Closed Continuing Research

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan hadn't spent as much time by the lake last year as he would have liked. He was more partial to the forest but even after all this time he never made any contact with any creatures there. He had heard stories about the centaurs that lived in it but he had never seen them, which he realized might be a good thing in case they were obligated to tell his professors. Professor Burleigh had let him be his assistant this year and he didn't want to screw that up right away. Not after Weston caught him that one time. He still thought of the older boy fondly and he was starting to wonder if he could continue his research. Ethan had never seen the eel himself but Weston had sworn it was real. Maybe he didn't have luck with the forest, but maybe the lake might treat him more kindly. He sat at the edge of the lake, the water touching the toe of his shoes, with notebook in hand just in case the eel made an appearance today.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius was out for a walk, bored of studying and needing a break. He'd rather play video games, but his switch wasn't working the way he could sometimes get it to work, so a walk was in order. His feet took him absent-mindedly towards the lake, somewhere he didn't visit often and hadn't really spent time around apart from the herbology lesson with gillyweed. That had been interesting. Lakes made Demetrius a little on edge, but he appreciated the beauty. As he walked closer, he saw another student on the lakeshore. Intrigued, Demetrius approached closer, standing somewhat awkwardly beside the other boy. He noticed the notebook. "Taking notes on something?" Demetrius asked, a little curious what he was doing.

 

[Ethan Alexander]

(if you don't want to continue with this thread i totally understand!)

Ethan had been studying the surface of the water looking for any signs of activity. He had been fishing once with one of his mom's boyfriends years ago and he had tried to teach him about where to spot fish under the water. He had thought it was interesting but it had been a long time since he had to remember those lessons. Ethan heard footsteps and glanced up at an older boy he had seen around but never talked to. He shrugged at the question. "Kind of." he answered lamely. "A friend of mine who graduated was looking for proof of the giant eel that lives in the lake. So I'm just keeping a look out for a bit." he explained.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius was a little surprised by that revelation. He'd heard the rumours of the giant eel, of course, but he was never certain how much truth was in said rumours. It intrigued him though - the idea of finding a giant eel, right here in Hogwarts. "Oh, right. Any luck so far? I'm pretty interested in seeing if it's real too," Demetrius admitted. "How are you looking out for it?" Demetrius asked as he scanned the surface of the lake, unsure what to look for exactly.

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan was used to most students either sharing his interest in the eel, though usually not with the same enthusiasm. or laughing at the idea of it completely. So he was glad when the other boy said he was interested. "Not really." he had to admit. "Weston, my friend, said he had seen it first had. But there is only so far that can take you. First hand accounts are important but until there's proof it's basically a cryptid." he explained. He usually never talked this much but usually no one asked him about the things he really cared about. Ethan felt his ears get hot when asked about how he was looking for the creature. "Well....just visually at the moment. From what I've heard there isn't a clear pattern of behavior to know when the best times to observe it."

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius nodded. He appreciated the rational approach of the other boy. It really was just a cryptid without actual evidence; first-hand accounts didn't really count. Demetrius considered the other boy's approach. "I guess the one way would be seeing if it responds to different stimulus at all. Without, uh, being invasive of course. Or, well, knowing the conditions under which it appears." Demetrius put a finger and thumb to his chin in a thoughtful pose. "I don't know much about eels but I know they don't really emerge from water. Except, uh, to grab at stuff. Like, you know, at the zoo, how they have eels and signs not to put your fingers in the water. So I guess that's why you're observing the surface? For patterns?" Demetrius felt like he was rambling now but he was just trying to show interest; it was intriguing after all.

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan blinked when the other boy seemed to put a lot of his thoughts into words. "Right. Finding a stimuli that works but doesn't harm it seems....tricky." he said, considering the idea and thinking it was actually pretty smart. But he didn't really want to bother the creature if he didn't have to. "I did some reading about regular eels." he said plainly. "They tend to live in shallow water and burrow into the sand or mud. But if this thing really is giant it's hard to say what it considers shallow." he offered, not wanting to seem like he didn't know anything about the creature he was looking out for. "Also," he added a little dejectedly. "Most eels are nocturnal so it's probably sleeping anyways. But it's not like I can get out here a night." Ethan explained but glanced at the other boy to see how he reacted to the reminder of the rules.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius nodded. The other student seemed to know his stuff - which Demetrius found impressive. He'd even done some research on eels. Demetrius was impressed, and intrigued. Then he heard most eels were nocturnal. "Hmm. So there is a chance that it's active at night." Demetrius paused, thinking it through. He was really one who tried to stick by the rules, but when it came to magical creatures he couldn't help but think maybe he should be a bit more lax with them. "Maybe in winter when the sun sets earlier - then again, maybe it hibernates during winter. There's so many things we don't know for sure." Rather than be disheartened, Demetrius found the unknown to be somewhat exciting.

 

[Ethan Alexander]

Ethan nodded. "But the stories I've heard about it were all during the day." he explained. "Since that's when most people are out here." He looked out at the water again and willed it to show him something. "Maybe those days there was something that woke it up." he hypothesized. Ethan considered the idea that the eel hibernated. "Maybe." he had to admit. "So in theory we're in school during it's most active period. Which is at least one thing to have going for us." he sighed.