Chapter 5 - First Lesson

After getting ready, Lucifer headed down to the Great hall to get some breakfast to eat before class. If he recall correctly it was the transfiguration class next.

If they are teaching the type of magic  that the professor showed at Lux.

It could be interesting, but what about transforming a human into a vibrator or something....Lucifer felt like this kind of good thing..... needed to be explored further.

After entering the great hall, he spotted Hermione who seemed very excited for some reason. Lucifer decided to make his way over, and greet her.

"Someone is excited today, huh?" He asked while taking a piece of toast, and then sat down.

Hermione recognised this voice, it was her 'best friend', and immediately turned her head around, "Yeah, well I simply can't wait for our first class!"

"It seems like it, but I'm a bit surprised you're not in Ravenclaw though I'm not one to talk." Lucifer decided to engage in a small talk, it was really boring around here.

After hearing that question, her brows seemed to be frowned cutely for a second, it seems like she was busy thinking, "Must be my other qualities outweighing my intellect."

Hermione said this, while looking proud of herself. 'I guess she should be' "But, what do you mean 'you're not the one to talk?' She didn't understand this statement.

Of course, she doesn't. Lucifer obviously didn't tell her about being a suitable candidate for each house, "Are you sure, you want to know?" 

Hermione narrowed her eyes, and pointed out her small fingers at him, "What's that supposed to mean? And don't try to avoid my question!" She was almost deceived by this boy.

"...." Lucifer. 'I really don't want to hurt her ego.... It's obviously the first day, and I don't want to put more effort into knowing other stupid humans... especially children...' He was just thinking about tedious things, and couldn't reply to Hermione's question.

He just went silent, making the brown-haired girl think, that he was trying to ignore her.

Hermione's lips twitched, she was really getting annoyed with this behaviour, "If you're done thinking...." She stopped mid-sentence, when saw the boy sitting beside her, just started to eat his toast again.

"...." Hermione. 'It's so infuriating, I really want to hit him!'

The other children also started coming down now, they sat down at the Gryffindor table and served themselves. As they began to eat, Rowena swooped down to them.

The owl dropped a folded newspaper on the table before Hermione, before she perched and began to drink from Lucifer's cup of water.

The boy stared at his familiar with visible disgust. "Please, tell me you brushed your beak this morning," he implored, but Rowena of course, gave Lucifer the same silent treatment he just did to Hermione, who picked up the newspaper, to calm herself down.

It was that morning's edition of The Daily Prophet, and she found that it was the lightest newspaper she'd ever seen, with just three sheets of paper when spread out at the center.

The headline on the front page read, Beloved Hero & Acclaimed Author, Gilderoy Lockhart, Awarded Order of Merlin, Third Class.

The accompanying image was a magical photograph of a handsome man with a roguish smile that exposed very white teeth.

The man in the image moved his head slightly, winked at Lucifer which caused Hermione to scowl at the foul newspaper for some reason.

"So, uh, Rowena," Lucifer said conversationally, "you mind telling us where you got the newspaper?"

Hermione blinked her eyes, at this question,"Where did she get the newspaper?" She asked him incredulously.

"I have no idea." Lucifer shrugged, unperturbed. "Knowing Rowena though, she probably murdered some poor owl and stole it off her corpse."

"Lucifer!"

"Relax, Hermione. Rowena's smart enough to wipe her tracks."

"Lucifer, Don't make me hit you!" She chastised again, but she was laughing now.

"What? It's either that or the slammer, Hermione." A dramatic pause. "And she's never going back."

Getting her laughter under control, the girl said, "they don't make jails for birds, Lucifer."

"Well, no, not yet," the boy agreed. "But with the recent rise in homicidal owls, I can assure you that there's a growing demand."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him, Rowena," she said. "I know you're a good bird. You wouldn't do anything illegal."

The owl gave her a look.

"You wouldn't, right?" She asked again, her voice suddenly less sure.

The owl went back to eating.

"You were saying?" Lucifer asked, and Hermione quietly set the paper as far away from herself as she could, and went back to her meal.

_________

"Where's your cat?"

"Probably hunting Mrs. Norris"

"...." Hermione. She thought it would be much better, to focus more on her omelette instead.

_______

After several minutes, they both were done with the breakfast, "So, would you like to walk with me to class?"

Hermione was slightly surprised, "Really? I mean sure why not?"

They decided to make their way to class and Lucifer realised this girl loves her books and is eager to gain new knowledge.

But for some reason, he just started praising her,  "You do realise that you are going to have a bright future ahead of you, right?" To be honest, he was just trying to make her face look bigger.

Hermione suddenly stopped and looked towards her best friend with eyes full of confusion. 'What's he saying all of a sudden?'

She looked ready to start an inquiry, and drilled some answers out of him, but they already found themselves  in the transfiguration class.

The classroom was large, empty, and set up like a lecture hall, with seating for three arranged on steps that climbed over six levels at the very back.

Lucifer went up the steps and sat down at the desk closest to the window and watched the clouds moving in the sky, leaving Hermione's mouth wide-open.

