Transfiguration Class

Jessica walked to the center of her classroom. She turned in a circle, admiring her handiwork. The windowless classroom was a perfect circle. Six-foot high stone niches housed a small workstation every three feet. Fires burned from large torches lit in between each workstation.

She wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. She liked to keep her room warm; she knew it made the kids uncomfortable.

This year was turning out to be an interesting one. The first years were all a disappointment—she was expecting that from the other covens, but this year her own coven frustrated her as well.

She pulled a sack of beans from her robes and set to work filling each station with exactly twelve. She was not expecting much from this group…if they could not make the spell work with twelve beans, then they would have to pick their best attempt and call it finished.

She filled the first station and pulled out her wand. She flicked it and formed the word MAILBEY over the arch. Yes…Malibey. She had heard much about Malibey and his sidekick, the Krum girl at dinner last night. She moved to the next workstation, filling it with twelve beans. Most of the professors seemed to think their childhood crush was cute. Jessica sneered. She would deal with cuteness if it showed up in her classroom.

She took out her wand again and flicked it a little harder this time. The word WHITEFEATHER appeared above the arch. Jessica looked at the name and snickered. Whitefeather. She moved on.

She filled the next station and flicked her wand again, forming the words KRUM. The next station she dedicated to Maddie’s Bloeddewedd, DOMINGO, and finally she reserved the last niche to the Morrigan bookworm, CROMWELL.

Satisfied with her final additions, Jessica put out the torches and left the room to prepare the lesson for the next day.

Jessica sailed into her classroom feeling in very high spirits. She set to work, lighting the torches and—once she was satisfied the room was lit properly, she began preparing her own workstation in the center of the cozy room.

OOC: Class Rules and Instructions

This class will begin with a short lecture on proper wand movements, concentration, and pronunciation. All students will rp within the main thread and then branch off into separate threads representing their personal niche within the room. ALL transfiguration must be done within the individual thread—not the main one.

You will have TWELVE opportunities to get the spell correct. Role playing IS required. You must actually describe what it is you are doing, not just say you did it and leave it at that. Anyone who does not fulfill this requirement will have 20 points deducted from their highest dice roll—no exceptions.

This class will run on Dice Rolls. Once you have role played what is necessary to get the spell correct (keep in mind you are also free to look around the room, comment on other students, give your own thoughts about the process, etc.—the more you add, the better your final score will be), you MUST click the dice. That can be found above the reply box. Once you click it, you will get a code. DO NOT EDIT THE CODE. Simply leave it at the very bottom of your reply. Once you post your reply, the code will generate a number. If you are not satisfied with the number you receive, you have eleven more chances to get a better one.

Grading:

Dice Roll 100-90: Bean grew legs, head, antenna, thorax and wings—25 Coven Points—GRADE O (Outstanding)

Dice Roll 91-80: Bean grew legs, head, antenna, and thorax—20 Coven Points—GRADE E (Exceeds Expectations)

Dice Roll 81-70: Bean grew legs, head, and antenna—15 Coven Points—GRADE A (Acceptable)

Dice Roll 71-60: Bean grew legs and head—10 Coven Points—GRADE P (Passing)

Dice Roll 61-50: Bean grew legs only—5 Coven Points—GRADE D (Dreadful)

Dice Roll Below 49: No change to bean—0 Coven Points—GRADE T (Troll)

Once you get a dice roll you are happy with, rejoin the main thread with your final project and show the professor to get your grade. Your final grade will be based on a combination of the quality of the role-play within your individual thread and your highest dice roll.

Extra credit will not be given for beans left over. This class is scheduled for one entire real time week (5 days). If you finish up early, you can rejoin the main thread—being both graded and excused before the five days have elapsed. Feel free to take as long as you want to complete your assignment, however, if you do not finish within 5 days, I will god mod you out of the classroom and you will automatically receive a grade of T—even if your individual thread has rolls within it.

Walking into the room, Kerry did a bit of a double-take when he saw the layout of the transfiguration class. Outside the building, made of brick, had the appearance of any of the other structures here. Inside--it had a vaguely Roman amphitheater feel with a touch of Vulcan heat thrown in for measure.

Kerry looked around and noticed each student would be working out of a little stone cubbyhole. He saw his name on an arch, then noticed Annie's name was almost on the other side of the circle. Kerry looked to Annie and shrugged; staying together wasn't always going to be possible. Even so, each cubby was pretty self-contained. Even if they had been next to each other, they would still be separated.

He leaned in to Annie and whispered, "This is some classroom, huh?" He watched the teacher out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know a thing about Professor Kishna, but just watching her move--and taking in the ambiance of the classroom--Kerry instantly pegged her for someone the polar opposite of Professor Salomon. Try anything out of line here and you're going to get nailed, he thought.

Kerry touched Annie's hand quickly. "I'll see you after class," he told her. He stepped into his cubby and slipped off his backpack. There wasn't a chair or stool, but there were--beans? Okay . . . He leaned a bit against the desk, just to keep from pacing around his own Private Transfiguring Idaho.

Annie was terrified the second they entered their transfiguration classroom. It felt a little like walking into an active volcano—on purpose.

She saw the niches and noticed her name above one and Kerry’s on the opposite side. Something about it seemed deliberate. This teacher is dangerous. She managed to nod her head when Kerry asked about the classroom, and then he was walking off toward his niche. Annie decided it would be a good idea to walk to her own. She went the opposite way and quietly stood in front of it.

Jessica heard the two Cernunnos enter her space. Malibey….and Krum. She knew they would arrive together and she was not disappointed.

“Welcome to transfiguration, first years,” she said. She cruised across the classroom, closing the distance between herself and them. “I am Professor Kishna.”

She stopped once she reached the center of the room and looked them both over carefully. “I have already heard many things about the pair of you,” she taunted. “Many professors here find your antics…cute. Know that I do not allow cute within my classroom. You will not get another warning.” Jessica smiled broadly at the Krum girl, who appeared to be cowering in front of her station. “We wouldn’t want young Annie to turn all of her beans into miniatures of Mr. Malibey, would we?" Jessica chuckled.

“When the two of you are in my classroom, you will forget the other exists. Are we clear?”

Kerry went stone faced. Had to expect someone was gonna come down on us, he thought. Annie looked like she was going to pee herself, and Kerry really, really hoped this didn't get her so bent out of shape she started screwing up.

"There won't be any problems, Professor Kishna," he said. He didn't smirk or sound flippant when he added, "Annie and I want to learn, and that's all that will happen."

Annie could not deny the transfiguration professor was downright frightening. She listened to her speak and shivered when she turned on her and smiled. She peeked at Kerry when he spoke up. Annie had read countless books on transfiguration and had a good idea about what Professor Kishna meant when she said mini Kerry’s were possible.

“I understand, Professor,” she managed to squeak out.

“Wonderful,” Jessica said, producing her wand. “Please retrieve your own wands and your textbooks. We will be reading Chapters One and Two. Feel free to read through the chapters before the rest of the students arrive. If you have any questions,” she stared at each of them and smirked, “please ask.”

OOC: Chapter One and Two of the textbook

Chapter One:
Introduction to Transfiguration

Transfiguration is one of the more complicated branches of magic, especially for those who do not possess an inclination for it. It is a magic that begs for perfection—and necessarily so because of what is required of the witch or wizard performing the magic. Concentration, study, and practice are vital to this subject. Poor preparation will be the only thing that will hinder your understanding and ultimately, your success.

What is Transfiguration?
Everyone has invariably seen Transfiguration at work at some point in his or her life—from real life transformations within the wizarding realm, to those imaginary ones often seen in fairy tales in the Muggle world, such as Cinderella and The Little Mermaid.

Transfiguration has long been a factor in various religions around the globe, it has been the subject of Muggle movies and television shows, and has been immortalized in artwork worldwide. With such popularity, one starts to wonder: what exactly is Transfiguration?

The Muggle world defines transfiguration as a marked change in form or appearance—a metamorphosis, or a change that glorifies or exalts.

These definitions work in the Muggle world only because most Muggles have no awareness of the Magic that surrounds them. So then how do wizards and witches define Transfiguration?

The fundamental definition is this:
Transfiguration is the transformation of one object or person into another object or person.

More scientifically, Transfiguration is the study and process of rearranging molecules, altering both their physical and psychological structure into that of another object.

Transfiguration can transform almost anything; however, as with most forms of magic, there are some limitations. Because of the great possibility of error and the horrendous outcomes should something go wrong, it is always advisable to practice spells whilst in the classrooms and on inanimate objects unless otherwise stated.


What is the Difference between Charms and Transfiguration?
A common misconception about Transfiguration is that it is the same as the subject of Charms. Whilst both subjects do share some of the same qualities, their application, purpose, and rearrangement of molecules is quite different.

Charms and Transfiguration both rely on manipulating the molecular structure of an object. While Charms is used more often in willing an object to do ones bidding (levitating, shrinking, summoning, etc.), Transfiguration overall is about transformation.

