Lesson 4 - N.E.W.T. Level

The book Amelia had been reading quickly disappeared into her bag when the professor began speaking. Because she had been reading, she hadn't heard anything else of what was said in the classroom since she entered it, including Brienne's sniffles and Angelique's harsh words. When she went into serious reading mode, the only thing that could pull her out of it was a voice of authority - namely, her professors' or her mother's.

The professor's question, subsequent answer from the perpetually late Jaquellene Dyllan, and the professor's directions that followed all were channeled through Amelia's quill onto a piece of parchment that she had rolled out onto her desk for notes. As soon as she had dotted the last i, Amelia swept her wand over the parchment and muttered a quick-dry spell to ensure the ink wouldn't spread, and then rolled up the parchment to clear space for the transfiguration task.

The redhead pulled the box a bit closer to her, placing it in the direct center of the desk, the back of the lid perfectly parallel with the side of the desk. Amelia found it easiest to focus her mind when there were not other things to distract her, and things that were out of place or off-level were high distracting to the orderly Ravenclaw. With her wand raised above the box, Amelia focused intently on the task at hand, sweeping her wand over the polished wood and imaging the grain of the wood turning into the tiny hairs on the back of the mouse she was envisioning in her mind's eye. As she did this, her imagination was brought to life and she watched as slow progress was made, elongated the box into a lower, more narrow form, which slowly changed from brown to tan to white. The finishing touch was adding tiny pink feet and a noise, and when Amelia finally broke her concentration and let her wand fall back down to the desktop, a whiskered white mouse was looking curiously up at her, as if to ask just how it had found itself in this predicament.

''And there we have the Three Blind Mince, although I hope they won't be lethal like Agatha Christie wrote'', he said, looking proudly at their work. Of course, transforming a box into a mouse was a pretty easy when it came to non-verbal transfiguration, and some of them have already been on his lectures regarding the subject, but still, it needed practice and he was happy to see that all of them did their tasks successfully.

''Great job, you three. I must say I am satisfied. But, Miss Ravenquiest, Transfiguration is not a drawing book and it should not, even when joking, be used as a way of experimenting with nature and life, do mark that. But, that was only the first part of your task for today. Now, you shall take that small critter that probably does look completely bewildered while observing you, and do another transfiguration. This one is a little tougher, since you have to transfigure a living creature into something different. Transfiguring objects is always easier, in each and every way. But, to get to the point. Your goal now is to transfigure that white mouse into a piece of Gouda cheese. After you have achieved that, and it will be a little tougher, you will take a bite, a small one, and check its taste, and I will then do the same. The same rules apply and you, of course, have to do it non-verbally. Now, continue with the work'', McCoy said.

Brienne looked down upon the small mouse. It squeaked at her as it climbed down from her. She looked at the tiny creature with a hint of remorse. She was to make it a non-living thing again. She gave the creature a crooked smile, then waved her wand over it. The small mouse started to contract within itself, turning into a wedge of cream-colored cheese with a red rind. It looked absolutely stunning for her to see a wedge of Gouda made from a mouse. It was startling to say the least, startling but stunning. Stunning to see such a creature become the stereotypical food for it. That was a sight to behold.

She took a small bite. She didn't really like the taste of Gouda, but it tasted different. Like, she could taste the sense of accomplishment over the typical Gouda taste, and it tasted good. Better than most Gouda. Her sense of accomplishment. She sat the cheese back on the table and put up her hand.

Upon the professor's assessment of her work, Amelia looked approvingly down at the small rodent on her desk. He was beginning to come to his senses - was it odd that an animal that had sprung from an inanimate object was also cognizant? - and with Amelia's wand now poised above him again, not too keen on sticking around to find out what she was going to use it for.

As soon as Amelia went to make the second transfiguration, the mouse made a break for it, but Amelia's wand was faster than the mouse's feet could carry it, and without speaking she cast a spell that made walls rise out of the desktop to close in the furry creature, who tried changing directions a few times before it realized it was closed in. Only then did it hide its furry face beneath its paws and prepare for the worst, which made Amelia's work relatively simple as she cast the spell to make cheese where a mouse had previously sat.

The mouse was changing into a wedge of cheese before her eyes, and the last to disappear was its ringed pink tail, which became the red rind on the very edge of the cheese. Thinking her work finished, Amelia lowered her wand and placed it on the desk next to the cheese, which was still surrounded by the walls that had previous kept in the rodent. To call the professor’s attention, Amelia looked up and raised her hand, knowing she would be second after Brienne, whose hand was already in the air.

''Personally, I prefer Emmental cheese over Gouda, but I do lake to taste a good piece of cheese'', McCoy said approaching Brienne. He bent down, took a piece of her cheese and put it in his mouth. It was that certain brand of Gouda which he liked, but only with having some additions, like mayonnaise. ''Miss Ravenquist, that is how you do it. It has flavor, shape and that certain Gouda smell. Fifty points for Ravenclaw and an O for you. And now, let us see what Miss Lyons did'', he said.

He walked over to Amelia with a smile. ''Your little friend managed to foresee what you have planned'', he commented upon taking a piece of the cheese. Her Gouda was his favourite brand. He did, really, enjoy a good brand of cheese, but there were some that he liked without additions and some that just needed something to neutralize their taste. This was one from the first category. ''Miss Lyons, excellent work. Another Fifty points for Ravenclaw and an O for you. Miss Dyllan, are you near finishing or do you need some more time?'', McCoy asked, turning to Jack.

Amelia held her breath as the professor tasted her cheese. It was not particularly that she thought herself to have made a mistake, but rather that there was always the possibility that something could go wrong. Edible transfigurations had always been particularly intimidating to her because if she had made any sort of mistake, the professor would surely taste it.

But the professor's praise proved that her worries were unfounded, and Amelia allowed herself to breathe. As he walked away toward Jack, Amelia broke off a piece of the cheese wedge and held it up to her nose to smell. It had the strong, potent smell of gouda, and when she placed it on her tongue, it tasted just as potent. Without allowing it to linger, Amelia chewed and swallowed. Gouda was not her favorite.

Jack sighed, a little irritable that the task still was not done. Lately, she had been more impatient- probably the stress of the oncoming tournament and Quidditch and her underground student group- and it was beginning to show. Luckily, she happened to somehow be intelligent despite all the hare-brained things she had done, and so she continued to do what needed to be done.

She pointed her wand at the mouse and concentrated, and a small lump of the cheese formed. She broke off a piece and swallowed it, shrugging. She was not too big a fan of cheese. She heard the professor inquire about her progress and she grabbed the cheese, holding it out to him. "Nah, I'm done."

Tasting the cheese, McCoy smiled. It was good. A little to strong for his own taste, but it was one of those brand that he had tasted once in his life. He went to the front and applauded the class. ''I there say I am proud. You have all done well and I am very happy to see your progress. In due time, you shall, probably, master all of our classes and tasks. Today's class is dismissed and I shall be happy to see you next time'', he said.