Chapter Two
Getting Started
After getting ready, Lorena followed her classmates for class. They had Transfigurations with the Gryffindors in the first period, so they walked through the corridors until they arrived to the classroom. There were chairs and tables facing the black board, and the desk with its tall leather chair was next to cage with a colorful bird inside.
Every one sat down on the chairs and as they were taking out parchment, quill and ink, a striped cat entered the room, and as it walked towards the desk, it transformed into Professor McGonagall. She turned around and eyed the classroom with her severe eyes. Then, she waved her wand and snails appeared on each of the tables.
-One of the most difficult forms of transfiguration y transforming a living thing. Their energy makes the harder to control, and sometime, the living thing will even prefer to die or explode before letting the wizard change it.
She took one of the snails and levitated it for everyone to see. She gave a flicker of her wand and the snail turned into a ornamented candle.
-For this class, you will transform your snail into a candle, and then you will proceed to light it. If the candle stays immobile, you will gain points. Begin.
Every one took their wands out and Lorena did the same, although she had not the slightest idea of what to do. It was obvious that the other students knew how to do it, because they started to make complicated wand movements as the pointed at their snails. The curly hair girl next to her, who had finally known that her name was Emma, was frowning at her snail, which was completely unaware of the girl's efforts.
Lorena turned to her own snail, which was slowly leaving a trace of slime across the table. She took her wand, fourteen and a half inches elk with phoenix core, and whipped it. The snail exploded with a tremendous sound and splashed Lorena and Emma's faces. Both girls shrieked in disgust, and Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes as she cleaned both of them with a wave of her wand and gave Lorena another snail. This time, and still disgusted, she tried to be more cautious with her movements. She gave a light flicker to her wand, and she saw with amusement as the snail slowly turned white. As it still didn't look candle-like, she tried with a bit more effort, and this time, she felt a strength struggling against her magic. The snail was defending itself! More confident, Lorena pointed her wand at the snail and tried to imagine it transforming into a candle. Slowly, the snail started to slow down, until it stopped completely, and then started to turn into soft dough until it hardened, and finally Lorena had a perfect snail-like candle in front of her, with a wick on its shell and everything. Happily, she turned to see if the other students had also succeeded. Some were also looking at a candle in front of them that looked just like hers, but some others weren't being so lucky. One student was trying to catch his snail, which couldn't stop slipping and bouncing off his hands, as if it was soap. Others had turned their snails into bright colors, and one Gryffindor girl was even looking helplessly as her snail melted.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and asked the ones who had succeeded to light their snails. The result was a bit disturbing, as some snail-candles weren't completely finished. There were muffled but strangled sounds coming from them and shrieks from the students, and Lorena saw in horror as the flame made her candle shiver.
-As you can see, some of the snails were still alive inside the wax of the candle when you light them. However, do not feel pity for them when you transform them, because if you do, it will make it worse.
-Why? –the girl who her snail had melted asked.
-If you are not firm when transforming it, the living thing will pass its pain or anger into you, making you lose control, and you may hurt yourself or others.
-I doubt this snail will make me lose control –a boy behind Lorena mocked.
-I'm sorry Mr. Williams, but I recall that you were one of the few who shrieked when the snails quivered after lighting them.
The whole class laughed, and the boy turned his eyes away, frowning.
-Now please,- Professor McGonagall said when the laughs died- bring your candles to my desk and then write a paragraph about what you observed and what should or shouldn't be done when transforming a living thing.
After class, Lorena was still a bit dazzled about her first magical class, but as she walked through the corridor, she spotted Abril coming from the dungeons.
-What happened? –Lorena asked when she saw Abril's angry face.
-He is even worse than he's described in the books! That bloody git.
-Who? –Lorena asked confused.
-Snape! –Abril answered exasperated – I just had class with him. It was awful! Now I understand how Harry feels. He's so mean! He even asked me how I had passed my Potions O.W.L.
