Disclaimer: still the same as Chapter 1.

Author's notes:

- The Bikkil Augmentare spell is of my own creation.


Chapter 9: Animagi

The next scheduled class was Transfiguration, so the Gryffindor First-Years rushed to the East Wing, second floor to reach classroom number 5.

Sirius was very happy to leave the dungeons, for its gloomy ambiance had been hard on his nerves. Somehow, he wondered about the decision to have placed the Slytherins' Common Room and dormitories underground. The snake house kids would certainly feel resentful about having to live and sleep without direct access to light, while the Hufflepuffs, the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors had their dormitories at the ground, fifth and seventh levels, respectively. The castle had enough towers and rooms to install all the dormitories upstairs, so what was the use of making the Slytherins sleep in the basement? No wonder some of them felt jealousy towards the others students, and it was stupid to let dangerous situations festering; as if Hogwarts hadn't had its atmosphere corrupted enough!

Sirius shuddered lightly at the recollection of the dungeons and the disastrous Potions lecture they just had. Professor Nitric seemed resolute to make everyone's life difficult – including for the students of his own house -, all this to regain some points for the House Cup and to save face in front of the other teachers.

"Whew! It is Transfiguration class now, with Professor McGonagall!" said Remus, looking obviously more at ease than during Potions.

"Yes, well we'd better be careful around her," said Mary. "According to my sister Maggie, McGonagall follows the Hogwarts' rulebook by the letter and she's very strict about homework. Transfiguration is one of the hardest aspects of magic and some wizards and witches never succeed in mastering it, no matter how powerful they become after their studies. There are some amazing examples…"

"Like, who?" asked James.

Mary darted a look around, and then she motioned to her friends to come closer before answering quietly: "Like Professor Scott."

"Whoa!" exclaimed James, Sirius and Remus in the same voice.

"I'm not joking! It's not something Scott brags about. But my Mum works as an archivist at the Ministry of Magic's Education Department and she accidentally found out that our DADA teacher has never achieved Transfiguration during his Hogwarts education. Sure, it hasn't stopped him from being extremely gifted in other subjects like Potions, Astronomy, DADA, Charms and so on, but he has renounced to transfigure anything because he has always failed at it."

"Well, that's reassuring!" grumbled Remus. "How in the world are we supposed to achieve something that even the DADA teacher can't do?"

"We'll just have to be more gifted than Scott, that's all. It'll be a piece of cake for a bunch of genius kids like us!" said James with a mock superior look on his face.

Much-needed laughter followed the bespectacled boy's declaration, and the group of First-Years entered classroom number 5 with their spirits cleared of Professor Nitric's awful lecture. Sirius, James and Remus took seats at the back row, as usual, while Mary joined Lily Evans at the front. Sirius took out his notebook and the Transfiguration textbook ("Morphing", by Zeus Butterfly) and he noticed that Mary was talking to her friend, pointing discreetly at tight-knitted group of boys as if to prove the truthfulness of her words. But Lily just shook her head negatively, refusing to look backwards and Mary casted a sad, embarrassed look at James.

"Well, it's nice of Mary to have tried," thought Sirius, but before he could comfort James the door of the classroom opened and the severe-looking, emerald-robed witch stepped in. She wore a pointy hat on her head, adorned with a pheasant's feather which somehow made her look like a hunter.

"Good morning, class!"

"Good morning, Professor," answered the children.

"I am Minerva McGonagall and for the next months, I will teach you Transfiguration, which is the art of changing objects or animals into other forms. It is one of the most complex forms of magic existing on Earth, so it is vital for you to pay attention during my lectures. If someone tries to act the clown in this classroom, he or she will be expelled from it without any chances of ever coming back. You be warned."

The Transfiguration teacher then raised her wand and made a great demonstration of her abilities by changing the blackboard into an oak tree, the wastebasket in a screeching turkey bird and Julius Alexander's eraser into a parrot, much to the boy's delight. Sirius was astonished by those spectacular metamorphoses: the possibilities seemed limitless! He laughed out loud when the pencils of a student named Quentin Philips transformed into a paper fan, and all the kids spontaneously applauded when Professor McGonagall turned an ugly-looking vase into a beautiful crystal statue representing a fairy tale princess.

"Are there any questions?" asked the teacher, tucking her wand back into her cloak's pocket.

A shaky hand was raised, and Sirius was surprised to see it belonged to Peter Pettigrew, the nervous kid who usually stayed as quiet as a mouse during lessons, trying to hide behind seated students who were taller than him.

