Chapter 29 – Presto! Change-o!
Harry knocked on the Professor's study door, a room off of one of the corridors which obviously was joined, or perhaps not to her quarters.
"Afternoon Professor." Harry smiled at McGonagall.
"Potter…Harry."
"Any word from the ministry?"
She looked a little down fallen.
"No, I flooed them straight after I sent the package in, they had no record of it. They said that things always go missing it's just a matter of time when it comes back."
"Or someone got in and destroyed it."
"Yes but…"
"I expected as much….now about our lesson that is why you asked me to come?" Harry said settling himself into a chair.
"I have read what asked and procured such Mr…Harry." McGonagall sat down into a chair opposite Harry and placed a bag on the coffee table in front of them.
Harry looked at them; a chunk of quartz crystal and dried bunches of sage, thyme and rosemary.
"Interesting…" Harry picked up the crystal and ran his finger along it, it was a nice solid piece. "Nothing magical."
"No, I visited a muggle market for both, some distance from Hogsmede for both."
"Mmm I know it…" Harry muttered it had been to that same market that he had bought some young birds.
"So…it is sufficient?"
"Oh yes quite…we'll use the rosemary for today's trial run. Professor…Minerva…." She made no motion to correct him on the use of her name.
Harry hunted through her bag and found some candles which where basic pure wax candles.
"Right so…" Harry looked to Minerva.
"So…" She looked at him.
"You've read the book. Light the candle…" Harry said as he leant back carefully removing all of the other herbs and leaving a stubby candle on the table.
"Shouldn't I have something to transfigure…" Harry held up a hand.
"Transform, we are not simple swapping something that can switch back, you are transforming it into something else." Harry patted down his pockets.
"Here." Harry pulled out a potato. Minerva looked at him.
"What?"
"I had hoped…"
"That we'd do something alive? Small steps. I'd like you to try to transform the potato into a carrot, now bearing in mind they're both root vegetables, they're both organic and therefore have some life in them…" She nodded at him.
"So I light the candles…" She said uncertainly and pulled out her wand, which Harry promptly took away and set it on the other side of the room she stared at him.
Harry handed her a box of matches and looked at her.
"No wand prof…Minerva"
She looked at the box of matches.
"Honestly, how did you cope before your wand…" Harry took the box of matches and struck one along the perforated side and lit the candle. Then he handed the box back to her.
"Now."
"I light the other candle…and place the…potato in front of the candle…"
"With the crystal in front of you yes…"
Minerva carefully as though she had rehearsed how to do it and lit the other candle, then she picked up the rosemary.
"Good, now concentrate."
"On?"
"On a carrot, more specifically on changing the potato into one."
She nodded.
"May help to think or even say carrot." Harry shrugged and nodded to her.
Lighting the rosemary off the candle she swirled it around the table, as she stared at the crystal. He gaze intensifying Harry could hear her muttering "Carrot, Carrot…." To herself.
Harry gently took the rosemary from her, she didn't notice, she was staring so intently at the crystal and the potato. Harry continued to swirl the rosemary around the table, the air had a rich slightly acrid smell to it, Minerva wasn't paying attention, Harry continued to swirl the smoke around, focusing on the table.
Around the table was growing thick with smoke, as it almost drew into a fog the crystal lit up with energy and it too swirled with the smoke around the potato, Harry leaned up into the chair and watched as the potato swirled and in its place a carrot large carrot was sitting, Minerva sat back into the chair breathing heavily she had a thin sheen of sweat on her brow.
Harry smiled and walked over to her window pushing open to allow some of the cool air in and the smoke out.
Harry put out both the candle and the smouldering rosemary and started to rummage around in his bag. Pulling out a large bottle of water he transfigured a simple glass he handed it to Minerva she smiled appreciatively.
As the smoke started to clear Harry refilled her glass. He went up and closed the window closing off the cold air to the room.
Harry leant forward setting the candle and the crystal to one side so he could look at the carrot.
"Well done." Harry said as Minerva finished her second glass of water, Harry tapped it with his wand and it turned back into a small magnify glass.
"That was…" She shook her head and managed to look many years younger excited that she had accomplished such a feat without a wand and older from the exertion.
"Just to remind you, your wand is over there by the decanter." Harry pointed, she looked even more amazed as she was reminded.
"Wandle…"
"No, not wandless magic, that implies you needed a wand to do this, totally different Minerva remember that." Harry stated, she looked at him but nodded.
"So…I did it…" Minerva leaned forward to look at the carrot.
"It would appear so." Harry reached to his ankle and carefully withdrew a knife.
"Harry!"
"Just to check…" Harry cut the carrot lengthways, although the carrot was orange on the outside it was white and solid and potato like on the inside, Harry brought it up to his face and smelt it, he smiled gently at Minerva.
"Potato. But a good first try nonetheless."
Minerva looked disappointed but smiled and moped her brow.
"Can I try again?"
Harry smiled gently and asked . "If you feel up to it then of course."
Harry rummaged around in his bag and found an orange, he had intended to eat.
"Orange into lemon, same family…"
"A citrus."
"Correct." Harry smiled and picked up the sage and handed it to Minerva.
