Preston smiled and gave a small nod. "Of course, Mister Upstead. Are there particular kinds of spells that you find easier? It's probably best to start somewhere where you've had some success and then build from there."

Preston took out parchment and quill to begin to make the list.

If Preston had been setting out to discourage the boy from illegally copying books (he had), then he thought that perhaps he'd succeeded. It would, of course, not be difficult for him to make a temporary copy. He wondered, briefly, if the boy thought that the copied book from the other student would last forever.

If it were simply that easy to make a book, no one would ever sell one again.

"That is quite a large book, Mister Lockhart. Would you perhaps like it in a more manageable form?" Preston eyed it. Lots of reading for the boy. He nodded approvingly.

"It's no trouble, but remember that this copy won't last much longer than the end of the summer, after I've made it."

Treyen was slightly calm now, the thought of leaving his wand some place else certainly made him upset. But...didn't he lose his wand once? Like...at a class...last year?

Er, let's say he didn't!

Gilderoy never lost his wand, except when the healers took it away. But that was different, it's not like he forgot it.

But we're not talking about wands, are we? We're talking books! BIG books! "It certainly is, sir" he nodded, looking at Professor Kingsley, "It has tons of info, which works perfectly fine for me" because he needed to learn. And then one question surprised him. "It can be copied that way too? More manageable...it sounds rather..." attractive, that proposition, for sure, "...perfect" he smiled, eying the book once more. If he was going to carry around this non-permanent copy then a smaller book would be the way to go.

Grin. Double grin. It was nooo trouble!

AWESOME!

"Oh, yes, don't worry about that, I'll make sure I get the original before the copy disappears" he, then, remembered something from his previous class, "But, Professor, will you be needing something else to make the copy? I mean, it can't appear out of thin air, correct?" Treyen was very curious at this point as to find out how such a thing (the copy) can be made. NO WORRIES. He won't follow the path of copying books illegally. Lockharts follow all rules, and try hard not to break them. This meant, no illegal activities whatsoever.

Errrr... yeah.

At that comment, Jake kind of bowed his head in shaaaaaame. That's what HAPPENED when you were emotionally immature and couldn't do magic and kind of short (well, he'd kinda grown now). "Yyyeah... fffifth year..." he mumbled, feeling awkward.

Hmph.

He preferred the Lockhart of the female variety; Kaika.

"Errrr..." Jake looked lost for a moment, before remembering. "Oh yeah! I thhhink it was lllast year, I muhh-managed to make bbutterflies and ffflowers..."

Realising what he'd just said, Jake blinked slightly. "We hhhad an old lady as a tttteacher," the boy added as explanation. "And... I thhhink I can make sssparks, too."

Preston smiled. "A single geminio charm will duplicate something exactly, so long as you have the skill and focus to do so. Part of what makes a book difficult is that the individual words need to copy as well."

Preston tapped the book once, focusing intently, brow slightly furrowed. Appearing next to it, suddenly, was an exact copy. He pushed the original back across the table. It wouldn't do to mix the two up.

"Now, something I would do to no actual book, but since this is a copy, it's alright." Preston severed the cover and binding from the book, before duplicating the binding and shrinking them both. Splitting the pages of the book into two sections, he fitted them into the new covers, and with a sticking charm, glued the books back together.

Another two taps and they shrunk, just slightly. Not enough to be hard to read, but enough to be easier to carry.

"There you are. Two smaller volumes of the original book. Not nearly as nice a job as a binder would do, but workable enough for your purposes, I imagine." He paused, looking now at the three books the boy would have to carry. "Are you able to manage a levitation spell to help you carry these, Mister Lockhart?"

Preston looked a bit surprised, having read the lesson plans from last term. "Interesting, Mister Upstead. Interesting. Conjuring is usually considered one of the more difficult branches of transfiguration. If you managed those, I have every confidence that you will do quite well with your review."

Preston scribbled some notes on the page, beginning with the two conjuring spells he'd taught the Transfiguration club - calamus and encaustum - for quill and ink, respectively.

He hesitated, then. "Mister Upstead, would it be helpful to have a conversation about possible spells, rather than make a list?" He looked to the boy, recalling his difficulty reading, but recognizing that publically mentioning it was in poor taste.

"I cccan probably..." Jake began, and then hesitated. He was about to say he could probably work them out, but then remembered the whole latin aspect and of course the fact that it wasn't just waving a wand and saying a spell that made magic. "Errrr... actually, thhhat might hhhelp. I hhhave qqquite a good memory. Bbbut obviously, if I wwwere to keep a lllist as a rrreminder, you know?"

And... he really felt quite positive about himself since the whole compliment that Kingsley made. He could read soon, sure. Mental griiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin.