"Yes, Mister…?"

"P-P-Peter P-Pet-t-t-tigrew, P-P-Professor. I j-j-just wondered ab-bout something and I-I-I'd like to k-k-know…"

"Take your time and ask your question, Mister Pettigrew," said McGonagall, apparently being patient about the boy's stuttering.

"W-W-Well, I-I-I-I've been t-told that only P-P-Pure-blooded wizards can achieve T-Transfiguration. Is it t-true?"

The teacher's facial expressions changed from severe to terrifying in less than a second!

"And who told you that absolute rubbish?"

Pettigrew squeaked and made the movement to disappear under his desk, but one hard glance from Professor McGonagall made him remain glued on his chair. Long minutes passed before the boy could answer through shattering teeth: "My f-f-father…"

"I see. Well, he should have known better than stuffing your head with nonsense!" said the teacher with so much ice in her voice her cowering student would get frostbite. "Magic doesn't depend on blood, but from abilities that bloom under proper tutelage, work and good study habits. If you think your background will give you any kind of advantage in mastering Transfiguration, then you are absolutely wrong and I'm warning you, Mister Pettigrew, I won't stand for a single word of this disgusting Pureblood ideology inside my classroom. Is that clear?"

The brown-haired boy was trembling so hard under McGonagall's gaze he looked like he was suffering from malaria! He nodded weakly and then tried to hide behind his open textbook, but to no avail: it seems that the teacher's eyes had enough power to bore holes through the book's pages and cover.

"If looks could kill!" muttered James.

"Tough lady, that's for sure," said Remus from the corner of his mouth. "We'd better be cautious around her."

"Anyone has another question to ask… an intelligent one, this time?" asked McGonagall, and Pettigrew got red-faced in humiliation as he heard muffled laughter coming from the other students.

Sirius raised his hand.

"Yes, Mister…?"

"Sirius Black, Professor. I'd like to know if Transfiguration can work the other way around. Can humans transform themselves into objects or animals?"

This time, and under the children's incredulous eyes, McGonagall smiled!

"That's a very good question, Mister Black. It isn't possible for humans to turn into unanimated objects; but some wizards and witches can actually change into animals: they are called Animagi, and only forty of them have been officially registered at the Ministry of Magic since its creation. An Animagus has the power to transform into an animal he or she has decided to personify, so it is a combination of Transfiguration and wand-less magic. That's why becoming an Animagus is very difficult, but not impossible."

Sirius' eyes shone like flint stones at the idea of turning into an animal: the looks of horror on his parents' face after watching him change into a grizzly bear! Becoming a rhinoceros would be funny, too… Or maybe an elephant, so he would barge into the Black Manor and destroy his mother's prized artefacts, like the fabled animal inside a fine China shop. Walburga would faint on the spot at the sight of "The shame of the family" wrecking the Dark Arts objects she praised so much!

Enchanted by this idea, the young boy asked: "Do you think it will be possible for us to meet an Animagus one day, Professor?"

McGonagall had another smile. That made it twice in a row, an all-time record!

"Mister Black, you are looking at one right now," and with those words, the teacher suddenly morphed into a grey-stripped cat with green eyes. A collective "OOOH!" of surprise rang across the classroom as all the students jumped out of their chairs to stare at the feline which had appeared on the floor. The cat looked at the children for a minute with unblinking eyes, and then the transformation happened again and Sirius found himself staring at Professor McGonagall back into her human form, straightening her pointy hat on her head.

"So, what do you think, Mister Black?"

"It's brilliant!" exclaimed Sirius, genuinely impressed.

"I'm glad you approve. Now, go back to your seats quietly, and open your books at page three."

The no-nonsense tone of the teacher made the kids obey at once, except for James who raised his hand as well.

"Yes?" asked McGonagall, a bit sharper this time.

"James Potter, Professor. If humans can turn into animals, does that mean werewolves are Animagi, too?"

The stern-faced witch let out a small gasp of surprise, but she quickly regained her self-control to answer:

"No, Mister Potter. An Animagus is able to turn into an animal at will. A werewolf can't control its transformation. They are subjected to the influence of the full moon, meaning their transformation occurs inevitably once a month and it hurts them a lot. In fact, werewolves are in such amount of pain they are unable to think clearly, so they often lash out at people standing nearby them. They can't recognize a friend from a foe after they've changed, unfortunately. That's why it is highly recommended to stay clear from them on full moon nights."

