Post by James Potter on Aug 5, 2010 3:59:36 GMT -5
Maybe it wasn't the best idea for him to get in front of a class today. He still looked broken and battered, most of his bruises still healing. He had dropped thirty pounds according to the bathroom scale but he was sure he'd gain it back with the amount of eating he'd done in the past few hours. Sirius more than once questioned which of them was the dog judging by how he was eating, and it was true that James was ravenous. When you'd been living off of moldy bread and luke warm water, everything tasted like the food of the gods in comparison.
He still dressed his best and entered his classroom as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened and that his class hadn't been on the brink of being cancelled because there was this small matter of nobody knowing where he'd been captured and taken to. If people thought something as silly as a little kidnapping was going to prevent James Potter from teaching his lesson and terrorizing new students, they didn't know James Potter very well at all.
He began writing it on the board in big letters, stopped half way and walked to the front of his desk while the chalk continued to write. He sat on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms. "Time to begin," he said, flicking his wand and having the door shut. "Welcome one and all to Transfigurations, the single most important class you will ever take at Hogwarts. No, I am not at all being biased. Now, I know most of you, but there are some new faces so I'll punch through this quickly. I am Professor Potter. You may call me Professor Potter or Mr. Potter. You may not call me anything else. I want all of your wands at the top of your desks at all times unless I have told you that you may use them. There is no talking unless I have asked you a question, no sleeping unless you want to be shown the door, and if you think about doing anything I would consider stupid, dangerous, unruly, or rude, you will be out of my class and you will not come back. I hope that I have been clear on that. I don't give second chances." Oh yes. It felt good to be back.
"Of all the subjects you will take here at Hogwarts, Transfigurations comprises the foundation of your base knowledge in magic. The only other subject that comes close in terms of importance is charms. Generally, both subjects go hand in hand and are, at times, mistaken for one another. I will make the distinction now. Charms is the act of taking an object and making it do something. Take the desk, for example." He stood up off of the desk and walked to the side of it.
He did this every year with the new students so some of his older ones would already know but it was so far the best example he could come up with. "Wingardium Leviosa." The desk levitated three feet above the ground. "The levitation charm raises the desk off of the ground, but does not change the physical properties of the desk. Reducto!" The desk blew into various pieces. "Still a desk. A broken desk, but it's still a desk. None of it's properties were changed so we can conclude that the Reductor Charm is not considered a method of Transfiguration. Reparo!" The desk came back together. "And of course, that spell is a charm, too, but ultimately not really part of the presentation. I just wanted my desk fixed."
He poitned his wand again and said, "Vera Verto." The desk instantly transformed into a large potted tree, and then he walked over, tapped the chalk on the chalk board and watched it turn into a vibrantly colored tropical bird. He put the bird on one of the branches and then walked in front of it. "As you can see, I have changed both objects, the desk and the chalk, into entirely different things. Not only that, but I also transformed them from inorganic to organic. This is what transfigurations is. Taking an object and changing it's properties completely."
He changed both objects back and then sat down on the desk again. "Can anybody tell me why Transfigurations is important then? Most professions require knoweldge of Transfigurations. Diplomats, Law Enforcers, Reversal Squad Members, Curse Breakers, Unspeakables, the list goes on. Why do you think this is?"
He still dressed his best and entered his classroom as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened and that his class hadn't been on the brink of being cancelled because there was this small matter of nobody knowing where he'd been captured and taken to. If people thought something as silly as a little kidnapping was going to prevent James Potter from teaching his lesson and terrorizing new students, they didn't know James Potter very well at all.
TRANSFIGURATIONS
He began writing it on the board in big letters, stopped half way and walked to the front of his desk while the chalk continued to write. He sat on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms. "Time to begin," he said, flicking his wand and having the door shut. "Welcome one and all to Transfigurations, the single most important class you will ever take at Hogwarts. No, I am not at all being biased. Now, I know most of you, but there are some new faces so I'll punch through this quickly. I am Professor Potter. You may call me Professor Potter or Mr. Potter. You may not call me anything else. I want all of your wands at the top of your desks at all times unless I have told you that you may use them. There is no talking unless I have asked you a question, no sleeping unless you want to be shown the door, and if you think about doing anything I would consider stupid, dangerous, unruly, or rude, you will be out of my class and you will not come back. I hope that I have been clear on that. I don't give second chances." Oh yes. It felt good to be back.
"Of all the subjects you will take here at Hogwarts, Transfigurations comprises the foundation of your base knowledge in magic. The only other subject that comes close in terms of importance is charms. Generally, both subjects go hand in hand and are, at times, mistaken for one another. I will make the distinction now. Charms is the act of taking an object and making it do something. Take the desk, for example." He stood up off of the desk and walked to the side of it.
He did this every year with the new students so some of his older ones would already know but it was so far the best example he could come up with. "Wingardium Leviosa." The desk levitated three feet above the ground. "The levitation charm raises the desk off of the ground, but does not change the physical properties of the desk. Reducto!" The desk blew into various pieces. "Still a desk. A broken desk, but it's still a desk. None of it's properties were changed so we can conclude that the Reductor Charm is not considered a method of Transfiguration. Reparo!" The desk came back together. "And of course, that spell is a charm, too, but ultimately not really part of the presentation. I just wanted my desk fixed."
He poitned his wand again and said, "Vera Verto." The desk instantly transformed into a large potted tree, and then he walked over, tapped the chalk on the chalk board and watched it turn into a vibrantly colored tropical bird. He put the bird on one of the branches and then walked in front of it. "As you can see, I have changed both objects, the desk and the chalk, into entirely different things. Not only that, but I also transformed them from inorganic to organic. This is what transfigurations is. Taking an object and changing it's properties completely."
He changed both objects back and then sat down on the desk again. "Can anybody tell me why Transfigurations is important then? Most professions require knoweldge of Transfigurations. Diplomats, Law Enforcers, Reversal Squad Members, Curse Breakers, Unspeakables, the list goes on. Why do you think this is?"
