Public Service Animagus
Finally, a class I didn't hate.
Today had been nothin' but torture. Potions, Herbology, even Muggle Studies. It made me instantly regret that stupid pledge I'd sworn myself to. No skipping classes this week, I'd said. I'll even get the other Gryffindors to hold me to it, I declared. In front of everyone in the common room, at that.
Merlin was sat a few spots away from me, so it wasn't like I could up'n leave then and there... but why would I want to? Transfiguration was actually interestin'. An' it was my last class on Mondays. I could get through this.
As more 'n more students began ta file inta class, I couldn' help but notice a new face. Black hair, cut short, up t' her chin. She was wearin' what looked like some kind of makeup-- that, or she'd gotten so little sleep that she'd given herself permanently baggy eyes. She didn' say a word-- just sat herself between Merlin 'n another bloke, from Slytherin. I knew, at least, that I'd seen him somewhere before...
"Attention, attention!" A voice cut through the chatterin' slowly overtakin' the great big room. Most've us students turned to face the front of the class, where missus Shafiq was standin'.
Missus Shafiq was bathed in jewels, as always, with her hair down to her shoulders. I didn' know it went that far down, but didn't feel like questionin' it. I'd only ever seen it tied up, after all. Her hair still had all those golden bands an' little acrllyic pieces in them, making sure she still had curls 'round her ears an' face, an' the robe she was wearin' today was a sort of light teal. It was brighter than anything I'd ever seen her wear. She stood in front've her desk, absentmindedly gazin' over her students
"I open class today with a riddle," I tried to prevent myself from groaning as she went on, "which you may guess. If you are to find an answer, you will understand the topic of today's class. I will give you five minutes to solve."
Nobody else in the class seemed very excited, but the new girl wasn't shaken. She didn' say much at all, jus' kept... lookin' at the teacher.
"What is not magical, yet made of magic? Entirely of the muggle world, yet only able to exist in our Magical realm?"
That got the entire class stumped pretty quick. I thought I had an answer, but then I remembered that chocolate frogs didn't have t' move 'n the real world. You could make plenty of non-movin' frogs without magic.
Four minutes, three minutes.
Someone's hand shot up. "A patronus spell! It's made of magic, but it's a mundane creature!"
Missus Shafiq clicked her tongue 'n shook her head. "A clever guess, but incorrect! I have seen magical patronuses, young Gryffindor. One cannot call a hippogriff very mundane, nor a phoenix."
A small patch've students started whisperin' about hippogriffs, arguin' about whether they were normal or not. Time kept tickin'.
Two minutes, one.
Nobody had an answer...
"Very well, I will show you!" Missus Shafiq seemed a little annoyed as she spoke. She turned away from the class 'n took off some kind of ring she had on, fiddlin' with it for a moment, before turnin' t' face everyone again. She almost looked like she was frownin'... but I couldn't really tell, because I soon found myself lookin' at nothin'.
Within moments, she'd vanished. Instead, before us all, stood a great big lionness.
I was the only one who wasn't surprised by a lion showing up, which ended up surprising me. It took me a moment t' register that missus Shafiq wasn't really present... and another two t' realize she was the lionness.
The class erupted into uproar. Some students were clappin', others were screaming or wailing. There was a little pile-up in the back of really scared students, clamberin' over each other t' try and get out of class. The new girl wasn't doing anything, jus'... starin'. Creepily. With crazy eyes.
I looked back t' missus Shafiq, still needin' to remind myself that the lion was my teacher. It didn't seem real-- how could anyone do that? Jus' turn themselves into another creature? My mind began buzzin' with thoughts. Was it a spell? Some kind of inborn trait?
The class's fears started turning into speculation 'n murmurs as time went on, the lion pacing back 'n forth before, eventually... takin' a seat in her ancient-lookin' desk chair. Bench? It was one of those roman couches Zach kept goin' on about in Italy. A bi... triclinium? Somethin'-clinium. Whatever nerdy name it was called. I hadn't even noticed it was there untill she got on it, an' now I realized why...
Another blink of the eye had me starin' at missus Shafiq, lyin' on that very same chair, clearly upset with the class. She wrested herself over the side, sittin' herself up behind her desk an' letting her head rest on her hands. "Do any of you know what I just did?"
The entire class went silent. A more fearful kid 'n front shook his head, leadin' missus Shafiq to sigh and straighten her posture. "No. I will explain, then."
"I am an animagus-- a witch who can turn herself to an animal. I was given permission by Headmaster Manastone to show you all today, in the hopes of easing some fears..." She trailed off.
I snickered a bit at that. If I could turn into a lion, I wouldn't be doin' that to make people calmer. But I wouldn't want t' be a lion, anyways. They were pack animals. Big eaters, too. If I was a lion, I'd be stuck hunting gazelles with--
"There have been some sightings of a large lizard on campus, yes?" Missus Shafiq waved a hand towards her lamp, which she turned to a little stone statue of some kind of big reptile. The statue started floatin' towards one of the students, an' it started gettin' passed around. "Somewhat looking like that statue."