"They are nothing but a bunch of monsters!" exclaimed Agatha Binns. "They should be shot down like the rabid dogs they are!"

"That's a harsh statement, Miss!" said McGonagall. "It is true that some werewolves can get very embittered by fear and rejection from people of both the wizarding and the Muggle world, so they become criminals out of revenge. But the vast majority of them want to live peaceful lives, safe from threats and ostracism. One rotten apple doesn't make a whole harvest, Miss, and I hope you will refrain from having such a prejudiced attitude in the future!"

Agatha Binns didn't reply, but her eyes were eloquent enough: she wouldn't change her mind about werewolves anytime soon. Sirius suddenly heard a soft moan behind him and he turned around to see a livid Remus Lupin struggling to get on his feet.

"Remy? Are you hurting, mate?" asked James, but his friend didn't reply. Instead, he raised his hand.

"I'm Remus Lupin, Professor. May I leave the room, please?"

"Mister Lupin, you look as white as a sheet! Is there something wrong?"

"I need a drink of water… Please, may I go?"

"Yes, of course!" replied McGonagall, but she didn't have the occasion to add another word since the boy with honey-coloured eyes fled the classroom as if an army of ghosts was chasing him. A stunned silence followed Remus' departure, and then the teacher coughed loudly and started giving her lecture, acting like nothing happened.

"Gosh! Remus sure looked poorly!" said James.

"Do you think he suffers from a relapse?" asked Sirius.

"Beats me, mate. I don't know what's wrong with him and it would be rude to ask questions, but his condition must be a nasty one: at times he's dead tired, and then he looks just fine. The next thing you know, out of the blue, he takes a turn for the worse again!"

"Well, I hope he won't try to go see Madame Pomfresh alone, because he might collapse in the corridors and at this hour of the day, they are completely deserted. I doubt a student or a ghost would come here to raise the alarm!"

The two Gryffindor boys spent the next ten minutes looking anxiously at the door, wondering about their friends and silently arguing with themselves if they should ask Professor McGonagall permission to go seek their friend. But the Transfiguration teacher didn't look like the kind of person who would allow three students to leave her classroom at the same time. Finally, a soft knock was heard and Remus Lupin stepped inside, looking a bit better. McGonagall simply nodded her head to him in acknowledgment and the boy went back to his seat, next to James.

"Are you better, Remy?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, thank you. I just needed some water, that's all."

"That's all?" repeated James. "You looked like you were going to faint on the spot! Do you think you should go see Madame Pomfresh?"

"No, no. Don't worry, Jamie, I'm fine. Sometimes my… condition gets the best of me. But I'm okay, now. Please, keep your voices down; otherwise McGonagall will punish us for not paying attention!"

James and Sirius exchanged a look but they finally quieted, not really wanting to experiment the Transfiguration teacher's wrath on their first lesson with her: they already had their share with Nitric!

McGonagall demonstrated the Bikkil Augmentare spell to change a coloured glass marble into a juggling ball, and then she gave the kids a marble each and ordered them to try the metamorphosis. The students were pleased by this exercise, even though success was uneven: Lily's marble turned into a fried egg, Mary's into a glass paperweight, while Sirius became the proud owner of a yellow tennis ball. Remus' attempts changed his marble into a party balloon, which blew across the classroom with a trivial sound – much to James' hilarity. The other students faired no better, but they all accepted their failures with good humour – except for Peter Pettigrew, who failed miserably but when he started to cry, Professor McGonagall's sharp voice stopped him short when she said:

"Mister Pettigrew, if you think your crocodile tears will help you to get out of trouble, you're mistaken!"

The bell announcing a much-anticipated lunch rang and all the children jumped on their feet with the intention of stuffing their empty stomachs with food, but the teacher called out:

"Mister Black, a word with you, if you please."

Sirius thought Professor McGonagall wanted to keep him in class to talk about his punishment for his Incendio demonstration the day before, so he turned to his friends: "See you at the Great Hall, mates?"

"We'll keep a seat for you!" said James, and then the flock of First-Years fled through the door, leaving Sirius alone with the severe-looking witch in the empty classroom.

The young Black rummaged through his school bag and hand out a handful of parchment pages to McGonagall: "Here are my hundred lines for casting an Incendio spell in the Great Hall, Professor."

"Thank you, Mister Black, but that's not the reason why I've asked you to stay," said the teacher, putting the punishment inside one of her desk's drawers without even looking at it. "I wanted to talk to you privately; can you give me your word of honour that our conversation will not be repeated outside this classroom, not to your friends, your family or another member of Hogwarts' staff?"

