to observe those around me rather that to become involved with them in most cases. Contrary to popular belief, I do care about others. I just simply don't get worked up without good cause. What creature does this make me think of? The centaur, a highly intelligent being who remains unaffected by the affairs of others. Though I certainly do not claim the intellect of a centaur, nor the desire to attack anyone who insults me, I can relate to the detached sense of self that the creature maintains.

Lastly, it is the merperson that I see in myself, or rather one particular quality of the merperson. Perhaps it is a disadvantage of the merperson that they may not be understood by most species when speaking above the water. I have the similar disadvantage of not being understood by others when speaking at all. For all my understanding of the English language, I just can't seem to convey my thoughts and emotions in a social setting. While others communicate so easily in neat little groups, I can't help feeling a bit like a merperson out of water.

Be it augurey, boggart, centaur or merperson, the creatures around me seem forever to be a reflection of myself. Perhaps one day I'll fit in more easily with other humans. Perhaps I won't. Perhaps the centaur in me really doesn't care either way. But I'll always love the world around me and find my unique path through it.

As my sibling would for sure tell you, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Basilisk. Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Even though I can not make sure people die from my glare (not that I did not try very hard) – it is definetly hypnotizing as the one of the basilisk. My comments can also be as venomous as the fangs of the basilisk.

The second creature that comes immediatly to my mind, when thinking of myself is – of course a Thestral. Not only is my wands core made of a Thestrals hair, but as those great animals I am loyal, able to discern a friend from an enemy and offering help to those in need.

As for one of my talents I would like to think of myself as a Siren. In mythology, the sirens were island-dwelling maidens that sung beautiful songs. I also love to sing and even my sibling tell me it’s beautiful.

And even though this may not be positive if it comes up to my looks I might be compared with a Fairy. The fairy is a vain creature. Due to their vanity, fairies are almost constantly grooming themselves. Me myself, I also constantly need to check wether my hair is still perfect.

And last, but not least one of the things that I love to do is playing tricks and practical jokes, like pixies do. One reason for that might be my part german blood, where there is a great festival called Karneval each year in spring.

The first creature I've chosen that resembles me would be the Demiguise. It is described as a graceful ape with long, silver fur that almost covers its big eyes. The most interesting fact though is that it can be invisible at will. It can even divine the future which makes it difficult to catch. I'm a quiet person and quite shy in new environment. Therefore it happens that I'm not noticed directly, which is also beneficial, even if it sounds like I'm being overlooked. I observe from a distance, then act. If I don't want to be found, I make sure nobody finds me easily.

My personality is playful, though, when I'm with friends. That's where I share traits with the Leprechaun. These are humanoid-like creatures and around six inches high. They appear mostly in green colours - which is my favourite colour as well. They are mischievous creatures, but not as malicious like the imp - and I don't mean any harm while being sarcastic; atleast not most of the time. Leprechauns are full of strange humour, which applies to me very well since my jokes can be a bit unsettling. For example, Leprechauns have the ability to create Leprechaun gold, a gold-like substance which disappears after a while, which amuses them very much.

The next one would be the Kneazle, which I share most traits with. A Kneazle is a magical feline with strong resemblance of a normal cat. They have large ears and a lion-like tail. Kneazles are described as being highly intelligent, they are independent and sometimes aggressive. They have an uncanny ability to identify suspicious and distrustful people. I tend to learn things quite easily and I understand issues well. In addition, I'm good at assuming people's intentions. For the independent part, I can just say that I'm only independend to a certain level as I need family members or friends to feel grounded. I'm rarely aggressive as I value making a good impression and keeping emotions to myself, but there have been moments when I snapped. I try to keep these a minimum, though.

Sometimes, I am misunderstood. My sarcastic side and my silent, analytical behaviour comes off cold, arrogant and even mean to people who don't know me. I feel that the Thestral fits best here, as it's a misunderstood creature as well. Many people fear it as the pictures of the Thestral show them being very eerie, and think of it as an evil bringer of misfortune and death. It appears as a dark, skinny horse, with white, almost lifeless eyes and wings like those of bat or dragon. They only feast on meat and strongly dislike fruits or vegetables. The fact that it can only be seen by those who have seen somebody die emphasizes that way of thinking. However, they are very docile and loyal creatures, and these traits apply to me as well.

