"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is,"

–Yogi Berra

Chapter Twelve:

Good thing I was already wearing my uniform when I woke up, because I managed to sleep in.

It seemed that nobody thought to wake me when I slept through the alarm, so when my eyes finally did flash open in panic, I had to prevent a small heart attack until I remembered yesterday's events.

I was at Hogwarts. I was in Gryffindor. I was late for breakfast.

So, in a flash I leapt out of bed, looking dishevelled and manic, flinging open my trunk I pulled out my books, "Which ones do we need?" I asked desperately.

"The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection and A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration," She looked at me disapprovingly as she opened to door, "You'd better hurry up, or you'll miss breakfast," then she left me alone in the room.

With a groan, I collected the books and slammed my trunk shut, as if this were its fault. As I went to leave, I spotted myself in the mirror.

Truly, I looked like a mess; my uniform all wrinkled and my curly copper hair was tied in a sloppy bun, with my bags falling into my amber eyes.

So with a shrug, I left and bounded down the stairs. I'd never given much thought towards my appearance, usually I just picked out many different items of clothing that I liked and wore them – it didn't matter if they matched or not, that was an irrelevant point. All I needed of them was to be easy to climb and run in, then I was happy.

But in my rush, I didn't see where I was going, and in turn I ran into somebody, sending both our books flying.

"I'm so sorry!" Said a voice that I recognised to be Remus's.

"It's alright; I was the one who wasn't looking,"

He gave me a hand up and we picked up our books, "How did you sleep?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

Remus gave me a shaky smile, "A-Alright, you?"

I laughed lightly, "Like the dead,"

He started at me with a look of bemusement, "I-I don't think they sleep… they're d-dead,"

I cocked an eyebrow, "Right. I think we best get to breakfast, where are James and Sirius?" I asked.

"I told them to go ahead without me, I had to… do a couple of things," He shifted uneasily.

"C'mon then," I grinned and we began walking.

It took us a while, but together we managed to remember the way back to the Great Hall. By then breakfast was well under way, and I could see the other two eagerly waving us over – luckily they'd saved us spots or we'd be crammed up the end.

"What took you so long?" James asked with a mouth full of scrambled egg.

I shrugged, "Shenanigans,"

"Of course, I wouldn't expect any less from you," Sirius nodded in understanding.

Grinning, I took my seat beside him and reached for some toast, "So how was your first night in the castle?" He asked me.

"I'm sharing a dorm with that Lily girl, who seems about as pleasant as a poisons snake's bite and some other girls, who I haven't really met yet," I shrugged.

"Well that must suck," James furrow bent, "You should dress like a boy and sleep in our room – I mean, you name is Riley… that's a boy's name also, right?"

"As, uh… tempting… as that offer may be, I don't think it's possible," I smiled slightly to myself.

"You could always hex her," Offered Sirius, "Make her nose drop off or something,"

"Padfoot, I would have a clue on how to do that, although I wouldn't mind…" I drifted off.

Remus stared strangely at us, "Padfoot? Where'd that nickname come from?" he questioned.

"Oh, that's the name I gave him when I first met him, as an anim–" I was silenced as Sirius cupped a hand around my mouth, giving me a stern look.

I decided that maybe, it wasn't wise to mention his second form, "You do not need to retell that story, Riley… it was embarrassing enough when it happened," He lied fluently.

I licked his hand, so sharply pulled it away, "Ugh, wet!"

"Serves you right," I smirked mischievously at him.

He rolled his eyes and I pocked my tongue out at him.

"Hey look, mails here!" James brightened up, just as his owl swooped down and dropped off a newspaper.

Then, I saw Mischief circle us and dive, letting a scarlet letter fall onto the table. Sirius immediately stiffened and the people around us started staring at him.

"That's not a Howler, is it?" Remus asked suspiciously.

Sirius nodded, not breaking eye contact with it.

Remus cringed and gave him ma sympathetic look, "Well, you'd better open it… bad things happen when you just leave 'em, might as well get it over and done with,"

"What the hell is a Howler?" I asked.

"Just watch," James muttered under his breath to me as Sirius broke the blood-red seal.

The letter shaped itself into a vulture-like face, with an expression that was positively livid.