Sirius' grey eyes widened in surprise: Professor McGonagall wanted to talk to him in private? And he wasn't supposed to mention their future conversation with anyone else? The young boy understood the teacher wanted to entrust him with a secret, but he thought she was giving him a lot of credit: no many people would trust the word of a member of the Black family.

"You have my word, Professor McGonagall," said Sirius firmly. He had nothing to tell to his parents and brother, anyway, and he kind of liked the idea of having a secret from his friends.

"Very well. Mister Black, I wanted to tell you this: you have managed to surprise me. Your family members have been Slytherin students for ten centuries and frankly, when the Sorting Hat announced "Gryffindor" for you, I could hardly believe my ears. But I quickly understood, after the incident with your mother's Howler and the aggression in the garden, that you have been chosen for your exceptional character: honesty, courage, endurance and compassion, those qualities are definitively in you. I was worried that you might be shunned by your classmates but it seems you have managed to win some friends… Potter and Lupin?"

"That's right, Professor."

"Potter looks like a bit of a daredevil, but his heart is in the right place. I liked the way he defended you against Damian Symes, in spite of the fact that he was much younger and smaller than his opponent. Lupin is also strong and loyal in front of danger even though his… condition tends to incapacitate him. Your friend will need help in catching up with lessons and homework: he is going to be sick at times and thus, he'll miss classes. But I think he has made the right friends, since you and Potter don't seem the kind to pry when he's… under the weather. Anyway, I also noted something about you, Mister Black: you have a great talent for Transfiguration."

Sirius' eyes went huge!

"Really, Professor? I mean… You think so?"

"Yes, I do think so, Mister Black. It may have escaped your attention, but you are the only one in the class who has managed to turn a marble into a tennis ball on his first lesson – and that's very rare, believe me. Only one student has managed to do this during my whole teaching career, and he was a Ravenclaw…"

"Barnaby Jones?"

"Ah, I see you've heard about him. Yes, only Barnaby Jones has managed to succeed so early, and I really regretted he wasn't from my house. Unfortunately, some Pureblood-minded imbeciles have managed to make him renounce to his magic studies…" added the witch, her eyes flashing in anger for a second and Sirius' felt a shiver run down his spine. It was definitively unsafe to cross Professor McGonagall!

"I am not telling you all this to boost your ego, Mister Black, and don't think for a minute that I will be lenient towards you simply because you are talented. Quite the contrary, I tend to be more severe with the students of my house because I have no tolerance for laziness or skiving. But if you keep on studying hard and behave in class, you will become very good in metamorphosis and I wouldn't mind seeing the Best Student's Award in Transfiguration inside a display cabinet, in Griffyndor's tower. Now, off you go!"

Sirius thanked the teacher and walked out of the classroom, heading for the Great Hall. His mind was reeling with McGonagall's revelations… She has told him he was talented in Transfiguration, a magic subject reputed for being so difficult that even Professor Scott had renounced to achieve it! Another boy would probably have "forgotten" the promise he had made to the teacher, just for the pleasure to brag about his abilities in front of his friends. But Sirius had never broken his word in his life, and he certainly didn't plan to start anytime soon. Besides, both Natasha Sampson and Professor McGonagall had praised his honesty and he refused to let them down.

The young Black couldn't help but feel pleased that a teacher had told him he had good potential in magic, though. Hogwarts' was Sirius' key to freedom, since the young boy already knew what he would do once he had earned his diploma: he would become an Auror, a Dark Wizards' hunter employed by the Ministry of Magic, just like Professor Scott used to be. He liked the idea of fighting wizards who abused of their magic powers to prey on innocent and defenceless people – including You-know-who! Sirius really wouldn't mind punching this pretentious idiot right on the nose, before clasping him in irons and see him on a trial.

His parents would scream in shame and horror, since they considered paid work as a "degrading" activity, unworthy of a member of the Most Ancient, Noble and Wealthy House of Black. But Sirius had never given a damn about Orion and Walburga's opinions, especially since they had told him many times in the past that their prime heir would never amount to anything, because of his rebellious attitude. And yet, he was resolute in becoming an Auror and woe to his parents' You-know-who-worshippers' friends if they ever cross his path!

"Becoming an animal would be useful…" thought Sirius as he took the moving staircases to reach the Great Hall. "As an Auror, I'll need a disguise to spy on robe-kissing Pureblood imbeciles!"

Chuckling lightly, the young boy reached the ground level and ran towards a good lunch.

TBC…