Partners in Crime || PJOxHP || Marauders' Era

Dueling Championship

Professor McGonagall sat at her desk looking slightly frazzled. There were two different stacks of papers on her desk, one significantly larger than the other. She waved her hand and sent the last piece of paper to the top of the stack. "Come in!" she ushered the second years in quickly. She waved her wand at the large stack of papers as the students sat down. "You'll all find your midterms being returned to you. Please discuss any questions you have with me after class," she said as the assignments found their owners. 

Jessica glanced at her assignment. Professor McGonagall had scrawled a tiny 'O' in the corner of her page with the remark- 'You can do better!'

Someone muttered, "Potter!"

Jessica looked around. It was a Slytherin boy- he was muttering at his assignment- Jessica saw that he had been given a 'D.' 

"I have graded you generously," Professor McGonagall said. "Please note, however, that OWL examiners will not be so kind. Now, assignments in the bag."

The students put their papers into their bags and pulled out quills and ink pots. "Today we will be working with smoke, so it may get a little hard to see in here." She murmured a spell and smoke started to pour out of the tip of her wand. "You'll be working on turning this," she waved her hand through the stream of gray, "into daggers." 

Professor McGonagall whipped her wand and the smoke dissolved into a gleaming ray of light. The smoke seemed to conjure a shadow of a gleaming dagger and Jessica watched in awe as the light dissolved, leaving behind a glimmering dagger that floated in front of the teacher and dropped into her hand.

"Wow!" the students said collectively. 

"It is vital that we practice safety today as we are conjuring weapons. Please do not attempt to do anything with these daggers," Professor McGonagall said. "Anyone who does will lose significant points for their house due to endangerment of both themselves and other students. Any transfigured daggers should remain on your desk and are to be left there at the end of class."

She looked at James very particularly before whipping around and facing the rest of the class.

"Now, let us get started. This spell, although it looks very difficult, is actually very simple. It requires less concentration and willpower- remember the dangers that can be associated with transformations, though; don't underestimate them."

She taught them the spell.

*** 

"Remember that the first step to any transformation is visualization," she instructed. "Watch the smoke, the way it moves. Picture it moving and condensing, slowly becoming the blade and handle; see it morphing into the dagger." 

She saw Severus seated a few seats in front of her, waving his wand like an idiot. She wondered what had happened- he didn't seem to want to even associate himself with the girls in the past few days since classes had begun. But Jessica was careful not to say it out loud to Lily- the girl always stood up for her best friend.

"There are a few different things to watch out for in this transformation. Of course, one possible complication is that nothing happens at all. Others within the class may end up with all blade or all handle, missing the other component. Some of you may manage a full dagger, albeit a very dull one-"

Marlene's hand went up. "Professor?"

"Yes?"

"What would happen if the blade were to break after transformation? Would smoke ooze out of it?"

"Excellent question," McGonagall said firmly, "but the answer to this is no. Once something is transfigured, it will remain that way until someone reverses the spell."