Instead of sitting at the front desk, Hermione went over to sit with her friend.

"Looks like Prof. McGonagall isn't here yet," Hermione mused out loud.

She wondered where the professor was, seeing as the older woman had left The Great Hall several minutes before they had.

Maybe she had some other engagement to attend to.

"Maybe she had to go number two." Lucifer shrugged.

"Lucifer! That's disgusting."

"Uh, no, it's a natural, biological process, and it would be really weird if she didn't do it."

"Well, we're not talking about our professor's... processes, okay?" The infuriating boy just laughed at her.

Time passed, and Hermione started preparing for the upcoming class, setting out her quills, an inkpot, and some parchment to take notes on.

At her behest for him to do the same, Lucifer fished in his bag and pulled out a muggle notebook and pen.

Hermione gave him a sour look, the innocent expression on his face not fooling her for one second.

"Must you cause trouble with everything?" She asked, darn near exasperated.

"I'm pretty sure I have no idea what you're talking about," He replied.

Hermione Granger, being the bigger person, gracefully ignored him.

Then moments later, a tabby cat trotted in, and the door closed behind it.

The cat climbed Prof. McGonagall's desk, now both of their eyes on it, Lucifer started getting some weird feeling from the cat .

He said, still staring at her, "Good morning, Professor."

Hermione scolded him for his utter stupidity, "Don't be an idiot! That's just a cat."

Suddenly the cat jumps of the table and transforms into the professor McGonagall  causing her to gasp, "Very impressive Mr. Morningstar, 5 points to Gryffindor. May I ask how you knew?"

"I read about Animagus, where a witch or wizard could transform into an animal then back at will."

McGonagall, wanted to know, what gave her away, "Yes but that doesn't explain how you knew I was one?"

Lucifer just said with a cheeky grin, "Who knows?" Hermione's temper was just about to explode, because it's not the first time, he did something like this. So, she just huffed again.

Soon more and more students started coming but what they realised was how late Harry and Ron were. Finally they came but what they didn't know that Professor McGonagall who was transformed into the cat once again.

"Whew, we made it. Can you imagine the look on Mcgonagall's face if we were late?" This was Ron's voice, who was busy scolding his rat last night.

Then the Professor turns into her human form, causing them and other students to gasp in surprise.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Even gave the teacher a compliment, but Minvera wasn't fooled by this sweet-talk. She had already been tolerating Albus's poisonous talk for many years now.

"Well, thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley," said Professor McGonagall, glaring slightly at the two late boys. "Perhaps it would be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch. That way, one of you might be on time."

"We got lost," Harry tried to defend them, but McGonagall really wasn't having it today. This incident already brought her a headache, of those old days. (being courted by Dumbledore?)

"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats."

The two took their seats right behind Hermione and Lucifer.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned. For your first lesson, we'll start with—"

Lucifer raised a hand, and the professor's eyes homed in on him.

"Yes, Mr. Morningstar?"

"Sorry for interrupting, professor, but I'm really curious and there's very little information about this in the books I bought from Diagon Alley. Anyway, your animagus form, does it affect your human one at all? Like, does the fact that you're a cat animagus make you like fish more, or have a better sense of balance or something?"

Prof. McGonagall eyed the boy. "And what brought on this interest in animagic, Mr. Morningstar? You wouldn't be planning to attempt it, would you?"

"No, I am too young for that, Professor," Lucifer said without missing a beat. "My interest is purely academic." for now.

Hermione decided then and there that Prof. McGonagall must be a very smart woman, because she didn't look like she believed Lucifer at all.

She was willing to play along however, because she began an impromptu lecture, speaking to the entire class instead of just Lucifer. "Animagic is one of the most advanced forms of Transfiguration. Also one of the most dangerous." She shot Lucifer a warning look.

He smiled placidly in return. "Even the smallest mistake can leave you permanently trapped in a form that is half-beast and half-human, and it is very easy to make a mistake. Do not attempt it on your own, even if you learn how; not only do you risk permanent disfigurement, being an unlicensed animagus is a crime punishable by time in Azkaban. Am I clear?"

Everyone, Hermione and Lucifer included, replied with an obedient "yes, professor."

"Good. Now for today's lesson, you all will be attempting one of the simplest transfiguration spells available, a spell that was invented by our very own Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, back when he taught Transfiguration here at Hogwarts. Before that however, it is important that you learn the basics of The Art of Transfiguration itself, as well as some rules to this branch of magic..." And with that Prof. McGonagall launched into her lecture.

It was a long lecture; lasted over an hour, and Hermione did her best to keep up with her note taking.

But despite the hours of practice she had put into learning to use a quill (practice that showed, considering she was the best with a quill in the class among all those who hadn't grown up in the Magical World), the constant dipping, and the need to write softly, and the rare, but too frequent, accidental inkblots were starting to grate on her.

Lucifer offered her a spare pen.

The clear superiority in his expression was galling, but the smile he gave her when she took the pen and muttered "thanks" wasn't.

