Flight of the Phoenix

[Annabelle Scrimgeour]

Bella had never taken Care of Magical Creatures, nor had she ever claimed to have been very good with animals. Luckily, going to a zoo of magical creatures required none of that criteria—it only required her patience and entertainment.

She'd seen magical creatures before, but rarely had she ever gotten the chance to get an up-close look at them. She'd always claimed her favorite magical creature to be the unicorn, but she was all-too-disappointed (and not to mention a bit saddened) at the knowledge that the only present hone was blind.

Nerissa had dragged her into the aviary sanctuary, where the former Gryffindor stood around (likely looking somewhat bored) while her friend cooed over the animals.

"There doesn't happen to be a phoenix here, is there?" she asked, facing the person who stood nearest to her apart from Nerissa. "They're such beautiful birds, and I've never seen one with my own eyes. I suppose they wouldn't want to keep one hostage, would they?" she pondered aloud.

@'Una Walsh'

  

[Una Walsh]

Una had been on her way through the aviary to check on the latest clutch of fwoopers when she'd paused to look at one of the augerys. He was looking a bit more morose than usual so she took a mental note to check back up on the bird later. It was in that brief moment that the question from the young woman met her ears.

"Unfortunately, no," she answered with a slight frown and shake of her head but clearly the girl already had a good idea as to why there wasn't one in exhibit. "They are truly beautiful to see in person," she said with a smile, "They don't do well with captivity though. They're better left to spread their wings as they see fit. Most of the animals you'll find here were actually taken from bad homes that didn't know how to keep such creatures or were injured in the wild beyond hope of being able to return. We try not to house animals that wouldn't do well in captivity."

  

[Annabelle Scrimgeour]

She supposed that was a good enough reason. Part of the reason the whole disaster at the Wizarding World Market had happened was because someone was stupid enough to keep a hoard of flying tigers—animals that very likely didn't belong locked in a cage—in captivity around hundreds of other people. She'd never seen phoenixes as the dangerous sorts, though; perhaps it had to do with their solitary nature.

"I see," she said quietly, examining the animals. Phoenixes seemed to be more like her than she'd first thought. She wasn't one who did well in captivity—she was far happier now that she was free from the chains that her biological parents had held her in. She did much better when given the chance to spread her own wings and fly down her own path.

"I guess it's more surprising that there are animals who do fare well in captivity. I imagine it gets very lonely for many of them," she commented sadly.

  

[Una Walsh]

The girl's sadness mirrored in Una's own eyes at her remarks. Unfortunately, several of the creatures they had really had no choice but to remain in captivity. Whether it was from being born into it or being injured. At least there, at the zoo, they were safe and comfortable.

"That is why we try to at least have pairs so that the creatures don't get lonely," she said with a reassuring nod, trying to keep the conversation somewhat brightened even though it was a rather sad topic, "Though we do have some that prefer the solitary life. Our unicorn, for example, is blind and doesn't do well with others around. It can be dangerous for him and any other unicorns that could be present. And our tiger, well, he's old and as ornery as they come."

But then her thoughts turned to Oscar. His story was sad one, and one that hit her close to home because she'd been the sole care provider for the young erumpent. "But Oscar, he would do better with a pack, that's for certain," she said, a sadness clearly evident in her voice, "But his family was killed by poachers when he was just a baby. You see, erupment horns are highly sought after so they're being hunted to near extinction. Unfortunately, there wasn't another herd of them in the area so a friend reached out to me and we brought him here to keep him safe."

  

[Annabelle Scrimgeour]

Annabelle was clearly no expert on the details of certain creatures' natures, as many of the facts the woman was spewing were new information to the young witch. She glanced from the redhead back to the avian creatures in the enclosure.

"Are you an expert on them? You seem like you know much about them," she asked curiously. Though, in all reality, much of that information could have easily been taught within the Care of Magical Creatures classroom, but the woman's intimate knowledge of the individual creatures made her think that the woman worked within the zoo's walls.

"I never took Care of Magical Creatures in school. I was a very indecisive youth—there were so many classes to choose from!" She sometimes wondered how different her life might have ended up if she'd chosen certain classes over others. Would she have become a magizoologist if she'd taken Care of Magical Creatures? An aspiring curse-breaker if Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Gobbledegook had been her classes of choice? She would never know, and something about that bothered her.

  

[Una Walsh]

Una blushed a bit but smiled when the young lady asked her if she was an expert on the animals. She shook her head slightly but there was a slight reluctance the the shake. "Creatures of the avian species, not really. That would be my cousin," she said with a nod, knowing Eavan's interests in creatures focused mostly on all variety of birds, "Though I am a magizoologist." She simply didn't have a specialty when it came to the creatures. At least, not when it came to species in particular.

"A healer in specific," she said with a nod, "I've done a great deal of traveling though so my knowledge of creatures is a bit more spread out. I tend to have different focuses when it comes to species depending on where I'm at." Though when it came down to it, she knew exactly where she would go career wise when she'd been young. Her upbringing had seen to that. With a magizoologist for a father and a healer for a mother, she'd easily combined the two professions.

  

[Annabelle Scrimgeour]

"A healer of magical creatures," she echoed in awe, a tiny smile on her face as she gaped at the older girl. "I've never heard of such a thing, though I do realize now they must exist somewhere. How do you learn of all the physiology and anatomy of each individual creature?"

She couldn't imagine having to learn all the individual needs of each creature she came across, especially if she were to be the one to discover said creature! How did one heal a creature that was dangerous? Were the special precautions she had to learn? Where would she even learn such things?

"I - I've always wanted to be a healer as well," she offered quietly. "Though I've never imagined that the patients ranged farther than simply the human variety," she admitted, an amused smile tugging up the corners of her lips.

  

[Una Walsh]

Una felt a surge of pride at the obvious awe the girl before her displayed. Her work had easily become her pride and joy in life, if one wasn't counting Oscar. He'd eclipsed most other creatures in her life since she'd brought him back to the Zoological Gardens.

"There are textbooks," she said with a nod, "Though a lot is learned on the spot. My father was a magizoologist and my mother a healer so they helped to easily meld the two together for me. And if they're in the same species, it's easy to make adjustments on a creature by creature basis."

She smiled at the young girl as she admitted quietly her desire to be a healer, almost meekly and as if it were not something she should be wanting for herself. Una rested an assuring hand on the girl's arm and offered a wide smile. "Don't give up on your dreams," she said with a twinkle in her eyes, "No matter what others say or think, your dreams are yours and everyone deserves to be happy in their own right."