"Well, it's Transfiguration first thing this morning - I guess we had better head out. I don't really like the look of that woman, even if she was a brilliant Chaser for England at one point. I can't believe Professor McGonagall's gone on our first N.E.W.T. year -"
"Let's go, Ron," Hermione commented, tugging at his arm to lead him from the Great Hall. He was not so keen on doing this, as he was busy talking with Ginny, as well as being only half through with his kippers and orange juice. Silently, Harry followed suit, rather glum. True to his word, he had not breathed a word about Catie Wellington, who apparently was the daughter of this high-strung professor. "I certainly hope this lesson is good," Hermione commented, while Harry and Ron exchanged looks. She seemed to draw something out of any boring lesson, being the only student probably in Hogwarts history to resist the endless drone of Professor Binns and his History of Magic class, with the endless tales of goblin and giant wars. The trio did not face this torture until Wednesday, but no one in the sixth year N.E.W.T. class was really looking forward to it.
"Er, am I hallucinating, or is there a miniature panther sitting on that desk?" Harry questioned in a somewhat dazed voice, taken aback as he blinked a few times, as if digesting the fact that a panther was in the classroom. Miniature was hardly the term for it, of course, but it was only about two feet shorter than a full grown panther. It had deep, amethyst colored eyes, with which it was blinking serenely at the class. Perhaps the Wellington woman was an Animagus, and this was her way of welcoming students into her class. The startled students took their seats, apparently just as dazed as Harry had been. The panther appeared rather tame, and merely gazed at the students as if they were some particularly interesting object worth its time. Rather unexpectedly, the panther rose, stretching itself out on the desk before it landed gracefully on the floor.
The bell announcing the start of the first class sounded, and still no Professor Wellington. When the chatter of students meeting after a summer died away, and there was still no professor present, the panther-like creature spoke. "Ad interim, adsum." Which of course was Latin for 'for the meantime, I am here,' though none of the students could speak Latin, and had never encountered a creature of this nature that had the ability, which left the lot of them rather dumbfounded. Just a minute later after the dazed silence had settled again, the sound of the door opening revealed Charna Wellington, entering the room with her head so high, that one would have thought upon observation she had been declared ruler of the universe in the short span of time that she had left breakfast, and when she had entered the room of nervous but expectant sixth years.
"Good morning class. As the headmaster has previously introduced me last night before that most unfortunate display by our resident poltergeist last evening, I am Professor Wellington. I am sure you have all heard lectures as to the importance of your N.E.W.T. years at Hogwarts, as I know my teachers gave lectures to the same nature when I was in school. However, I am required to remind you that your N.E.W.T scores will reflect upon the careers that you all take when you become qualified witches and wizards, so it behooves you to do well in this class. You are N.E.W.T. students, so I expect nothing but the best behavior from you, and nothing but the best results from assignments." Charna paused for a moment, peering around the classroom at the students, who were still transfixed by the Latin-speaking panther like creature. "Oh yes, this is Romulus - Founder of Rome. If your Care of Magical Creatures teacher has done his job, you should have been told about this breed of Latin speaking cat already." There was a tone in Charna's voice that suggested this was doubtful. Harry and Ron exchanged dark looks, while Draco Malfoy and his friends exchanged gleeful ones. "Factum est … ave atque vale, Romulus," Charna added to the cat, who vanished from their midst in a cloud of amethyst smoke, in a shade similar to his eyes.
"Today's lesson will consist of a simple review, or what should be a simple review for you all, being the N.E.W.T. students that you are. You will use the Conjurus spell that I am told Professor McGonagall taught you all the previous year to first conjure a fern. You will then use the proper incantation and wand movements to Transfigure this fern into a rose bush - roses can be color of your choice. This should only take half of the period for advanced students, so the remainder of the period will be spent on a test, just to see how much you all remember. Begin," Charna commanded icily, while the students in the classroom, House aside, exchanged rather nasty glances. It looked like this woman, if possible, was worse than Professor McGonagall along the lines of work. With a bit of grumbling, the students set to work. Ron's hand shot into the air.
