I understand a lot of people aren't sure about my approach with Neville being in Slytherin. I understand that there are a lot of points that are complicated with it but Neville was never explored in any real depth in JKR's books and while he may be brave under pressure, points of his upbringing has been pretty traumatic and I think he is far too well adjusted in the origin material considering what has happened to his parents etc. It'd be entirely reasonable for him to hold a serious grudge against both the light and dark arts.
Answering a few questions:
Schnookums: Thank you so much for your review, it means a lot. There will be pairings, most non-canon because they make no sense, but some will probably show their faces. And yes, you can hope.
SerialKeller: I never said that Neville being in Slytherin was solely due to the Trevor incident? No one, read on.
Shadowgal: I'm going to go over the Alicia/Angelina thing in case I have made mistakes, I just don't have time right now.
For the people asking about the Wizard in the hat, unfortunately Nidhogg isn't able to distinguish between details to that degree – most two-legs look the same to him – and Harry doesn't really care.
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All of the characters except for my own handful of originals, as well as locations, names, titles etc. are and remain the property of JKR and I hope you like it.
Principles such as Splicing are mine as well as all unique books, histories, titles, traditions and spells. I give users permission to use them, but only if you reference me in your work.
Review please whether you like it or not. Tell me what you do and do not like and why! I do love having my ego stroked with 'Wow, great!' etc. but it's not as useful for my process as having some real examples and effects. If any of you would like to PM me a review or opinions or just talk about my story, please do so.
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Chapter 17: A Talking Cat and Pythagoras.
'Do you know why he hates me?' He asked the group as they walked toward the first year transfiguration classroom.
'I wouldn't say he hates you…' said Parvati comfortingly.
'He called him a blasted simpleton!' Seamus shouted.
'I admit it was a bit strong.'
'The only way it could have been stronger was to beat him with a stick!' Ron said with his mouth full of chocolate frog.
They arrived for Transfiguration five minutes early, having followed Harry who seemed to have an instinctive grasp for the layout of the castle. There was a large grey and black tabby cat sitting outside the classroom on a window ledge opposite the classroom door. It had odd square markings over its eyes and sat oddly erect and stiff. They chatted while they waited for Professor McGonagall and the Ravenclaws arrived a few minutes later.
As soon as the clock struck eleven am the cat leapt down from the ledge and walked into classroom – the door opened for it.
Frowning, the twenty students followed the cat inside to find it sitting on the teacher's desk at the front of the classroom. On the blackboard there was a notice in elaborate, beautiful handwriting:
"Make yourselves comfortable; please start reading chapter one of your transfiguration texts."
They did so, dropping their heavy bags onto tables and pulling free their books. Hermione sat immediately and started reading while the others started to explore the room.
'Where d'you reckon McGonagall's got to then?' Seamus asked, prodding what looked like a stuffed hamster that was half-way through a transformation into a large coffee mug.
'Who knows, maybe she's off screaming at someone for smiling too much.' Lavender Brown said venomously, looking at the cat.
'Not loving our head of house?' Dean asked, taking his seat and opening his book.
'No, she's horrible. You get more love and warmth from a glacier than that old-'
She was cut short as the cat sprang forward off the desk and changed mid-flight into none other than Minerva McGonagall, pale, thin lipped and her eyes boring into Lavender.
'You were saying Miss Brown?'
Lavender was white-pale and had fallen back onto a table.
'Let this be your first lesson in Transfiguration and, perhaps the whole school: Nothing is necessarily as it seems, nor does it have to remain so. Take your seats.'
They all did so and Hermione looked up from her reading. The Ravenclaws were writing down every word. McGonagall introduced herself to them and outlined what they would do in her classes for the first year. Transfiguration, until fourth year, dealt mainly with short-term transformations of small animals into inanimate objects and back again. After that they would have a choice of which style to continue learning between augmentation, interspecies transmogrification and conjuration – an entirely separate branch of magic that very few people were allowed to learn at school due to its inherent risks. At the higher levels, students who excelled at both Transfiguration and Potions could apply to study alchemy, but that wasn't until the sixth year at the very earliest.
Harry was pleased to find that McGonagall was much more even-handed than Snape, though it was apparent she felt no inclination to favour students of her own house whatsoever.
She spent the first hour of the ninety minutes going over standards of safety because; 'There are few areas of magic as potentially perilous as learning to change something from one state to another, every few years a student forgets this and pays the price.' Her face was as still and impassive as ever as she spoke and Harry shivered all over.
Their first lesson's magic consisted of trying to transfigure matches into needles. Hermione was rewarded five points for Gryffindor for managing to get it perfectly right before the end of class. Harry's was very close, but he couldn't turn the sulphur tip into a metal point despite the rest being perfect. Seamus managed to set a dozen alight and eventually managed to create a flammable metal with which McGonagall was impressed but anxious, so she took it away from him.
They were set a huge pile of homework consisting of reviewing the day's learning, writing two feet of parchment on "The importance of maintaining clean mice in novice transfigurations" and finally reading the first four chapters of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, which Harry had, thankfully already done.
They left with minds buzzing about the potential of transfiguration: Seamus wanted to create a sword that could catch fire without hurting the blade – though Hermione insisted that was a charm more than transfiguration – and Harry silently wondered what it would be like to have Nidhogg large enough to ride and maybe, just maybe, eat Dudley.
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Mathematics was not a subject that Harry associated with magical learning, but it was part of their curriculum, along with English and other languages, physical education and sociology.
It turned out that the classes were still highly relevant to them as they impacted all aspects of their lives. Mathematics was the cornerstone on which the hermetic tradition of magic was built and determined their ability to accurately predict the movements of the stars and thus dates and the times for celestial events.
English was, just like in the muggle world, a universal language made up of fragments of others over the centuries and used almost exclusively in the standard taught at Hogwarts.
Mathematics was taught by a huge, bald headed wizard with a vast blonde beard with a thick welsh accent whose first lesson consisted of a long, exhaustive examination of their abilities with the subject in all areas from arithmetic to simultaneous equations. Harry, Hermione, Tina-Marie and Dean left the class with expressions varying from pleased – Hermione – to accepting – Dean. Ron and Lavender, both of whom who had never attended a muggle school and learned mathematics in that traditional way, both left looking haggard.
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After diner they spent the rest of the evening in the common room talking over the day and about their expectations for the next. By ten o'clock, Hermione had completed her essay for Snape which wasn't due in until the following week and started reading and memorising more of the entries from A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.
Dean and Harry had been evicted from the most comfortable seats in the common room by a group of noisy sixth-years who were all fretting and nervous about their year of studying for their OWLS –Ordinary Wizarding Levels. The pair took to an alcove with Ron where they discussed quidditch and how they were going to get onto the team.
'They aren't holding trials this year for anyone but seeker.' Harry said.
'Shame, I'd love to play keeper.' Ron said.
'Not likely, especially when the keeper's also the captain and only in fifth year.' Dean said. I can't wait to learn to fly.'
Harry nodded. It was taking all his willpower to avoid buying a mail-order broom from the back pages of The Daily Prophet.
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Read and review please, don't pull any punches.
CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOME.