December 19th, 1894

Flobberworms, she had been encouraged, were the usual creature to send home with students. After all, they were more or less useless—and as a result, entirely harmless. They were also tedious, and so while Nell had evaded this sort of assignment altogether last year, she had worked hard to come up with, and get approval for, something with a bit more character for her pupils over the Christmas holidays. Whether they returned to their families or remained at the castle, they would be kept busy.

The brisk winter wind bit at her cheeks, and the professor sunk her face more deeply into her scarf. On the cold ground about her, in wicker cages, were more than a dozen juvenile porlocks.

"Porlocks are rated XX by the Ministry of Magic, which, as you are aware, means they are able to be domesticated," Nell explained to her class. "How easily, however, remains to be seen—by each of you, who will be taking charge of one over the winter holidays—though not," she added with an apologetic smile to Miss Best, who she knew would be returning to a muggle farm, "those of you spending the holidays in muggle homes."

"In addition to keeping the creature content, you will be journaling your interactions with it, as well as its behaviour. Those that are well cared for will be distributed to local farms to tend to their herds. Those that are not, well, I am sure you will have ample time to mend your ways in detention remedying the matter."

OOC Due March 5th
Up to up to 20HP available per assignment
Unless your assignment is completely and utterly wrong, all work will get at least 10HP! You have three options for how to complete this assignment:

• Thread: Complete a 10+ post thread in which your porlock is a key feature. This thread must be archived, and at least 3 posts in the thread should be from your student. You can then PM the link to the archived thread to this account!
  
• Journal: Complete 5+ journal entries as replies to this thread. They should be set on different dates during the winter holiday, and will detail interactions with/observations of the porlock your student has been assigned.
  
• Essay: Sorry, muggleborns! Unless you're staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays, no magical creature for you :( Instead, you'll be doing a porlock research essay (50-250 words) as a reply to this thread. Less fun, but more realistic xD (edit for clarity: NOT an option for anyone else!)

Please DM me on Discord or PM me on this account with any questions!

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FYI: James Fletcher Greta Gillenwater Anne Moony Bonnie Greyback Eros Mohr Katherine Arundell Cadogan Glynn Olive Norris Harriet Bythesea Antelope Grace Quincy Smellie

  

Date: 20th December, 1894
Today, I 'met' the Porlock assigned to guard the school’s horses. I’ve named it "Bumble" because of its tendency to bumble around the stable, fussing over the smallest things. Bumble is covered in thick, shaggy hair that drags slightly on the ground, even though it stands no higher than my waist. It was wary at first, hiding behind a trough when I entered the stables. However, after I quietly sat by the haystack, Bumble cautiously crept closer, clutching a bit of straw, it eyed me but didn't engage, other than to assess if I was a threat to the horses. It seems to take its role very seriously, checking each horse methodically before disappearing into the shadows.

Date: 22nd December, 1894
This morning, I noticed Bumble weaving strands of hay into a mat. It’s surprisingly dexterous, considering its short, stubby fingers. I suspect it’s crafting something for the horses, as the mat ended up being placed in one of the stalls. When a curious colt approached, Bumble nudged it away gently and adjusted the mat. The horses seem entirely comfortable with its presence, nuzzling it without hesitation. Bumble ignored me completely, focusing solely on its equine charges, but its dedication is impressive. The weather was exceptionally cold this evening - I wonder if the creature knew and provided the mat as additional heating for the horses?

Date: 24th December, 1894
Christmas Eve brought a heavy snowfall, and Bumble was hard at work clearing paths inside the stable. It used its hooves to stomp down the hay, creating warm bedding for the horses. I attempted to offer it a few apples as a gesture of goodwill. At first, it snorted and retreated, but when I placed the apples near its usual path, it returned to inspect them. After sniffing suspiciously, it took one and gnawed on it delicately. I swear I saw it glance at me afterward, perhaps in appreciation - or perhaps to test if they were poisoned or a threat to the horses.

Date: 26th December, 1894
Today, Bumble surprised me. I was refilling the horses' water troughs when it stepped closer than ever before. It nudged my leg gently and placed a strand of hay in my hand. Was it an attempt at communication or simply a way to include me in its routine? Either way, it was a significant moment. I watched as it climbed a stack of hay bales, scanning the area like a sentry. Despite its small size, Bumble radiates authority among the horses, who follow its movements as though it were their leader, or perhaps the horses trust that the porlock won't lead them into danger. Thus far my observations have as many questions as answers.

