Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Thirty Seven

Kefira was always fascinated by the fact that Professor McGonagall had the ability to transform herself into a cat at any moment she willed. Of course, it was because the girl was completely tempted to play with her professor whenever she turned into a cat.

"Hey Professor McGonagall," the girl asked after skipping over to her after the end of one class period.

"Yes, Miss Walsh?" The woman looked over her glass frames that had slid down her nose.

"How did you become an animagus?" she asked sitting down on one tables. Professor McGonagall eyed the table.

Kefira huffed lightly before jumping off the table and then sat herself down in one of the empty chairs.

"Thank you." McGonagall said. "Now what was your question?"

"I was wondering how you became an animagus?"

"Miss Walsh, you will learn all this in due time, you're only in your first year. The topic of an animagus is covered in your third year."

"I know, but I'm curious. I don't want the whole lesson, maybe just the basics?" she asked with a curious gaze.

The professor sat down behind her desk adjusting her robes.

"There is nothing basic or simple about becoming an animagus. It's a complicated process to say the least."

"Why is it so hard?"

"Why do you think Miss Walsh? Do you think it would be easy to become an animal at will without using a verbal spell?"

"Oh. I guess not. But you make it look so easy."

McGonagall smiled. "Years of practice and I was taught by one of the best."

"Who was that?"

"I'll give you a hint. He's the Headmaster of this school now."

"Ooooh." Kefira said swinging her legs back and forth before grabbing her chair and scooting closer to the professor's desk. "Can you tell me more?"

"Where have you been?" Seamus asked. He and Dean were struggling to complete a game of Wizarding chess because Dean questioned all of Seamus' moves.

"I was with Professor McGonagall."

"You managed to get in trouble with her....after class was over?" Dean said turning to her.

"No. I was learning about becoming an animagus."

Seamus made a face. "You? You want to become an animagus?"

"No. But I thought it was interesting. Did you know you have to keep a mandrake in your mouth for a whole month?"

"A whole mandrake?" Dean and Seamus said wide eyed.

Kefira furrowed her brow. "Perhaps it was just a mandrake leaf. Still you have to keep it in your mouth for a whole month."

"That sounds horrible." Dean said. "No thank you."

"But it's completely worth it. You get to turn into an animal at will...how cool is that?"

"I would be something totally amazing." Seamus said. "Like a hawk or something."

Kefira snorted. "You don't get to choose, Seamus. It's based on your personality. So you would be something like an ant."

"Kefi..." Seamus growled.

"Fine. A fire ant...better?"

Dean laughed until Seamus silenced him with a deadly glare.

"Oh yeah, what do you think you would be Dean?"

"I dunno, probably wouldn't be anything too crazy. Maybe a goat."

Kefira and Seamus chuckled as Neville came downstairs.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"We're talking about what animals we would if we became animagi." Kefira told him.

"Oh... what did you all come up with?"

"Seamus would be an ant." Kefira laughed as Neville grinned.

"I would not be an ant!" Seamus crossed his arms over his chest.

"Dean said he would probably be a goat."

"What about you?" Neville questioned as he sat down on the sofa. Kefira sat next to him.

"She would probably be a squirrel." Seamus said. "She has the attention span of one- hey!" he blocked the incoming hit of a throw pillow.

"I would not be a squirrel!" she said climbing up the back of sofa, almost feline like. "I would be a lion! We've been over this!"

"I could see it." Dean said. "Although, that wouldn't really work out here. I mean, a goat and an ant could probably fit in around here. But a lion...it would be a bit suspicious don't you think?"

"Would you be the one to question a lion?" Kefira asked.

"Me? No. If I crossed paths with a lion, I wouldn't be saying anything." Dean said. "I'd be screaming."

The group laughed until Kefira fell off the back of the sofa. Neville and the boys quickly looked over the back of the sofa.

"Are you okay?" Neville asked.

"A lion feels no pain." she said.

The boys grinned.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a lion right now." she quickly added. "My back hurts. Hey look there's something under here!" Kefira rolled over and began crawling under the sofa.

"I told you..." Seamus said. "Attention span of a squirrel."

"BOO!" 

The boys screamed as Kefira had crawled under the sofa and popped out on the other side to scare them.

"Hunting skills of a lion." she said before leaving to the girl's dorm.

One of the male prefects came down the stairs from the boy's dorm. He glanced around and was confused by the three boys down there.

"I thought I heard girls screaming?"

"You just missed them." Seamus said.

"Yeah," Dean nodded, " they went that way."

They looked to Neville to add to their story.

"I didn't think we screamed that loud."

"Neville!"