It would be appropriate to say that a wizard could turn an apple into an orange using both charms and transfiguration. However, whereas the charm would mask the outright appearance of the apple into that of an orange, transfiguration would actually turn the apple into an orange.

The charm would change only the outside appearance from red and shiny to dull and orange. This would be an example of how a charm rearranges molecules to produce a desired result. The inside of the would-be orange would still be that of an apple. Charms, unlike Transfiguration, cannot restructure an objects essence.

Transfiguring the apple into a whole orange would take more concentration and preparation. While one still needs to concentrate on the outward appearance of the orange, one also has to concentrate on what makes up the essence of the orange. This would include the fleshy insides, the juice, texture, fragrance, and color. These together make an orange an orange. They are its fundamental nature. The principles are the same for animal and human transfiguration, but there are a few added things to consider when performing one of those transformations.

Both Charms and Transfigurations are temporary. The strength of a spell is dependent upon necessity and the actual power within the caster. Both charms and transfiguration have their own separate sections in the Wizarding Spell-Casting Edict, which specify when they can be performed, what particular spells can be used, and what objects can be charmed or transfigured. This is for the safety of wizards and witches everywhere, as well as to preserve the wizarding economy.



Chapter Two:
Transfiguration Basics: What Every Student Should Know

Before a witch or wizard can begin the practice of Transfiguration, it is of the utmost importance that he or she has a firm understanding of this sometimes highly dangerous subject. As such, there are four areas that all practitioners of Transfiguration should be familiar with:

The Fundamental Purposes of Transfiguration
Pronunciation
Wand Movement
Concentration and Visualization

Purpose of Transfiguration
In the first chapter, we have discussed the difference between Charms and Transfiguration.

It is important to understand that there may be many reasons for someone to perform Transfiguration -- both positive and negative, and the purpose for casting the spells generally falls within the following three areas: function, safety, and necessity.

Function is the least complicated of these areas. One performs a transformation to better enhance the function of a particular object. An example of functional transfiguration would be the transformation of legs on a chair into that of wheels.

Sometimes, in our most grim of circumstances, a hex or charm may not prove to be strong enough to save a life. This is when this delicate art can be at its most profound. An example of the use of transfiguration as a means of safety might be to transfigure an opponent into an animal less harmless, like a mouse or rabbit.

The most common purpose for Transfiguration is that of necessity. Necessary Transfiguration is performed daily—for instance, students may transfigure a stamper into a quill to finish an essay; a teapot may find another use as a ladle needed for spooning stew for supper.

There are certain rules to what can and cannot be transfigured, but that will be discussed in a later chapter.

Pronunciation
As in Charms and Dark Arts, pronunciation is also of the utmost importance with Transfiguration. A slight pause or an extra syllable in a spell can greatly alter the outcome of the transformation.

Most Transfiguration spells end or begin with the word Verto. It is Latin for transform and usually works to end the spell. However, in Untransfiguration, the spells typically are switched. Therefore, if you were performing a spell to switch a match into a needle you would simply say 'Compositus Verto.' If you wanted to perform Untransfiguration, you would simple say 'Verto Compositus' and you would have the original state back.

It is always advisable for those who are practicing a new spell for the first time to go over the pronunciation thoroughly. The spell should only be performed once one is completely comfortable with the pronunciation and the way it rolls off their tongue. This can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes or more.

It is important to remember that when practicing the pronunciation of a spell, one should never practice the wand movement at the same time.

Wand Movement
As with pronunciation, wand movement is an important ingredient in casting a successful spell. The instructed movement of the wand helps to channel specific aspects of a wizard's or witch's magical character.

A wrong flick of the wrist will result in an unsuccessful transformation. Each spell gives specific instructions for the necessary wand movement to make that spell work. It is advised that those learning a spell for the first time to take the time to practice these movements until they feel comfortable with them.

Some wand movements may require specific wand holds; Charms is a particularly tricky subject in which wand holds are just as important as wand movement. As a reminder, it is never a good idea to practice pronunciation and wand movements at the same time unless you are ready to cast the spell. Each should be practiced on their own to prevent any premature transformations.

Concentration and Visualization
Finally, the last area of Transfiguration that is important to be familiar with is that of concentration and visualization.

Unlike Charms, the caster does not necessarily have to imagine what their spell will do. To use the Sonorus Charm, one does not imagine that their voice is already loud. With adequate practice, the charm is just preformed. This is not the case with Transfiguration. Since all outcomes have a physical appearance (and then some have behavioral outcomes as well), visualization is an important key to Transfiguration success.

Before performing the spell, it is imperative that the caster visualize the result in their head. This also means that the caster should be familiar with the object or animal that their subject is being transformed into; for animals and humans, this would include bone structure and behavior; for objects, this would include texture and purpose.