"GRYFFINDOR? GRYFFINDOR? AT FIRST I HOPED IT TO BE A TRIFLING JOKE, BUT NOW I KNOW DIFFERENTLY! HOW DARE YOU DISGRACE THE HOUSE OF BLACK IN SUCH A MANOR! THE HORROR! THE SHAME! IT'S POSITIVLY HORENDOUS, THAT YOU NOT BE ACCEPTED INTO SLYTHERIN! WHAT OF OUR FOREFATHERS?" The shrill of her voice had reached insane octane levels, "YOUR GRANDFATHER WOULD BE TURNING IN HIS GRAVE IF HE KNEW! DON'T YOU DARE SHOW YOU FACE AT CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR, YOU'RE NOT WELCOME!" Then, the letter combusted into nothing but ash.

Then, after the shock on Padfoot's face dyed away, he began howling with laughter, "She… thinks… I would want… to come home?… Best… day… ever!" Then he turned to grin widely at me, "Guess I'm going to be spending a blissful Christmas here with you, Vix,"

I smiled wearily, shaking my head to try and calm the ringing in my ears.

"I… I think we'd better get to class…" Remus started and we collected out books, getting ready to leave for class as they started in less than twenty minutes and we didn't have much of an idea to where we were going.

"Who are we with?" Asked James.

At first I was confused by the query, but then Remus quickly answered, "Defence Against the Dark Arts with Slytherin, then Transfiguration with Ravenclaw,"

As we walked through the echoing halls of the castle, I couldn't help but feel a small buzz inside my stomach, like somebody had set sparks inside me and they'd gown into a small flickering flame of excitement in my chest. A feeling that grew with every step I took closer to my first class.

Sirius must have noticed as he kept giving me strange looks, "Why are you smiling like that," He said slowly, a note of suspicion in his voice.

To which I answered with a blinding grin, "Oh, just happy to be alive,"

"Right."

Soon, we came across what we presumed to be the right door and pushed it open. Inside a few students where already seated, turned their heads towards us, but quickly lost interest. The only one who remained to glare at us was Snape, who sat next to Evens up the front, giving me a particularly sour look. What was wrong with the girl?

We took the seats in the back corner, Remus and I sitting next to each other, in front of James and Sirius, who sat together in the very last row.

Within a few minutes, the class had filled with students, who were all whispering in gleeful anticipation.

Suddenly the door burst open and a man in his fifties with an amused expression on his face strode up to the front of the classroom. Everybody immediately hush into a still silence.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts? A long title for a class, eh?" He surveyed the students, talking time to inspect each one, "But a necessary subject, still… I am Professor Gorlanian and I wish to be addressed as such from now until the very end of your schooling days,"

He was quite a stubby and squat man, with ragged robes covered in patch-ups and holes. His hair was thin, grey and balding, but there was a twinkle in his watery blue eyes that suggested a bountiful youth at heart.

"Now, many of you may have many different perceptions on what darks arts are, and some won't have any idea at all, but my first lesson today is that everybody in this room is capable of one day snapping out their wands and bewitching you into oblivion. Never trust that you are safe. Never trust that the people around you are who you see… understood?" His eyes scanned us, as if looking for flickers of fear.

There were several nods around the class.

Then, suddenly snapping out of his paranoia, he said most joyously, "But the likeliness of that is quite slim, as I'm sure you are all quite descent wizards who would never think to kill their neighbours for a knut or two…"

From here the lesson continued, and I began taking notes to keep up with his ramblings. Sharing an mutually uneasy look with Remus, I began to smile.

I found it… fun. It was much better than sitting through tedious classes of Maths and English in an ordinary Muggle school back home, although completely baffling, the idea's his tremendously confusing speech spored, broadened my mind to the possibilities of magic.

Before this, I hadn't given much thought to exactly what I'd be learning, it was more the fact that I was learning magic I the first place that had held my attention, but now I couldn't help but wonder about its many… possibilities.

Eventually the hour ended and we were off towards our next class; Transfiguration.

"Well that was a load of rubbish," Sirius frowned sourly when we walked out.

I started at him in surprise, "Really? I found it quite fascinating, really,"

He shrugged, "I just can't wait until I can actually use my wand, I tried a little last night, but all I did was set fire to my socks,"

"I… I'm not even going to ask," I sighed, as I pushed the door to the Transfiguration classroom open.

