By Friday morning, James was feeling rather positive about his first week at school. Every spell he was asked to perform, he accomplished; and there wasn't any magical concepts that he didn't understand yet. All the teachers seemed to like him. He already knew Professor Longbottom as he occasionally visited his house, but the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Bones, and Potions teacher professor Vane both seemed easy to get along with.
"I know both of them; they were in the Dumbledore's Army series" Nigel pointed out the night before. "Apparently Professor Vane was constantly trying to concoct ways of making out with your dad"
"That's not something I wanted to think about thanks" James replied irritably.
He was forced to spend that night having dreams of Professor Vane snogging his father, each one waking him up in disgust.
"You look terrible" Bella noticed, as a barely slept James struggled to sit at his house table for breakfast.
"I could really do with another two hours sleep, which Nigel took away from me" James moaned loudly so Nigel Thomas could hear him.
"I'm very sorry James" Nigel apologised.
"Our first lesson today is double History of Magic" Darren read off his timetable.
"That's good" James said more cheerfully.
"It doesn't sound very interesting" Darren muttered.
"It isn't" James explained. "Uncle Ron told me that it was the perfect time to chill out and relax though."
"I don't get it" Darren muttered even more softly.
By the time everyone actually took the History of Magic class however, they discovered what James meant. Professor Binns was interesting in the sense that he was the only ghost teacher, but that was where everything interesting about the subject ended. The rest of the lesson was him reading out a book, and the students copying it down. James spent the entire lesson making back the lost sleep he missed.
"I advise you to take Madam Matricia's stay awake eye drops, before History of Magic" James relived his conversation with Aunt Hermione as he slept. "It's a very difficult subject to pay attention to, so you have to work extra hard."
"Don't pay attention to her" Uncle Ron had said behind her back. "Professor Binns never notices anything; just read History of Magic as break time, and just chill."
By the end of the lesson, James was very glad that had listened to his uncle, and not aunt. Darren and Bella looked like they had been in class for six hours, not two.
"That class was so boring" Bella moaned.
"I can't believe I listened to hours of the biggest war between actual dragons and actual giants" Darren declared. "And I especially can't believe that I was falling asleep to all of it."
"Dad told me that Professor Binns had a talent for making exciting events sound like a business meeting" James moaned. "Well I can tell you now, I'm not wasting my time with History of Magic."
"What do we have after dinner?" asked Darren.
"Double transfiguration" replied Jackson from the back. "Shame you couldn't stay awake Darren, you could do with actually being good at a subject."
"That's uncalled for Jackson" Bella barked back.
Darren bowed his head in dismay. After he was the only student to fail to perform the Lumos spell in Charms, things haven't improved for him. In Herbology, he dropped a tray full of multi-coloured seaweed onto his leg, giving him skin irritation for the rest of the day. In Potions, the students were tasked with creating a potion that when drank, tasted like their favourite food. Darren took a sip of his, then proceeded to vomit all over the floor. To make everything worse, every time he was asked to perform a spell, he always failed to cast it.
"Jackson, please leave us alone" James begged.
"Did you remember the year when Magma Lungs the Monstrous burnt Europhos the Toe Crusher?" asked Jackson. "No, because you were fast asleep. I remember it was the year two hundred and three."
"I told you, I'm not competing..." James bellowed.
"No shouting in the hallways" a nearby Hufflepuff prefect scolded them.
"Sounds like empty words to me" Jackson hissed. "Did you know today, I had my egg transfigured into sand?"
"No I didn't" James admitted.
"No you wouldn't, because you're James Potter, and I'm the evil Lestrange" Jackson muttered, then marched away angrily.
"I do feel sorry for him" said Bella. "Even if by some bizarre coincidence he is related to Bellatrix, it's not his fault for what she did."
"He shouldn't insult me like that" Darren muttered. "I haven't got to grips with magic like he has yet."
James nodded his head in agreement. Unlike Darren, Jackson has been top in every lesson, and had not been shy in boasting about it to James whenever they met.
"He's an attention seeking git" he remarked. "But maybe he'll calm down if older students stop picking on him."
"My cousin Sebastian's the quiditch captain" Bella reminded them. "Maybe he can persuade people to back off."
"Have a word with him after Transfiguration" said James. "Right now, I'm famished."
