Transfiguration Lesson 1 (1992)

Vixen sat perched on her stool twirling her wand through her fingers as she waited for her class to begin. Keeping the doors closed until the right moment, she looked over everything one more time. When the students would enter, they would find an animal of some kind at each seat. Many might question why they were there, but in time they would understand. Satisfied that everything was ready for them, Vixen snapped her fingers and her classroom door unlocked and opened to allow everyone to enter.

Rowan entered the Transfiguration classroom on her own. Coming straight from History of Magic, she looked forward to something less...dull... Taking her normal seat she greeted Professor Lestrange and stroked the fir of the rabbit sitting in front of her. She really enjoyed this class and was looking forward to whatever they were up to today.

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Lara entered with a few fellow Hufflepuffs and took their seats near the middle of the room. "Professor," she said with a smile. Transfiguration was one of her best classes next to Potions, and she rather enjoyed Professor Lestrange's teachings. Taking out her supplies, she held out her hand to the yellow bird that sat perched on the wooden stand at the edge of her area. The bird hopped onto her hand where it sat and started to sing softly.

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Gus and Luna strolled in, once again discussing how Nargles might live in Mistletoe, but they cause all kinds of trouble no matter what time of year it was. Taking the seats in front of Rowan, they continued their conversation, not even taking notice of the animals in front of them.

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William, paused outside the classroom and leaned against the wall. What was he so worried about? just because his mother was the Transfiguration professor didn't mean jack... Running his hand through his dark hair, he took a deep breath and let his arm fall heavily to his side. "Hey, you ok?" a female voice asked him. Looking up he saw it was Serena from his other classes. "Yeah... Yeah I'm ok... Just kind of weird, ya know, having your mom teaching you..." he answered her. Serena's blue eyes grew wide as she smiled. "You're mom's the Transfiguration professor? Will, that's really cool," she said brightly. "You really think so?" he asked, a glimmer of a smile touching his lip. Serena nodded in answer and then pulled his robe to get him to follow her, "Come on." Both stepped in and as Serena greeted Professor Lestrange, William paused just inside the door before he took a deep breath and walked in. "Good day, Professor," he said to his mother. It felt odd calling her that, but what else could he do? Taking a seat behind Rowan, he readied himself for the lesson.

Neville and Ian entered the room together, over the last year they had got to know each other a bit, as Ian hang out with his fellow Gryffindors a lot. They walked to a desk at the front of the room and Neville smiled a the frog that sat in front of his seat. Ian sat down and reached out to caress a little bird. "I wonder what we're going to do with them..." he said thoughtfully.

Junis smiled slightly when she found a Raven on her desk. It was immensely beautiful and she truly hoped that she wouldn't have to transfigure it into some crockery or so, like she had read in a book.

Ares entered the classroom and after tipping his head towards the professor he sat next to his sister, placing a hand on her thigh under the table and he grinned at her teasingly, he had plans for her but nothing had evolved from simple teasing, "Hello," he cackled in a low tone, kissing her cheek whilst making sure others were in front of them so Professor Lestrange didn't saw the 'sibling affection' they shared.

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Harry, Ron, Adrastos and Ricardo walked in and sat at the back, smiling at Professor Lestrange. This time the class was separate, and they wondered if maybe it'd be more productive than last year.

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Kain, Malphas and Raphael walked in sitting at the front and as usual Malphas gave the Professor a courteous nod, out of respect, and out of friendship, as Vixen had always been good to him and his siblings, being his mother's best friend.

David walked into class, wondering what sort of crazy stuff was going to go down in Transfiguration class. He walked in and looked at all the animals on the desks. a certain owl hooted and flew off the desk and landed on David's shoulder. He knew at that moment this animal had been meant for him. It was his Owl, Zeus. "Heya Zeus" He murmured quietly and he reached up with his free hand and petted his friend since the summer before his first year at Hogwarts.

He then sat down, slightly nervous. Were they going to hurt these animals? If they were, he didn't care if he lost Gryffindor a million points, he was walking out. He would not hurt his owl just to learn some stupid spell.

Rowan looked at her brother as he sat next to her smiling. Ares was an odd one, and ever since their first encounter over the summer, he had teased her. Sometimes she needed to remind herself that it was all in fun, as his remarks sometimes pushed the line of brother/sister banter. Just as she was about to greet him, she paused as his hand rested on her theigh. "Hello," she said simply, putting her hand on his and removing it from her leg. The kiss on the cheek she didn't mind, even if it felt....strange....almost not safe. But, he was her brother and she had seen siblings exchange greetings such as this before. "How are you enjoy your classes?" she asked glancing at the professor before turning her bright eyes to her brother with a deep breath that resulted in a soft sigh.

Mio followed Ian and Neville into the classroom. He took a seat next to David and Mio nudged a small viper that was resting on his desk. He watched as the snake glid over his arm and rested on his shoulder.

Azrael strolled into the room and walked over to one of his housemates to sit next to her.

Stacy and Anette came together to Transfiguration classroom, they had talked after that Potions lesson even little bit, they couldn't say they were friends exactly but they liked to talk with each other. They both walked into the classroom. Stacy did sit in middle and Anette decided to sit back.

"I'm enjoying them very much," Ares responded with a grin, his eyes travelling down to her chest then to her thighs once again "Wait for me once you leave" he winked at her.

"I'm glad to hear that, Ares," she said with a soft smile. Rowan stiffened, her smile fading, when she watched his eyes ghost over her body. He had looked at her before, but not like this. This was different.... Nodding she managed to bring her smile back and answered, "Sure. I'll wait." Catching his wink, she relaxed a little and turned bck to getting ready for class.

Seeing her class fill, Vixen nodded and the classroom door shut. Many of her classes last year were combined with Charms, but not this year. "Good day, everyone. For those who have had me before, welcome back and you know who I am. For those of you who have not, I'm Professor Lestrange. You know the typical names that are accetable to refer to me as. Let's begin," she said hopping down from her stool. "Before you, you will see an animal of some kind. There is nothing so who got what, simply what was placed at your spot before you entered. And, as I see worry on several of your faces," Vixen paused to glance at David, "I can assure you no hard will come to these creatures."

Turning towards the blackboard, Vixen flicked her finger at the white chalk that rested on the ledge, and as she focused back on the students, it wrote. "Can anyone tell me the etymology of the spell Vera Verto?" she asked, letting her eyes sweep across their faces as she waited for someone to answer.

Ricardo threw his arm into the air, hoping the professor would pick him so he could answer. Vera Verto was Latin for truly exchange, it was on his spell book, and he had read it over about one hundred times just that year.

Almost immediately, a Gryffindor's hand shot into the air. "Yes, Mr. Lupin?" she said, giving him the floor to answer her question.

"Vera Verto is latin for 'truly exchange', which describes this spell perfectly," he answered letting his arm slowly drop back to the table.

David finally seemed to relax. he smiled gratefully at his professor as he proceed to have his fingers affectionately nipped by Zeus. When Vera Verto was mentioned, his hand too shot into the air, but when Ricardo was picked, it fell back to his lap.

Nodding, Vixen said, "You are correct. 5 points to Gryffindor. Today we will be learning and practicing this spell. The animals before you will be your subjects." Holding her arm out, a Barred Owl hopped from his perch to her, hooting softly. Stroking her owl's fethers, Vixen asked, "Anyone want to venture a guess as to what we will be turning these creatures into?"

Adrastos lifted his hand and smiled, "Goblets?" he asked. When he heard of the vera verto spell he always heard animals turned into goblets and nothing else. Why would it be different here?

"Another 5 points to Gryffindor, thank you, Mr. Moody," Vixen said picking up her wand. "While this spell translates literally into truly exchange, the only thing this spell will do is turn an animal into a crystal goblet. A couple rules of thumb for you as this spell can be rather difficult and if not performed precisely, the desired effects will not come to pass..."

As the chalk wrote, Vixen picked up her wand and moved towards the center of the front of the class so everyone could see better. "First, posture and wand movement... Both are highly important when casting this spell. While simple, these little details can mean the difference between a desired, clear goblet or one that may need a haircut before use. And second, the incantation. As always, proper pronunciation is a must...."

Looking around as the students jotted everything down, she paused for a moment, and when all eyes were on her, she continued. Holding her wand at the ready she said, "Make sure you sit or stand tall. You tap your wand three times, lightly, against your animal, and then say, clearly, Vera Verto." After her direction, she performed the spell and as the clear mist shot from her wand tip, encircling her owl and quickly transforming her into a crystal clear goblet. Catching it before it hit the floor, Vixen held it up for everyone to see. "Any questions?" she asked, rolling the stem of the goblet between her fingers. Seeing no one move to ask, a coy smile spread across her face. "Very well. Please begin. Remember, posture, wand movement, incantation... I'll be around to check on your work as you go..." she said, setting the goblet on her desk and beginning to move among the students.

David petted his owl "It's okay Zeus, I'll have her set it right afterwards" The owl hooted trustfully. David then taped zeus with his wand, concentrated really hard, then tapped him three times before saying very clearly "Vera verto!" nothing happened. He sighed and decided to try again, tapping the owl three times before saying "Vera Verto!" this time, he magically transfigured into a clear goblet. David smiled, then sat back in his seat, waiting for the professor to change it back into his owl.

Mio listened attentively to his professor and then turned to the snake on his desk. Pulling out his wand, he tapped it gently with his wand and repeated the motion two more times before incanting "Vero Verto!", making sure to speak clearly. He could watch as the little animal changed slowly into a greenish goblet. "Neat!" he grinned over to his friend who also had managed to cast the spell.

As the students set to work, Vixen began making rounds through them. Stopping off at Bill's spot first, she smiled at seeing his owl change into a rather lovely golden goblet. Picking it up to take a closer look, she found it to be feather free and in pristine shape. "Excellent job, Bill. 10 points to Gryffindor" she said, setting it down and moving on.

Next was Carmen from Ravenclaw house. Vixen nodded in approval when the girl transformed her kitten into a goblet that was fur free and a beautiful pattern. "Keep your eyes open while you spell cast, Carmen. Don't want any mishaps happening due to your wand shifting while your eyes are closed. 10 points to Ravenclaw, well done," she told her with a wink.

"Very well done, Nelle!" Vixen praised her when she saw the double-handle of her goblet. Picking it up for a closer look, she nodded. "Very, very good. 10 points to Hufflepuff," Vixen added, setting the goblet back down on the table.

Stopping in front of Cinna and Astoria, Vixen watched the two girls work. Seeing the products of their work, she reminded them, "Take your time and make sure your posture is excellent.... Without the fur," she told the girls lightheartedly. "10 points each to Slytherin for your work," Vixen added, moving to the next.

Pausing at David's and Mio's table, she was pleased with their work. Picking up and looking at both goblets, she set them down and said, "Nice work, gentlemen. 10 points each to Gryffindor."

Artemis stroked her beautiful crow, Nero before smirking when they were told to do the spell. Pulling out her wand smoothly, she smiled. ''Sorry Nero...Vero Verto.'' She muttered and the beautiful creature turned into a red goblet with emerald gems on the side.

Aphrodite winked at Artemis before pulling out her wand and smiled at the snow white kitten on her desk, purring away as it slept. ''Lazy cat...Vero Verto!'' She whispered watching the sleeping kitten turn into a beautiful silver goblet. ''I bet when they turn back, she'll still be sleeping.'' Aphrodite muttered.

Kaida chuckled at her fellow snake's comments and rolled her eyes staring at the harpy eagle on her desk that was given to her by Luna as a gift from christmas. ''Vero Verto..'' Her soft voice sang as the eagle turned into a gold goblet with blood red gems.

Celeste's smile could be seen from a mile away as she sat with Atticus, practically glued to his side happily. Pulling out her wand, she tilted her head at the tiny bluebird on her desk. ''Sorry little one..'' She whispered and said the spell watching it turn into a silver goblet whilst pride filled her.

Soraya sat behind her sister, feeling some boy's hand on her thigh stroking it which she didn't mind. Her skirts were short for a reason just like Aphrodite's. ''Vero Verto...'' She muttered watching her Sooty owl turned into a dark goblet whilst the boy's hand rose and whilst he failed doing the spell. ''It's Vero Verto. Not Vera Verto.'' She whispered into his ear and he tried again, doing it perfectly.

Ian and Neville looked at each other with a small grin. They had already read up on that spell a few days ago and had practiced together, so hopefully they would be able to transfigure their animals without a problem.
Tapping the small bird three times, Ian said "Vera Verto!" and watched it slowly change into a small golden goblet. He looked over to Neville who was doing the same, unfortuntely his goblet was still as green as the frog had been and when Ian reached out to touch it, it was even a bit slimey. "Well... " he shot a grin at the Gryffindor. Neville blushed slightly. "I guess I should have practiced a bit more." he said sheepishly.

Junis smiled slightly at the green goblet of the Gryffindor boy in front of her and turned to her raven. "I'll try to make it smooth" she promised softly and lightly tapped the birs's head three times with her wand before incanting the spell which turned the raven into a crystal goblet.

David grinned back at his friend. "Neat indeed.. tell you what. when we learn how to turn humans into animals, you do that on Di'Angelo, and I will turn her into a goblet, deal?" He smirked slightly, but was still worried about his owl. He trusted the professor, but still felt like his owl was in danger.