Chapter Five: Transfiguration Class

As Dumbledore looked at the map, Harry cleared his throat.

"Oh you're still here?" Dumbledore asked, peering over his spectacles.

"Yes sir. Um…what exactly is the Dagger of Foreboding?"

Dumbledore seemed to think for a while, staring at the map and then at Harry. "How long have you been a student here?"

"Since yesterday," Harry answered promptly.

"Hmm," Dumbledore said, thinking hard. "No. Not quite enough time."

"Sir?"

"You need to spend more time at the school before I consider you ready to learn about the item that I made you fetch the map for. Go resume your studies."

"Oh," Harry said, dejectedly, leaving the room. Yet again Dumbledore refused to keep him informed. He was getting really tired of this.

Harry wandered around, not sure where he was going when Ron popped out the third floor bathroom.

"Harry!" Ron said, surprised to see him. "You should be in Transfiguration! You're going to be late!"

"Yeah, but I don't know-"

Ron grabbed Harry and the two of them ran towards their Transfiguration class…only to be stopped by a floating tiny transluscent man in a jester's outfit. He had the general appearance of a mottled boulder, if the boulder looked like the ghost of a midget masquerading as a clown after it escaped from the asylum. The magical asylum!

"Eh? Who do we have here? Wee little Potter? Your face is certainly stupid for such a magical little boy!"

"No, your face is stupid!" Harry retorted, stunning the poltergeist.

"Go away Peeves," Ron said, demonstrating his impressive knowledge of all things Hogwarts again. "We don't have time for your stupid poltergeist shenanigans now."

"Yeah! We're late for class!" Harry said defiantly.

"Hmph!" Peeves said, "I'll let you go this time! But next time I won't let you go! And then you'll be stuck!"
Laughing, he cackled away, his crazy giggles filling the hallways. Ron shook his head and pulled Harry into a nearby door.

"You're late!" Hermione said, spying them immediately as they tried to find a seat. "I've been reading The History of Hogwarts, and the punishment for lateness is usually detention!"

"Oh please," Ron said. "The teacher isn't even here."

Indeed he was correct. As Harry and Ron found some empty seats the only creature that wasn't a student was a cat with spectacles sitting on the desk. It hissed slightly when Ron said that and with a twisting, grinding motion it turned into McGonagall!
"She's a werecat?" Harry asked.

"I think so!" Ron whispered back.

McGonagall groaned and shook her now human head. "I am an Animagus. Not a werecat."

Harry frowned, his brain shooting neurons around like a black-hatted desperado would shoot bullets around in a desperate attempt to hit the sheriff before he himself was shot in the leg or throat.

"You're the animal leader of a group of mystical warriors known as the Magi?" Harry asked hopefully, his final thought being more like the bullet that pinged harmlessly off the Sheriff's badge on his chest, rather than one that landed a decisive blow through his eye socket.

"What? No!" McGonagall said, as other students began to snigger. "I can simply turn into an animal. Now let us continue with class!"

She began to instruct them on how to transfigure objects into other, different objects.

"The general idea is very simple," McGonagall stated, waving her wand around for emphasis. "You merely point your wand at what you wish to transfigure, say the magical transfiguration words that are different for every transfiguration and concentrate on what you want it to transfigure into. Once you have done that the transfiguration should take effect and you will have completed the transfiguration attempt. Any questions?"
"I have a question," Hermione said, raising her hand. "How can you transfigure something into something else with greater or less mass? According to Of Science, An Instruction, that should be scientifically impossible."
"Magic," McGonagall said smoothly, smiling at Hermione. "Ten points to Gryffindor for asking me a question."

Hermione smiled and looked smugly at everyone. Frowning a Slytherin student called Theodore Nott raised his hand. "I have a question as well!"
"Yes?" McGonagall said as the boy didn't seem to have one prepared.

"Uh…um…how can you turn inanimate objects into living creatures? How could you possibly give them the mental capacity to survive?"

