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Classes Begin
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"Welcome to Transfiguration, the fourth year," Professor McGonagall addressed the class, "If you have an interest in learning the difficult art of becoming an Animagus, you may begin this year. Students who manage to accomplish this feat in a single year will not have to take the final. Now, as I understand it, we already have a student-Animagus in the class." The class looked at one another then remembered the new student.
"Miss Green, you are a registered student-Animagus already, so I am sorry you cannot pass the final automatically unless you complete the requirements for your full registration,"
"Yes, professor." Lisa said with a small smile.
"Now students, the acquisition of an animal form is a very difficult and demanding task. The body wishes to stay in it's natural state and then wants to transform every which way once the transfiguration process begins," McGonagall lectured. The chalk on the ledge rose and began diagramming the spells related to Animagus transformation,
"This is part of why becoming an Animagus is so dangerous and difficult. It should be noted that acquiring a second form takes much more practice than the first and the third much more than the first or second and so on. Second and third forms are fairly rare among Animagi, but they are possible. Now you've all seen me transform, Miss Green, would you mind demonstrating for us?"
"Uhm professor, it's rather large. So I don't think it would fit in this classroom well," Lisa said, her cheeks coloring.
"You had Brownington as your professor? Ah, yes he did advocate tougher forms," Personally she thought he was daft for letting second years try and transfigure themselves into elephants and lions, but that was his business.," She shook her head, and said, "Well the American wizards have always been big on Animagus transformations, even since the native Americans ruled the continent, so I suppose it's to be expected. Well girl what can your turn into, then? The class is dying to know," she gave Lisa one of her rare smiles.
"I can turn into a Roc."
"What!"
"Woah!"
"Awsome!"
"That's insane!"
the class burst into a thousand comments and side conversations.
"I'm not that good at it yet!" Lisa protested, "I still don't have my full license 'cause I still g-get stuck half, halfway sometimes and I hate doing it all the time," she said nervously, "I get so tired," her shoulders drooped, "And re-recently is hasn't been working so well," she hung her head in personal shame.
"But that's still so awesome!" someone in the back of the room said. The entire class was murmuring and maneuvering to get a good look in case Lisa transformed.
"That's so cool! Show us! Aww c'mon!" the class begged. Animagi transfigurations were generally the most impressive in the wizarding world and the chance to see one was a treat
"Well, I told you, I'm still not very good at it," Lisa said as she closed her eyes and concentrated.
"See?" She said, apparently having failed, thought the class couldn't see or sense any noticeable change.
"Just keep trying," McGonagall instructed, "Smooth transfiguration takes lots of practice and fully I expect you to keep up the same intensive study here as you did at Hawkwing, young lady!
"Now! Let us begin our lesson. Everyone take a chalkboard eraser and transfigure it into a rat using the spells you SHOULD have learned over the summer. Points will be taken off if it is covered in chalk dust."
Meanwhile, the 5th year Gryffindors were having their first DADA class of the year. The teacher hadn't shown up yet and the class was busy whispering to one another.
"I heard centaurs have poisonous blood! What if she gets cut during a lesson!"
"That's Hinds you daft ninny! Half deer! Not half horse!"
"What if her magic is so different from ours we can't do any of it and she fails us all!"
"D'you think she eats oats and hay?"
"I put an apple on her desk. Dad said he always did that for his new teachers in school. But they were all muggles, not centaurs."
"Maybe we should have brought sugar lumps!"
"She might be insulted by that."
"Should I grab the apple before she gets here?"
"I heard that centaurs were all blood-thirsty, war-crazed barbarians!"
"Not the ones descended from Chiron, he was a good centaur and got on with people well. When I was little, my mum read about the ancient Greek wizards and creatures and the muggle and non-muggle mythology. It was really cool! I hope we go over it again in history this year."
"I heard a seventh year say that centaurs were all "bloody loony stargazers" think she'll be like Madame Trelawney?"
