Disclaimer-
Elladora: It's really mine? I can keep them? All the characters?
J.K. Rowling: No.
Elladora: Can I at least keep Ron? Or James? Or Harry? Or Remus? Or Sirius? Or...
(J.K. has stuffed a sock in Elladora's mouth)
Elladora: MWWWWWWWW...
J.K. Rowling: I'm richer than the Queen of England from these books, so I'm pretty sure their all mine.
Authoress' Note- Yay! Chapter four revision is done! Cheer with me! E.D.J.
Ch. 4- James's Charms Troubles
The next day, at breakfast, lesson schedules were handed out, much to the students' dismay.
"Ugh," groaned Sirius, pulling a face. "We've got Transfiguration first hour. I've heard it's bloody hard."
"That Professor McGonagall teaches it," said Remus, checking the schedule.
"Well that's just brilliant fun! said Sirius sarcastically, glancing at the severe-looking witch sitting at the staff table. "She looks as if she'd give me detention for just showing up to class!"
"She's also the Head of Gryffindor House, mate," murmured Peter.
Sirius swore loudly, pounding his fork against the table, narrowly missing Remus's hand. Remus gave him a withering look and grabbed the fork from Sirius's hand.
"I wish first years could play Quidditch," sighed James wistfully. "I can't wait till summer to ride a broom."
"You play Quidditch?" asked Remus, surprised.
"Oh yeah. At home, we kind of play with the neighboring wizards, but sometimes it's a bit frustrating when half the kids don't have any idea what they're doing," said James with a sigh.
"What position?" asked Peter, excitement showing in his watery eyes.
"I'm a Chaser," said James proudly.
"Wow that's great!" exclaimed Peter, clapping his hands triumphantly. "I bet you'll help the House team loads next year! I bet you'll be the best on the team!"
"Maybe you'd better stop playing, Jamesie," observed Sirius. "Before Peter bursts from anticipation."
But James wasn't listening, otherwise he'd have given Sirius a retort over the nickname Jamesie, which Sirius seemed to be favoring. He was staring absently down the table at a certain redhead, who smiled when she caught him staring at her. James smiled back.
"Anyone there, James?" said Remus with a laugh, waving his hand in front of James' face. "Don't go all swoony on us."
"What? I wasn't doing anything!" he retorted rather defensively.
"Right," said Peter, stifling a smile.
Sirius gave a loud false cough that sounded oddly like: "Evans!"
James gave an exasperated sigh and resumed chewing on the end of his toast.
Lily sighed, thinking of home for a moment. But then she realized, what was there to be sad about? She was going to learn magic! There was no way she could learn that at home!
Lily smiled broadly and looked down the table to see James Potter smiling back at her. She looked quickly at her plate, and, when she looked up again, he was chewing on a bit of toast, listening to the ill-looking boy next to him.
Lily stared at her schedule and sighed. She had Transfiguration first hour. The Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration textbook she'd skimmed had looked beyond difficult.
She poked Emmeline and asked worriedly, "Do you think I'll be loads behind everyone else in lessons?"
Emmeline shook her head. "Because you're Muggle-born? I doubt it. I'm from a half-wizarding family, and I've never used wand or charmed anything in my life!"
Lily smiled, relieved for the time being. Just then, the bell rang, signifying the end of breakfast.
"Let's go!" said Emmeline, grabbing her and Lily's bags. "That Professor McGonagall looked horribly strict!"
They hurried out of the Great Hall and up a flight of stairs to the Transfiguration classroom. They were the first students to class, and they sat in adjoining desks near the middle of the room.
"Well, I do like to see students eager to learn!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall as she entered the classroom, giving them what would soon be known as a rare smile.
"Oh great, I think we just became the teacher's pets," muttered Emmeline.
Soon, other students began trickling into the room, but Lily didn't seem James Potter or his friend something Black anywhere. Not that she was looking of course.
The bell rang and Professor McGonagall stood up and gazed at the class sternly. "Welcome to Transfiguration, the magical art of turning one thing into another. For example, I could ..."
She paused momentarily because someone was pounding loudly on the classroom door. Professor McGonagall opened it, and two boys tumbled inside.
"Well, Mr Potter, Mr Black, I suppose you have a reason for being late?"asked Professor McGonagall in an icy tone.
"Sorry, Professor," murmured Sirius, suppressing a grin. "Got lost. That blasted poltergeist sent us the wrong, and then he locked us in an empty classroom."
"Luckily, I knew the Alohomora spell to get us out," said James, straightening up and giving a heroic smile.
His eyes caught Lily's, and he saw she was laughing. His neck began to heat up, and he turned back to Professor McGonagall.
