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A cold, wet morning dawned as January 16 arrived. Rain lashed the castle windows, but the Transfiguration classroom remained dry and toasty warm owing to a number of warming charms that Celestia had strategically placed around the classroom.
Enlarged jars of bluebell flames stand proudly at each corner of the room, carefully enchanted with Unbreakable Charms and gaining a height of 4 feet. The blue light emanating from the flames dances merrily on the rows of evenly spaced single desks that dominate the space. Some of the standard torches provided in every Hogwarts classroom have been doused in order to keep the room from being too bright, though there are areas of the room where (regrettably) students are faced with a mixture of blue and yellow light. Celestia was not concerned about this, however; she had installed the massive bluebell flames as soon as the first snow fell before Christmas. The students were surely used to the lighting effects by now.
A plain card table, made remarkable only by the Impervius Charm placed upon it, stands shoved up against the wall on the left hand side of the classroom. Here, a steaming teapot and equally steamy pot of hot chocolate, along with all of the possible trappings that anyone could desire for either drink, sit invitingly. A large stack of Styrofoam cups are provided, and students should know by now that they are welcome to either (or both) drinks.
The only new feature of the room on this gloomy January morning is a sturdy oak table that stands against the wall opposite the door. Student desks in the first two rows of the classroom are squashed together rather closer than they normally would have been to make room for this odd new addition. Rattling cages, carefully draped with bits of plain brown cloth, are perched on the table's surface.
Celestia herself can be found sitting in her usual red, squashy armchair behind her desk at the front and center of the room. The normally clean surface of the teacher's desk is marred today by a large number of small, silver pins. With a casual jab of her wand, the door of the classroom swings open with its usual BANG! at precisely 9:45 AM.
OOC:Hi guys! Welcome to the first and only Transfiguration lesson of the term! A last minute schedule conflict came up for me with school, so I'm opening this lesson up super early for arrivals, but we will still be starting the official lesson onFebruary 16 at 12 AM CST (6 AM GMT).Thanks for your understanding! Don't forget that even though this is our first lesson together OOC, the students have been having Transfiguration lessons IC with Celestia since September. Please don't forget to read the Transfiguration rules before posting! Hope you all have a great time!
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She had overslept or maybe she had just taken her time, but either way Zita was very late for class. She might have even missed her first lessons of the day, but she checked her watch and knew she would never make it on time to Transfiguration, but she did have the assignment to turn in, even if Zayden was the one that did it for her. So entering the lesson she looked around knowing the professor had already started.
What would she do to get out of this one, but before any reaction could go wrong she looked at the professor with a bit of panic on her face, "Professor, so sorry I'm late, there was a girl. A younger girl, Ravenclaw, I don't know her name. She was on the stairs acting very odd. I didn't know what to do. I think she even had some paint on her hands. She was just mumbling and acting like she was out of it. I tried to help her before coming here, but she wouldn't take my help and eventually pushed me away like I was a door and started off down the stairs again."
That was a good lie, yes? With all that bird stuff going on how could a professor really think she was lying? Unless her theory of professors reading minds was spot on and if that was the case she would be trying for the fashionably acceptable headpiece that blocked those sort of powers out.
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Conjured animals? Real animals? The real question they should be asking here is why did any of this matter in the first place??? Would they actually need to conjure animals in the real world? Probably not. Well, Zoryn wouldn't have to any way. She was gonna be a super famous actress. The only thing she needed to know how to conjure was a beautiful red carpet look.
Just sayin'.
But of course, she needed to say something, otherwise she'd probably fall asleep. "If you cast the spell wrong, the magic animal might not act like the real thing," that could be a difference. Maybe. Honestly, Zoryn wasn't worried about it.
At least she gave an answer, y'know? Didn't have to be a good one.
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"Ohh boy," Ronan said under his voice as Professor Grimsbane asked about the ethical-ness of using spells on animals. There was an abnormal amount of what he liked to call PETA-adjacent (after the muggle organization, of course) students at Hogwarts and many of them were in this very room. So, good times. He actually welcomed the distraction that Zita brought with her, rather she was telling the truth or not (which, with her, it was hard to tell), even with how sick he was of the whole 'hawk thing'.
He just sat, listened and hoped Zita's declaration would be enough to distract the PETA-adjacent from starting their very tired debate since he had nothing to add.
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She took a sip of her hot chocolate and let the warm liquid roll around her mouth, coating every inch in chocolaty goodness before answering the professor's morning greeting. "I'm very well, thank you." She watched as the other students entered then the door banged closed.
Time for class. She was cautiously curious about what was under the covers. Then, upon hearing they were working with animals, she began to feel worried. She didn't like the idea of making anything do something it didn't want to do, or of turning something into a magical not quite living thing.
"I'm not exactly sure what the difference between a real animal and a conjured animal. Well, except one is real and one is conjured." She flushed with embarrassment at her own response. "What I mean is, well, they would probably look the same. Like, you might not be able to see the difference by looking at them."'Ugh, just stop talking' she thought to herself.
She took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. It was too early in the class to be floundering. After taking another sip of hot coco, she attempted the second question. "I don't believe any spell should be preformed on an animal without its consent. Unless the spell saves the life of the animal, then I think that would be okay." Emmalyn did not like the idea of practicing any sort of spell on an animal. Even her charmed mouse, Rose, would be off limits for experimentation.
Night agreed wholeheartedly with what a lot of her classmates were saying. "Well, simple things like color changing are okay, I think. And if it's for science--" did her classmates even know what science was, or was that a foreign concept in the wizard world? --"or necessary for the human race, then experimenting is sometimes okay. And I guess conjured creatures would be less receptive to pain?"
Here's to hoping the animals they're working today not too dangerous but seeing there's cage it's very unlikely. She heard the Professor asking the first question. The differences between real animals and conjured animals. Well for starter they're very different alright. But she's pretty sure that's the answer Professor Grimsbane looking for.
Alyce raised her hand before she start speaking "Conjured animals live depends on the caster? When the caster died, the conjured animals disappeared because the spell cast by the caster ceased. Real animals don't need magic to survive." Was that make sense?
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“The rain isn’t that bad, but the creatures are definitely restless out there,” she had informed the professor after the greeting. Especially the ones who weren’t easily allowed out during the morning, rain or no. Stasya figured that Professor Grimsbane knew she’d already been out there once. The comment to Patrick had kept her from attempting to eat her scones. They’d just have to wait until after the lesson was over and she’d just have to make do with her cocoa until then. That and she was still curious about the hidden creatures in the cages. The scratching sounded like maybe rats or mice, rodents of some kind. She just hoped they weren’t squirrels.
“Conjured animals are real, but they can’t breed or do a lot of the other activities that natural born animals can do,” she answered, raising her hand as the lesson began. She remembered the debate back when they’d transfigured the betta fish before. And also… “The main ethical problem with performing spells on animals it the idea that the spells might hurt them.” She was assuming they weren’t talking about conjuring creatures, but casting on real ones. Not that she was entirely okay with either one. “It’s kind of like casting on other people. Not dueling, since obviously then the person knows a spell is coming toward them. But if we’re not okay with casting spells that might hurt a person, why is it okay to cast them on animals that aren’t able to agree to it?” It all depended on the spell though. Some spells didn’t hurt, like color changing charms and stuff.