"Yes, Mr …?" Charna drawled, as if Ron were some insignificant thing that she should not have been concerning herself with. Draco, taking advantage of the professor's attention now being focused on Ron, used his opportunity to pass a note to Harry. It depicted him making rather odd faces, like a snake, while Ron answered the professor with his name. Harry threw a nasty glance at Draco, before bending over the note and writing something rather nasty back. "Well, Mr. Weasley, what is it?" Charna inquired, keeping her eyes on the exchange of note passing that she was supposed to be oblivious to.
"Where's Professor McGonagall?" he questioned.
Charna's eyebrows were in danger of brushing her hairline. "That, Mr. Weasley, is none of your business, nor is it any of mine. Return to your Conjuring and Transfiguring. Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter - one of you had better explain why you are passing love notes in my class, while the other brings the note to me. Immediately." It was ironic how like Snape she could sound, when she demanded something of her students. A few looked up, interested, while others, clearly faced with their work overload, were busy Conjuring their ferns. Hermione was one of these, though she, like Padma and Parvati Patil nearby, threw interested glances toward the front of the room once in awhile, to see if anything interesting had happened yet. Charna crossed her arms. "Well, if you two want to carry on your little relationship - do it elsewhere," Charna commented coolly, watching the anger of both boys with satisfaction as they moved toward her desk.
"I can't stop the fact that Potter is an insufferable git," Draco said coolly, when he had drawn level with the professor's desk. "Well, Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?" Charna questioned, raising her eyebrows in a way that suggested she was amused by the entire situation, as of course she shouldn't have been, because she was a professor. Harry threw a murderous glance at Draco, who was wearing a rather annoying smirk. He kept wondering why the professor was allowing this to continue, but as he had the opportunity to openly insult his rival, he would not pass it up. "Well, if Draco wasn't such a swotty little prat, I wouldn't have a problem with him," Harry replied, rather cross.
"I see - so Mr. Malfoy, you believe Mr. Potter to be an insufferable git, and Mr. Potter, you think that Mr. Malfoy is swotty little prat. I see - take your seats, and ten points from both Slytherin and Gryffindor for passing notes in my class. Don't let it happen again. Understood?" Charna drawled, looking from Harry, who seemed rather relieved that she hadn't thrown him in detention for disrupting in the class, to Draco, who was fuming.
"T-This is outrageous!" Draco shouted, angry red patches rising in his cheeks. His pale hands instinctively balled into fists. "How can you take points from Slytherin?" he demanded, slamming his fists onto the top of the desk, causing a few in bottles to rattle. Charna merely glanced at the ink bottles for a moment, before fixing a menacing gaze on Draco that caused him to recoil a few steps. Harry, rather wisely, had accepted this silent punishment of deducting house points and retreated to his seat. The rest of the class now watched, to see how Charna would handle Draco's typical "I didn't wake up on the right side of the bed" temper tantrums.
"Well, it seems that a cat has caught your tongue, with all of the stuttering that you're doing - of course as you've already witnessed, I have a rather large cat, should you wish to rectify the issue. I can take points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy, because you are out of line, and because I am your professor, meaning that I have the authority to do so, without any nonsense backtalk from you. A further ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy, and let us hope that you will learn the valuable lesson of holding your tongue." Charna's voice rang around the now silent room. Surprisingly enough, Hermione had already managed to conjure her fern. "Oh yes, and five points to Miss Granger for conjuring the fern within the first ten minutes of the lesson," she added as a sort of afterthought, furthering Draco's rage. Ron had only managed a fern leaf by that point, because he had long ago (like the rest of the class) abandoned his wand work to watch and see what Charna would do to Draco, who seemed so angry that he was at a loss for words.
"Out (here, he muttered a rather nasty swear word) - rageous! Why, if my father-"
Charna cut him off. "Your father, Draco Malfoy, is imprisoned in Azkaban, and therefore cannot buy anyone's way to your happiness at the moment. Though, if it suits you, I think you've earned two detentions and a visit to Professor Snape, as well as a zero for the day's work. Go." She pointed toward the door, and after he left, she said "I hope no one else has any objections to .." the bell rang. "All right, we'll work on the Transfiguring bit tomorrow- pick up these questions on your way out and hand them into me by next lesson." With that, the class filed out, everyone but Slytherins looking rather happy, as this new Transfiguration professor (who was once a famed Quidditch player and then later an Unspeakable) earned their respect. Her words to Draco Malfoy traveled around the school like wildfire.