Professor McGonagall stood with a stern look on her face – the kind that demanded respect – and emerald green robes was already standing up the front of the class room, watching us file in with the eyes of a hawk. Her thoughts were impossible to read, as her expression may as well have been cast in stone.

The Ravenclaws were already seated, which forced the four of us to scatter into the remaining seats. I ended up sitting next to a sharp liking girl with short spikey hair.

"What's your name?" I asked the girl as I sat down, "I'm Riley, Riley O'Conner,"

"I know," She smiled wittily, "I saw you during the Sorting Ceremony. I'm Alice Greenhill, by the way,"

We didn't really talk after that, as the Professor McGonagall began the lesson imminently, with far less fumbling around compared to Professor Gorlanian.

"Transfiguration is the art of transfiguring matter of a certain mould into another that's completely different and by the time I've finished with you, you should be able to turn shoes into shackles and gargoyles into gnomes without such as a second glance… but this does not mean it is by any way a simple subject, so I expect you full attention at all times," She paused, pursing her lips together into a thin line, "Any questions?"

There were none, so she continued.

"Today, I'd thought we start with a practical, although I don't expect any of you to succeed, I want to you to understand that it not at all simple, so, everybody please take a pin and we'll try to transfigure them into matchsticks,"

When we had collected them, we sat down again with our wands at the ready, "Now tap it and say needle to match, and make sure to concentrate hard. Imagine that the needle it truly a match, as if a match if sitting there in front of you in its place,"

Then, with a wave of her wand, her example needle levitated into the air and with a swift tap, ripped into a match, "Now you try,"

The room erupted into an uneven chorus of hopeless trials. I stared curiously at the needle in front of me, "Needle to match," I said plainly and did as instructed.

Nothing happened.

I repeated the process ten times over, but it remained a needle. Once it seemed to quiver, but I think that's just because I was yelling. I could see other students getting frustrated around me also, especially Alice, who seemed to be glaring sourly at her needle.

"Needle to match. Needle to match. Needle to match!" I yelled at the tinny pin, letting my fierce temper get the better of me, "NEEDLE TO MATCH!"

"R-Riley… your hair…" Alice started wide eyed at me.

I pulled my curly bangs in front of my eye, only to see my hair had turned red, but not the normal ginger kind of red – I meant bright red like fire.

By now Professor McGonagall had noticed the disturbance and had walked over to inspect.

"Miss O'Conner, I'd like you to follow me please," She instructed strictly.

With a gulp, I stood to follow her. From across the room Sirius caught my eye, he stared at me with his head cocked to the side in confusion but I shrugged in response, not knowing what was going one either.

"I shall be back shortly, please continue trying while I'm gone and if any of you so much as put a toe out of line, it'll be fifty points," Then she closed the door and lead me outside.

I followed her silently, the only sound coming from the echoing clicking of our shoes on the marble floor down the corridor.

Suddenly she stopped outside a set of doors and pushed them open, "Please take a seat," She ordered and sat down opposite her desk.

"I-I didn't mean it…" I started but she stopped me before I could apologise any further.

"I have been formed you are the daughter of… Esmeralda Bonechild, is this true?" Her cold eyes burned into me.

I stared at her in confusion, "Yes, but how is that relev–"

"She was what we call in the wizard world a metamorphmagus, or a shape-shifter. They can change their form at will, and I believe you may have inherited the gene,"

"B-But I've never done that before…" I whispered, slightly taken aback by what she'd said.

"There are certain potions that… supress… a metamorphmagus's abilities,"

My mind immediately jumped to the conclusion she was making, "My parents didn't know I was a witch, let alone… whatever you just said… how could they've… but they…" But even I could hear the note of uncertainty in my voice.

But… it made sense. I'd always silently accepted the fact that there wasn't any pictures of me around the house. No baby pictures of my in a crib. No stupid photos of me on my birthday. Nothing.

"I'm sorry, Miss O'Connor, but I'm afraid it is true…" She said, the tone of her voice warm, "Still, I believe it'd be in your best interests to meet me, every Wednesday after lessons, right here in my office,"

Then she stood up, strutted across the room and opened the door.

"But why?" I asked, baffled.

A sly smile spread across her lips, "Because, every talent needs mastering… we don't want any more slip ups like today, do we Miss O'Conner?"

I nodded and she left, leaving me to think.