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Rylee picked up her hot cocoa letting the warm cup help warm her hands for a moment before taking a sip of the wonderful chocolaty goodness. Might as well enjoy her drink while the professor spoke. Creatures. Conjuring. Ethics. Well this was certainly something to think about. Did it even matter what she said? Everyone was surely going to have their own opinions.
Setting her drink down she picked up her quill and started taking down some notes. The differences between a real true creature and one that was conjured was important. Slowly she raised her hand to give an answer. "Well real creatures are just that... real. They eat, drink, sleep and play. They have families, can learn things and feel pain just like us. Conjured ones might look real and feel real to us but they were created by what we wanted in that moment..." Right? At least that's how she had understood it when she had asked her sister about it once before. As for the ethics of it all well... "We can never fully know if a spell works unless it's tried out. I would much rather test out a new spell or a potion or whatever on something I conjured up rather than say my own pet..." Mistakes happened and she wouldn't want anything to happen to her pets, they were family.
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Kirk had taken the liberty to enjoying his marshmallow filled drink as a few others offered their own comparisons on a real versus conjured animal. The difference was in the name itself, wasn't it? He had thought. He couldn't really see any other new edition to that point of view on that issue.
He did however have some thoughts for the second issue regarding the ethics. "Most creatures in particular can't counter any spell we put on them despite good intentions. There is that friendly animal charm that as long as we have good intentions allows the creature to see that and trust us more without using something like Imperio against their will."
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And just like that, Jessa was even more interested to keep poking and wait for something to happen. There was nothing worse than suggesting a cause and effect scenario for the Ravenclaw, because she quickly became interested in seeing what would happen. Heedless to the Professor's warning, the Ravenclaw kept at her persistent nudging. "I dunno..." She muttered to Nat. "I wasn't all that curious til the Professor said that." And now it was driving her wild, this not knowing. How soon would something happen? Was whatever resided inside a biter? Scratcher? Pee-er?
Come on you little bugger, make something happen.
So distracted was she--especially after the noises started--that she almost missed the Professor's intro and questions.
Perhaps....it would have been better if she had. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that a topic like this could easily go south and Jessa Cambridge didn't have the patience necessary for the ignorant or misinformed when it came to certain things.
She glanced over to Shera, Stasya and that Gryffindor First Year when they offered up their responses, doing nothing to conceal the roll of her eyes. Ethics in magic and animals was a touchy subject for her and a lot of that had to deal with the fact that the least informed tended to have the loudest views. "Nat and Maxton are right." She said by way of a preface, looking each guilty party over once before turning to the Professor again. "They're not real. That's the biggest difference. Magic, no matter how powerful can't really produce life. Most can't even mimic most signs of life when they conjure creatures and those creatures operate solely on the intent of the caster. I could list several differences: one having free will while the other doesn't, one feeling pain while the other most certainly doesn't. The ethical issues that exit with casting on conjured creatures exist solely because of those who decide to make an issue out of nothing."
This was a bad idea. "With real creatures, you have to consider not only the short term pain but long term effects before casting. With magically conjured ones, none of that matters. If you don't change 'em back, they'll go back to whatever they once were eventually and are non-sentient. Some have no response to stimuli unless the caster gave the intent specifically."
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Skylar glanced over when Juniper and Zarina had both greeted her and gave nods of appreciations to the two fourth years. Also, no Miss, Juni? Skylar felt slightly weird and sad about that because she'd grown so accustomed to the Ravenclaw calling her Miss Skylar. But as the lesson was starting, no time to be distracted by the lack of a title.
Working with animals? Well she supposed that would explain the rattling noise and Skylar was definitely intrigued as to what kind of animals. But before she could delve into the question, a certain younger Slytherin entered the classroom with some far-fetched excuse that the sixth year was only half listening to as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. She did only hope that Professor Grimsbane would appreciate the story and show some mercy on her, but if the lack of coffee as a beverage choice was any indication, well, Skylar was doubtful.
Right, back to the questions on hand, which it seemed the differences between conjured versus wild animals was covered, but ethics? Well, that was a trickier question. "Performing spells on conjured animals is perfectly acceptable because the animals aren't real. They're just recreated figments designed to mimic the real thing, so it's not like you'd really be harming an animal." Okay, she was probably going to get chewed out by some of the creatures activists in the room, but she wasn't harming real creatures. Which was her line of defense.
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Zarina beamed when the Professor greeted her. It seemed like she was in a good mood. Now onto the lesson at hand, Zae looked around and did notice the animals around the room. Her question did make sense when she thought of it. Zae heard the first question and thought about the differences between natural, wild animal and an animal that has been conjured by magic. She would normally disregard and go back to drawing in her sketchbook but Zae raised her hand, "Well I agree with Stasya..." she motioned to her. She took the words right out of her mouth. Zae did care about the furry critters. Plus Zae had to agree with someone to let the Professor know she was paying attention.
Hand in the air, he knew professor Grimsbane would probably make him regret his next words, but he couldn't help it. "To me, they're no different, if they're living and breathing." Maybe family issues affected his answer, but it was still his opinion. "And those problems can be solved by not casting any spells on them. Conjured by magic or not, it can still hurt them."
Celestia smiled gently at the first year. She had been expecting objections from this corner, and was rather proud of the young Gryffindor for standing up for his beliefs -- even if he was mistaken. ”Well, Mr. Yoon, I would agree with you if conjured animals were alive, but they are not. They are physical manifestations of magic if they are “conjured from thin air” or they are simply objects animated by magic. I can assure you that animals created by magic cannot feel any pain -- or anything at all.” She would go more into detail when addressing the rest of the class, as she was sure that other students would have similar concerns.
SPOILER!!: ”Shera”
"Professor, isn't one of our ethical dilemmas that even though we created them and don't really recognise them as real they still don't know any better and still feel like a normal animal would... I don't think it's really right to do anything to them... I don't even think I'd want to change them back. I mean... they might not have known better before but now they're alive!"
She paused for a moment before tilting her head to the side slightly, before beaming at Daehyun and then at the professor. "Plus animals are super cute!"
Ah, already another first year with similar concerns! Celestia couldn’t stop the smile from stretching further across her face at Shera’s last comment. She sighed softly and replied, ”They are quite cute, yes, Miss Ben-Ari. I can assure you, however, they are NOT alive and do not feel any pain. Additionally, even if an animation spell lasts for a very long time, they will eventually turn back into what they were before on their own. Spells like that don’t last forever.” She tried to make her tone as gentle as possible, and offered the young girl a smile to soften her words.
SPOILER!!: ”Kye”
Okay, if Kye had one wish right now it was for Professor Grimsbane to learn how to close a door without trying to break it into a billion pieces. Having gotten a bit more comfortable, this time Kye jumped a little bit higher than she had last time. She should have seen that slam coming, but she was a bit preoccupied with eating a marshmallow off the top of her cup. And what was tha…. Oh. Lovely. She had spilled hot chocolate on her front. Like, a little puddle had formed. With an agitated expression, she took her wand out and cleaned the spot.