Mmmhmm. Jake was weird. But he was a nice Huffie. So, Treyen will take all the weirdness necessary because of the niceness. Easy to understand that?

The boy simply nodded. OWL year. That had to be tough, right?

Oooooooh...here we go!

Listening, he was listening, and paying so much attention that he forgot everything about Jake leaving his wand behind. Geminio Charm. Got it. Not that he'd be duplicating something in the near future, but he had it down as a reference.

Magic at work! Oh, my Gilderoy! Treyen resisted the urge to jump up and down in joy, though you could see he was slightly restless, the look on his face was hard to hide. "Awesome" he said, almost as a whisper, as he eyed both books. They were two now!

A-MAZING.

He couldn't fight to gasp as the terrible image before his eyes, the book was dying!! Of course, the book was a copy that wouldn't last long, so he composed himself rather quickly. But it was a sight he wished he'd never see again. "Whoa! That was amazing!" he smiled, eyes filled with joy, magic at work was just incredible, regardless of how many times he'd seen magic at work.

"Thank you so much, Sir!" he said, eyes flickering between the books and Professor Kingsley, "Very workable!" he was turning pages now, and everything seemed to be there. The boy stopped at the mention of 'Levitation'. How could he not think of it sooner?! Instead of carrying the BIG book in his shoulders! He was becoming more and more muggle everyday...one of these days he'll forget his wand at home. Seriously.

Wand! Oh, yes, Jake was still here. "Oh, yes, Professor, I can do that" GRIN! He could! "Again, thanks a lot! And...I think I won't take much of your time now..." he said, closing his bag, and placing the two smaller books on top of the large one...his eyed widened a bit, for he couldn't find his wand, but he did!

He was still experiencing some difficulty with other Hover Charms other than Wingardium Leviosa...so....Wingardium Leviosa it is!

Swish and flick. And we're good to go, yes?

"I'll see you in class, Professor...and see you in practice, Jake" please, don't leave the office without your wand. Pleeeaseee. Then the boy started to leave the office, with three books in front of him.

Preston smiled. Excellent. Truly excellent. This boy was, clearly, rather interested in learning. Preston was grateful for that, even if it wasn't necessarily learning in his own subject.

"Take care of those books, Mister Lockhart. I will see you in class."

He turned his attention back to Mister Upstead, then. "Well, let me write down a list, and then I'll run through the spells with you quickly." He gave a smile and set to writing.

Conjuring
Calamus, encaustum, risona, plumexer, firsitan, aguamenti

Inanimate
Horolos
Reverto (reverTOE)
Fructus Verto
Vegitalibus Verto
Teras Verto
Reverto (reVERtoe)

Sliding the paper across the desk, Preston smiled. "So, I've started the list with conjuring spells, since you've seemed to manage those. Calamus will conjure a simple quill, encaustum ink in the color you concentrate on. Black is simplest. Risona will conjure a ribbon to write with and firsitan sparks. Aguamenti, water." He paused. "A number of these have been covered in previous terms."

He continued. "The next bit is spells where the result is inanimate, even if the subject isn't. Horolos we covered in my first lesson, to create a watch or clock." Which the boy had missed. "Reverto, emphasis on the final syllable, will restore a transfigured object to it's original form. That was also in the first lesson. I suggest you find a classmate for that information."

"And then, the self-transfigurations and reversal from last term should be the final things you try, after you've gotten the hang of the others."

He looked at the boy. "How does that sound for a start, Mister Upstead?"

He heard the multiple knocks on the door, then and looked up before calling out. "It will be just a few moments."

Jake tried his best to give Kingsley his ultimate attention as the man ran through the spells. They did, of course, sound harder to say than to master properly.

Looking at each spell, Jake comitted to memory everything that was being said and frowned in utter concentration. "Sssounds good sir," he replied, dead serious look on his face. He'd manage all this if it was the last thing he ever did.

Hearing the knock at the door, Jake started slightly and looked around. "Errr... I sshhould get g-g-going then, sssir. Make a ssstart."

And make room for the next student or whatevs.

It really failed that they were going to have another person in the office listening into their conversation that she'd really not have anyone else listen to besides the Professor and Destiny, but, she'd just have to put up with it. Because she was not coming back another time. She was already here! Unless, the other girl didn't mind coming back another time...

...hehe.

Stepping inside the office, Evelyn moved to the side of the room before placing her hands behind her back and waiting, with a small smile on her face. Hopefully the Professor didn't just wave off their request. That would be sad...

A-ha!

So the Professor's office was the exact same as last time Destiny was there. Only..the tray of cupcake were gone..pity. She wondered if the Professor actually ate them all, or if he threw them away as soon as she left. Oh well. She wasn't about to ask, since what they were going to talk about was WAY more important than cupcakes.

