First Years, Lesson One

First Years, Lesson One: Types of Transfiguration​

The door to the Transfiguration classroom was wide open with a notice written on the board which read: "Welcome first years. Please take a seat and Professor Pirrip will be with you shortly." Sat at the front of the class was a boarder collie panting gently and keenly watching the students enter one by one to take their seats. Once satisfied that everyone was present, the dog took a deliberate step forward, and in a seamless motion, it shifted back into its human form, this man standing tall was Professor Edward Pirrip.

"Welcome to Transfiguration," With a flick of his wand, the writing on the board cleared and a piece of chalk sprang to life, scratching out the word Transfiguration on the chalkboard. Edward smiled, trying not to grimace as the chalk made a terrible sound underlining the word. "My name is Professor Edward Pirrip. I will be your Transfiguration teacher for the next few years, guiding you through one of the most complex and powerful branches of magic. As you just saw I am an animagus, but more on that later." He introduced, "I will teach you everything from manipulating, conjuring and even vanishing the very matter that makes up our physical world. It is a discipline that demands precision, creativity, and focus. Sound difficult? Good. It should. But trust me, once you get the hang of it, you’ll never look at a spoon, or a rock, or a dog in quite same way again.” Edward explained while the chalk wrote out the types of transfigurations behind him.

Types of Transfiguration Inanimate to Inanimate Inanimate to Animate Animate to Inanimate Animate to Animate Switching Conjuring Vanishing​

"Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘What on earth does all that mean?’ Don’t worry, we’re starting simple. We'll start with vocabulary. I promise to make this as painless as possible, you just need to pay attention and take notes along the way. You'll thank me later." Edward told his students, while picking up a quill from his desk and holding it up "Inanimate refers to something that isn't mobile nor living, like this quill." He waved his wand, and the quill transformed into a silver spoon. "Or this spoon, both inanimate and an example of inanimate to inanimate transfiguration. Animate is the exact opposite. Anything living, moving. Like you or I," he pointed his wand at the spoon again, turning it into a white butterfly that fluttered out of his hand, "Or this butterfly, this is an example of inanimate to animate transfiguration. Don't get too attached though, while the creature looks alive it lacks a soul and isn't truly living. True life is something we cannot give." He explained, turning the butterfly back into a quill and catching it in his palm as it drifted back down towards the floor, "It does look cool though."

"If I had turned that butterfly into a different type of animal instead of using untransfiguration, that would've been an example of animate to animate transfiguration. When using a true animal for transfiguration, it's important to note that you don't kill a creature when you turn it into something inanimate, it's more like pressing pause on their life for a short time." Edward told them, placing the quill back into the inkpot. Glancing at the clock, Edward realised the time was slipping away. “Right, that’s enough for today. I know theory can feel bit tough, but it’s the foundation for everything else we’ll do in this class. And trust me when I say the fun stuff is coming. You’ve all survived your first lesson, so pat yourselves on the back. Oh but before you go please complete this questionnaire." He said, using his wand to hand out a questionnaire and giving all the students enough time to complete it before finishing the lesson, "Class dismissed!"

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Homework: RP attendance! Tag @Professor Edward Pirrip if you would like me to interact with your character! For extra credit, complete the Getting to Know You questionnaire below.

Spoiler: Getting to Know You Questionnaire

Name:
House:
Briefly tell me about your background, did you grow up in a magical household or aware of magic before your letter arrived?:
If you could turn your quill into any animal, what animal would it be, and why?:

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

Dog. Freddie stopped to give the border collie a couple of pats on the head. Well, the professor wasn't here yet, and one didn't simply walk past a dog without patting it. He muttered an obligatory, "Who'sagoodboy?" before finding a desk and settling down. What a great way to start a lesson. Everyone should have a dog in their classroom, Freddie thought - it had put him in a great mood.
For about half a second, anyway.
Oh. Oh, no. Oh, s*** s*** s*** - that was his professor?! That was Professor Pirrip??? Merlin, no way, no way had he just called his professor a good boy. Freddie sank even lower in his chair, wishing he could disappear right under the desk, through the floor, maybe even phase through the earth's crust and eject himself into outer space on the other side. He was never going to be able to look at the man in the eyes again. Merlin - what an absolute, grade-A idiot.
Freddie got out his parchment and pen. His note-taking abilities were rather hindered by his inner voice, which spent the rest of the lesson haranguing him for his unbelievable stupidity, but he managed to get a few of the facts down. He filled in his homework sheet as quickly as possible and slapped it on the professor's desk before fleeing.
​

