10 February 2010
Wednesday, Noon

Frank had been waiting for the whole hour between First Year Transfiguration and lunch.  He'd shuffled out of class with his mates, his most recent practical marks in his hands, but unlike his friends who all headed off to relax in the hour they had before lunch, Frank Sellaphix paced and fumed in the hallway outside.

He'd tried to re-enter to just have a 'really quick word' with Professor Finnigan, but she'd told him to come back.  And so he'd waited the whole hour.  Trading between crouching against the wall across from the door, and pacing.  He just couldn't get this! He was doing things exactly right, or so he thought, and the magic just wasn't working for him. 

What was worse was he knew it had to be something wrong with Transfiguration, because he was doing well in every other class.  He had to tell the Professor that something fishy was definitely going on.  And in the meantime, she had to fix his grade!

Finally, at long last, the bells rang, and the second years filed out the Transfiguration doors.  Even before the tide was stemmed, Frank was nudging his way in against the current.

"Professor Finnigan!" he declared himself and made a beeline to her desk.  "I think something fishy is going on.  I"m not sure, it might be a curse. Actually, it very well could be a curse on this classroom.  Because my wand works perfectly in Charms and my Potions all come out fine.  And I think you're going to be surprised when you see this."

He tapped urgently on his paper, which had a P on it.

"See? Someone's marked my paper wrong!  Actually, it might not even be a person, it could be Peeves! P for Peeves!"

The youngest Sellaphix's brow was furrowed as he said it all with a single breath and an air of having just begun to untangle a great injustice.  That couldn't possibly lead back to him being a young wizard with a great deal to learn.

Effie had settled into a comfortable teaching pattern. She felt she was getting to really know her students (of course some more than others). When tallying marks the night before she had a feeling in her gut one student in particular would not be happy with her; so Frank's cry for justice was not unexpected. It was always hard telling the ones who naturally good at most things that in this instance they were going to have to work harder than other people. It wasn't that she thought Frank wasn't capable, he just didn't know enough yet.

She was leaning casually against her desk as he fought the current of out going students, he seemed so small and earnest it almost made her heart hurt. Of course the worry quickly turned to surprise as he began shifting the blame around as much as humanly possible. Ah, so he was one of those Wizlings. She tried to keep the amusement and slight exasperation from twitching on her features. She was going to have to shatter the poor boys sense of reality.

Clearing her throat she gave a small thoughtful nod, "Peeves huh? Yeah, he's a tricky one. I'll tell you what. We'll do a make up experiment right now. If you can pull off the assignment I will personally change your grade on the spot. If you're cursed then it will be obvious that there is some other magical interference and indeed your wand is as mighty as you claim," she paused tapping her chin, "Of course that's a pretty one sided wager. So if you can't do it, and it's not because the classroom is curse or Peeves is up to his tricks, you have to agree to a twice weekly tutoring session, sound fair"?

Frank had liked Professor Finnigan from the first day she'd come.  He'd liked Professor Sandusky too, but he wasn't nearly as pretty as she was.  She was nice.  But she'd caught him off guard.  He stuttered to a stop when he looked up from inspecting his paper to stare at her.

A wager?  He'd expected to have to convince her.  He had rehearsed a whole big thing out in the hallway.  But she was... going to let him try again! He looked at her a little skeptically.  Even with her terms, it seemed too good to be true... But so confident he was that his spellwork was up to par and that his misfires that had resulted in this erroneous grade had been flukes, he saw little to no chance he'd have to agree to the extra classes.

"Yes! Actually, this is better.  I can actually show you that I don't don't deserve a P," he scoffed and made a 'dur' face.  Like all the dumb-dumbs were were struggling with basic things.  "I'm really good in Charms, you know. So that should tell you something.  And Defense."

He stood back from the desk, ready to show Professor Finnigan his spellwork, show her how there must be something strange going on.

"You know, actually? We should do this in the hallway, Professor.  If I do it in here, it might not work because the room might be cursed.  Then again - wait - we'll do it once in here and then out there.  Then you'll see."  He shrugged happily, feeling like he was getting this all sorted out.  Without actually having to do any spellwork yet..