“Scourgify,” she muttered grumpily. Luckily it wasn’t burn your tongue hot, or she may have let out an involuntary shout. Perhaps this would slip by relatively unnoticed? One could only hope. Feeling a bit as though she was owed this, she went and refilled her cup. She was going to enjoy this, darn it! She sipped some and placed the cup on her desk, so that she could take notes.
The difference between natural and conjured animals? Kind of like the mouse pet that she now owned from that one Charms lesson? Aww her little purple guy was up in her dorm right now, with Edie. “Well, real animals can breed…? Conjured ones probably don’t need to eat either… even though they can.”
Ethical problems involved when performing spells on animals? “Well, I mean, I don’t go around casting spells on humans… so typically, we treat animals the same way I’d hope. I’ve never understood how conjured animals, such as toy mice that come to life, develop thought though… Like, do they have a working brain? Or just as far as the spell limits?” Was she going to make them feel bad morally and then have them cast weird spells on these poor creatures?!
Celestia’s lips thinned slightly as the Slytherin left her seat after the door had been closed, but she said nothing. She had closed the door rather loudly -- a technique used to wake the sleepier members of the class -- and so she felt the girl was justified in refilling her drink. A few moments later, however, she was smiling at the Slytherin and answered: ”Well done, Miss Atwater! That’s right, conjured animals can’t breed and don’t need to eat, because they’re not properly alive. They don’t have a working brain so to speak… Your mouse doesn’t think, it simply reacts according to the habits and behaviors that Professor Marchand put into it when he cast it.” She was happy to see that Gaston’s efforts in his class had resulted in students developing at least somewhat of an interest in this topic.
SPOILER!!: ”Natalie”
As class began, Natale drew her eyes away from the covered cage and listened to the professor speak. Animals, huh? Why did they have to work with animals OUTSIDE of Care of Magical Creatures? Boo. Regardless, she still paid attention. They were talking about real animals versus conjured animals. Natalie raised her hand. "Well, they're not real, conjured ones. So... they probably don't feel pain? Or anything. I dunno."
Really, she didn't know. But it was a guess. As for ethics, well... depended on the person. Natalie glanced at Jessa to see what her thoughts on the matter were.
”That’s correct, Miss McKinley! Conjured animals do not feel pain or anything at all, “ Celestia confirmed happily. She was glad to see that some of the older students had this fundamental understanding already.
SPOILER!!: ”Maxton”
Max was kind of grateful for the rattling cages. Whatever Professor Grimsbane had caged up sounded like it wanted to get out and that was the only thing keeping the Slytherin more alert right now.
"Conjured animals aren't real," he raised his arm to voice his opinion. Perhaps an unpopular opinion judging on what some of the other kids had said. "They might look real to us, but they're not so I think it's okay to use spells on them." He finished with a shrug and leant back in his seat.
”Very good, Mr. Carden! You’re quite correct,”[/b] Celestia told him with a bright smile. It was good to know that she wouldn’t be fighting for the entire class’s cooperation today out of a sense of misguided ethics.
SPOILER!!: ”Skyler”
Oooyy. Animals? She didn't have much room to talk as everyone, most everyone was saying not to cast spells on them in the first place. Yeah, welk, no kidding but...
Celestia noticed that Skyler was rather quiet today. That was fine; she didn’t mind as long as the girl didn’t burst out with objections and disrupt the lesson later. Not that she minded having those discussions with students, but she was really hoping to get all of this over with at the beginning of the lesson. She gave the first year a warm smile, just in case, and moved on.
SPOILER!!: ”Zita”
What would she do to get out of this one, but before any reaction could go wrong she looked at the professor with a bit of panic on her face,"Professor, so sorry I'm late, there was a girl. A younger girl, Ravenclaw, I don't know her name. She was on the stairs acting very odd. I didn't know what to do. I think she even had some paint on her hands. She was just mumbling and acting like she was out of it. I tried to help her before coming here, but she wouldn't take my help and eventually pushed me away like I was a door and started off down the stairs again."
Celestia raised her eyebrows as Zita burst in to the room, quite obviously late. The professor wasn’t a Legilimens, but she wasn’t born yesterday, either. Zita had a reputation among the staff for dramatics, and Celestia had to admit that the reputation was well deserved. Perhaps she would have believed the story if a more, err, truth-prone student had come in with it. As it was, she said sternly: ”Miss Valla, that is certainly nothing to joke about! Ten points from Slytherin! Now, if I receive a Patronus from another member of staff corroborating your story, I’ll be happy to give you those points back. In the meantime, if you could sit down, please.” She folded her arms across her chest and frowned severely at the Slytherin. If the girl’s story was true, she was sure to hear about it later that day and would return the House points then.
SPOILER!!: ”Zoryn”
But of course, she needed to say something, otherwise she'd probably fall asleep. "If you cast the spell wrong, the magic animal might not act like the real thing," that could be a difference. Maybe. Honestly, Zoryn wasn't worried about it.
At least she gave an answer, y'know? Didn't have to be a good one.
A disappointing, yet correct answer from Zoryn Spinnet had Celestia frowning again. She thought that Zoryn had a lot of potential for success if she would only apply herself more in lessons; the young girl was undoubtedly an effective leader and had good instincts. ”Well, yes, Miss Spinnet. It takes a lot of concentration and willpower to make conjured animals behave like their natural counterparts,” she answered smoothly. No need to let her disappointment show in her tone this time.
SPOILER!!: ”Ronan”
He just sat, listened and hoped Zita's declaration would be enough to distract the PETA-adjacent from starting their very tired debate since he had nothing to add.
Ronan Carter was rather quiet, but this was not altogether surprising. Celestia had not expected this discussion to be a popular one among the older students in the class, who surely already knew that casting spells on conjured animals was not unethical in the least. She gave the Gryffindor a vague smile and turned to the next raised hand.
SPOILER!!: ”Emmalyn”
"I'm not exactly sure what the difference between a real animal and a conjured animal. Well, except one is real and one is conjured." She flushed with embarrassment at her own response. "What I mean is, well, they would probably look the same. Like, you might not be able to see the difference by looking at them." 'Ugh, just stop talking' she thought to herself.
She took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. It was too early in the class to be floundering. After taking another sip of hot coco, she attempted the second question. "I don't believe any spell should be preformed on an animal without its consent. Unless the spell saves the life of the animal, then I think that would be okay." Emmalyn did not like the idea of practicing any sort of spell on an animal. Even her charmed mouse, Rose, would be off limits for experimentation.
Celestia gave Emmalyn an encouraging smile as soon as she noticed the girl’s blush. She appreciated that the first year was willing to speak up in her class, and she did have a good answer. ”That’s correct, Miss Walsh, you should not be able to tell the difference by the animals’ appearance. And you are right that we must exercise caution when performing spells on real animals. I’ll get into more detail on this subject in a few minutes.” Hopefully, Emmalyn and the other apprehensive students would feel better about the day’s work by the end of the class discussion.
SPOILER!!: ”Night”
Night agreed wholeheartedly with what a lot of her classmates were saying. "Well, simple things like color changing are okay, I think. And if it's for science--" did her classmates even know what science was, or was that a foreign concept in the wizard world? --"or necessary for the human race, then experimenting is sometimes okay. And I guess conjured creatures would be less receptive to pain?"