Finally, as the fifth creature, I've chosen the Basilisk, a giant serpent. It can grow up to fifty feet in length and live up to at least nine hundred years. Being able to communicate with snakes, I surely feel a connection the so-called 'king of serpents'. The skin of this creature is amoured like that of a dragon's, which deflects spells. I interpret that for myself to wear an amour-like attitude as I have no interest in people's gossip. Large yellow eyes are the deadly weapon of the Basilisk, as its gaze kills anyone who dares to look at them. I can give people a similar look - the 'deadly' part only metaphorical, obviously - if I want to stop them talking. My best friend at home actually noticed this, and she told me that there's certain coldness in my eyes when I'm not with people I call friends, and that it makes strangers feel uneasy. The Basilisk carries a lethal venom in its fangs, which equates with my sharp sarcasm and dark humour, though I mostly don't mean any harm by that. Lastly, what the Basilisk fears the most is the crowing of a rooster, which sounds ironically compared to the serpent's enormous size and abilities. I'm scared by mostly small things and worry too much about them as well.

I've scribbled a hybrid creature, consisting the five creatures I've used in this assignment, and called it 'Knelispral'. As already mentioned, it's mostly Kneazle-like as I share more traits with a Kneazle. The tail comes from the Thestral, while the fur resembles the Demiguise. The parts where the fur is coloured reddish refer to the Leprechaun traits. For the Basilisk, there are obviously the fangs and the look in its eyes.

“A Chameleon Ghoul is another creature that resembles part of my personality. They can disguise themselves as mundane objects to avoid being noticed. I’m pretty decent at hiding in plain sight, at least when I’m not feeling any particular sort of way. Also helps that I’m kinda small still. Someday maybe I’ll learn how to turn into a wardrobe or something. They like to keep to themselves and operate individually as opposed to with a group or pack. I can be pretty self sufficient when I need to be.” He scratched his head wanting to avoid the last creature but not being able to think of another one.

Letting out an audible sigh he hunched over his parchment and wrote the rest of his essay in very small but neat letters. “I guess I also resemble a unicorn. I’m a little shy and tend to trust girls more than boys. Although that probably has something to do with my dad always playing pranks on me at home. I keep to myself a lot and prefer the company of a few people to a large group. Some people have even asked me for a bit of my hair. Although I don’t see how it would do them any good, when I cut it off it just goes blonde forever.” He scratched out the last part again and sat back in his chair.

The second animal I’d like to mention is the Runespoor. Back at my family’s home we would raise some in our Menagerie, and they’ve always fascinated me! A beautiful three-headed snake, they’re quite hard to keep in captivity due to their tendency to rip out their right head, and they don’t live much. Each head of a Runespoor has their function: The left one is the planner and decides where the animal should go; the middle one is the dreamer, leaving the Runespoor in lively fantasies occasionally; and the right one is the critic, always judging the performance of the other two. I consider that may own nature has these three traits represented by the three heads. I am a planner, a dreamer and my biggest critic, all in one.

The third animal that comes to mind is a Pixie. Those mischievous blue being love to play practical jokes and pester people, and I can’t help but admit that I enjoy both as well! I’d like to say I’m a harmless Leprechaun, but the truth is, I sometimes can’t see where my teasing should end, which makes me much more like this magical being over the other.

The fourth animal in my list would be the Kneazle. Intelligence, perception, grace and loyalty are strong traits to this animal that I believe I share. They will do anything to protect their owners, even attacking those who they judge suspicious, and can find creative and unique ways to reach their objectives. I would also do anything to protect my loved ones, and would not shy away from attacking someone who hurt them.

The last animal that I will bring is the Phoenix. It may be pretentious to compare myself to this being of light, but I’d like to think I can display their regenerative capacity. Just like a Phoenix will burn to rise from death as a newborn, I’d like to burn the remains of my old life and build myself a new identity, someone better and more adapted. I do hope one day my words will be able to bring the same happiness as a Phoenix’s song. Until then, I hope to be strong enough to rise again.

