Ten years after I began at Hogwarts, Sebastian Sallow is back. And he's Professor Sallow now. He disappeared after the fall of Ranrok and Rookwood, after I lost Professor Fig, and after Ominis and I couldn't keep him from losing himself. But I never...
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"My class starts in ten minutes..." April groans as she pivots herself onto the armrest of the chair to swing her legs from across my lap to the floor. Incredible how fast a half an hour can fly.
::There is so much I could do in ten minutes.::
"Do you have plans tonight?" I ask her, watching her collect herself. She's so graceful tucking in her shirt, slipping into her robe, combing her fingers through her hair.
"Yeeesss," she says reluctantly. "I'm gonna head into the forest."
"The forbidden forest?" I say jokingly. April throws her head back and laughs and the sound of it feels like oxygen.
"Pretty sure they only started calling it that because it was easier than calling it the 'Folks are Afraid of the Dark and Don't Want to Admit It Forest.'" She looks up to confirm, "but yes, that forest. I'm going to try to convince Kai — he's my...the...well, anyway – I want to see if he'd come to the castle sometime as a guest lecture for my sixth and seventh years about centaur magic."
Kai, huh?
::Fucking Kai sounds like something you'd call a fucking shitty little mooncalf.::
Merlinnn. Inhale.
I don't like that the way she speaks so easily about him piques a dull, buzzing resentment in me so I stand up to stretch the energy of it out of my limbs.
From her desk where she's been rifling through things and collecting her wand into her robe, she whirls back to me and pulls me towards her by my waist. "You should come with! Full disclosure, though, I'd have to go on alone at a certain point. The centaurs are secretive. But...it could be an adventure!" She says with a glint in her eye and a quick peck on my cheek and I still can't believe I live in a world where April Collins is casually kissing my cheek.
"I'll pencil you into my schedule if I can," I say sarcastically as we make our way to the door. "But will you protect me if we run into danger?" I tease as I scoop her into one last kiss that I'm thrilled she lingers on as much as I do.
She smiles with a satisfied sigh and says, "only because you asked so nicely." She opens the door and I'm surprised to see a number of students already preparing for class. A part of me is nervous they'll wonder what we might have been doing in here, but April walks down the stairs so confidently, greeting them by name that it reminds me that we are the ones in charge now, and no longer have to be afraid of watchful eyes around every corner.
"Merlin. When I was a student I felt it was my moral duty to arrive to class no fewer than six minutes late," I comment under my breath and April laughs saying, "oh. I remember."
I recognize a few students from my own classes. Sixth years. One of the Ravenclaw girls, Anneli Roka, is watching me at the base of the stairs to April's office.
"Professor Sallow!" she calls. Her voice is too high and I don't recognize her subtle accent. "I am glad you're here!" I see her eyes flash to April before she continues, "I was hoping to ask if I could get some extra help. I've been practicing my nonverbal Firemaking charm...well, trying to...the point is, I think I'm missing something in the theory of it."
"Oh. Yeah, sure." I stammer, realizing any 'teaching experience' Professor Sharp thinks I got in India was...well, it was not like this. Much less socializing, there. Much more my speed. "Erm, why not stay after class for a few minutes today, yeah?"
"Excellent. Thank you, Professor," Anneli says with a friendly hand on my arm.
Must be a European thing.
"TAKE YOUR SEATS, PLEASE!" April's voice. Crystal clear. Commanding. Perfection. Before leaving, I turn in the doorway and lean my shoulder against the frame, crossing my arms to watch her in action. I can't help but think how I would have been in a lot of trouble if I had a Professor like her when I was a student and my eyes instinctively scan the young men in the room.
They are attentive, indeed, poor little muppets.
"Now, back when I was a student, sixth years could hardly wait for one thing in this class–"
An excited whisper cascades through the room and I feel my heart sink with the realization that I wasn't here with her then.
"--which Headmistress Weasley made us wait 'til half-year to begin." She catches my eye and flashes me a smile that melts my knees out from me even at this distance.
"And SOOO I've decided to move it up in the curriculum to give us more time with it...And I hope it will make you all like me," she adds quickly with a laugh and the room laughs with her. It's like she's putting on a show and they're all entirely here for it. "Human transfiguration!" She announces and countless hands fly up.
She's a total natural. As if the students need any more reasons to like her beyond her being precisely who she is.
"Yes, Mister Spickett?" she calls.
"Does that mean we'll learn to be an animagus?"
"Ooooh excellent question! Not quite – does anyone know the difference–yes, Miss Roka?"
"One can change their appearance in three ways. You can be born a metamorphmagus or become animagus through a learned process, both of which can change your entire form. Or you can practice human transfiguration for less thorough transformations, and to facilitate transfiguration into inanimate objects."
"Wow! Yes, excellent summary! Five points to Ravenclaw, Miss Roka, well done." April gushes.
She is radiant.
"Might I ask, Professor..." Anneli adds. Her accent and timbre grates on me. "I suppose the truth is I heard a rumor you are a rare kind of animagus?"
Interesting...
April laughs.
Magnificent.
"I wouldn't say I'm rare, Miss Roka."
I laugh so instantly, not able to cover my mouth before a chuckle bursts out and a couple heads turn back towards me standing in the back of the room. I wave them off and April gives me a quick, confused look of 'what!?' as if she's forgotten about her veryrare gift for Ancient Magic, and everything else that makes her extraordinary. I roll my eyes.
"What I have, dear students, is an unfortunate combination of insomnia and insatiable curiosity. But yes, it's true that few people have completed the animagus process more than once. There's rarely a need to, and I will warn you it gets...significantly worse every time, and with no guarantee you'll be able to adopt an additional form.
Merlin. That's impressive. It sends a lightning bolt through my mind to consider how much of her I have yet to learn and, admittedly, my stomach sinks slightly at the realization of how little of our recent conversations revolved around her.
"How many forms can you take?" a student calls from the back.
"Three. But remember it is very, very difficult and time consuming. Understand it was also in large part due to my work with the Ministry, working with so many kinds of beasts, it made sense for me to be able to mimic a certain array of skills, you know. Speed. Agility. Flight."
The classroom buzzes with whispers and I see her flash her eyes to mine. She shrugs the cutest shrug and mouths 'surprise!' with her whole, grinning face, as she leaps into the air, lifting her arms. The students whoop, clap, and cheer as her whole form seamlessly tucks, spreads, and soars high above the group into that of a bald eagle.