”Experimentation is often necessary, Miss Dixon, yes. You are quite correct, as conjured creatures are not capable of feeling pain at all,” she replied. She hoped that Miss Dixon’s answer got her classmates thinking of instances where they would be comfortable with experimentation despite their ethical qualms. While Celestia understood that many of her students were sensitive to such things, she appreciated those who took context into account as well.
SPOILER!!: ”Alyce”
Alyce raised her hand before she start speaking "Conjured animals live depends on the caster? When the caster died, the conjured animals disappeared because the spell cast by the caster ceased. Real animals don't need magic to survive." Was that make sense?
”Correct, Miss LeFrique. That’s an interesting point. It is rather difficult to conjure an animal that will last for years, and to conjure one that lasted the caster’s entire life would be quite an achievement. Perhaps if it was a small animal like a fish…”, Celestia trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. She eventually shook herself out of wondering how long she could make a conjured animal last and how complex of an animal she could maintain for years, and moved on to the next student.
SPOILER!!: ”Stasya”
“Conjured animals are real, but they can’t breed or do a lot of the other activities that natural born animals can do,”she answered, raising her hand as the lesson began. She remembered the debate back when they’d transfigured the betta fish before. And also… “The main ethical problem with performing spells on animals it the idea that the spells might hurt them.” She was assuming they weren’t talking about conjuring creatures, but casting on real ones. Not that she was entirely okay with either one. “It’s kind of like casting on other people. Not dueling, since obviously then the person knows a spell is coming toward them. But if we’re not okay with casting spells that might hurt a person, why is it okay to cast them on animals that aren’t able to agree to it?” It all depended on the spell though. Some spells didn’t hurt, like color changing charms and stuff.
As Celestia had expected, Stasya brought up the main ethical problem with casting spells on animals. ”Conjured animals are real in the sense that they physically exist, but they are not alive. You are quite correct that they cannot breed. You also bring up important ethical points, Miss Dalgaard-Volkova. The issue of natural animals’ pain is certainly one of the main problems with casting potentially harmful spells on them,” Celestia agreed. She was careful not to steer the conversation into further controversial waters. Since she wouldn’t be allowing students to cast spells on natural animals during this lesson, there wasn’t much point in upsetting the students further.
SPOILER!!: ”Rylee”
Setting her drink down she picked up her quill and started taking down some notes. The differences between a real true creature and one that was conjured was important. Slowly she raised her hand to give an answer. "Well real creatures are just that... real. They eat, drink, sleep and play. They have families, can learn things and feel pain just like us. Conjured ones might look real and feel real to us but they were created by what we wanted in that moment..." Right? At least that's how she had understood it when she had asked her sister about it once before. As for the ethics of it all well... "We can never fully know if a spell works unless it's tried out. I would much rather test out a new spell or a potion or whatever on something I conjured up rather than say my own pet..." Mistakes happened and she wouldn't want anything to happen to her pets, they were family.
”Excellent, Miss Prichard! I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Celestia told the first year. She positively beamed at the Gryffindor; she had been hoping that, in the course of this discussion, students would understand these concepts if they were put into words that they could relate to better -- and Rylee Prichard had done just that.
SPOILER!!: ”Kirk”
He did however have some thoughts for the second issue regarding the ethics. "Most creatures in particular can't counter any spell we put on them despite good intentions. There is that friendly animal charm that as long as we have good intentions allows the creature to see that and trust us more without using something like Imperio against their will.
”Very good point, Mr. Forsfelle! That charm certainly helps bridge some ethical gaps and trust issues with animals,” Celestia replied with a warm smile. She was glad to see that students were putting quite a bit of thought into their answers.
SPOILER!!: ”Jessa”
Come on you little bugger, make something happen.
So distracted was she--especially after the noises started--that she almost missed the Professor's intro and questions.
Perhaps....it would have been better if she had. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that a topic like this could easily go south and Jessa Cambridge didn't have the patience necessary for the ignorant or misinformed when it came to certain things.
She glanced over to Shera, Stasya and that Gryffindor First Year when they offered up their responses, doing nothing to conceal the roll of her eyes. Ethics in magic and animals was a touchy subject for her and a lot of that had to deal with the fact that the least informed tended to have the loudest views. "Nat and Maxton are right." She said by way of a preface, looking each guilty party over once before turning to the Professor again. "They're not real. That's the biggest difference. Magic, no matter how powerful can't really produce life. Most can't even mimic most signs of life when they conjure creatures and those creatures operate solely on the intent of the caster. I could list several differences: one having free will while the other doesn't, one feeling pain while the other most certainly doesn't. The ethical issues that exit with casting on conjured creatures exist solely because of those who decide to make an issue out of nothing."
This was a bad idea. "With real creatures, you have to consider not only the short term pain but long term effects before casting. With magically conjured ones, none of that matters. If you don't change 'em back, they'll go back to whatever they once were eventually and are non-sentient. Some have no response to stimuli unless the caster gave the intent specifically."
Jessa’s nudging had finally elicited a reaction from the concealed creatures. One let out a high pitched squeal, followed by the clicking noise of many claws retreating as quickly as possible towards the far side of the cage. Celestia whirled at the sound and frowned at Jessa. She raised an eyebrow and said sternly, ”I warned you not to do that, Miss Cambridge. Please listen in future.” Of course, the cage closest to the prefect contained only conjured animals that rarely reacted in such a way, but Celestia had been sure to include those particular reactions to unseen stimuli to make them more realistic. If they had been the real animals in the room, Jessa would have certainly faced loss of points.
A few moments later, however, Celestia was positively beaming at the Ravenclaw prefect. ”Excellent, Miss Cambridge! You’re right on all counts, of course!” Celestia was particularly glad that the girl had seen fit to declare the ethical issues centered around conjured creatures to be nonsense -- in more polite terms, of course.
SPOILER!!: ”Skylar”
Right, back to the questions on hand, which it seemed the differences between conjured versus wild animals was covered, but ethics? Well, that was a trickier question. "Performing spells on conjured animals is perfectly acceptable because the animals aren't real. They're just recreated figments designed to mimic the real thing, so it's not like you'd really be harming an animal." Okay, she was probably going to get chewed out by some of the creatures activists in the room, but she wasn't harming real creatures. Which was her line of defense.
Another great answer! This was exactly what Celestia had been hoping for! She hoped that the creature lovers in her class would be feeling much better about the whole exercise after listening to their classmates. [b]”Very good, Miss Diggory! That was well said!”, Celestia told her with a warm smile.
SPOILER!!: ”Zarina”
Zarina beamed when the Professor greeted her. It seemed like she was in a good mood. Now onto the lesson at hand, Zae looked around and did notice the animals around the room. Her question did make sense when she thought of it. Zae heard the first question and thought about the differences between natural, wild animal and an animal that has been conjured by magic. She would normally disregard and go back to drawing in her sketchbook but Zae raised her hand, "Well I agree with Stasya..." she motioned to her. She took the words right out of her mouth. Zae did care about the furry critters. Plus Zae had to agree with someone to let the Professor know she was paying attention.
”I’m glad that you agree with Stasya, Miss Carraro,” Celestia began gently, ”but perhaps in future you could tell us why. Your opinion matters in this class as much as Stasya’s does.” Perhaps she was reading too much into the girl’s answer, but Celestia tried to encourage her students to speak up as much as possible. She certainly hoped that Zarina wasn’t suffering from a lack of confidence.