"Well, I won't take any points today," said Professor McGonagall, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. "Boys, please find your seats."
As James and Sirius sat down behind Peter and Remus, she said, "A word of advice to all of you. Don't listen to anything Peeves, the school poltergeist, tells you. He's a notorious prankster, and he loves giving students a hard time.
"And, Mr. Potter," she added, giving James a hard glare, and he quickly stopped whispering to Remus. "I would deflate that head of yours. The Alohomora spell is not a very difficult one."
The class burst out laughing, and James, not taken aback at all, laughed along with them, his cheeks only slightly pink.
"Now, I would like you to please watch as I give you a demonstration of what Transfiguration really is," said Professor McGonagall, taking off her pointed hat.
She places it on her desk and muttered something as she pointed her wand at the hat. The hat turned into a sleek black cat, which hisses disapprovingly at the students, its green eyes glinting.The class stared in awe as Professor McGonagall promptly changed the cat back into a hat and placed the hat back on her head.
"Now you will not be transfiguring inanimate objects into animals just yet," said Professor McGonagall somewhat smugly, patting her hat. "Today we will be learning the most basic form of transfiguration where you will be trying to turn a matchstick into a needle."
She waved her wand, and notes flew onto the board, which the students quickly began copying down while the profesor lectured them on the process needed for this particular type of transfiguration. Finally after nearly three-quarters of an hour, Professor McGonagall allowed the students to try it for themselves, but, by the end of class, the only students who had made any different to their matchsticks were Lily Evans and James Potter.
Professor McGonagall showed the class how their matchsticks were now pointed and made of shiny metal and applauded them. "Excellent work! Ten points each to Gryffindor."
Lily turned slightly pink, and James caught her eye and grinned as Professor McGonagall continued to praise their accomplishment.
"It really wasn't as difficult as I expected," said Lily to Emmeline as they gathered their things at the end of class. "A matchstick and a needle really aren't that much different in shape, so I suppose that's why it wasn't very challenging."
"Easy for you to say," grumbled Emmeline, holding up her matchstick, which had turned a funny shade of pink and had a sickly sort of yellow-green plant growing out of the end of it.
Lily suppressed a giggle as her friend tossed her distorted matchstick into the box on Professor McGonagall's desk, which was filled with unchanged matchsticks, matchsticks that looked quite charred, and some broken in half in frustration.
Emmeline was still scowling when they entered the Charms classroom.
"Welcome to Charms!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick from where he stood on a stack of books, so he'd be able to see the entire class. "I am Professor Flitwick!"
He immediately began lecturing them on Levitation Charms.
"Now remember," said Professor Flitwick after nearly an hour. "The wand movement is swish and flick. Correct pronunciation is important too! Divide up into pairs to practice! One girl and one boy to a pair!"
The class groaned as people shyly began choosing partners.
James Potter appeared at Lily's elbow. "Lily," he asked nervously. "Partners?"
"Sure," replied Lily, grabbing her bag from the chair next to her to make room for James.
"So we just have to levitate a feather?" asked James, lazily rumpling his hair.
Lily nodded.
"Sounds easy enough," he said, picking up his wand and uttering, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather twitched slightly, but didn't rise up in the air.
Lily laughed. "Easy, huh?" She pointed her wand at her feather. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather rose up and gently floated in the air.
"Luck, Evans. Sheer luck," grumbled James, pointing his wand at his twitching feather. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather still did nothing but twitch and turn a strange orange color.
Lily snorted. "You really seem to have a knack for this, don't you?"
She glanced at the other pairs around the room. Emmeline was working with Remus Lupin, and she seemed to be doing much better than last hour's matchstick transfiguration disaster.
Lily turned back to James, sighing as he continued his hopeless effort to make his feather levitate. James soon caused the feather to catch fire in a burst of angry frustration. Luckily, Professor Flitwick was near by and quickly extinguished the fire with a bit of water from his wand.
"Ok, Lil," said James, sighing. "Help me!"
Lil? thought Lily confused. Did I tell him he could call me Lil? Obviously not. She brushed it off and said, "Are you sure you're saying it right?"
"I suppose," said James rubbing his head, "Wing-GAR-dee-um Levi-OH-sa?"
"No it's Lev-ee-OH-sa," said Lily, realizing the problem. "Try it again."
James pointed his wand at his charred feather and shouted, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather gently rose and floated in the air.
"Blimey, Evans! You're a genius!" James remarked as he looked up at the feather hovering gently above his head.
Lily smiled as she watched feathers float around the classroom in a dreamy sort of way. She was thinking James Potter was rather sweet.
Awww... E.D.J.