Transfiguration NEWTs ((6 & 7 years only))

[Professor Minerva McGonagall]

Pleased with everything being ready for the day's lesson, Minerva let out a sigh of relief. She had worked quite a while to perfect the events that would take place in the next hour or so for the students who had elected to take her NEWT- level Transfiguration class. The last lesson, which covered the basic task of creating a portkey, had not went quite as Minerva had hoped. There were a few who got the hang of it, but many students struggled with the task at first. Believing it was a very dangerous spell to cast with error, she decided to do another lesson on portkeys, however this one a little more in depth and requiring team work instead of individual skill.

Earlier in the week, Minerva had made special arrangements with the Ministry of Magic so that the students could actually cast legal Portus spells. It was convenient that the Ministry already had an apparating barrier for the Hogwarts property. She simply had them double the barrier to include portkeys for the time-being, thus to ensure that none of the students were transported anywhere dangerous outside of the castle grounds. They would however be needing to transport to many different places on the grounds, according to the lesson she had planned.

When the students started arriving, Minerva announced for all to hear. "Three to a table please. You'll find a list of instructions at each table. You may begin once your group is full. I'll see you all back here when you have completed your assignment." Smiling, Minerva was anxious to see the looks on their faces. She knew that her reputation was that of a traditional stern professor. Even if the students didn't realize it, she enjoyed having days off from giving a class lecture just as much as they looked forward to the days when they actually go to work hands-on in class. There were always those students who probably felt the opposite though, and today just wouldn't be a good day for them then.

((OOC: Below, I have provided a copy of the list of instructions that the students would have found on their tables. As the post says, three people will work together to form a group. Before your characters can work toward completing the assignment, you must post them forming their groups. Then, once three people have posted to form a group, you can each post in any order to complete the assignment. Groups should be made according the order you arrive to class. I don't want the first person to start a group and then have the second person start their own. It will go quicker if the groups are just formed as the students arrive. Any questions, PM me.))

1. Each group of three students must create a minimum of 6 portkeys that will transfer them to various places on the castle grounds.

2. At each location, students will find two chests. One chest will contain various items that can be used to make the next portkey. The other chest will contain a token to indicate that the group made it to that location. Each group should have all 6 tokens when the return to the classroom.

3. Students must always travel as a group, splitting up for NO reason.

4. Each student must transfigure a minimum of two portkeys each.

5. Before beginning, it would be wise to look over your previous notes from our last class on portkeys.

6. Here is a list of locations that you need to transport your group to:
1- Hagrid's Hut (pick up token #1)
2- Quiddith Pitch (pick up token #2)
3- Greenhouse Number 2 (pick up token #3)
4- Just OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES of the Whomping Willow (pick up token #4)
5- The Lake (pick up token #5)
6- The Courtyard Fountain (pick up token #6)

7. Once your group reaches the courtyard, you have the option to either portkey back to the classroom, or walk. Hopefully by this time at least one member of your group has mastered the spell well enough to use it once more.

8. Your first portkey can be made from one of the items in the box at the back of the room.

9. Best of luck. This is not a race, but students will get house points depending on how many tokens they can successfully collect.

[Aden McGrogan]

Aden picked his way slowly through the halls. He was in no hurry, the next was infact Transfiguration and was run by the head of Gryffindor House, no need to make it there quickly to impress that one. Aden sighed as he continued on his journey in a leisure pace. NEWT's classes were nothing to shake a stick at, in fact in his oponion they hardly differed from the classes he had had in his first year. Only the homework was larger. Aden hadn't made a giant career choice as of yet. Even if this was his 7th and final year at Hogwarts. He had always gone on the notion that once he graduated his father would swoop him up and place him exactly where he wanted in society, but with his fathers death he didn't have any idea what was going to happen. Dawn had taken over the McGrogan house once she had turned of age. Aden felt that that responsibility would transfer to him when he turned 17 or he would inherit fathers job position, since Dawn hadn't taken that.

He sighed as he noticed he had reached the classroom while lost in his thoughts. Pushing open the door he stepped inside, expecting full well to have the room atleast half full of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw pests. Slytherin's rarely took Transfiguration in their NEWT's years, unless it was absolutely neccessary. Most were glad of the day that they could scratch old lady McGonagall's calss of their list. Still, the NEWT's class was usually a very small class, for only the best in the subject had been allowed to enter the class. Yet he was surprised to see that he was the first one to arrive. He shrugged, must have been moving faster than he thought and made his way over to a table in the back. "Groups?" He muttered to himself in disgust. Groups seemed to find a way to disentegrate and not function well, thats why Aden preffered to work alone.

Placing his bag down and picking up the instruction he quickly scanned the paper and groaned once again. Port Keys? Of all the things to have to work in a group on, why did it have to be Port Keys? Aden remembered their first class on Port Keys, it hadn't gone so well. Aden had managed to make a pretty good Port Key, it was only off by 20 feet or so. Yet the rest of the class hadn't done so great in the art. He sighed and sat down, placing his feet on the table. Now he would have to perform another Port Key, only this time he would have a group holding him back and dragging him down.

(I suppose I'm starting Group #1)

[Branden Davis G6]

“Well,” said Branden sweeping himself down into a low bow, “I fear I must be off. Tranfiguration, you know. Not a pretty job, but someone has got to do it.” He said to the students he had been entertaining in the library. “Madam Pince” he said tapping his hat at her while she glared, obviously glad to have him leave her sight. Unfortunately he was forced to make his way to class alone, NEWTs classes were notoriously empty, especially in hard courses like Tranfiguration. Branden remembered the last class where they had worked on Port Keys, what a disaster that had been. Sure, he had made some progress by the end of the class, but nothing to write home about. Hopefully McGonagall would take it a little easier on them this time, sure it would be good to have those harder level spells, but it would also be nice to pass. Granted, Branden had never failed a thing in his life, much to the surprise of others because of how little he liked doing work. If a dorm mate, or anyone in the school really, had a knut for every time they saw Branden doing homework they probably wouldn’t have enough to make a sickle after six years.

With a cheery spring in his step Branden made his way to the classroom. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to the class, but he found that if he walked in with a smile on his face class seemed to go by faster. ‘Ladies’ he said with a grin to a group of fifth year Hufflepuff girls he passed outside the charms classroom. Maybe the day would work out; maybe McGonagall would decide she had been too tough on them over the years and decide to throw a party for them to celebrate making it to NEWT level. Branden chuckled at the thought of McGonagall with a party hat on her head and a shaker in her hand as he swung open the door. Unfortunately the teacher was standing there looking average as ever and there was not a streamer in sight, not even any cake, so Branden decided today was not the day she would throw a party.

“Good day, Professor. You’re looking well.” Branden said with a charming grin. There was one other boy in the room, a Slytherin older than Branden, so he decided to sit on his own. Branden sat down at a table near the middle of the room until McGonagall stated that she wanted them to sit 3 to a table. Realising the older boy was certainly not coming to him Branden got up and carried his things to the back of the room where he plopped down across from the boy. “So, what’re we in for today?” Branden asked in his carefree way. “I’m Branden by the way.” He added as an afterthought, realising that while the boy would likely not reciprocate he might as well go for civility.

((Second member of group 1))