Date: 28th December, 1894
My final observation for the holiday revealed Bumble’s softer side. One of the older mares seemed under the weather, standing sluggishly in her stall. Bumble stayed by her side all morning, gently prodding her and even draping some of its woven hay mats over her back. Its care was almost maternal, and the mare appeared comforted by its presence. Its bond with the horses is remarkable, and I feel privileged to have witnessed it.

  

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

21 December 1894
Porlocks are a lot smaller than a thought they’d be, and have a lot more hair. The one assigned to me as a shaggy mane that covers most of its face, and it’s hard to tell exactly where it’s looking. Hopefully not for an escape room. We don’t have any livestock on the farm, just some chickens, but we’ve managed to fashion a small pen for it near them, filled with straw of course, since Porlocks like to hide in there. It just kind of sat there, letting out a whiny snort, so I just let it be. When I returned later, the Porlock was gone, but hopefully it’s just hiding and hasn’t um… escaped.

24 December 1894
I guess I should name it, so I decided on Shaggy because of how much hair it has. Today I decided to clean out the pen, and the Porlock just stayed in its corner, watching me. Maybe I should have given him some grass to hide in while I did so, but well… It's too late for that now. At least he hadn’t run away. Shaggy just stared at me the whole time, at least I think he did because it’s still so hard to see his face. Anyhow, I gave him some fresh straw, but he hadn’t moved from the corner even when I left.

25 December 1894
Since it’s Christmas, I decided to let Shaggy have some fun today, so I let him out where I had rounded up the chickens. I kept a close eye on him in case he tried to run away, but to my surprise, he immediately crept closer, like he wanted to be near the chickens but wasn’t sure how to do it. It’s not like chickens have herd mentality like horses do. They didn’t seem to mind Shaggy though. I made sure to give him an extra portion of fresh hay as a reward for trying to get near them.

30 December 1894
Today Shaggy tried to wrangle the chickens together, which was amusing, because every time he got them into a circle, they were wandering off again. He also seemed to have warmed up to me a bit, because when I come close to his pen now, he flicks his tail and doesn’t try to hide from me. It’s kind of a shame that I can’t keep him, but I think he’ll do well on a farm with a herd he can take care of.

3 January 1895
It’s our last night together, and I’m really going to miss him. He’s definitely grown used to the antics of the chickens, letting them wander instead of immediately trying to herd them back into their space. Shaggy doesn’t seem to mind me whenever I’m nearby. (He has stolen my gloves on more than one occasion, hiding them deep in his straw bed, so I will believe that he likes me.) I hope the farm he is sent to will treat him well.

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21st December 1894

We don't have Porlocks at Greyback reach as its probably much more than trouble than its worth for either predators or thieves to visit my home, so it was interesting to introduce little Norry to our family stables. The horses were nervous of it to begin with having not seen one before but quickly found it to be friendly and have their best interests at heart. It apparently eats grass, but seemed OK on the winter fodder we give our horses.

23rd December 1894

The little creature has made a nest for itself right in the middle of the herd and seems to be happy, I don't know if it's bored though because there isn't a lot for it to do. It's too cold and the wind is too high for the horses to go out but it watched me groom Péintéir (my horse) and helped me get some of the knots out of his tail. I think it likes me. Also I think the winter fodder is making it flatulent, it is fitting right in with the horses.

24th December 1894

I took Péintéir out to canter today, Norry seemed protective of the horse and reluctant to let me take him for a ride, making gestures to his right hind quarter. I checked my horse as I always do before riding and I was suprised to find one of the nails for his shoe was loose. This indicated to me that the Porlock has been paying attention.

26th December 1894

Nothing of note today, it is very cold and windy. My cousin told me the Porlock was watching him make a small repair to the stable roof and it seemed very sinister, I can see that.

30th December 1894

The Porlock is going back today, I have enjoyed this project but I think both of us will be happy to have it off the island and back to its own home. It has been a little helpful around the stables, doing odd bits but it seemed fairly superfluous to our needs and I do think it was bored at times. It might enjoy the summer a little bit more when it could get out and see what this island has to offer.

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Bonnie is NB/GF but appears as a girl.
They/them ooc, she/they/he IC.
Anyone who knows them, knows they prefer to be called Blair