SPOILER!!: ”Conjured vs real animals”
”Very good insights overall, everyone! Today we will be changing hedgehogs into pincushions,” Celestia informed them matter-of-factly. ”Now, before you all get, errr, upset, I would like to emphasize a couple of points. We will not be working with hedgehogs plucked out of nature, but with creatures conjured by magic. As several of you have already pointed out, these creatures are NOT and never have been alive. One of the most fundamental laws of magic is that it cannot create life, and Transfiguration spells are no exception. Although I have done my best to, err, instill as many of the habits of the real animals as possible into these conjurations, they do not have free will or self-awareness. They merely mimic the habits and instincts that the caster -- in this case, I -- will them to have.” Celestia looked pointedly at the many creature loving students in the room before ending this part of the discussion with, ”They cannot feel pain, or indeed, anything at all.” She hoped that that was quite clear and that it would set those students’ minds at ease.
SPOILER!!: ”Why are we learning this spell?”
”You might be wondering by this point why we are bothering to study a spell like this at all. I do not think it is likely that you will ever have to use this specific spell in real life -- though it comes up often in O.W.L. exams --”, Celestia paused again to stare meaningfully at the fifth years in the room, ”But I don’t think you’ll be attacked by a horde of hedgehogs any time soon.” She felt her lips twitch slightly upward at this, but continued in an even tone of voice: ”I will be teaching you this spell today to give you some practice with transforming something animate into an inanimate object of a somewhat similar size and with other properties in common. You may find it very useful -- perhaps even necessary -- to turn an animate object into an inanimate one at some point in your lives after Hogwarts. A spell like this is a stepping stone to more advanced Transfiguration spells, including many that involve humans.”
Now that she’d gotten those rather unpleasant aspects of the lesson over with, it was finally time to turn to the mini activity. This part of the lesson would be far less controversial, thank Merlin. Additionally, many of the students with ethical qualms were on the younger side and would be more likely to spend most of the lesson working on this spell instead of the hedgehog one.
Celestia clapped her hands together twice -- mostly to wake some of the more sleepy students up -- and continued, ”We will get into the particulars of that spell in a few minutes. Now, I must warn you that the hedgehog spell is classified as fourth year level, though I expect third years to attempt it as well. First and second years will be contibruting to the day’s project with a different spell, which we’ll go over now. I realize that this spell will be a review for most of the class, but we do have all years in here so there we are…”
She moved over to her desk and plucked one of the thin, silver metal pins off its surface. Celestia held it up for the class to see before replacing it on the desk and withdrawing her ebony wand from its wrist holster. She then brought her wand straight down before turning it in a sharp 90 degree angle so that it made a backwards “L” shape and said loudly, ”Mutatis Insigne!” As the class (hopefully) watched, she kept her wand pointed determinedly at the pin, which began to grow longer and thicker. The majority of the pin then seemed to spread out over the desk’s surface as it formed a distinct shape. With a final flick of her wand, colors bloomed over the now-changed part of the pin until it had formed what was quite clearly a Gryffindor flag. Celestia held up the thicker, longer Gryffindor flag pin and showed it to the class.
”I thought we would make some House Quidditch pins to decorate our pincushions today! I’m sure you all want to support your House teams in the rest of the season, and I must congratulate those of you on the House teams for a spectacular season so far!”, she explained as she beamed at the various Quidditch players in the room. ”However, you do not have to make your pins Quidditch-themed. You will probably need to focus most of your, err, mental energy on the design that you would like to produce and on strengthening and thickening the pin’s weight. They are very slight at the moment.”
Celestia set her Gryffindor pin back down on the desk, then tapped the blackboard behind her with her wand; at once, words spanned across the board with key information about the spell.
SPOILER!!: ”Le board”
Spell type: Changing the properties of inanimate pins (inanimate to inanimate object)
Incantation: Mutatis Insigne
Wand movement: Backwards L-shape, followed by a sharp flick towards the pin at the end
Factors to keep in mind while casting: Focus on increasing the weight of the pin, and then on its length or size. Finally, have a clear mental picture of the design that you wish to make (including its shape) at the end of the pin that is NOT pointy. Focus and mental imagery are essential!
She made sure to say all of these instructions out loud as they appeared on the board behind her. Once everything of importance was on the board, she smiled and told the class brightly: ”Well everyone, you have 15 minutes to change at least one pin! First and second years, you’ll have more time after that, so don’t rush please. Come up and get a pin and then off you go!”
OOC:[color=black]You guys are doing great! I’m so sorry that this is so long! I split the lecture into different sections to make it easier to read. For example, if your charrie already knows the difference between conjured and real animals, you probably don’t need to read that part. If your charrie doesn’t care why they’re learning the spell, you can skip that part, etc. I did it this way to try to accommodate all of the students and their skill levels. We will be moving on in 72 hours, so on January 21 at approx. 12 AM. I summarized the mini activity directions below. Feel free to join in at any point! I’ll be posting periodically, but if your student wants Celestia’s attention specifically, please put “prof” or something in the post subject line so that we don’t miss anyone! If you guys need anything or have any questions, feel free to PM me, DM me on Twitter, etc.
SPOILER!!: OOC mini activity directions
Anyway, the mini activity is:
Go up to the teacher’s desk and grab a pin.
Follow the directions on the blackboard spoiler to change it into a Quidditch themed pin (ex: Gryffindor) or any other simple design your charrie wants.
This is a 2nd year spell, but you guys have total creative freedom here; if your 1st year is awesome at Transfig, they can finish the spell in 15 mins; if your 3rd year is terrible at Transfig, maybe they won’t finish by then. It’s totally up to you! You guys can earn full House points for the mini activity OOC whether your student successfully completes the spell or not. First and second years will be able to keep working on this spell during the main activity, though they’re welcome to try the hedgehog into pincushion spell too!
Professor, someone's doing it wrong and doesn't know it yet XD
After professor Grimsbane had explained to him that conjured animals weren't even alive, couldn't feel any pain, or anything at all, he'd been tempted to blurt out a How would you know? How would anyone know? but realized just in time how disrespectful that would be. So instead he reluctantly accepted the explanations with a nod, before falling back against the back of his seat with a pout, his sleepiness long forgotten.
He still considered conjured beings very much alive.
As professor Grimsbane moved on with the lecture, he could feel himself going pale as they would turn hedgehogs - the supposedly not alive ones - into pincushions, and he wouldn't have had any problem with that. But to stick those pins into them...
... he really hoped he wouldn't need to end the class early with a visit to the hospital wing, very much unconscious.
But then, he couldn't help but sigh in relief upon finding that first and second years would be trying a different spell, one that didn't have anything to do with the poor hedgehogs at all. He could do that. After closely following the professor's demonstration, he walked up to the front desk to grab a pin before returning to his seat in the back. Mimicking the backwards L wand movement, he tapped the pin, before saying, "Mutatis Insigne!"
... annnnd it didn't do anything.
He frowned. Focusing again on the image of the flag pin he wanted to transfigure his current pin into, he did the backwards L, tapped the pin lightly, and repeated the incantation. And still nothing.
