Second Years, Lesson Two

Second Years, Lesson Two: Learning Praepilatus (beetles into buttons)
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Edward had quite enjoyed the attention he had from this class last week, but today he stood at the front of the classroom as a man. He held a clear glass jar in his hands. Inside was a mass of rainbow coloured beetles that were crawling over one another, they didn't know it yet, but they would be the subject of today's lesson.

"Good morning, now who remembered their wand today?" Edward looked around, not expecting anyone to have forgotten the most important tool for this lesson. "Good. Today we are going to work on our first transfiguration spell of this year." He continued, drawing attention to the jar he was holding. "In the last lesson we learned about Animate to Inanimate Transfiguration, and that's what we are going to do today with these beetles." He explained "We are going to transfigure them into coat buttons. Small objects. especially insects, are easiest to transfigure, because you don't have as much detail to worry about," He said, handing the jar to a student in the front row. "Keep one beetle with you, and pass out the others among the rest."

The students took a long time to choose a beetle of their choice. There was quite the variety, colours, spots, sizes, so he couldn't blame them. As the jar was being handed around, Edward continued to give instructions, "Hold onto your beetles, don't let them escape. Be gentle though, we don't want them dead either. Really, please try not to kill them."

Once everyone had a beetles, Edward took back the jar and removed a blue beetle for himself, then continued the lesson, "Now, you will find in transfiguration that it is easier to change items that are closer in size to each other. Matchsticks and needles are of the same size, shape, and weight. Essentially all you had to transfigure was the material and colour. The same with beetles. They are small and similar in size to buttons, so all you need to do is to change the shape. Remember, that doesn't mean that it's easy. You still need the proper wand movement and concentration. Now," He explained as he took out his own wand, "Animate to Inanimate Transfiguration uses the 'three tap' method of wand waving. Then visualise the outcome."

"The incantation for this transfiguration is Praepilatus. Repeat it after me. Praepilatus." Edward said, nodding along as they did. "Good. Now, first you must picture a button in your mind. I want all of you to picture a button with the same colouring as your beetle. That will make it a lot easier for you. As I said, we're mostly focusing on the shape. Once you're comfortable, you may attempt to alter other features. Visualise the beetle turning into the button. When you are ready, tap the beetle three times with your wand, and say Praepilatus!" At his words, the chunky beetle on his desk flattened into a round, glittering button with a similar blue shee.

"Now perform the transfiguration on your beetle. I want to see buttons good enough to line my coat with." Edward beamed. "If you have any problems, feel free to ask. And don't worry - this won't hurt the beetles, I promise."

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Homework: Roleplay successfully transfiguring a beetle into a button for full marks. Feel free to roleplay myself helping you. If you would like further interaction with your character, tag @Professor Edward Pirrip

 

[Finley Mackintosh Baros]

Finley had not forgotten his wand this time, luckily, as he headed into the transfiguration class and sat towards thew front. He couldn’t explain why he didn’t really like the class, only that he didn’t, and so he tried to just get through it as quickly as possible. He was both fascinated and a little horrified when he was handed a green and gold beetle he was expected to transfigure today - perhaps this was one of the reasons he didn’t like the class. He went through the motions, imaginging the beetle becoming a button and letting it change in his head before finally mastering the spell. He nodded when he placed his green and gold button on the table, appreciating that he’d managed to do it fairly quickly before class ended and he was able to pack up and leave.​

 

[Miles Flynn]

Miles had a bounce to his step as he wandered into the classroom, slipping into his usual seat and eagerly pulling out his wand. He was eager to see what they would be learning this time around, leaning in as the Professor explained the spell they would actually be learning. While he didn't really see much use for turning a beetle into a button, he wasn't going to turn his nose up at learning some new spells. Magic and magic, and he was eager to learn all kinds of it if possible. He had no problems with turning the beetle he was handed into a button, frowning as he tried to concentrate on what he wanted his button to look like. It was harder than he expected, and the end result still looked like a beetle shell, and he was pretty sure the holes were a little wonky. But, he supposed it looked enough like a button and he was pleased enough with his work to hand it in. He just needed the extra practice, that was all.