Lee had thought this assignment was going to be easy. He knew which types of creatures he was attracted to, and similarities they possessed. But when he sat down to actually put those things into perspective, he realized it was a lot harder than he had thought it would be.

He had chosen the Grim/Barghest because of their appearance of a large, black dog. His usual form to assume was that of a Giant Schnauzer.

The Grim/Barghest was supposed to have huge teeth, be fast and strong, and made of shadow, but could materialize.

He had been accused of materializing out of nowhere before, but that was probably just because he was black and hiding in the shadows. He was also fast and very strong, so he felt that he and this creature were a lot alike.

After that creature, Lee was at a loss. Even though there were a lot of creatures he liked, he found that when he really thought about it, he had very little in common with them.

So Lee opened up his Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them text book and began to look at more creatures.

After a short while, he came across the entry on the Manticore. The picture inside made him think about his Tibetan Mastiff form, and so he began to write.

The manticore has a human like head, the body of a lion and a scorpion's tail with a stinger.

That could be interpreted as a being that is ferocious and brave as a lion, has the intelligence of a human, but is as deadly as a scorpion sting.

Lee felt that when he was in his Tibetan Mastiff form, all of that was true. It was his fighting form, and he was deadly, brave, ferocious, and intelligent.

After making his notes, he continued reading. "So many fascinating beasts in here," he mused.

When Lee came to the entry on Thestrals, he was in awe. He would love to see one some day.

The entry spoke of how they were a very rare creature, how they are misunderstood and considered aggressive and omens of ill.

They were considered to be very intelligent, recognizing friend from foe, and defenders of their friends. They also have a great sense of smell, being able to smell blood and fresh meat from great distances away.

Lee thought that he and the Thestral shared a lot of the same traits. He, as a metamorph, was a very rare being, and being rare, he was often misunderstood.

He was very loyal to his friends, and seemed to have a gut instinct on whether or not someone was a friend or foe.

He also had a heightened sense of smell. Even when he wasn't in a dog form, it seemed that he always could smell things others couldn't.

Lee went over his notes, and thought he had enough material to write up a proper assignment, so he closed his textbook and began writing.

The Discovery Process

Lottie sighed and flicked through her books. Any other time, this assignment would seem easy. The animal her personality was most like is the one she turned into...but the professor wanted her to think "outside of the box."

Well... she thought. Which magical creatures have I connected with in the past? She thought for a moment and scritched out a list of the critters on a piece of parchment. She then went about looking them up in the book.

The first critter was a Niffler. She loved those little guys and she wasn't surprised to see she had a lot in common with them. She wrote next to the word Niffler:

Attracted to shiny things ,gentle by nature, affectionate, can be destructive

She then moved on. She looked at the fairy species, she knew it seemed a little obvious but at the same time didn't find to much of a connection. However she marked down:

Pixie: loves tricks and practical jokes and Bowtruckle: Guardian of nature

Her hand paused on the page with the Demiguise. She didn't like admitting she had a connection to them, mostly because there was a time when people assumed she was some kind of monkey creature. However its soulful eyes encouraged her to look at the page. She sighed but also felt a sense of comfort then marked:

Demiguise: Peaceful, intuitive, stealthy

She sympathized with the capture and trade of the poor creatures, having seen it done to her Binturongs, which only made her connection stronger. She grumbled for a moment. Why do people have to be so...disrespectful? She urged herself to take a deep breath and move on.

She saw the drawing of the Thestral. She knew it was really all they could manage due to there anonymity. She again felt the connection and took notes.

Threstral - Misunderstood, clever, likes dark environments, loyal, protective

She continued cross referencing the books before finally landing on her final beast.

The Sphinx: love of puzzles, riddles, and enigmas, intelligence

She looked at the list and felt it was a good mash-up of her personality traits. She then worked on completing her assignment with the rewritten list on a clean piece of parchment.