Once I got my hands on the alabaster figure, I recognized it instantly. That one big lizard off school grounds... the asian water monitor! I'd only seen it on campus a few times. Wait, was it--
"You need not worry. Lizard is not dangerous, and he is allowed to be on school grounds. He is just Professor Firethorn," missus Shafiq said without a care in the world.
The class responded appropriately-- everyone around me started askin' all sorts of questions. What lizard? Professor who? How was he a lizard?
My own mind was racin' with similarities, but I was startin' to fixate on somethin' different. How on earth were two of my teachers actually animals? What sense did that make? How did that-- could I do that? Could I somehow be an animal? Or could they jus' turn into humans? Maybe it was some kind of enchantment. I--
--snapped back to attention. Missus Shafiq was talking again. "Similarly, if you are to see a lion, it will be me. Professor Firethorn is not supposed to be monitor around students, but Headmaster Manastone is becoming sick of Detention students claiming to have been punished randomly. If you see water monitor, it is him."
A bit of shame crossed my cheeks as missus Shafiq went on. When she began listin' incidents that mister Firethorn had caught students doin', I tried t' ignore that almost a fifth'a them were my doin'. My energy was better spent on takin' mental notes on where he seemed to be lookin' for students.
Soon enough, I was takin' actual notes. Today's class wasn't just about animagi. Missus Shafiq was goin' on about live transformation-- how dangerous it was, how you could get in serious trouble if you weren't careful, all the borin' bits that she was prob'ly obligated t' say.
Eventually, though, new girl did somethin' interestin'. She raised a hand.
"Yes, Ms. Sukasuka?"
"I must interject. You mention transforming of live things, yet you do not explain yourself. How did you?"
After some clarification came the interestin' bits. New girl wanted t' know how she'd turned into a lion.
The question made missus Shafiq's face contort into somethin' odd. She answered the question with the kind of venom I'd expect from a water monitor, not a lion. "I refuse to tell. You may do your own research if you are so foolhardy. Third-year students cannot be safe with such spells."
So it was a spell! Or-- wait, was it? Shafiq just seemed to call everythin' a spell. Maybe it was somethin' else. Definitely magical, though, as she'd said at the beginnin' with that riddle! And it was so obvious in retrospect. Of course--
"Why is it not safe? I am almost a fourth year, can I not be trusted?" New girl questioned. Her tone was sweet. If you couldn't tell already, this had t' be her first class. Shafiq never answered stuff like that.
And she didn't change her tune this time, either. Missus Shafiq just gave the new girl a haughty stare 'n kept her mouth shut. She only opened it t' move on. "If you will excuse me, I will be continuing my teaching now."
-
The rest of the class was a little borin'. She didn't let us do any of the transfigurin' for ourselves. That was due Wednesday, apparently, where we'd be taking the whole class to try and learn what she'd taught us today.
I gave my notebook a glance, lookin' to check the contents of its pages.
...I'd barely filled one, an' half of it was doodles.
That was more than I had for Muggle Studies, at least, so it probably looked like I was working really hard on Transfiguration. That was plenty good enough for me.
My mind started wanderin' as soon as students started getting up to leave. Class was out! I was finally free! There were so many things for me to do. I could go check by the lake again, see if those selkies were still around. Maybe I could go up to the common room 'n play with Pepper a little! She was still just a chick, she'd totally need the attention. I could... ask the professor how to do that thing! That animal thing!
I hopped out of my seat, legs sore from all the sittin', and ran to the front of the class. Someone was already talking to Ms. Shafiq...
"Know that this is not personal, Ms. Sukasuka. It is not because you are new transfer. I do not tell this to any third-year, and I do not tell many fourth years either," she spoke quietly.
"Thank you. This is all I wanted to clarify." New girl sounded concerned, like she'd actually been hurt. I was a little surprised that she could have thought the teacher was only talking about her. As I watched this 'Sukasuka' girl leave, though, I began to realize why. Everyone was giving her space. A few students were looking at her funny. She seemed a bit... singled-out.
"Oceanborough." Missus Shafiq's voice struck me like a whip, turnin' me back 'round to face her. She didn't much seem to appreciate me turnin' my back to her...
"Yes, uh, madam Shafiq?" I tried to smile, but I think it came out lookin' wonky. She wasn't very pleased.
"I know you skipped last class. It is brave of you to show up today. But you will not be escaping punishment just by doing the bare minimum."
My heart sank. I knew what was coming next.
"You will not be having a weekend. This weekend, you will spend with me. In the detention chambers. Hogsmeade will be another time."
"Wha'?" That was so harsh! No Hogsmeade jus' because I skipped a class or two? "But--"
"No buts. You are to meet me at the chambers on Saturday morning." Missus Shafiq paused. "You may have thirty minutes to say goodbye to friends. You must be in chambers by eight-thirty."
Thirty minutes... that was surely enough. I made myself quiet and nodded. "Yes, madam Shafiq..."
On my way to the door, I couldn't think about anything else anymore. Some kind of escape route, then-- a beeline for the library. The forbidden section? No, that was risking too much. I couldn't just open with that. I had to start by sneakin' in for something more innocuous...