Blatant Blog Filler

So, at the halfway point of October, I'm doing pretty well:

1. Transfiguration - Acorn, Large, turned in post 24, marked complete post 66, October 4;
2. Care of Magical Creatures - Zombieproof Hat, turned in post 102, marked complete post 157, October 4;
3. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Neckwarmer!, turned in post 79, marked complete post 242, October 4;
4. Ancient Runes, Holastafur Hotpad, turned in post 42, marked complete post 46, October 5;
5. Muggle Studies, Glittery Faux-Lei, turned in post 127, marked complete post 129, October 10;
6. DETENTION - Nancy Shawl, started April 2011; turned in post 206, marked complete post 208, October 12;
7. Quidditch - Fire Task #2, Mantle of the Phoenix, turned in post 3283, marked complete post 3303, October 12;

The thing I *MUST* concentrate on now is my OWL. I have to have 50% turned in, or Gryffindor is going to totally WAIL on us in the points (they pulled as much as 900 points ahead last week!)

I have a lot of fun turning classes in, mostly in the weird little write-ups I come up with. (It's nice when one can entertain one's self.) This is my Second-Round Quidditch turn-in.

Name: CraftyGryphon
House: Slytherin, Fifth Year
Tags: sfire2qf11 sabfall2011
Project page: Mantle of the Phoenix
       So, there I am, minding my own business after the FIRST round of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and there's Cheeto, the little Phoenix from said last round of said Tournament, waiting for me in the Great Hall. And having some sort of fit.

       "Hey, little guy!" I say, trying to smooth his feathers and calm him down. But no, he's pretty agitated! He flutters down the hall towards the Snake Pit, then reverses, and heads towards the Gryffindor Common Room. He flies in (with me skidding to a halt at the door - I can't go in without a password, but I guess that doesn't apply to Phoenixes!), and grabs something white off the back of a chair, then flies out and dumps it on my head.
       It's my friend Ali123's Elise Shawl from CoMC last month.
       "What the heck are you DOING?" I ask Cheeto. He lands on my shoulder, sticks his beak under the shawl, and stares at me.
       "This isn't my shawl," I tell him.
       He rolls his eyes. (Very expressively, too.)
       "Okay, you're trying to tell me something." (He nods.)
       "Ali's in danger?" (He shakes his head.)
       "You want a shawl?" (He sort of half-shakes and stares.)
       "You want ME to have a shawl?" (He nods.)
       "You want me to have THIS shawl?" (He shakes his head, grabs the shawl, flies it back to its chair, then comes back to my shoulder.)
       "I need a shawl?" (He nods, and rolls his eyes.)
       "I need a shawl for the Tournament?" (He nods; at this point, we're both wishing I could actually speak to him. Parseltounge, yes; Viridiaspeak, no.)
       "What does it need to do? How will it help me?" (He stares at me, then sets my hair on fire.)
       "OW, you silly bird! Okay, I need protection from fire - or from YOU?" (I swear he laughed at me, but nodded to the first thing.)
       So, I spent quite a bit of time researching fire-protection, and how to create fabric that has fire-protection properties. I wound up with this, which I'm calling the Mantle of the Phoenix:


And, I can attest that Cheeto hasn't been able to set me on fire since I put it on.


So, I should be protected from Fire from here on in during the rest of the Tournament. Also, am NOT taking it off if that dratted little featherhead is in the area! He's got a vicious sense of "humor"!!