Lesson 3 - N.E.W.T. Level

Another school year, another bunch of new and old students... Every year the same, but every one of those years he enters these classrooms with a smile on his face and joy in his heart because of the classes and the opportunity to teach new wizards and witches what he knows. The lesson plan and the working methods are still the same, the classroom is still empty... but the latter will soon change. Professor McCoy took his seat at the front desk and waited, scrolling through papers.

Early again... Amelia thought in passing to herself as she entered the transfiguration classroom and took her usual seat off to the side in the second row. It was not that she was surprised, but rather that she was making note that she had not at all strayed from her norm. This in and of itself was not surprising, for Amelia rarely if ever broke with her routine, but it was a system that worked for her. It made for less panic, and far less surprises.

Without much to do before the lesson began, Amelia took out a non-academic book she had picked up in Diagon Alley before coming back to school. She had a stack of them waiting in her room, but she hadn't had much time to make a dent in the pile because of the combination of schoolwork, imperium squad duties, and the stress that always came with being transplanted back into the social hierarchy that was Hogwarts castle.

Simon walked into Transfiguration, a little guilty he had missed the lesson before, though he had come down with a bad stomach flu. Lately, he had just not felt good. He heard the rumors that he was losing his touch and was a pansy... Okay, he had not heard any rumors. He was not that important to have rumors about him circulating, but he liked to think people were wondering.

Nevertheless he had reviewed what he had missed and was semi-comfortable with his abilities to do the spell, though he was never a self-assured person. He walked in and took his usual off-center, second row spot. He was alone save for an older Ravenclaw girl who he knew to be Amelia. He smiled at her. She was impressive to say the least. It was common knowledge she was flat-out smart.

Amelia looked up from her book at the sound of someone else entering the room and her eyes fell on Simon McLaggen, a Ravenclaw boy in the class below hers. She had no particular thoughts on Simon, never having met him before, but instead had the same impassive feelings toward him as she did most of her classmates. She knew relatively little about the boy, though she had heard he was a member of the quidditch team. She didn't know enough about quidditch to know which position he played or even what the point of that position might entail, but beyond that, her knowledge of him was limited. From what she had witnessed, he was somewhat of a flirt, though he had never made any passes at her. Not surprising, considering the reputation she had built for herself, which seemed to perpetuate itself even faster among her house-mates.

When he smiled at her, Amelia allowed the corners of her lips to rise just slightly in acknowledgment. He took a seat near hers, but made no attempt at conversation, which in Amelia's world meant that she was entitled to go back to her book without expectation of small-talk, and so she did just that.

Brienne walked to the class slowly, taking her time. She smiled warmly at other people that passed her in the hallway, and even gave a friendly wave to a group of first years that walked past her in a frenzy as they tried to find their next class. She reached the classroom, and much to her dismay, the man she liked was talking with the girl she oh so hated. She felt a low growl in her throat, but sat down by Simon anyway. She didn't actually growl, but she felt it there, in her throat like a heavy weight.

She looked over at Simon, "How are you this fine day? Nice class we're probably going to have, aren't we?" She wanted to sound pleasant even though her mood was the opposite. She didn't exactly look all that pleasant, her robes and clothes were messed up a little, but she tried to straighten them out.

''How I adore when all of you are punctual'', McCoy said, standing up. ''Our today's topic is the spell Pullus. Another cross-species spell that will transform a certain type of creature into a bird. As it is always on my classes, I have supplied the creatures in question so that you can practice on them and not just listen about how the spell works. But, before we begin with the wand work, can anyone tell me what today's spell does and something about the creatures it transfigures'', he said, calmly.

Jack just could not be on time for Transfiguration it seemed. Or maybe the professor started class to early. She did not know. She would like to think it was not all her fault that she kept arriving late to the class, but there you go. The fact was, she was late, and unless she was careful she find herself losing more points for Gryffindor, which she did not want.

She took a seat in the back, after entering to find he had just began his speech. She dropped her bag and then looked up. She would probably be called on anyway, and if she answered, she may save her House from losing points due to her tardiness. "It turns Erklings into geese. Erklings are elvish creatures that have a fixation on children." She settled into her seat, adjusting her bag.