Moving to the side of Evelyn, Destiny held her arms to her sides as she waited for the Professor and the other girl to make their way into the office. Maybe the other girl was there for the SAME reason?

That would suck..

Following the two Slytherins into his office, Preston cast a glance backward to see if the young Ravenclaw was following. Not seeing her, he sat behind his own desk, figuring that she would enter in her own time.

"Please, have a seat," he said, gesturing. "What can I do for you?"

Sitting in one of the seats with a straight posture, though with one of her feet tapping anxiously on the ground, Evelyn glanced at Destiny for a moment before turning her attention back to the Professor. "Well, last year, and this year, we've been reading up on a few things...like, a lot, and I know it's going to take more than a few years to really understand and get this..." Uh huh. Someone was beating around the bush! Pffft, and it wasn't because she was nervous or anything. PFFFFT. Noooo...."But since you're such an awesome Transfiguration teacher, we figured we'd come and ask for...a little more information. And help."

Taking a seat in the chair next to Evelyn, Destiny's eyes flickered around the office, avoiding ALL eye contact with the Professor. She nodded her head a few times as Evelyn spoke, but still, she would NOT look at Kingsley. She did not want to see what his face looked like when he REJECTED their requests.

Because she was sure he would.

When Evelyn was done her little speech, Destiny glanced at the Professor, trying to read his expression, but seeing as she can't read expressions she decided to add a few things, "YES! You are AWESOME and you would be the best choice to help us with this. I'm sure you've been asked about this a LOT, but we really, really, REALLY wannalearnaboutanimagi."

At least she didn't beat around the bush.

Yes! Destiny was juuust putting the icing on the cake! Mwaha! With her hands wringing in her lap, and her foot tapping rather quickly, yet quietly, she was just in a huge ball of nerves as Destiny finished her sentenced. It was hard for her to understand what her friend had just said, but the last word was loud and clear!

Ohhh...kay.

Now to just, wait for the Professor to say something. Okay. Don't look so nervous! He could probably smell fear. Not that she feared him. Even though, he was one of the more stricter professors. Not like, Lafay though. Just...

In that slightly nerve-wracking way. Eep! Aw well, if he was going to attack them, then Destiny would be the most likely target. She was the one that said what they were here for anyways. Haha!

Professor Kingsley folded his hands in his lap and looked at them skeptically as they laid on the flattery.

Clearly, they wanted something, but...

Ah.

"I see." Preston crossed one leg over the other as he considered the girls. "Well, I suppose I should have suspected. It's the only reason anyone comes to see me, other than those cupcakes."

Preston smiled briefly at Miss Shepard.

"So, tell me specifically what your particular interest is? Theoretical?"

Or practical?

Cupcakes? Ohhh right, the Charms assignment...Aaaand why did he smile at Destiny? Not that it really mattered..

"Ummm..." particular interest? Theoretical? Noooo. They wanted to learn to become animagi right? Not just study it and all that jazz. Taking a quick glance at Destiny before looking back to the Professor, she finally finished her sentence. "...practical."

Well, they got this far and he hadn't shot down the idea as of yet. Perhaps that was a good sign of things? Yes?

Preston nodded and looked away a moment. After a bit of a pause, he looked to the two girls.

"I appreciate your honesty. A few times this term, students have claimed to have only a theoretical interest in order to get the information they would need to attempt such a transformation on their own."

He stood, then. "I don't imagine I need to tell both of you that doing so is a foolhardy, dangerous, and potentially illegal enterprise, yes?"

He walked over to his bookcase, continuing to talk. "It's a difficult skill to master; very few manage, even of those who try for years. Ah, here we go." Pulling a book from the shelf, Preston returned to his seat.

"We have some guidelines here, and you're not old enough for supervised lessons. But.." he held up his hand. "If you are interested in that sort of guidance when you are fifth years, you must prove to me you have researched above and beyond what has been taught in class. You must have a thorough understanding of transfiguration as well as be willing to notify the ministry that you are undertaking such study."

He paused, before looking at them pointedly. "And you must have a clean disciplinary record."

He rested the book on his leg. "Are these all conditions you're willing to undertake?"

Eeeep!

When Kingsley stood, Destiny was SURE he was going to pick them up and throw them out of the office. Only, he did none of the sort. Instead a question was asked, and she nodded her head. She knew all the things that could go wrong while practising on their own, that's why they were there. They both wanted to do this the right way..well, Destiny didn't know about Evelyn, but she wanted to do it the right way.

No Azkaban for her!