"I'll let you do it all again, and I'll take over with the sage if you can't concentrate."
"It was getting a little…"
"It's like the rub your stomach pat your head thing…"
"What?"
"Try it, it's got to do with…" Harry waved his hand. "brain stuff…can't think of it. Try it." Minerva looked at him skeptically.
"I'll do it as well."
Minerva tried and then she realized that she was rubbing her head or patting her stomach.
Harry watched on smiling.
"Told you, if only I had Colin's camera here, that would make a great picture." Harry laughed, she stared at him like a cat courting its prey.
"Or not…"
Harry handed her the box of matches.
"So as before…"
Harry watched as she carefully lit the candle and began to swirl the burning sage around, Harry took over as she began to get quite deep into it and just as before as her concentration and the smoke reached a pinnacle and the crystal let forth the energy and the orange swirled in a yellow light and merged into a lower and stubbier fruit which was yellow and resembled a lemon.
Harry carefully transfigured a glass once more filling it with the remaining water and opened the window again, Harry then waited for the smoke to clear and for Minerva to be suitably recovered.
"So how was it this time?"
"Better…easier that I knew what was going to happen…the previous time I was a shocked that it was happening that it was changing…with no wand in my hand…"
"Yes…well shall we?" Harry waved the knife. Minerva nodded.
Harry carefully cut through the lemon and smelt it.
Definitely lemony…'By George I think she's done it!'
"Well done." Harry smiled and passed her a half of the lemon. She breathed in deep and relief and a great confidence spreading through her.
"Thank you Harry…"
Harry waved the thanks aside. "It was all you Prof… Minerva, have you got the book handy?"
"Over there on the desk by the 3rd year's essays." She waved idly sniffing the lemon again.
Harry pulled his own book that contained several notes and other things out of his bag and walked over to the desk carefully copying a few weeks worth of notes.
He added certain things to it such as what they had done today.
He walked back over to where they were sitting and smiled and handed her, her book.
"I've added a few weeks worth of study for the Christmas break."
"A few weeks? Christmas, you're not staying in the castle?"
"No…" Harry didn't elaborate.
"There is one question…"
"Just one?" Harry smiled.
"Does the object have to be similar?"
"Such…? Oh you mean my potato, carrot and the lemons…no."
"Then why…?"
"To start off with its easier if you think along those lines, that way you're changing something you're already familiar with rather than chalk to cheese or something like that."
"I see…" she was flipping through the book.
"In there covers the stuff we did today and a bit more ahead, feel free to try what we did today or stuff similar when I'm not here…but if you move ahead…"
"I shouldn't…?" she stated.
"No, do so with caution, after all if you were learning from a book you would do so and there are many who do just that, I'm just here to give you a guiding hand as it were…"
Harry packed up his things and walked to the door.
"Afternoon Professor…" Harry nodded to her as he opened the door.
"Good afternoon Ha…Mr Potter, and thank you…"
Harry spent the next weekend continuing to read through his books, do homework, he didn't have any bad dreams or sleepless nights over the week end and into the week. Wednesday in transfiguration the Professor gave him a note as he walked out. It read carrot into parsnip! Harry chuckled and tipped a wave to the Professor.
"Harry?"
Harry laughed as he walked along.
"Wasn't that amusing a class…" Ron muttered.
"Oh no, I just, had an interesting moment, our head of house is rather happy is all…" Harry muttered to his friends as they walked into the library.
"Does this have something to do with you disappearing on Friday?" Hermione said quietly as she unloaded her bad onto the table.
"More or less, just some things I'm doing, helping some people, sorting out some things, I'll tell you…when the walls aren't listening."
"You're beginning to sound like Moody, mate."
"Paranoia just means that you're careful."
"Yeah or it means you're paranoid." Ron muttered.
"How's the Puff?" Harry looked at Ron, he went red, Hermione chuckled.
"She very nice Ron, can you just imagine her and all the other Puff girls…" Hermione started.
"Having pillow fights…it gets out of control…someone's dress slips, they're a little too close…their lips touch…" Harry said seductively with a grin at Ron who looked between the two.
Harry chuckled and laughed, Hermione too, the group earning a cross look from Madam Pince.
"You two…I thought we got rid of the gas."
"We did." Harry grinned. "Maybe it's just how we have fun…"
"You mean you two…?" Ron said his face contorting.
"Like brother and sister Ron." Harry hugged Hermione.
"Ron, us three, it'd be like you snogging Ginny." Hermione said and then paused "Although I'm sure Harry wouldn't mind getting you alone…a little fun after a Quidditch match." She collapsed in a fit of giggles.
She was still laughing as they were pushed out of the library with Ron still shocked.
"Gotta love her don't you Ron?" Harry said as they wandered outside.
"Harry….she's…"
"Laughing, having fun…"
Ron just shook his head and muttered something and ran off.
"Probably going to relieve himself." Hermione muttered to Harry.
"He does enough of that in our dorms."
"And you don't?" Hermione smiled slyly.
"Hermione I'm shocked that you would presume that I would do such a thing."
"That wasn't an answer Harry."
"Lunch I think, get there before Ron devours it."
Harry took Hermione arm and they walked onward Hermione chuckling to herself.