It is also essential that while visualization is taking place, the caster simultaneously has complete concentration on the task. Some may find that noisy areas are distracting and will have problems with their transformations. Through continued practice, they will soon find that their concentration will improve. These two keys will help the rest of the spell fall in place.

The transfiguration hall was beautiful to Keith. This place seemed ideal for learning magic, despite not really knowing that much about it yet. Walking in, he noticed that Kerry and Annie had already arrived. They were positioned apart in the arched workstations surrounding the walls.

At the same time he noticed the niche labeled for him, Keith noticed the professor approaching him. "Good morning," he said with a short bow.

Jessica saw the Bloeddewedd first year enter her room. She gave him a few seconds to take in his surroundings and then took a few steps toward him. He greeted her, bowing slightly. That is…interesting. She nodded her head in return and motioned toward his niche, positioned next to the Krum girl.

“Welcome to transfiguration, Mr. Domingo,” she said. “Please find your work area and remove your wand and textbook. We will be working from the first two chapters today.”



OOC—The transfiguration room does not have a single chair within it, so Annie and Kerry cannot be sitting. The only furniture is that which has been described.

Lina walked in after a quick clothes change and breakfast. Before entering the classroom, she retied her tie and quickly tied back a portion of her hair with a sky blue ribbon that matched her shirt of the day. Once she entered she saw several niches and above each niche had a name. It took her a few seconds to realize that the names above each niche was a surname, in which, she found herself between a boy with the surname Mailbey and Keith. She walked over to her station and did a quick look over the classroom to find the Professor. When she saw her, Lina gave a slight smile towards her and greeted her, "G-good morning, Professor."

Kerry spotted the girl from History class sliding into the niche next to him. He looked up from his book. "Hey, Evangelina," he said in a low, friendly voice. "Where were you yesterday? You missed flying!" Kerry, against his best interest, was getting a little wound up. "It was great; I was flying for the first time! The teacher didn't let us out, though: they canceled on account of the weather--"

He closed his eyes and calmed himself. After a few moments he continued. "Good to see you here, though." He looked around, little bead of sweat clinging to his forehead. "It's gonna be fun."

Lina looked next to her and noticed the boy from her History class. She gave him a slight smile as she explained, "um...I don't really remember yesterday, or at least part of it. On the way to lunch, both Raven and I were hit by a branch and, um...yeah. We woke up in the hospital wing last night for a little bit." With that, she took out her book. Even though she had read her book completely, she felt like she should refresh her memory...especially after the accident. "Um, what chapters are we doing today?"

Please don't be late, please don't be late Raven thought to herself over and over. She stopped by her room to change out of her clothes, quickly showered, and ate breakfast all before Transfiguration class, but she didn't take into account how crowded the hallways and tunnels were with students that were also running late...or had a free period.

Opening the door, Raven had a slight fright when she realized that she was the last one to arrive. Looking over at Professor Kishna in her best smile, Raven cheerfully exclaimed, "Howdy Professa Kishna."

Jessica watched the bookish Morrigan enter her class. She nodded at the girl and watched her slink to her workstation. Jessica sniggered when Malibey spoke up. She glanced over at the Krum girl on the other side.

“Indeed, Mr. Malibey,” Jessica said, turning her attention back to him. “It has already been quite interesting.”

She turned to the Morrigan. “Welcome to transfiguration, Miss Cromwell,” she said. “Please remove your wand and textbook so we may begin.”

Just when Jessica was about to begin, in walked her own Ceridwen…Raven. She turned to face her, glowering down. “Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Miss Whitefeather,” she seethed.

She pointed at her workstation and waited for the girl to take her place in the circle.

Jessica stood in the center of her first years and began her lesson. “I am honored to be able to teach you all transfiguration,” she began. “Please refer to your textbook and read the first two chapters, if you have not already done so.” She looked at Raven.

“Today, we will practice transforming beans into beetles. Watch me,” Jessica held a bean up.

“Engorgio,” she said, and the bean swelled to the size of a small cantaloupe. “In order to successfully change a bean into a beetle, you must envision it. You must see the beetle in your mind. It will be impossible to change this bean into a beetle unless you know what a beetle looks like.” Jessica pointed her wand at each wall in between stations and, before their eyes, a detailed diagram of a beetle emerged.

“Visualization is important in this sense; as you perform the spell, you must visualize the end result in your head. If you are unsure or your focus falters, the result could be disastrous. I expect everyone to make sure they familiarize themselves with the anatomy of the beetle before attempting their spell.”