-Well, you have no idea either –Lorena said smiling.
Abril just snorted and both friends headed outside the castle and into the grounds.
-Hey Abril! –a voice suddenly called behind them.
Abril gave Lorena a pleading look before turning to look at the one who had called her. Fred and George Weasley were strolling down the corridor towards them, huge smiles on their faces.
-There you are. We've been looking for you all morning –Fred told Abril when they reached them -. The chocolates you asked for just arrived. How many do you want?
Knowing the twins, those chocolates were surely going to be far than normal, so Abril warily answered:
-Remind me what the chocolates do.
Fred and George exchanged a mischievous look and Abril got nervous.
-Well, none of them do the exact same thing as the other. They are all unique.
-But what do they do?
-Let's just say you'll be extremely popular with guys –George told her with a wink.
Lorena giggled and Abril turned red but smiled.
-All right, how many are they?
-Each box has ten chocolates.
-Give me two.
The twins gave her two little purple boxes with green ribbons, but then Abril said:
-Oh, I don't have any money to pay you back!
-Don't worry. We were hoping you would… -George started.
-…pay us with a favor –Fred finished, and then said: -I understand you have a, let's say, friendly relationship with that Smith guy?
Abril blinked, not knowing who they were talking about, but Lorena immediately got interested.
-Zacharias Smith?
-That's the one.
-What about him?
-He has something that we desperately want. And hey, you could even try one of the chocolates on him.
Abril flushed, but Lorena looked excited.
-Ok, what is it that you want?
-The other day, Snape gave him detention, and while he was cleaning the ingredients cabinet, Smith was able to retrieve some flobberworm mucus. He knew that we were trying to steal it, so he got it first and now he wants us to buy it from him, the bastard.
-So let me get this straight, -Lorena said thoughtfully –you want Abril to take the chocolates, seduce Smith into giving her the mucus and then pay you the chocolates with it, right?
Exactly –the twins said in unison, and then Fred added: -Of course, we want it for academically purpose only.
-Of course –Abril said raising an eyebrow.
Lorena and the twins turned to look at her expectantly, so Abril just sighed and said:
-All right, I'll do it.
-Pleasure doing business with you –Fred said and then he and George gave an exaggerated bow as farewell -. Ladies.
They turned away, and Lorena and Abril headed to the Forbidden Forest for their Care of Magical Creatures class. Abril nudged Lorena, and she smiled.
-What? –she said innocently.
-What was all that about?
-What do mean?
-Well, seem very eager to snatch Smith. Since when are you like the twins?
-You'd be surprised –Lorena answered smiling -. Relax, it'll be fun! See it as our first adventure. Besides, Smith is like your type of guy.
-Really? –Abril asked, suddenly interested -. What does he look like?
-Don't you remember him? He was…I mean, he's going to be in Dumbledore's Army. He's some git that all what he seems to do is offend people every time he opens his mouth.
-Yeah, sounds like my type of guy –Abril answered sarcastically, but Lorena just smiled.
-He's blond, tall and has blue eyes. And he is a Puff too.
-Ugh, stop calling us that way! It's Hufflepuff, not Puff.
Lorena laughed as they arrived at the border of the Forbidden Forest and left their things on a fallen log. Hagrid smiled eagerly at all the students when they arrived, and said he had an amazing creature to show them that day, which in terms of Hagrid, it was surely going to be dangerous or disgusting, or both. But as they followed Hagrid deeper into the forest, the started to listen high pitched cackles and the finally saw the creature they had to study that day which at least was not repulsive, but it surely was creepy.
-Today, ye're goin' make this erklings go into those cages over therr –Hagrid said -. Choose anything ye want from that box to distract them. C'mon, off ye go!
And sighing, Abril, Lorena and all the other students resigned to pick a snack or a toy from the box, and headed to where the elfish-like creatures were, who were staring at them with their macabre smile and blank eyes.
5