"You're welcome," he said.

Prof. McGonagall talked about many things. About how powerful, and wondrous and dangerous The Art of Transfiguration could be, and how much like developing a physical skill, one could build 'muscle memory' for magic too.

And that was why spells like the one they would be learning today were important to start their education with because they took little skill to cast, and the repercussions, in the event of failure, were much less dangerous for other spells.

Some of it were things Hermione had gleaned from her personal study, but there was much more that she hadn't known, and from the lecture, Hermione suspected that Prof. McGonagall was only just scraping the surface.

Eventually, the lecture wound down, and Prof. McGonagall asked if anyone had questions.

There were a few, but Hermione and Lucifer had none, and soon the class moved to the practical aspect.

Like most basic Transfiguration spells, the spell they were learning today had no official name; it was simply called the Matchstick to Needle Transfiguration spell, and was one of the many like it that had been invented by the Headmaster.

Lucifer instantly transformed the match into a needle on the first try while on the other hand Hermione was looking at him with a jealous look .

"Amazing Mr. Morningstar, not everyone can perform this level of magic at their first try. 10 points to Gryffindor" said McGonagall with a rare smile.

By the middle of the lesson, Hermione

was the only one who had made any difference to their matches; Professor McGonagall showed the class how they had gone all silver and pointy and also gave Hermione a rare smile, even awarding ten points to her.

Ronald Weasley, who was sitting behind them with Harry, craned his head to look at their work. "You got it already? Great," he muttered petulantly, then proceeded to attempt to transfigure his matchstick by poking it as hard as he could with his wand.

Hermione was about to tell him he was doing it wrong, when a small explosion erupted farther back in the classroom, and Prof. McGonagall rushed over to see what had gone wrong.

By the time Hermione looked back to their own table, Lucifer had apparently begun some kind of impromptu art project.

"What are you doing?" She asked, watching as he transfigured another matchstick and used the sticking charm to attach it to another needle.

"Making a spider," Lucifer said and pushed his notebook toward her, where she saw a very rough drawing of a large spider.

She wanted to tell him to stop. That they definitely should not be doing this in Prof. McGonagall's class, but instead, she made a new, better drawing on the opposite page.

"You missed a few things," she said. "Spiders only have two body parts; a cephalothorax and an abdomen, and their legs are more spread out. Which species were you planning to make?"

They quickly fell into a rhythm, turning matchsticks to needles with Hermione directing where to stick them together.

And slowly the arachnid came into shape. First with the cephalothorax, then the abdomen, all of it a hollow network of needles that was literally held together by magic.

They used beads for eyes, beads they transfigured from small balls of paper (another of the beginner transfiguration spells), and by the end, Hermione had to admit that, while not a masterpiece by any means, their sculpture was quite beautiful in a weird, silly way.

And then she looked up and saw Prof. McGonagall watching them. 'Shit'

"Practicing the spell, I see," the woman observed.

"Yup," Lucifer said, perfectly unbothered. "And we figured, 'why not make it interesting?'"

"I see," the professor said, as Hermione began to panic a little.

'Prof. McGonagall is definitely going to take points'!' Because they were distracted in her class, and Hermione would have lost Gryffindor points.

"If you can animate it, I'll give you both twenty points to Gryffindor," Prof. McGonagall waited a beat. "Each."

Hermione blinked, then she and Lucifer stared at each other.

"Wait, when you say animate, do you mean—"

"A basic animation spell will suffice, Mr. Morningstar," Prof. McGonagall assured. "No need to risk anything advanced."

Hermione and Lucifer stared at each other again.

"There is that Year two animation spell," He suggested.

"Augurs' Animation spell," Hermione agreed. "Animates any object in the likeness of an animal to be that animal, without transmuting any of its material aspects."

Lucifer nodded.

"You should cast it," she said. "You're more likely to get it on the first try."

"I've seen your spellwork, Granger. You should do it"

"But you can cast spells I never even think of!" Hermione argued back.

"Together then," the boy sighed.

They readied their wands. Performed the wand-motion, two quick flicks, carefully, then incanted, "animato."

Nothing happened, and the disappointment Hermione felt was much more than she'd thought she would feel.

Then the spider twitched. Once. Twice. Then it skittered forward, its pointy, metallic legs making rapid clicking sounds on the table.

Ron moaned piteously behind her. "Did it have to be a spider?" He asked.

Hermione turned, and noticed that he and Harry, as well most of the class was watching.

With a few flicks of her wand, Prof. McGonagall conjured a big, glass box around the spider, which the creature kept bumping into the walls of.

"Looks like our spider's lacking in the brain department," Lucifer observed.

"As promised, Mr. Morningstar, Miss Granger. Twenty points each to Gryffindor."

The Gryffindors cheered. The Slytherins scowled, and some even muttered about favoritism.

And while the look of pride Prof. McGonagall gave her pleased her greatly, for some reason, it was Lucifer's smile that stuck to her mind the most.

She wanted to see that smile again.