It was quite possible that this was the very first time the entire year that Emmalyn was more than overjoyed to be a first year student. She wouldn't have to transform one of the hedgehogs into a pin cushion. Sure, she heard every word the professor said about the hedgehogs not being real, but it still felt wrong.
Emmalyn rose from her front row seat and took one of the thin metal pins. Upon returning to her seat, she pulled out her wand and practiced the movement. Down and backwards L flick at the end, down and backwards L flick at the end. She did the movement over and over again so when it came time to say the words, she wouldn't need to think so hard about the movement.
In her mind, she pictured the perfect Hufflepuff flag. She focused on the top of the pin, imagining it growing and changing into the flag, then pointed her wand and commanded "Mutatis Insigne." Nothing happened. Not even a slight wiggle.
Down and backwards L and flick, down and backwards L and flick. She practiced a few more times. 'Hufflepuff flag, turn into a Hufflepuff flag' she thought over and over again. "Mutatis Insigne" she commanded with more determination and focus. Nothing. Simply a pin. Emmalyn glanced around her to see how the other students were faring. Sure, she was a first year, but she figured something should be happening.
She tried her best to not get frustrated. She felt as if any time she used her wand, she failed. Maybe her wand was broken. Maybe they made a mistake at Olivanders. Maybe she just wasn't any good at magic. A single tear ran down her cheek, then another. "Mutatis Insigne" she urged towards the pin while moving her seemingly useless wand. Still nothing happened.
Oh, how we drift away from our friends. And the ones back home play remember when
Daisy grabbed a pin from Professor Grimsbane's desk and sat back down. She wrote down on her parchment the incantation and wand movement prior to practising.
SPOILER!!: Transfiguration Notes
Incantation: Mutatis Insigne
Wand Movement: Backwards L-shape, followed by a sharp flick towards the pin at the end.
The aim of the spell: Changing the properties of inanimate pins (inanimate to inanimate object)
Important information: Focus on weight and then the length/size of the pin. Have a very clear mental image of your design that will be made at the non-pointy end. It is all about mental focus.
She then grabbed her wand and practiced the correct wand movement a few times until she felt confident. Placing her wand down on her desk, Daisy mentally spoke the incantation. "Mutatis Insigne." was repeated in her mind until she felt ready to try out the spell.
She picked up her wand, focusing on the shape of a tiny badger wearing a Hufflepuff scarf, along with the weight and length of her pin when she stopped. Her fellow Badger was crying.
"Hey, Em. What's the matter?" Daisy asked, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Shera's lips twisted into a pout at the comment that they were not alive. Because could that really be guaranteed? But who was Shera to judge? At least as a first year she would be able to just do the pin... That way she wouldn't have to watch as she made a mess of a spell and would then feel bad about it.
But first thing was first.
SPOILER!!: Notes
Quote:
Originally Posted by Notes
Shera Ben-Ari
Ravenclaw
First Year
Inanimate objects turned into animate objects supposedly don't feel any pain or anything else, just imitate life. I remain dubious - note to self, do more study later
Mutatis Insigne
Spell type: Changing the properties of inanimate pins (inanimate to inanimate object)
Wand movement: Backwards L-shape, followed by a sharp flick towards the pin at the end
Remember: Focus on increasing the weight, then on its length or size. Clear mental picture is IMPORTANT!
Quality notes right there. Because this was something she'd need to practice. Especially if it was a launching point to the next step. Which was for OWLs and she was just going to ignore that now because they had like, forever until then, right?. Although there was one thing missing.
"Hey Professor, does this spell work on things other than pins or just pins?" cause the notes only referred to pins.
Question out of the way, the first year allowed herself to get up onto her feet to grab a pin, more or less satisfied with her notes. Having grabbed it, and back in her seat very quickly, she tried to picture the pin turning into a little Ravenclaw flag. Which was awesome because she was making it to support herself! She was however struggling at even thinking about it making it to that point, let alone the change of it's weight as she held in her her hand.
Quickly practicing the wand movement without any words, she finally nodded to herself. "Mutatis Insigne," she spoke at the same time as her wand movement finally, tilting her head to the side. Had anything happened? It might have been a teensy bit longer.... or that was just her imagination....
Guess it was time try again.
Last edited by Pucki; 02-18-2018 at 10:15 AM.
Reason: Forgot to put the quote in a spoiler thingy :x3:
Well at least that was all cleared up! Kye knew she probably should have known the details of the spell, but when better to ask than now? Ah yes, stepping stone to transfiguring humans... When exactly would they be getting to that? Ha! Just kidding! Maybe. The professor was being quite generous with time in Kye's mind. 15 minutes? Yea... almost everyone should be able to do a few by then right? First years understandably took a little longer, but after you get the pronunciation, this was pretty simple.
Just the basics. It was all she needed really. Kye approached Professor Grimsbane's desk and picked out a pin. Should she grab two or just do the one? Eh, the board said 'a' so one would do... Kye moved the little pin between her fingers and returned to her desk. Did she want to go with the Quidditch theme? Uhm, YEA. Kye was more than happy with that idea actually. She took a seat, laying the pin on the table in front of her. She retrieved her wand from her robe, and cleared her throat.
Backwards L and a quick flick. "Mutatis Insigne." Kye pointed determinedly at her pin, imagining it to almost triple in weight, then imagining it increasing in length and width. She could see the silver and green quite clearly, the serpent almost grinning. She watched smugly happily as her pin began to show her vision in physical form. As her confidence spiked, the pin stopped changing. Dang it. She had lost a little too much focus there for a moment. Concentrating again, she retraced her L and recalled the incantation. "Mutatis Insigne." Once more, the pin grew and reshaped into the Slytherin emblem. She didn't want it to be a flag, she just wanted the emblem. Just a bit more... aaaaaaaaaaaand done! Kye picked up the 'new' pin and sat back to examine it in the light a bit. She had made pretty clean edges, the colors were perfectly silver and green. She wasn't here to brag, but..... ta dah!
Ability is nothing without Opportunity | | Creativity is Intelligence having FUN
It was interesting discussion about real vs conjured creatures. But Ace knew that using spells on real live creatures in Transfiguration wasnt a new thing and neither will it suddenly halt for the foreseeable future, regardless of what students felt about the ethics of it all. If anything, using a live creature gave a different sort of urgency on learning and performing spells correctly. He could attest that it made him a better wizard because he knew that he should avoid screwing up repeatedly for the sake of the live creature thats undergoing it. Thats just the academic truth of learning, ethics aside.
But the first task seems to be a simple one, and he stood to take a pin from the Professor's desk and returned to his seat. Given his skill level at transfiguring live subjects, tweaking the properties of inanimate things should be a walk in the park, specially since its been demo'd in front of them. Ace took his wand, made the reverse-L shaped wandstroke and willed Mutatis Insigne aiming to create a pennant pin just like what the Professor showed them. The pin shook in its place for a moment then paused-- prompting the Curly Top to frown and wondered if he failed something so simple. But the next second later the pin shook again and started to transform, enlarging and lengthening until it looked like the decorative Gryffindor pin.
