The Marauders Unite (III)

Transfiguring Trouble

September 2, 1975

MINERVA: All right, all right! Settle down!

In the Transfiguration classroom, the fifth years take their seats for their first lesson of the year. MINERVA stands at the head of the room and magically uncovers the chalkboard.

MINERVA: Welcome to your first Transfiguration class of the year. As you know, fifth year will be your most important term at Hogwarts so far. The next few months of your academic career will be detrimental to determining your future role in society.

SIRIUS: (resting his feet on the desk and whispering to JAMES) This class will probably be the easiest O.W.L.

JAMES: Is that a joke? Charms'll be way easier than this.

SIRIUS: Whatever you say. I've yet to receive a failing grade from old Minnie-

MINERVA: And yet it's never too late to try new things, Mr. Black. Feet off the desktop, if you please. (She whacks SIRIUS'S feet with a yardstick. MARLENE and LILY laugh hysterically in the front row).

MINERVA: So. Today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L. Wands out, please.

All the students remove their wands from their bags and eagerly anticipate the lesson.

MINERVA: Now, the incantation is Evanesco. Observe.

MINERVA picks up a note that MARY and MARLENE were passing to one another and crumples it up.

MINERVA: Sorry to ruin your little chat, girls. One, two, three- Evanesco.

The crumpled piece of paper vanishes immediately. As if on cue, LILY raises her hand high in the air.

MINERVA: Yes, Ms. Evans?

LILY: Professor, where do Vanished objects go, exactly?

MINERVA: Into non-being, which is to say, everything. You see, when you use a spell to conjure a piece of matter, it seems to form itself from nothing, does it not?

LILY: Yes.

MINERVA: Vanishing objects does the same thing. A Vanished object will become a piece of everything, and therefore a conjured object will also come from everything. Observe.

MINERVA takes a blank piece of paper and crumples it into another ball.

MINERVA: Geminio.

An exact copy of the crumpled paper ball is conjured on the desk.

MINERVA: You see? This new piece of paper might as well have come from the same piece of paper that I Vanished a mere moment ago. All magically transfigured matter will form itself from everything, not nothing. But the equivalent amount of matter within the universe will remain the same.

LILY: Thank you.

MINERVA: Now, I want you all to take a few minutes practicing the spell. Be sure to only attempt it on objects that are not valuable and/or can be easily replaced, not each other's heads, Mr. Black!