Jessica moved her wand, demonstrating the small circular flick that was necessary to perform the spell correctly. She then paired the wand movement with the spell. “Escarabajo.”

The bean in her hand grew into a rather large beetle before the entire class. “Are there any questions, students?”

Kerry raised his hand. "Professor, when you did the motion with the wand--" He picked his up in his right hand. "You did the swirl like this--" He imitated the motion best he could, then transfered the wand to his left hand, which was his normal hand. "Do I perform the swirl in the opposite direction since I'm left handed?"

Jessica turned to face Malibey. "The wand movement must be done the same way," she said, transferring her wand to her left hand as she spoke.

"You will find that, with practice..." she waved her wand in reverse and gave it a small flick while whispering, "Reverti Escarabajo." The beetle changed back into a large bean. "It will all come easily enough."

She smiled at the boy and turned to the rest of the class. "Please begin your work and I will be around to check your progress."

Jessica watched Malibey as he sent his spell into the bean, Impressive...and then he started blubbering.

"Malibey," she said, "Bring your work here. I would like to review it." She looked him over as he began collecting his beetle. "Put yourself together before you get here, boy."

Kerry sniffed hard a couple of times, then wiped his face as best he could with his hands and jacket sleeve. He cleared his head with a couple of deep breaths. He didn't mean to fall part like that, but . . . damn, it was such a thing of beauty to watch that bean change like that.

Convinced he was as together as he was going to be, he gathered up his beetle in his hands and turned towards Jessica. "Ready, Professor," he said, feeling the calm return with each passing second.

Jessica watched the small beetle scurry around in Kerry's hands. "Well done, Mr. Malibey." She winked at him and leaned in closer,

"It is important to remember that magic doesn't come from a book," she lightly placed her index finger on his chest. "It comes from right here. I am glad to see you have learned to open yourself up to that."

She straightened herself to address the class. "Mr. Malibey has managed a near perfect transfiguration. He earns an Outstanding for his hard work and 25 points for his coven." She applauded for him and then sent him back to his station to clean it up.

"Please tidy your workstation and then you are dismissed, Mr. Malibey. Feel free to keep your beetle. Do not be alarmed if, by the end of the day, it has returned to its original state."

"Everyone else, please carry on."

Cleaning up his space, Kerry was floating. Yeah, baby! I got it! He slipped the beetle into his backpack, thinking it'd be back to a bean before too long, but keeping the bean would be a lot easier than a beetle.

He wanted to say something to Annie before leaving, but . . . Annie was on the other side of the room. He knew yelling across was out of the question, and given the verbal warning they'd both received when they'd walked in, Kerry also knew asking if he could stay was out of the question.

However--

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he faced Professor Kishna, gave her a slight nod while saying, "See you, Professor," and instead of turning and heading out the door to his immediate left, he quickly turned to his right and walked past each niche in turn, acting as if he were checking out what everyone else was doing while he took his victory lap. Yeah, it was something that was just liable to get him in trouble, but . . . hey, only live once!

As he slipped past Annie he slowed up just a touch, then whispered, "You'll get it; I'll wait right outside." Then he rushed past the remaining students and headed out of the classroom.

Feeling another moment of pity toward his more deformed bean/beetle, Keith picked up his better looking one and met Professor Kishna halfway from his workstation. On the way, he noticed that Annie had left at some point. He vaguely remembered hearing some sort of commotion she might have been involved in. It probably happened after he noticed Lina. Speaking of which, he began to think.

Instead of looking over at her niche, he stopped just short of colliding with the professor. She would have felt more intimidating to approach under other conditions, but it was simply too hot and Keith felt mentally exhausted from the Transfiguration exercise.

He wiped more sweat from his bumped forehead and presented the beantle, which was what he whimsically and quietly dubbed his creation. "This was the best I could do." he said with sincerity.

The beetle skittered slowly and clumsily in his cupped and outstretched hand. It lacked a defined thorax, but it looked like a beetle that was supposed to camouflage itself as a realistic bean. At least it wasn't misshapen, like the other one back over at his workstation.

Jessica eyed the boy in front of her. The best he could do? She leaned in close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body. “Your best,” she hissed. She snatched the pathetic beetle from Keith’s hand and squished it between her fingers, enjoying the satisfying crunching sound it made.

“If this is your best,” she whispered into his ear, “I’d be worried about returning to this classroom.”

She straightened up and addressed the classroom, though only the Morrigan remained. “Mr. Domingo has earned an Acceptable and fifteen coven points.” She turned to Keith. “Please tidy your workstation before leaving my classroom.”