__________________
++Tenacius ++🐦++ Salander++🐦++ Deo ++🐦++ Vickers ++🐦++ Huxley ++🐦+ Aquila++ Yeah thats what crazy is, when its broken you say theres nothing to fix++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++And you pray that everything will be okay, while you're making all the same mistakes
It was quite possible that this was the very first time the entire year that Emmalyn was more than overjoyed to be a first year student. She wouldn't have to transform one of the hedgehogs into a pin cushion. Sure, she heard every word the professor said about the hedgehogs not being real, but it still felt wrong.
Emmalyn rose from her front row seat and took one of the thin metal pins. Upon returning to her seat, she pulled out her wand and practiced the movement. Down and backwards L flick at the end, down and backwards L flick at the end. She did the movement over and over again so when it came time to say the words, she wouldn't need to think so hard about the movement.
In her mind, she pictured the perfect Hufflepuff flag. She focused on the top of the pin, imagining it growing and changing into the flag, then pointed her wand and commanded "Mutatis Insigne." Nothing happened. Not even a slight wiggle.
Down and backwards L and flick, down and backwards L and flick. She practiced a few more times. 'Hufflepuff flag, turn into a Hufflepuff flag' she thought over and over again. "Mutatis Insigne" she commanded with more determination and focus. Nothing. Simply a pin. Emmalyn glanced around her to see how the other students were faring. Sure, she was a first year, but she figured something should be happening.
She tried her best to not get frustrated. She felt as if any time she used her wand, she failed. Maybe her wand was broken. Maybe they made a mistake at Olivanders. Maybe she just wasn't any good at magic. A single tear ran down her cheek, then another. "Mutatis Insigne" she urged towards the pin while moving her seemingly useless wand. Still nothing happened.
Night was eager to practice this new spell, and she was also glad she didn't have to hurt the hedgehogs, and that Emmalyn wouldn't either. And speaking of Em...
She glanced over and noticed that her fellow badger looked frustrated and sad, fumbling with her wand. "Are you thinking of anything specific, Emmalyn, or just a Hufflepuff pin in general? Because, maybe you have to really narrow down your thoughts. Design the badger in your head. Maybe even say it out loud."
Yeah, great advice, but Night hadn't even selected a regular pin yet. She quickly chose one and tried her own tactic. "I'm picturing my little poodle, Rosita, wearing a Hufflepuff scarf," she said out loud. "Mutatis Insigne. Backwards L and a quick flick. She saw the pin become slightly larger, and possibly a little rounder.
"It takes time," she told Emmalyn, "but I'm confident you'll get it. Remember to stay focused."
connoisseur of comfort ❅ Crayola's Wibby Mrs Alex Turner ❅ Netflix and meow
They were going to learn how to transfigure a hedgehog into a pincushion? At first, Max was a little disappointed. After all, what use did he possibly have for a pincushion? When the Professor explained that it was a stepping stone to learning how to transfigure animate objects into inanimate ones though... That was a skill he definitely wanted.
But first, they had to practice on pins?
The fourth-year collected one of the pins from Professor Grimsbane's desk before moving back to his own and rolling up his sleeves.
He didn't want a Quidditch pin. He hadn't gone to the first Quidditch match of the school year and he didn't really plan on going to the others either.
Max traced his wand in the backward "L" shape the Professor had demonstrated and said the incantation firmly. "Mutatis Insigne." He held his wand steady, pointing it at the plain pin as he pictured vividly in his head what it was he wanted to transfigure it into.
The pin transformed into a pirate flag - the jolly roger. It matched the pattern of the beanie he had made in Muggle Studies and would be perfect to give to his little brother for his birthday which was coming up.
__________________
_____________Take part in our Higgledy Piggledy House Cup!
There were definitely signs of mutiny on some of the younger students' faces, even after she had explained to them that the hedgehogs were not real. Celestia heaved a deep sigh that hopefully went unnoticed with all of the noise that now filled the room. She began walking down the rows of desks (sucking in her stomach to get between the first rows) to see how everyone was getting along.
[b]"Nicely done, Miss Atwater, Mr. Salander, Mr. Carden,"[/b]she told them cheerfully as she noted their completed pins. Naturally, she had expected her older students to finish with this spell rather quickly. "If you three would like to help some of the younger students, you can spend the next few minutes. Or just relax for a bit." It didn't matter much to her, though with how spread out the first years were, she was seriously considering making them all sit in the front next lesson.
Celestia reached the back of the room just in time to see Mr. Yoon's attempt at the spell. Her eyes followed his wand movements closely and she spotted the problem at once. "Mr. Yoon, the end of your wand movement should be more of a sharp flick. Simply tapping the pin won't help you much. Try again, please." She kept her tone of voice very matter-of-fact and as friendly as possible; she had a feeling that this particular student suffered from lack of confidence.
However, Celestia's attention was soon pulled from the young Gryffindor when she noticed that Miss Ben-Ari had her hand raised. After calling on her, Celestia smiled and replied, "Good question, Miss Ben-Ari. This specific spell only works on pins or small badges -- small metal objects, in other words. You'll find that you need similar mental skills and concentration to successfully cast more complicated spells."
A commotion in the front of the classroom drew Celestia's eye next. She was disturbed to see that Miss Walsh was crying and was about to launch into a more detailed explanation about conjured animals to calm the girl down when she noticed that Miss Dixon was talking to her Housemate about casting the spell. Miss Swann seemed to be trying to help her, too. Thank Merlin it wasn't about anything more serious!
Celestia approached the group of Hufflepuffs in time to catch the last few sentences that Miss Dixon was saying. She beamed at the Hufflepuff girls and said, "Five points to Hufflepuff for helping a classmate in need, Miss Swann and Miss Dixon. Now," she paused and turned her attention solely on Miss Walsh, "What exactly is the matter, Emmalyn?" She kept her tone deliberately soft and soothing, the same as she used when one of her parents' crups was sick -- without the babyish element that they typically insisted on using when talking to said crups, of course.
Celestia reached the back of the room just in time to see Mr. Yoon's attempt at the spell. Her eyes followed his wand movements closely and she spotted the problem at once. "Mr. Yoon, the end of your wand movement should be more of a sharp flick. Simply tapping the pin won't help you much. Try again, please." She kept her tone of voice very matter-of-fact and as friendly as possible; she had a feeling that this particular student suffered from lack of confidence.
He'd been so focused on failing at his task that it had taken him a moment to realize professor Grimsbane was talking to him. Looking up at her, he listened carefully and -
Tapping? Has he been tapping? Why has he been tapping? "... oh."
... maybe a nap was truly overdue.
Nodding in understanding, he focused back on his pin to give it another try. With the image of the badge he wanted in mind, he moved his wand in a backwards L shape, and ended it with a sharp flick towards the pin as he said, "Mutatis Insigne!" and watched with wide eyes as the pin turned into a metal badge in the form of a flag.
... except the flag was very Ravenclaw coloured. Which had been his intention from the beginning. And no, he was not betraying his own House, he was just being a supportive friend. And his friend happened to be on the Ravenclaw team.
Zoryn would probably have his head if she saw it.
Hoping professor Grimsbane didn't see it or dismissed it as a first-try-mistake, he smiled at her, grateful for the help. "Thank you, professor."
Daisy grabbed a pin from Professor Grimsbane's desk and sat back down. She wrote down on her parchment the incantation and wand movement prior to practising.