Name: Freddie Lagowski House: Ravenclaw Briefly tell me about your background, did you grow up in a magical household or aware of magic before your letter arrived?: I grew up with magic If you could turn your quill into any animal, what animal would it be, and why?: A bird so I can get more quills then do it again for infinite quills SORRY

 

[Professor Elijah Watson]

Professor Watson passed the door. They stopped and obeyed, but continued on their way.

 

[Priyanka Bakshi]

Priyanka was most afraid of transfiguration classes, because they would definitely be difficult and would require a lot of effort and concentration. She went to class with a lot of thought, of course, she definitely decided to sit in one of the first rows, so that she could hear and see everything better. When Priya entered the classroom, only a few people were seated in the first places, since there was still enough space for her there. Sitting down on the bench, the girl took out her notes and quill. She had to wait a while for the class to start.

When it started, Priya was a little shocked that a professor would teach them transfiguration, not a professor. Professor Pirrip. She wrote down the name in her notes to remember the name correctly. The girl wrote down everything that the professor told her, what they would have the opportunity to learn this year, and it seemed really scary, but she would have to cope with it all. The first class was almost over, but the professor told them to fill out a questionnaire before leaving. At first she read the questions carefully, but slowly filled them out until she was done, took them to the professor, said goodbye, then gathered her things and left the classroom, wondering what they would have to do in the second lesson. It would be a long, long week to think about it.

Name: Priyanka Bakshi
House: Ravenclaw
Briefly tell me about your background, did you grow up in a magical household or aware of magic before your letter arrived?: I grew up in a magical family. When I received the letter, I was excited that I would be able to go learn magic and other things that a witch needs to know.
If you could turn your quill into any animal, what animal would it be, and why?: So.. you have to think about it. If a feather could be turned into any animal, it would be a lemur. Because lemurs are the most social and friendliest animals.

 

[Jun Nakamura]

Jun was confused to see a dog in the classroom, though one student appeared to be comfortable enough with dogs to pet it. When the dog turned into a man, Jun was taken aback - but not nearly as much as the boy who'd petted their professor had. Jun was mortified on the boy's behalf, taking a seat and feeling the secondhand embarrassment strongly. He knew his cousin would probably have laughed but he was a bit different to his cousin.

The lesson started, and it honestly seemed a little complicated. He took down notes, hoping to read a book about this so it'd stick better. Books really did help explain things in ways Jun understood more often than not. He wondered why they had such fancy words for these things, but he recognised animate was sort of like animation which made him think of something living. That was a good way to remember it. He then took the questionnaire and filled it out.

Name: Jun Nakamura
House: Ravenclaw
Briefly tell me about your background, did you grow up in a magical household or aware of magic before your letter arrived?: My dad's magical but my mum's a muggle so I grew up in both worlds, really.
If you could turn your quill into any animal, what animal would it be, and why?: This is a weird question. I guess a flamingo, I think flamingos are beautiful birds and relaxed from what I've seen at the zoo.

 

[Nadia Cade]

Nadia already felt like she was behind as she headed into her first Transfiguration lesson, some Ravenclaw she was. There was already so much to learn that Nadia had to try and prioritise the important things; she paid no heed to the older students who told her nothing in first year was that important. Everything was important, and Nadia wanted to soak up everything!

What Nadia wasn’t expecting, however, was a dog sitting like a good boy at the front of the classroom watching over them as they took their seats. He was so cute! But this was Transfiguration; nothing was what it seemed, so as much as it killed her, Nadia resisted the temptation to pet the doggo. Thank Merlin, she did because no sooner had she and her classmates sat down had the dog transformed into a man! A man who introduced himself as Professor Pirrip. So the professor could turn into an animal; that was good to know.

