A Whole New Adventure

Part 13

Transfiguration class was as interesting as Clarissa hoped it would be. McGonagall started off by handing out sheets of parchment that contained their syllabus for the year and went over the important assignments and dates on it. She explained that the remainder of the week will be dedicated for reviewing the previous year's content, making Clarissa breathe a little easier that they were starting off relatively slow. She went over the main lessons of the year, briefly giving a short description of them, including more conjuring spells, pawns to queens, and human transfiguration (which made Clarissa snort, remembering what happened to Draco Malfoy). The transfiguration professor also encouraged them to start using nonverbal casting of spells, especially for the ones they have already learned from previous years to build up their strength and capabilities.

The 80 minutes of Transfiguration seemed a bit too short for Clarissa who was very engaged in casting the switching spell onto her quill and James' ink pot which was a hand's reach away from her. She wanted to stay here and continue practicing her newly acquired skills. James, on the other hand, could not be more disinterested in the spell work they were required to do. Being as talented as he was on the subject, he was utterly bored sitting at his desk, waving his wand towards Peter's desk to transfigure his gobstone into a skunk, much to the boy's dismay. James was quietly snickering as he watched the boy panic about which spell he needed to turn his stone back to normal. When McGonagall cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, James frantically waved his wand to turn Peter's stones back to normal and gave the stern Transfiguration professor a sheepish smile.

"That will be all for today, class," McGonagall spoke to the teens.

Everyone began to pack up and leave the classroom, ignoring McGonagall's request for them to review their past work so things would go smoothly for the rest of the week. James finished packing up his things and was waiting for Clarissa, along with their other friends.

"What class do you have next?" James asked as he handed her ink pot to her.

Clarissa thought for a second, "Arithmancy, I think. You?"

"Muggle studies with Sirius. Remus has Ancient Runes and Peter has a spare. Do you want me to walk you there?"

Somewhere in the back of Clarissa's mind remembered the layout of the entire grounds of Hogwarts, causing her to hold on to her chair as a small headache formed in her head. Her small hiss of pain garnered the attention of her friends, especially James who was closest to her. He put a hand on her shoulder to let her know that he was there for her. The pain subsided quickly and her mind cleared. Clarissa looked up to see the concerned faces of her friends and especially James and Sirius who knew more than they were letting on. Even Professor McGonagall was much closer to her than before, looking ready to step in if anything worse were to happen. Clarissa suspected the entire staff was informed of her new predicament and not just her head of house based on her reaction.

The Ravenclaw girl gave everyone around her a reassuring smile and told them she was alright and the pain has passed. She squeezed the hand that was still resting on her shoulder and looked into worried hazel eyes and hoped that James will believe what she said.

"I'll be okay hon, I don't want you to climb three flights of stairs when your class is just down the corridor. Em will be with me anyway," Clarissa told her boyfriend, going back to the previous topic at hand.

The Potter heir looked towards their other brunette friend as if asking if she was able to ensure Clarissa's safety while he was gone. A firm nod from her told him not to worry and that she'll be there if anything were to happen. Although James was still hesitant, Clarissa gave Sirius a pleading look to help her out. At first, Sirius playfully ignored her pleas but once Clarissa narrowed her eyes at him he gave in.