SPOILER!!: Transfiguration Notes
Incantation: Mutatis Insigne
Wand Movement: Backwards L-shape, followed by a sharp flick towards the pin at the end.
The aim of the spell: Changing the properties of inanimate pins (inanimate to inanimate object)
Important information: Focus on weight and then the length/size of the pin. Have a very clear mental image of your design that will be made at the non-pointy end. It is all about mental focus.
She then grabbed her wand and practiced the correct wand movement a few times until she felt confident. Placing her wand down on her desk, Daisy mentally spoke the incantation. "Mutatis Insigne." was repeated in her mind until she felt ready to try out the spell.
She picked up her wand, focusing on the shape of a tiny badger wearing a Hufflepuff scarf, along with the weight and length of her pin when she stopped. Her fellow Badger was crying.
"Hey, Em. What's the matter?" Daisy asked, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hermionegold
Night was eager to practice this new spell, and she was also glad she didn't have to hurt the hedgehogs, and that Emmalyn wouldn't either. And speaking of Em...
She glanced over and noticed that her fellow badger looked frustrated and sad, fumbling with her wand. "Are you thinking of anything specific, Emmalyn, or just a Hufflepuff pin in general? Because, maybe you have to really narrow down your thoughts. Design the badger in your head. Maybe even say it out loud."
Yeah, great advice, but Night hadn't even selected a regular pin yet. She quickly chose one and tried her own tactic. "I'm picturing my little poodle, Rosita, wearing a Hufflepuff scarf," she said out loud. "Mutatis Insigne. Backwards L and a quick flick. She saw the pin become slightly larger, and possibly a little rounder.
"It takes time," she told Emmalyn, "but I'm confident you'll get it. Remember to stay focused."
Quote:
Originally Posted by NifflerFan
There were definitely signs of mutiny on some of the younger students' faces, even after she had explained to them that the hedgehogs were not real. Celestia heaved a deep sigh that hopefully went unnoticed with all of the noise that now filled the room. She began walking down the rows of desks (sucking in her stomach to get between the first rows) to see how everyone was getting along.
[b]"Nicely done, Miss Atwater, Mr. Salander, Mr. Carden,"[/b]she told them cheerfully as she noted their completed pins. Naturally, she had expected her older students to finish with this spell rather quickly. "If you three would like to help some of the younger students, you can spend the next few minutes. Or just relax for a bit." It didn't matter much to her, though with how spread out the first years were, she was seriously considering making them all sit in the front next lesson.
Celestia reached the back of the room just in time to see Mr. Yoon's attempt at the spell. Her eyes followed his wand movements closely and she spotted the problem at once. "Mr. Yoon, the end of your wand movement should be more of a sharp flick. Simply tapping the pin won't help you much. Try again, please." She kept her tone of voice very matter-of-fact and as friendly as possible; she had a feeling that this particular student suffered from lack of confidence.
However, Celestia's attention was soon pulled from the young Gryffindor when she noticed that Miss Ben-Ari had her hand raised. After calling on her, Celestia smiled and replied, "Good question, Miss Ben-Ari. This specific spell only works on pins or small badges -- small metal objects, in other words. You'll find that you need similar mental skills and concentration to successfully cast more complicated spells."
A commotion in the front of the classroom drew Celestia's eye next. She was disturbed to see that Miss Walsh was crying and was about to launch into a more detailed explanation about conjured animals to calm the girl down when she noticed that Miss Dixon was talking to her Housemate about casting the spell. Miss Swann seemed to be trying to help her, too. Thank Merlin it wasn't about anything more serious!
Celestia approached the group of Hufflepuffs in time to catch the last few sentences that Miss Dixon was saying. She beamed at the Hufflepuff girls and said, "Five points to Hufflepuff for helping a classmate in need, Miss Swann and Miss Dixon. Now," she paused and turned her attention solely on Miss Walsh, "What exactly is the matter, Emmalyn?" She kept her tone deliberately soft and soothing, the same as she used when one of her parents' crups was sick -- without the babyish element that they typically insisted on using when talking to said crups, of course.
Her friends were the absolute best. Emmalyn turned first to Daisy "I can't seem to get the spell to work at all. Not even a little bit." She pointed to her perfectly normal pin and shook her head. "I've tried so many times, but nothing happens."
Then Night offered help. "I am thinking of the Hufflepuff pin. I guess I could try again with a more specific picture in mind." She sniffed and wiped away a straggling tear. "That sounds like it might be harder to do and I'm already having so much trouble." She really didn't know how much more specific she could make the flag in her mind. Maybe that was the problem?
Then her problem caught the professors attention. It was one thing to cry and get upset around her friends, but it was quite another to catch the attention of the professor. She quickly rubbed the sleeve of her robe across her face to catch any moisture, but the redness of her eyes couldn't be as easily hidden. "I'm sorry" was the first thing out of her mouth. She wasn't exactly sure what she was apologizing for. Crying in class? Failing at transfiguring her pin? She took a breath to steady her voice. "I can't seem to do it. I do the spell over and over, but nothing happens." She held out her wand to Professor Grimsbane "Do you think my wand is broken? Or," she leaned in really close to the professor and whispered as softly as possible "do you think they made a mistake and I'm not really a witch?" All of the possibilities were flying through her head at a maddening speed.
Oh, how we drift away from our friends. And the ones back home play remember when
SPOILER!!: Emmalyn
Quote:
Originally Posted by Birchwoodmom
Her friends were the absolute best. Emmalyn turned first to Daisy "I can't seem to get the spell to work at all. Not even a little bit." She pointed to her perfectly normal pin and shook her head. "I've tried so many times, but nothing happens."
Then her problem caught the professors attention. It was one thing to cry and get upset around her friends, but it was quite another to catch the attention of the professor. She quickly rubbed the sleeve of her robe across her face to catch any moisture, but the redness of her eyes couldn't be as easily hidden. "I'm sorry" was the first thing out of her mouth. She wasn't exactly sure what she was apologizing for. Crying in class? Failing at transfiguring her pin? She took a breath to steady her voice. "I can't seem to do it. I do the spell over and over, but nothing happens." She held out her wand to Professor Grimsbane "Do you think my wand is broken? Or," she leaned in really close to the professor and whispered as softly as possible "do you think they made a mistake and I'm not really a witch?" All of the possibilities were flying through her head at a maddening speed.
Daisy's heart broke for her friend. She hadn't seen her so dejected before. "This is a difficult spell like many Transfiguration spells are so don't feel horrible. My advice is that concentration is the key to success. Focus on your design and the pin's weight and length. When I am practicing a spell I make sure the wand movement is the correct motion and that I've practiced the incantation's pronunciation at least three times. However, sometimes you need to take a little breather before trying again."
Daisy picked up her wand. "Watch me," she said to Em. She concentrated hard on the image of her Hufflepuff scarf-wearing badger design along with the weight and length of said pin. As Daisy moved her wand down and moved it at a 90-degree angle, she firmly said, "Mutatis Insigne!" The pin had now been successfully transfigured.
Transfiguration Lesson I - Pin It to Win It 
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Yeah thats what crazy is, when its broken you say theres nothing to fix++++++++++++++++++++