Transfiguration did sound difficult and complicated, and that was what fascinated Nadia about it. She was looking forward to learning more, and she started by making a note of the seven different types of Transfiguration that they would hopefully be learning about and learning to do. Once the lesson was over, Nadia filled in the questionnaire Professor Pirrip provided and handed it back on her way out of the classroom.

Name: Nadia Cade
House: Ravenclaw
Briefly tell me about your background, did you grow up in a magical household or aware of magic before your letter arrived?: Magical and local born and raised in New Zealand.
If you could turn your quill into any animal, what animal would it be, and why?: A mouse because it would be fun to watch it run around the table.

 

[Juniper Veritas]

Juniper was nervous for Transfiguration, as seemed to be the case for most of her lessons. Nevertheless she made her way to the class and stopped when she spotted a dog. Oh, it was cute. She watched as a Ravenclaw boy pat the dog on the head. Gently Juniper approached the dog herself. "Hello, oh you are so cute." She said quietly to the dog while giving it a few scratches behind the ear, hoping the dog wasn't bothered by the smell of cat on her.

Taking a seat Juniper settled down waiting for their Professor to arrive, but the Professor was already there. She watched the dog turn into a man and looked at the Ravenclaw boy who had also pet the dog, her expression horrified. Of course the dog would have been a fluke, well no not a fluke but a person able to transform themselves into a dog. What were they called Animago? Her mama had spoken about them once but Juni couldn't remember what they were exactly. Swallowing hard she tried to focus on the lesson, a bit saddened by the fact that the dog hadn't been an actual dog. She loved animals and it had made her feel so comfortable to have an animal present, only for it to be the professor. As the lesson ended Juniper packed her things up and then made her way to leave but stopped before the Professor. She meant to apologize but looking at him again her eyes widened and she just opened her mouth and closed it before handing her homework and hastily walking away. Nope she had already written an apology.

Name: Juniper Veritas House: Hufflepuff Briefly tell me about your background, did you grow up in a magical household or aware of magic before your letter arrived?: I grew up in a magical family so I was aware of it yes. If you could turn your quill into any animal, what animal would it be, and why?: An otter because they are cute I would like to apologize for invading your personal space, sir. Frankly I thought it was just a cute dog but I didn't mean to be rude.

 

[Eloise Flynn]

Eloise was curious about transfiguration. It sounded like a difficult subject, but she was interested to learn what the subject entailed. The Hufflepuff got dressed and ready, looking through her collection of different themed earrings before deciding to go with the chocolate earrings. She then quickly packed the things she needed for the lesson before skipping happily to her transfiguration classroom. When she arrived, she quickly took a seat near the front of the classroom. Before she took out her things, she had noticed a cute dog in front of the classroom. "Oh! Look at that dog!! It's so cute! I wonder if it's the professor's pet" Eloise points to the dog from her seat in awe, and she speaks to the person next to her.

Eloise then took out the things she needed for the lesson and placed them on the desk in front of her. Suddenly, everything felt like it went into slow motion because she then witnessed the animal in front of her turn from a dog to a human before her very eyes. She gasped really loudly at the transformation. "Did you see that?! How did he manage to do that? That's so cool!" Eloise leaned in and whispered to the person next ot her. Eloise clapped excitedly at the cool transformation, before ending the clap quickly, realising that she may have disrupted the lesson. The Hufflepuff moved her attention onto the lesson as the professor got on with it. Eloise made sure to take note of both what was said and on the board, not wanting to miss out on anything important. She nodded her head from time to time throughout the lesson of what the professor was showing to show that she was understanding the content that was being told to them.

They were then given a questionnaire to fill in. Eloise quickly answered the questions, and it wasn't long before the lesson had come to an end. The Hufflepuff quickly packed up her things and tidied up her area. She then passes her questionnaire to the professor. Eloise then says a quick and appreciative thanks and goodbye to the professor before heading out the door with her friends and the rest of her classmates.

Name: Eloise Flynn
House: Hufflepuff

Briefly tell me about your background, did you grow up in a magical household or aware of magic before your letter arrived?: My parents are both magical, so i've pretty much knew about magic my whole life!

If you could turn your quill into any animal, what animal would it be, and why?: I would turn my quill into a bunny! Bunnies are my favourite animal and they're very cute!

the magic you did from a dog into a human was very cool!! how did you manage to do that?