The Marauders Rise (II)

Remedial Transfiguration

November 3, 1973

After a knock is heard on her office door, MINERVA flicks her wand from her desk and opens the door. JAMES, SIRIUS, and PETER enter, looking rather uncomfortable.

MINERVA: Good evening, gentlemen. How are we feeling this evening?

SIRIUS: (touching his jaw) Fantastic. Second week of this Mandrake leaf nonsense-

JAMES: I swear to God, after this non-stop diet of soup and cottage cheese, I'm eating a full Sunday roast after I get this rubbish out of my mouth-

PETER: My biggest fear is that I'm gonna swallow it in my sleep-

MINERVA: Regardless, it's very important that you keep these leaves in your mouth, under you tongue, until the full moon, or else we have to start this whole process over again.

SIRIUS: (resting his hand on his forehead) Merlin help us.

MINERVA: (smiling) I told you that this would be a lot of hard work. If it was easy, then everyone would be an Animagus. Now, we have to start planning for what we do after we remove the leaves.

JAMES: Can't wait for the day.

MINERVA: First, they will be used to create a specific potion during twilight, and then you must consume the potion during a lightning storm.

PETER: A lightning storm?

JAMES: When is that gonna be?

MINERVA: Predicting the weather has never been a particular strength of mine, but historical data has told us that this is the most common time of the year for a lightning storm to hit. After we remove the Mandrake leaf, we'll simply have to wait until such a storm hits.

SIRIUS: Okay. So what do we do until then?

MINERVA: Your assignment for this week is relatively simple. (She removes three clear glass phials from her desk and distributes them out). In order to create the potion, we're going to need fresh morning dew that has not seen sunlight or been touched by human feet.

JAMES: Morning dew?

MINERVA: Precisely. All you have to do is go out onto the grounds before the sun rises, fill these phials with dew from the grasses, and keep them in the dark until we will need them later.

SIRIUS: Okay. (He takes a phial and begins to examine it)

MINERVA: This should probably be done sometime in the next week or so. Other than that, that's all I have for tonight.

JAMES: Okay. Thanks, Professor.

PETER: Thanks.

The three get up and make their way to the door.

MINERVA: Oh, and if anyone is to start asking questions about what your doing here, you're to tell them that you're taking Remedial Transfiguration classes.

SIRIUS: (incredulously) Remedial Transfiguration?

MINERVA: Yes. It's not a complete lie, considering studying Animagi is a branch of Transfiguration, but nevertheless, I don't think it's best to be spreading information about all this to the whole school.

JAMES: Okay. Will do, Professor.

MINERVA: Good night, gentlemen. And good luck.