McGonagall frowned and she didn't answer immediately. Before the silence dragged on too long she spoke sharply and suddenly. "Magic. Ten points from Slytherin for not knowing the answer to such an obvious question."

The Slytherins grumbled at this while the Gryffindors did the opposite of grumbling, which is usually a series of hearty back-slaps and loud chuckles, although sometimes it can also be mocking laughter and pointing.

After a while of this McGonagall awarded the Gryffindors some more points and then instructed them to turn a button into a needle, something that if done accidentally would certainly teach snappily dressed people a lesson in wearing clothing that can be turned into sharp things that are not clothing by young witches and wizards. If applied in reverse it could make sewing very difficult.

Hermione was able to do it on her third try, and after smiling at her and giving her several more points, she allowed Hermione to leave early. Able to leave early, Hermione took advantage of being able to leave early and left the class before her scheduled time of release. Frustrated with his lack of success with the transfiguration, Ron grunted and jabbed his wand at the button.

There was a puff of magical smoke and when it cleared and the students stopped coughing Ron's transfigured button was apparent. It still looked like a button, although it seemed rather pointy and when Ron went to touch it he hissed in pain and drew his injured finger to his face.

McGonagall stepped over and looked down at the shoddy Transfiguration attempt like an English teacher would look down on someone using a simile and calling it a metaphor.

"Five points to Gryffindor," McGonagall said, sighing. "At least you tried."

After several more failed attempts at making a pin, Harry managed to make one, inspiring a surprised glance from everyone, including Hermione who had made a pin only a few seconds before him. McGonagall was surprised, but not grumpy and so she awarded him some points and then took some points away from the Slytherins because they weren't trying hard enough.

Once class was over and everyone, including a chubby boy named Neville who didn't appear to be very bright, had made some progress towards transfiguring something, McGonagall let them go. Ron bolted out of class, but Hermione and surprisingly Harry stayed behind. It is surprising that Harry stayed behind because not only is he very shy and therefore reluctant to face a teacher, but Ron is also his best and only friend and he would therefore normally wish to spend some time with him rather than with Hermione or the teacher that he had stayed after to meet with.

"Professor," Hermione started. "Since I did so much better than everyone else today, could I have some additional homework that I would use to challenge myself so that I continue to perform better than everyone else?"
"Of course," McGonagall said with a smile. "Fifteen points to Gryffindor for asking and here is your additional homework."
Hermione accepted the parchment with only a high-pitched squeal of glee to reveal her excitement, before she scurried out of the classroom, practically skipping with joy.

"And what do you want Mr. Potter?" McGonagall said kindly, knowing the boy had no parents and was therefore an orphan.

"I just had a small question," Harry said nervously.

"And it is?"

Harry gulped loudly, before summoning up the courage he was already famous for. "Why do you give so many points to Gryffindors and take so many away from the Slytherins?"
McGonagall seemed surprised by the question, but not angry and awarded Harry several points for asking it. Once that was done she explained herself.
"You see Harry, Snape hates Gryffindors because your father, who was a Gryffindor, made fun of him and teased him."
"Like Malfoy does with me?"

"Yes! Exactly! And so he demonstrates that hatred by taking points away from them and awarding them to the Slytherins. Now we other teachers could talk to him about it, but we think it greatly improves the House Point dynamic if we all simply work around his unchangeable bias."

"Oh!" Harry said. "I get it. You teachers sure are clever!"

"Yes," McGonagall said with a laugh. "We are."
"Thank you!" Harry said, leaving the classroom with a big grin, glad that a question he had that he didn't know the answer to had been answered. However his grin quickly faded when he literally bumped into a blond-haired Draco Malfoy. And by literally it is meant that he actually, physically bumped into the boy and not figuratively bumped into him or almost bumped into him but managed to stop before physical contact was made.

"I'm sorry!" Harry said, stepping back.

"You should be, Potter," Malfoy drawled, brushing at his robes as if Harry's greasy unwashed body had somehow dirtied the fine magical cloth. "I was just coming to inform you that you have detention with the Potion Master."
"Who?"

Malfoy sneered. "Snape."