"Dear lord, I hope not. I can't stand the woman. She's convinced we're all going to die horrid deaths…"
"Good afternoon, class"
The class immediately shut up and faced the room as one, folding their hands on their desks or in their laps, and generally looking vaguely guilty. Professor Stonehoof smiled at them from the doorway and then walked into the room, her feet making a dull clip-clop sound on the wooden floor. Her honey colored hair was pulled back into a loose knot in back of her head and she wore a no nonsense leather vest over a long sleeved blue shirt. Her sleeves were rolled up past her elbows and she held a folder in one hand a piece of parchment in the other.
"I, as you know, am Professor Stonehoof," she said cheerily as she placed the folder down, "Headmaster Dumbledore decided that the students here at Hogwarts would be quite benefited by more interaction with non-humans, and, what better way than to be taught by a non-human. Chironic-Centaurs and Humans have generally had very good relations, starting way back in ancient times when Chiron offered his wisdom and teachings to the heroes of old," She smiled at the class.
"In that vein, the headmaster thought it would be appropriate for me to teach you how to defend your selves against the dark creatures of the world. Humans," she said gazing over the class, "are not the only intelligent beings in the world and nor are they the only ones who need to learn to defend themselves against dark and terrible forces. Now, before we begin today's lesson on dark elves, are there any questions?"
No one in the class raised their hand for a moment, and then Hermione frowned to herself and daringly raised her hand.
"Miss, Granger," Stonehoof said after checking with the parchment enchanted to show the current seating arrangement in a class.
"Professor, is centaur magic like wizard magic?"
"Good question, Miss Granger. There are a great many similarities and differences of course, but most spells that wizards can do, can be done by centaurs or elves or magically inclined giants or Oni's or Naga's or any number of magical peoples of the world. However there are some differences in regards to where the power is coming from or how it is focused. Wizards use wands, for example, to focus their magic for very powerful spells. Centaurs do not use wands even for complex spells. For the most powerful of magical rites, often the power of many is needed and focused through a drawn power circle. Elf magic is far more natural than that of other species. You could say it leaks off of them and affects the world around them without much thought or direction on their part. It is something they do as naturally as breathing. Thus, they have fewer formally spoken spells than do wizards or centaurs. Some people can do things others only dream of. Or excel where others are quite poor. Elves are abysmal Animagi for example, and there are probably 10 Centaur seers to every elf seer and 5 elf seers to every wizard seer, but wizards are by far the best at transfiguration,"
"So, if you don't have a wand, how're you going to teach us?" Neville Longbottom spoke up, then quickly raised his hand, having forgotten.
"Another excellent question, please do remember to raise your hand first Mr. Longbottom. Centaurs will use gestures to direct their magic. For example," She picked up a piece of chalk from the ledge and tossed it towards the window, then pointed at it and yelled, "Incendio" The chalk burst into flames as it flew out the window and quickly turned to ash.
"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed.
"Thank you. Ah, another Weasley I see. I met your brothers earlier this morning." Professor Stonehoof said wryly. Ron's face quickly began to match his hair and she chuckled.
"Now, any other questions before we begin? Seeing none, let us discuss dark elves. Now can anyone tell me what are the different types of elves in the world and are normal elves and dark elves the same?"
Hermione's hand shot up faster than Harry's firebolt, but a few hands were not far behind hers. Harry glanced at Ron who shrugged and smiled. Ron approved of the new teacher thus far and Harry had to admit she seemed like another good choice for DADA. Harry placed her somewhere between Professor Lupin and Professor McGonagall in the realm of sternness, but that was ok. He had a few questions of his own but didn't want to share them with the class and least of all her. He definitely didn't need to make an enemy of this new teacher when Snape had already taken off 10 points from Gryffindor that morning. It was the first day and already Gryffindor had lost 10 points!
But Harry was still confused. His only encounter with centaurs had been with a handful in the forbidden forest, and they'd been…spacy. He'd thought them a decidedly odd people, but this teacher seemed so much more, well, Human, he supposed. He shrugged mentally. This was probably why Dumbledore had hired professor Stonehoof in the first place. Harry sat back and listened while Stonehoof explained about the division of the elves and the corruption and split of the dark elves from the light, into a completely different society.