"After spending the whole lesson dozing off?" Bella exasperated.
"Sleeping's hungry work" replied James.
Lunch time seemed to pass quickly. James was having so much fun explaining the rules of quiditch to Darren, that once he was finished, the bell rang for their next lesson.
"Do you know who the Transfiguration teacher is?" asked James.
"I do" beamed Bella. "His name is Pius Thicknesse. My dad told me to not take him too seriously. I'm guessing he's one of the more fun teachers."
All the first year Gryffindors and Travis Gant all lined up behind the door for Transfiguration. For every other class, when it was time to come in, the teacher would say so; but this time the door opened on its own, but nobody called them in.
"Do you think we should enter?" murmured Hyacinth.
"I think we better" replied Dranzebar nervously.
Everyone made the decision to enter the classroom together. Professor Thicknesse was a tall man, with long brown hair that reached the bottom of his neck. He was sitting at his desk at the front of the class, writing in a book, and not looking like he had even noticed the students enter.
"Sir…" James piped up as he took his seat, before Thicknesse lifted his wand, and the door loudly slammed shut.
James decided not to pursue any further. Despite how he looked, it seemed Thicknesse was aware that they were here. Thicknesse then lowered his wand, and began writing again. James dared not speak up again. He realised that Bella's prediction of him being a carefree, fun teacher was completely wrong.
"Was I keeping you waiting Ms. Gorren?" Thicknesse asked, his head finally rising above his desk.
"Sorry" Bella squeaked.
"Your friend was trying to interrupt me doing this very important document" Thicknesse explained. "Were you impatient, and demanded him to pester me?"
"No sir" Bella squealed.
James didn't understand Thicknesse's problem. The class was noticeably silent as the came in, and it was him who called him; yet Thicknesse was picking on Bella instead of him.
"Five points from Gryffindor for failing to keep your friends in check" Thicknesse said firmly.
James was in half a mind to stand up and argue, but he quickly thought better of it. Arguing with a teacher would almost certainly risk even more house points being deducted.
"Some of you may be wondering what makes Transfiguration so special" Thicknesse spoke up to the entire class. "Why is this class more important than say Charms. The answer to that, would be because of what can be achieved with it. Observe."
With a flick of Thicknesse's wand, a small soft toy of a lion flew from one of the shelves. Thicknesse threw it into the air, then waved his wand again. The toy transformed into a real lion, and roared at the entire class. James screamed in fright, as did most of the class. The only people who weren't terrified were Thicknesse and Jackson. The lion crawled its way over to Darren Crawford, and opened its mouth, as if meaning to eat him. Darren got up from his seat and ran to the door.
"Sit down Crawford" ordered Thicknesse.
With one more wave of his wand, the lion was transfigured back into the soft toy it once was.
"What you just witnessed is arguably the pinnacle of all magic" Thicknesse explained. "I took this toy, and made it into a living, breathing form of life."
"That's incredible" James murmured under his breath.
"That level of magic is so powerful, and so difficult, it was only recently discovered by me" Thicknesse went on. "You lot are nowhere close to reaching that level of power yet."
Thicknesse performed another summoning charm, and ten sewing needles landed on his desk.
"You will each take a needle from my desk, and transform it into a matchstick" he explained. "The spell you will need to do this is Transforium. It is the incantation that will work with most Transfiguration spells, but the difficulty of it increases, the more complex the transformation."
"Sir" Aoiffe shouted.
"Raise your hand girl" Thicknesse barked.
Aoiffe squealed, and didn't raise her hand.
"I've seen Ms. Donnelly with you quite frequently Gorren" said Thicknesse. "In my experience, bad habits are passed round through friends. Ten points from Gryffindor each."
James could barely contain his anger. It was the second time that Thicknesse punished Bella for something someone else had done; not that punishment was deserved anyway.
"Why is it that you almost all of you are looking gormlessly at Ms. Gorren?" Thicknesse asked. "I have given you a task, and yet only Lestrange has his Transfiguration book out."
James sighed with contempt. He knew that Jackson would be grinning over the fact that he was the only student Thicknesse has praised so far. James got out his book, and began reading the Transforium spell. As Thicknesse explained, the name of the spell might be the same, but the process of casting it was completely different depending on what the object was being transfigured into.
