Lily in the Shadows

Chapter 13

 Professor Lupin smiles warmly as he walks into his classroom, with a wave of his wand the chalkboards turn over. One reveals a very detailed chalk drawing of a large white, hairy, humanoid creature. Greeting his class he sets small figurines of the creature on everyone's desk. It walks around, growling at people, before wandering around, looking at the things on their desks.

"Good morning class," He smiles, the entire room giving a completely different feel than the teachers before him. No longer is there a haughty cold air, it is warm, almost like home. "I trust we are all ready for another fascinating day of learning." At his class's grumbles and groans he chuckles. "Yes, yes. Very excited. Now," He clasps his hands, "As you can see I have placed a little creature on your desks, these are yetis. I am sure you are very confused as to how I brought you such small ones and fear not, these are mini creatures created by a friend of mine, Dr. Romero. They are practically harmless, though try not to lose them. If you do not like them you may return them at the end of the lesson."

Lily looks at her little yeti as it begins shifting the papers on her desk. Ari reaches past her and tries to touch it but it freaks out, growling and swiping at her. Ari's yeti jumps from their table, causing both girls to gasp in worry. Her yeti lands safely on the floor and begins to run to the front of the classroom.

Ari jumps out of her chair, "Professor Lupin, my yeti is running away!" Lupin gets the little guy and holds him out to her. Ari puts her hands out in front of her, "No thank you, sir. You can keep him." Lupin turns, putting the yeti back in a small snowy mountain display.

Lily and Ari watch as Lily's yeti begins to tear her paper, folding it together to make a small paper cave. She turns and whispers to Ari, "I wonder if they have names."

Lupin smiles, "Very good question Miss. Kathryn, they don't, in fact, have names. Feel free to name your yetis."

Lily reaches into the cave, and pets the back of her yeti with her finger. It turns, spitting and growling at her. She withdraws her hand quickly before going into her bag and pulling out one of the mini bags of goat meat treats she keeps for Claude. She places one outside the cave, watching as her yeti sniffs it, before devouring it. Seeing as it likes them she places a small pile, watching it eat them slowly, she pets its little furry back. The girls watch as the yeti turns, sniffing her finger. It goes back to eating, allowing her to pet it.

Lupin gives all of his students a moment to either get to know or give back their yetis, only a small handful don't give them back before he begins his lesson. After giving a brief, very brief, yeti anatomy lesson he gives them one more minute to name their yetis.

After defining her yeti as a girl, Lily decides to name it Ceba, meaning dear to hold.

With another wave of his wand, a piece of chalk begins to write on the other chalkboard. Key points of his lesson for the day begin to appear. He then begins his lecture, as each of his students quickly writes notes.

"In the wizarding world, the existence of magical creatures such as the Yeti is not merely the stuff of legend; it is a reality that we have come to accept and understand through centuries of study and observation. While Muggles may dismiss tales of the Abominable Snowman as mere folklore, wizards and witches know better than to underestimate the wonders of the natural world. The Yeti, also known as the 'Abominable Snowman' in popular culture, is a legendary ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayan mountains of Asia. Tales of encounters with this elusive being date back centuries among the indigenous peoples of the region. In Tibetan folklore, the Yeti is known as the 'Metoh-Kangmi,' which translates to 'man-bear snowman.'

Historically, reports of Yeti sightings have been met with scepticism from the scientific community. However, there are numerous accounts from explorers, mountaineers, and locals describing encounters with large, bipedal creatures resembling a cross between a human and an ape, with shaggy fur and towering stature. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, the Yeti continues to be a subject of fascination and study for cryptozoologists and adventurers alike. Expeditions to the remote regions of the Himalayas have yielded footprints, hair samples, and even supposed sightings, but definitive proof of the creature's existence remains elusive to muggles.