Frowning at the book that was pulled off the shelf, she listened intently. Meh, always too young to do things. Like when her parents told her she was too young to use the sheep trimmers and when she did use them, she just so happened to trim the hair right off her father's head. How that happened is still a mystery. All in all, she figured they would just have to wait to do the practical stuff, and while they waited they would have to study; which was fine, since they had been studying a LOT already.

And then discipline came into play. Crud. Glancing towards Evelyn for a split second, Destiny shrugged knowing that they both had been in trouble quite a few times. "When you say have a clean disciplinary record, you mean starting now, right?"

Was being good for the next four years really worth it?

Nodding? Nodding was good right?

Evelyn sat patiently, listening to what he was saying, however, her eyes widened at every word. Yea, she knew it was dangerous to attempt it on their own, and even illegal, but...well actually, there was no 'buts' about it. Becoming an animagi was tough and dangerous work.

Watching the professor take a book off a shelf, she sorta frowned when he said they were not old enough for supervised lessons. Like, seriously? FIFTH YEAR?! AND have a thorough understanding of Transfiguration...

...and notfiy the Ministry of what they are doing.

Well, she was hoping to get out of that last one, but now that he was laying out rules for them, becoming an animagi just became ten times harder. And, not only that, but they had to have a clean disciplinary record. Omg. Nooo! Like...

SERIOUSLY?

Glancing at Destiny with a tiny look of disblief, the Slytherin cleared her throat when her friend asked a rather...important question. Destiny practically had a clean record but...yea. Was this record starting now, or since first year?

Oh dear. We've struck a nerve.

Preston raised an eyebrow and considered the two girls before him. Propping his elbows on the arms of his chair, he tapped his fingers together thoughtfully.

"I see that last stipulation causes you some concern. Perhaps I should explain." Professor Kingsley spoke slowly, letting the words hang in the air.

"I will not assist students in this endeavor if I have any reason to believe that their intentions may be anything less than completely upstanding. There is a reason that animagi must register with the Ministry. It can be a tool used to cause trouble. History of mischief making, rule breaking, and peer tormenting will give me great pause. If there is such a history on your record," he paused and looked at them some more. There certainly must be - he hadn't looked - if they reacted in that way.

"If there is such a history, refraining from further infractions would be enough, in most cases, to prove to me that you were to be trusted."

A tool to cause trouble?

And here she thought the only reason she wanted to become one is because she thought it was cool. What kind of trouble could one get in? Besides, what that Skeeter woman did a million years ago or something...

However, her expression almost became a cringe as the Professor started naming off things they could not do. No...peer tormenting?! That was torture. Pure...torture. And will ruin her reputation that she worked up so hard to get. No one messes with them, and they don't mess with them. That's what happened. Except Stutters. They always mess with him...at least she did.

O__O NO MESSING WITH STUTTERS?!

But now since they have to turn all goody good, it will totally throw things out of balance!

....

"Of course professor. There will be no such things on our records." she said with a serious expression and a nod. Anymore at least. Or, unless they get caught. Yes, she so badly wanted to be an animagus, that she was going to give up being her usual self. At least in authority view.

"I'm quite glad to hear it," Preston said, dropping his hands and once again picking up the book.

"I take this sort of thing very seriously, and I hope you do, as well. It is not a game." He looked from one to the other and back again, before placing the book on the desk, and sliding it across to them.

"Start with this. I trust the two of you can share it? If you need to borrow it between terms, just let me know." Preston reached over and grabbed a piece of parchment from his desk. Dabbing his quill into his ink, he scratched down the name of the book - Understanding Animagi - and the names of the girls. Tapping it once with his wand, it rolled itself up and disappeared.

"You will need to do additional reading on your own, but this will be a good place to start."

Well, of course it wasn't a game. She didn't want to end up like the Slytherin prefect who had those ears for an insane amount of time. Even if he wasn't trying to become an animagi...

Glancing towards Destiny for a split moment before slowly taking the book off of the desk, she held it on her lap, although shifted slightly so Destiny was able to read it too. Understanding Animagi? Hmm yea, that would be a good book. Not one she had read yet. Looking up to the Professor when he mentioned in between terms, the Slytherin practically jumped at the idea.

"Is it alright...if I did that, or, we I mean... Borrow the book this summer?" It would give her something to do at night to keep her mind off certain memories and events. Plus with all the finals coming up and such, she didn't know if she would be able to read all of it during the school year, when she'll have plenty of time at Destiny's house to read it.

Preston nodded. "Of course you may. I expect, however, that you'll both come see me first thing at the start of next term to return the book and tell me what you've learned."

He smiled at them. "I know it may seem like I'm being rather strict, but with something like this, I have to be."

He paused, considering the two girls. "Anything else? I don't want to keep you from preparing for your finals."