"Done it sir" Violet called out from the other side of the room.
James grinned to himself. At least there was one class that Jackson wasn't going to be the best in.
"Have you ever seen a matchstick before Ms. Gordon?" Thicknesse asked insultingly. "Gorren, what material are matchsticks made out of?"
"I don't know sir" answered Bella. "I've never seen a matchstick before. I think they're muggle items and I never been to the muggle world before."
"Twenty points from Gryffindor for Gordon rushing the assignment" declared Thicknesse. "Fifty points for Bella lacking basic muggle knowledge."
"That's crap and you know it" James stood up and bellowed.
The room went silent. Thicknesse walked to James' desk and glared down at him. It only just occurred to James how much taller than him Thicknesse actually was.
"I dare you, to repeat that" Thicknesse ordered.
"I said it was crap that you're punishing Bella for things that she didn't even do" James obliged, albeit nervously.
"Detention for you Potter, and you too Gorren" Thicknesse decided. "Stay behind after class."
"Sir, I think I've done it" Jackson spoke up.
James slouched in his chair. It was so unfair the way he was being treated. His father told him about Severus Snape, and how he used to go out of his way to spite him. Now he was starting to understand what it must have been like. But he smiled slightly, waiting for Thicknesse to tear into Jackson Lestrange.
"That's absolutely perfect Lestrange" Thicknesse spoke in a much more positive tone. "Yes, this is exactly what I was looking for."
"Why?" James moaned under his breath.
"We will continue the lesson once all of you have finished transfiguring your needle" Thicknesse explained.
James was the second person to finish the task, but it was still significantly longer than Jackson, and Thicknesse wasn't nearly as complimentary. When Bella finished hers, Thicknesse didn't even acknowledge her. Once Dranzebar Lang had his matchstick verified, only Darren's remained.
"Transforium" he shouted. "Transforium."
Like with all the rest of Darren's attempts at casting spells, the object he was aiming at didn't react at all. James was starting to believe that Darren's wand was just a piece of wood with no magical core in before; but even he had to admit that Darren's whole process of casting the spell was just wrong. The way he was gripping the wand, the tone of his voice, the motion of the spell; everything was just off.
"Have you still not done it yet" Thicknesse roared his loudest yet. "We are not continuing the lesson, until you've done it."
"Transforium" Darren wept.
Thicknesse's outburst has made Darren's spellcasting even more erratic. James leant over to help him, but he felt a force out of nowhere forcing him back.
"You will not receive any help from anyone" said Thicknesse. "Hurry up Crawford, you are slowing the lesson down."
Darren repeated the spell over and over again, but the increased intensity from Thicknesse had just made his attempts even worse. After ten more minutes of Darren failing to transfigure the needle, Thicknesse snatched the wand from his hand, and silently did the work for him.
"Thank you" Darren said quietly.
"I've been teaching at this school for fifteen years" Thicknesse snarled. "I taught students of varying abilities; but every one of them was at least able to do the most simplest spell you will ever do in this class."
"I'm sorry" Darren began to cry.
"I have never had the indignity of having to teach someone so incompetent" Thicknesse announced. "Have you done the slightest bit of revision before you stepped aboard that train?"
"No" Darren wept.
He did not hold back his tears. He buried his head in his arms, whilst Thicknesse closed in, and slammed the desk with his fist.
"Get out of my classroom" he ordered. "When I see you next week, you will be able to perform the spell."
Darren ran out of the room without even packing his bag. James glared at Thicknesse. Darren was struggling in all of his classes, but all of his teachers were trying to help him. Thicknesse just berated and humiliated him.
The rest of the lesson wasn't much fun. Thicknesse provided a lecture that was as boring as the one Professor Binns provided earlier; though unlike the History of Magic teacher, Thicknesse could tell when his students were falling asleep. Dranzebar, Aoiffe and Hyacinth were all in pain after Thicknesse casted anti-blink charms on them. After what seemed like an eternity, the bell signifying the end of the lesson arrived.
"At last" moaned Aoiffe, after Thicknesse removed his charms.
"For homework, I want a five parchment essay on the flexibility of the Transforium spell" Thicknesse bellowed as everyone bar James and Bella packed away. "Tell Crawford that he has to do it too. Failure to finish will result in detention."