The Completed Assignment

The Magical Beast in me

Though I found this assignment to be more difficult then most for me it was also very insightful. Through research (1,2,3) I have compiled a list of the creatures I, not only feel a personal connection to, but also share personality traits with. They are thus:

Niffler - attracted to shiny things ,gentle by nature, affectionate, can be destructive Pixie - loves tricks and practical jokes Bowtruckle - Guardian of nature Demiguise - Peaceful, intuitive, stealthy, quiet Threstral - Misunderstood, clever, likes dark environments, loyal, protective Sphinx - love of puzzles, riddles, and enigmas, intelligence

Through this I discovered that while I share some similar traits with my fairy/faerie brethren, many of the recorded species are quite different in their behaviours. Commonly the species enjoys joke and pranks, of course to varying levels, and a desire to guard something of importance to them. I too feel this way, so I felt it should be noted.

Having stated that, I however feel the deepest connection with the Niffler, Demiguise and the Thestral. I feel the Thestral has more of the darker traits I possess, while the Niffler and Demiguise are more representing of my lighter qualities. As thus, I have chosen to represent this combination of my personality traits in the form of what I will call The Demirester.

The Demirester

Description: The Demirester is a shaggy, scruffy, deceptively silky, black furred creature. It has a similar appearance to a Demiguise, however it is longer muzzle and tail. It has large, oddly expressive, glittering, white eyes and a black set of leathery, bat-like wings. The wings, though smallish compared to the creature, are quite strong. Magizoologist compare its unseemly impossible ability to fly to that of the muggle Bumble Bee.

on the belly of this creature is a seemingly never ending pouch, in which is stores shiny treasures and favored foods. It has quite agile hands and feet allowing it to dig, grip and manipulate objects and climb. It is a quiet creature with the ability to become invisible to avoid predators.

Habitat: The Demirester's habitat range is Britain to the Far East. It prefers heavily overgrown forests either situated by small settlements or has tourist's, in flying distance, so as to acquire its shiny objects.

This critter prefers a tree habitat in the warmer months and a self dug burrow in the winter months. The Demirester's summer and winter homes are quite alike aside from the height difference. It prefers large trees with multiple holes in which is can create rooms, or chambers, that satisfy its needs. The desired burrow and tree holes tend to include a sleeping room, "pantry", bathroom and, of course, treasure room. The burrow is equipped with multiple exits (for safety) which it plugs up with leaves to prevent cold drafts. It has been noted that the size of the creatures home can depend on the amount of time, food supply and predators in the area.

Behaviours and Patterns: The Demirester is normally a quiet, peaceful beast. It enjoys collecting shiny or glittering objects, much like a magpie, that it decorates its home with. When all said objects were removed the creature exhibited signs of depression, agitation, aggressiveness and a obsessive need to horde new objects, or rediscover the missing old ones. During this time, the beast can become quite destructive, damaging things in its path. The Demirester can become attached to certain objects, but the behaviour seems to differ between members of the species. Favored objects are stored in the belly pouch as well as favored foods and new items.

The Demirester will use its ability to become invisible, through its fur, to avoid capture and predation. It prefers dark environments though it can be classified as Crepuscular or Nocturnal. It is believed that the creature also possesses intuitive abilities. Its fur and abilities lead it to be desired by the magical world for wands and or invisible clothing.

The Demirester can be protective and/or loyal to items and beings it holds dear. Threaten of said things can cause the normal affectionate creature to lash out with sharp claws and teeth.

The Demirester will migrate to new grounds if there is a lack of food, shiny objects, problems with predators or problems with their home. I.E. taken over by another creature (though it will attempt to fight the invader, depending on what it is.) Collapsing or damaged, so it no longer offers adequate protection.

The Demirester is usually solitary, though rarely mated pairs and small family units can be observed. The Demirester mates for life. The mated pair is affectionate to each other, usually through nuzzles, and can be seen holding paws. During the mating ritual, the male gives the female a favored shiny object to earn her affections.

Dietary Needs: The Demirester is omnivorous, housing a mouth with both cutting and grinding teeth. It has a ranged diet that includes fruit and berries, nuts, eggs and possibly birds. However it is more of a forager then a hunter.

Predators: The Demirestors biggest threat is humans and deforestation leading to reduction of habitat. However owls, snakes and foxes have been recorded as possible predators.

References

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
2. The Monster Book of Monsters by Edwardus Lima
3. Magical Creatures (unknown author)