"Actually, did you not want to double-check my grade? If Peeves changed it, then you'll want me to know my real grade, right?"

Sweeping her bangs from her eyes, Effie moved around her desk and opened one of the many little drawers as Frank tried to sort himself out. She felt a little guilty, giving him just enough rope to hang himself with, but if he failed with his wand work at least this time she could be watching him closely enough to suss out what the problem was. She didn't bother telling him being good at Charms didn't equate being good with all spells. It was something he would have to see for himself.

She glanced up from her rummaging at his question, and tilted her head to the side, "Ah, but you're forgetting how clever Peeves is. If he was smart enough to find just your paper he could have changed all your grades in my book. What if he made them so terrible I had to give you a T when I double checked? No, no, this is the best way to ensure that you get the proper grade," she gave him a knowing sagely look as she unearthed a beetle encased in glass. She'd done this lesson with them the previous week. It was one of the first and thus most simple transfiguration spells he'd know.

"Now you remember the incantation yes? You're very lucky I have two of these. They're the last two! The second years did a bit of a number on my supply. Why don't you try in here first and then if you need to we'll try the hallway if you're sure you want to. I mean there are other students out there. We wouldn't want to start a riot of jealousy, given how brilliant I am sure your casting is," she looked legitimately concerned about the possibility of this, though she was more acutely aware and worried about the fact he could embarrass himself. With that came the potential for him to completely shut down and not listen to a thing she had to say about Transfiguration being different than other kinds of magic, needing more time and practice than the subjects Frank found easy.

He had to accept her logic.  Peeves was very crafty.  She was probably right - to get this proven and sorted out once and for all.  That he did not deserve a P in Transfiguration. 

He took the glass case with the fat old black beetle ticking around inside.  He over turned it so the beetle trapped under a little glass dome - he remembered the trick from last week.  Everyone's beetles had been running all over, but Frank and his mates had discovered you could just keep it trapped until the last minute...

"I remember," he said with a bit of smugness.  Beetles to Buttons.  Brupestus Globuli.  Tight complete spiral with the wand, make contact with the subject. 

He took a stance, ready to go and whispered the spell to himself and ghosted the wand movement a few times.  Just as it looked like he was finally ready to try, he stopped.

"Now?"

Effie folded her hands in front of her and waited...and waited, and waited. Just when he seemed to have his courage to the sticking place he glanced up and asked her permission. Her eyes were kind and her smile soft as she gave a small nod of her head, "Of course, by all means, whenever you're ready".

She grew quiet for a moment, waiting him out, until at last she said, "Unless, of course, you can think of a reason not to. Are you feeling particularly anxious today Frank? About more than just your grade I mean, I know how very stressful it can be when you don't perform on the level you believe you should; and transfiguration is a very noble but complicated art". There wasn't a single note of condescension in her voice, just genuine understanding as she leaned her hip against the desk.

"If you would rather we could talk about your last written exam? Or we can stick to the plan if you turning a beetle into a button and you can be on your way as soon as it's done," she gave a small shrug, "I do have a fresh tin of biscuits though, and some freshly brewed tea if you'd rather talk it out". Sweets might lessen the blow when she had to tell him not everyone could be brilliant at every branch of magic. Tea was a good thing to have on hand when delivering bad news.

Frank was an easy lad to read - he'd never been an accomplished liar like his older brother who seemed to be able to fool him every time.  He didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous to try the spell again and bungle it all up, like had happened in class during the practical. 

He lowered his wand and sighed.  He did have a few things he wanted to say about his last test, and biscuits always made him perk up.  But... but...

"It just isn't fair," he said with a very sincere furrow in his brow.  "I know everyone says that life isn't fair, but I actually studied.  I tried! Exactly like in Defense and Charms, and I have O's in those classes!  I don't why other people can do it, and I can't.  I've never seen Sophia practice even once and she can do it!"

He crossed his arms over his chest, his wand poking out from under his sweater.  He looked at the floor, not so defiant as to make these claims to Professor Finnigan's face. 

"It's just not fair."