"No problem sir" Jackson called out. "Maybe for detention, they can watch Darren try and cast the spell for an hour."
Thicknesse didn't reply, but he did let out a cruel smile. James glared at Jackson on his way out. Whatever sympathy James had for him, had finally vanished.
"You two" Thicknesse bellowed. "I want you to rewrite the entirety of the book chapters we were discussing. You can give them to Crawford for his homework afterwards."
Two hours later, James stormed into the Gryffindor Common Room. Most of the students there looked on them as they entered. It appeared that what happened in Transfiguration got around to everyone else. James tried looking left and right for someone he knew. He was angry, and everyone knew it as they did not even try to ask him how he was. Bella on the other hand was very upset. Unlike Darren, she was trying to hold the tears in, but James reckoned the moment she was alone, she would give in to her emotions.
"Where's Darren?" James asked Nigel coldly.
"He's in the dormitory" Nigel replied. "I think he was there crying since Thicknesse kicked him out."
"You just finished Transfiguration? I was wondering why it took so long to see you glum."
James turned around. It was Sebastian Gorren, Bella's cousin and Gryffindor Quiditch Team captain that had spoken up.
"You were expecting it?" James gasped.
"Pius Thicknesse is the most bitter and unfair teacher that Hogwarts ever had" Sebastian moaned. "And considering that slimy Slytherin Severus Snape taught here, that's saying a lot."
"Did he pick on you too?" Bella asked tearfully.
"Yeah" Sebastian muttered. "My first ever lesson ended with me losing Gryffindor eighty points, because I did my work perfectly, and I wouldn't help out my friends."
"Talk about double standards" complained James. "I tried to help Darren, and he yelled at me so he could suffer. What the hell made him like this anyhow?"
"He used to be Minister of Magic" Sebastian explained. "Specifically during the days when the Slytherins got full control over the ministry."
"The year when Voldemort got power" James muttered. "Dad told me that Voldemort used the Imperius Curse on his puppet, so he could take over the ministry more stealthily."
"Professor Thicknesse was that puppet" Sebastian elaborated. "He was under control by a Death Eater named Yaxley. Before then, he was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"That's dad's job now" Bella noted.
"Yeah; it turns out that when the Slytherins lost Voldemort, the people under the Imperius curse weren't looked on too fondly" Sebastian continued.
"What do you mean?" asked James.
"The first time Voldemort was defeated, a lot of Death Eaters were able to escape Azkaban by saying they were under the Imperius Curse when really they weren't; and as a result a lot of them actually got jobs within the ministry" Sebastian explained. "When Voldemort was defeated again, of course there a brand new batch of people who claimed that they were under mind control. Many high ranking officials didn't want history to repeat itself, so they fired every ministry employee who claimed to be under the Imperius Curse."
"From Minister of Magic to teacher at Hogwarts" James summarised.
"Is that why he hates me so much?" Bella asked. "My dad stole his job in his eyes."
"Uncle Ryndar was actually the guy who first suggested the mass firings to begin with" Sebastian replied. "Some of my mates reckon he was looking for an excuse to usurp Thicknesse from his job."
"The whole thing's crazy" James muttered bitterly. "And he takes out his anger on us."
"It's messed up" Sebastian agreed. "But forget about Thickneck, it's the weekend. And I have some good news for you."
"What's that?" James asked more eagerly.
"Flying lessons begin tomorrow morning" Sebastian replied. "Get on the pitch at ten o'clock, and Montague will test to see if you're eligible to be on the team."
"Does that mean I have a shot?" asked James.
"Most of the team wanted to wait to do a test with the whole of Gryffindor house" answered Sebastian. "But we're all fourth years and older. I think it's about time we invest in some youth."
"So if I pass the lesson, I'm In?"
"If you get that quiditch exemption, then you're in" Sebastian clarified.
"Awesome" James cheered.
Within seconds, his mood had improved dramatically. He ran to his personal favourite chair, and immediately got out a parchment and quill. He was going to write to his dad that he made it onto the quiditch team in his first year, just like he did. After he used a school owl to deliver his letter, it was a long, painful wait for night to arrive. He couldn't wait to go to bed.