''Good job, Miss Dyllan! It does seem I shall have to move my classes five minutes later, but then... you would probably, even then, be 5 minutes late. But, you seem to compensate that with adequate knowledge. Ten points for Gryffindor. Now, as Miss Dyllan said, we shall be dealing with Erklings and we shall turn them into geese. I have, as always, managed to supply some Erklings, but these ones are.... still infantile and you do not have to be especially afraid of them. But, today's task will be a tad more difficult. They are in my closet and I shall release them around the classroom. Your task is to transfigure one Erkling into a goose... there is enough for everyone. So, one wand, one Erkling. I hope you are ready! And here they are!'', he said, waving his hand at the closed door, thereby letting the Erklings out into the classroom.

Amelia had put down her book as the professor started the lesson, though begrudgingly. She had just gotten to a particularly good part of the novel and was hesitant to put off finding out what would happen until the end of class. She knew, though, that the professor would not tolerate any inattentiveness, so she had stored the book in her bag and taken out her wand.

Jack Dyllan had slid into the classroom late, but still managed to answer the question correctly, which was slightly impressive. Amelia was continually surprised by the girl, who seemed almost to be a contradiction of herself. She had the attitude that she didn’t care about classes, but she showed up more often than many people who did claim to care, and she was not unintelligent. Perhaps it was just the structure of lessons that bothered her, for she seemed to have a definite rebellious streak in them.

Whatever Jack’s reasons, her answer had made the class progress, and Amelia turned back to the professor as he described today’s task. Amelia found herself frowning more deeply as the professor went on, because his description of the task seemed to imply that when he opened the closet, chaos was going to spill from it, and within that chaos they would be expected to perform today’s spell correctly. Amelia, being a control freak, was immediately opposed to this idea, and certain that she would perform better without the added crazy around her.

But she did not have either the time nor the gall to say anything about the task before the professor made good on his promise to let loose the Erkilngs. For a moment, they were invisible to Amelia, shielded by the row of desks in front of her, and she heard them before she saw them. Their elvish cackles began to fill the room, the sound bringing Amelia to her feet, wand in hand. Standing, she spotted a pair of them running across the front of the room, and she grabbed a desk for stability as she made a sharp turn around it to follow them.

Though they were smaller than her by far, they had the added advantage of being able to fit under the desks, which significantly increased their agility. Although Amelia was trying to get within range to fire a spell, the little devils were not making it easy. The pair she had been followed eventually split, leaving her to choose one or the other, and she had followed the one she thought to be slower, but after dashing several times around the room only to see the damn thing disappearing behind another desk or chair, Amelia stood upright, her pale fingers curling tighter around her wand and into the palm of her wand-less hand in frustration.

Couldn’t he just have given them to us in boxes? Amelia fumed, Then we would be demonstrating our transfiguration skills, rather than our Erkling corralling skills.

And our looking like idiots skills, another part of Amelia’s mind quipped, knowing that running around hunched over in search of a two-foot-tall erkling and failing miserably had to be doing nothing for her image-wise.

Jack had to suppress a battle cry as the Erklings bum-rushed the students, probably looking for a tasty little leg to gnaw on. She leapt to her feet and slid over the top of the desk like in this old muggle police movies that she liked to watch. This was not memorize a bunch of spells, or stay-up-late-studying sort of work. This was skills people would actually need. This was Jack's kind of class.

She dropped to her knees to peer under the desk and an Erkling's ugly little impish face filled her vision, cackling. She swiped at it and it dodge under her hands, causing her stand in frustration. She glanced around. Amelia was tailing two of the Erklings, looking more and more frustrated as she went. She did not seemed to like the practical lesson so much as the last.

She wheeled around and saw a small horde of the little elvish creatures sprint toward the corner, to some of the other students. Jack couched low and began forward, thinking to herself as the mischievous jackal stalks its unsuspecting prey, her nostrils a-quivering, eyes bright with excitement, mouth salivating... Her prey stood no chance.

She skidded to a halt, kicking her shoe off, revealing part of her ankle. Luckily, Jack liked to read up on magical creatures, and she knew that Erklings especially loved the flesh of young people. These ones were young and probably not a vicious, but they would still have natural instincts. Immediately, she hard the scampering of little feet growing towards her. She suddenly dropped to a crouch and a surprised Erkling began to skid to a stop. She smirked and raised her wand, saying, "Immobulus!"

The little guy froze, an expression of shock fixed on his face. She smirked and tsk-ed, shaking her head as though reprimanding the little creature. She said, "Went after the wrong foot, you little ankle-biter." She grinned and waved her wand, saying, "Pullus!" The Erkling transformed into a goose and she quickly fastened her arms around its body, as it began to honk, and she quickly stood.