Effie waited, silently moving around her desk and retrieving the aforementioned biscuits as Frank finally voiced his frustrations. He seemed genuinely distressed and her first instinct was to offer the physical comfort of a hug. Of course such shows of affection were generally frowned upon and she settled instead for placing a slender hand on his shoulder as she came back around to the front of the desk and gestured toward the of high backed armchairs, biscuits tin in hand, "Why don't you have a seat and we can have a bit of a chat, alright"?

When they were both seated she popped the lid off the tin and held it out to the first year, "I believe you studied, I really do. I believe you're brilliant in Charms and Defense because you're a naturally gifted student. I've seen how much you want to be good at everything Frank, and I think it's brilliant". She took a cookie for herself before setting the tin aside, "Now I'm going to tell you something I wish someone had told me when I was your age and that's the simple fact you can't expect yourself to be good at everything, or to be perfect right out of the gate".

Leaning forward a little her expression was thoughtful, "Sometimes, when we want something so much, and we put all this pressure on ourselves to do well, to be the best, it actually has the opposite outcome. In your life you're going to meet lots of people who are better at things than you, people who just have a natural ability and don't seem to have to work very hard. You can't compare yourself to them because everyone has at least one thing you're brilliant at and a smart boy like you? Well there has to be lots you're brilliant at"! She wasn't just blowing smoke, she really did think Frank was a bright and skilled student. "Maybe Transfiguration isn't one of those things you're just naturally good at. It doesn't mean you don't try or you give up, or that you blame Peeves. It just means you have to work a little harder for it - and that's not a bad thing. It's been my experience that the more effort you have to put into doing a thing, the more rewarding it is when you finally do it well".

Frank wolfed one biscuit right away, and it was a little too big for his mouth.  He chewed away without any sense of self-consciousness at his chomping.  He was listening to Professor Finnigan with some resentment in that he didn't want to feel better, he wanted to be good at Transfiguration like Sophie and Roland and everyone. 

But the more he listened, the better he felt.  It was hard to deny that Professor Finnigan was nicer than any of the other teachers, and what she said made sense, like she knew how he felt. 

He reached for another biscuit, this time eating it with less fervor.  Just one bite at a time.

"Were you good at Transfiguration when you were a First Year?" he asked with a hint of skepticism.  He couldn't figure out how old she was by looking, only that she must be an adult but not older than his mum. 

Effie sat back in her chair and waited while the young Raven seemed to mull over the advice she was offering, taking delicate bites of her biscuit as the boy devoured his own. It reminded her of Poppy at that age, wanting so much to get everything right and easily discouraged and frustrated when things didn't exactly work out. She wasn't really surprised by his question, but she did take a few moments to think over her answer, "I wasn't so very different from you Frank, really. Though a lot of my problem in Transfiguration was wanting so desperately to impress my professor. I'f get ahead of myself and the spells would get all jumbled. I once ended up with a walking teapot and that was well after first year"!

Leaning forward she pressed her hands together and kept her tone low, "The truth is Frank, even people who seem to naturally thrive in a subject will stumble occasionally. We can't all be good at all the things all the time! Why if you came to Hogwarts just knowing how to do things I'd be out of a job, and I really like my job. I like helping students who just need a little push to get it right. I care about all my students, but I have the most fun with the ones who need a little extra attention. I wouldn't say they're my favorites," she paused giving him a small wink, "but I do very much enjoy the extra time I get to spend helping them get sorted out. With a little extra work I know you can do it Frank. I really believe that".

There was something about Professor Finnigan that helped Frank believe her.  Sometimes other old people just sounded like they were telling a bedtime story or lecturing, but Professor Finnigan seemed legit.  He already looked more relaxed.  He swung his leg and shifted in the chair. 

"I'm like...supposed to be smart," he told her.  He was perhaps too young to put his finger on it, the pressure that comes with higher expectations, the confusion that comes from an E being a disappointment when his brother was praised for squeaking by with a P.  His mum had took him aside over holiday and told him that he was capable of more so she expected more.  That, coupled with the pressure Ravenclaw House placed on itself? How the more mean-spirited of housemates so easily flung little aggressions towards people who didn't know a fact or definition.  It felt very confusing and certainly weighty.

"But I can't get it right.  I can't picture the spells right."  Frank had a head for the verbal, his dad had told him, 'like me', but not the visual.  "So it feels all... muddy."