"Good afternoon fifth years." Professor Singh said. He was wearing lovely black robes with gold stitches of lions. The lions were walking around the robes or sleeping. "Today we will continue to study the transfiguration of one water vessel into another. I will demonstrate for you now." Professor Singh picked up a teacup from a pile on his desk. It was bright pink. He put it on the floor. "Vasfor labrum." He moved his wand down a little. Then he moved it straight up. Then he finished it with a curl. The teacup grew into a bath. The bath was the same colour. It had a shiny set of taps and big lion feet. Professor Singh smiled. He pointed his wand at the blackboard. The spell appeared in big letters. Then the chalk drew the wand movement. "Make sure you space out. The best bath will win five house points." Maybe more if they were Gryffindor!

PS. Professor Singh has been professor all year. TY x

Ayla entered the room a little before class began. Her turquoise hair was pulled back to one side in a mini french braid so as to keep her curls out of her face. Her uniform up to code and her book bag slung over one shoulder, "Dashing robes Professor." She said with a smile before making her way to a desk at the front near the window. She was hoping not to end up sitting near anyone today. After the incident over the weekend she hadn't really talked to anyone and she wasn't in the mood for socializing.

Ayla watched intently as he performed the spell. Committing the incantation and movement to memory but as it came time for her to test it out herself she hesitated. She resisted the urge to look over at Alistair. The last time she had done any transfiguration a friend had ended up in the infirmary. She doubted anything like that was going to happen in class but it had shaken her confidence some.

She moved out from behind her desk and placed her teacup on an empty space on the floor. Ayla closed her eyes and took a few steadying breathes. She focused on the warmth and energy she felt from her wand. Despite her worries and concerns, despite her lack of being able to understand those around her, she knew magic. She knew her wand and her wand knew her. They had been partners for close to five years now, a constant connection to her homeland. It didn't matter what others thought of her. She was a good witch and she could do this.

Her eyes half open she traced her wand and spoke, "Vasfor labrum." The small China cup wobbled as the spell hit it. It started to warp as if it were being melted as it grew in size. In moments the delicate cup with it's gilded edge and lilacs had transformed into an antique looking clawed bath tub.

Ayla let out a shuddering sigh. When all else failed, she still had her magic.

"Well done Ayla." Professor Singh said. He spoke quietly. He smiled at her. He touched the bath with his hand. He was pleased at her work. She was a good student. "Is this the same as you pictured?" He asked Ayla. "Try to change it."

Ambrose had never found transfiguration the easiest of subjects, but he had made steady progress with Professor Hughes last year, and this year he was glad Professor Singh was a patient man. The closer they got to exams, the worse Ambrose seemed to remember things. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Ambrose tried especially hard for his Head of House. Last term he’d got mad with a Slytherin sixth year suggesting that Professor Singh had Voldemort under his turban.

The Gryffindor picked a teacup which vaguely resembled a bath already. It had a simple, avocado coloured pattern and a dark rim. He retreated to one side of the classroom, minimising the possible impact if something backfired and people were too close.
"Vasfor labrum.” Ambrose said to himself quietly, a few more times, reading the words on the board. Then he traced his wand in the air before him, concentrating on the movement. It was too easy to get caught up with what everyone else was doing, so Ambrose turned his back as best he could on his classmates and faced the wall. If he didn’t see people growing baths he’d not feel so far behind.

He focused on the teacup by his feet on the floor. He imagined water, and bubbles, and taps and even a rubber duck. Taking a deep breath, Ambrose raised his wand and thought as firmly and clearly as he could vasfor labrum, without speaking it aloud. With Professor Kesali’s help in a previous year, he had given up speaking aloud any spells. Speaking the incantations was the crux of everything going very wrong, as his tongue would trip over the simplest of things. However, wordless magic was really hard, and it slowed him down even more. But slow speed was better than accidents and injuries.

The teacup didn’t move. Ambrose furrowed his brow, tried again.

Behind him, he heard exclamations of ‘woah’ and ‘cooool’ from his classmates, the telltale tinkle of china giving away signs of progression. Ambrose was tempted to glance over his shoulder but squared his shoulders and stared at the portrait on the classroom wall without really seeing it.

“Come on.” He grumbled, waving his wand a third time. At his feet, the cup span and wobbled.

Ravindar saw Ambrose Pepper go to the side. He did not like to fuss Ambrose. Magic did not come easily to all. He liked Ambrose. He was a Gryffindor and very loyal. He did get into trouble but for speaking his mind. That showed courage. Professor Singh talked gently. "Ambrose, take a few deep breaths." He smiled at his student. "Have you ever tried to give a crup a bath?" He asked. "They shake themselves dry. You end up wetter." He hoped Ambrose would smile too. "Imagine the crup in the bath." He said. "A big green bath just like that. The crup's name is the spell. Have courage Gryffindor."

Ambrose liked Professor Singh. He wasn’t really the sort to shout and he had a seemingly infinite amount of patience. He was obviously clever, what with teaching Transfiguration, but he didn’t make Ambrose feel stupid, and he didn’t draw attention to them right now. As he looked round at his teacher, Ambrose caught sight of Ayla’s magnificent bath and his shoulders slumped a little. Ayla was really good at transfiguration, she was so lucky.

“No…?” Ambrose replied to the question about giving a crup a bath. He knew well what a crup was, but he’d never tried to clean one up in a bath. He imagined it was more tricky than a normal dog. It seemed Professor Singh had tried, given his description, and Ambrose did give a bit of a grin at the thought of his well-dressed, soft spoken professor trying to wrestle a wet, wriggling dog. Suddenly he wasn’t thinking about Ayla’s beautiful bathtub on the classroom floor.

“Heh, funny name for a dog, but alright.” Ambrose shrugged, looking back at the teacup. He lifted his wand and took a deep breath, closing his eyes a moment to imagine the bath and a crup all wet and shaking water everywhere, fur puffed up. It made him smile, and as he opened his eyes, he twisted and turned his wand for the spell, and near laughed the incantation in his head, aware of the Professor stood close beside him still.

Before them, the teacup span but this time began to grow, and grow, and grow! Ambrose gasped and laughed,
“No way!” He took half a step back, mouth agape. It wasn’t by any means as large or as grand as the baths his friends were producing, but it was still a bath, as green as the cup, and the handle had slanted into an elegant curve away from the taps for someone to recline on, much like what he had imagined the dog stood within. In surprise, Ambrose rushed forward, patting at the edge of the bath with his hands in disbelief it was real - well as real as magic could conjure, anyhow.

Ayla smiled a little sheepishly at Professor Singh. She had been really enjoying his class this year. He was easily one of her favourite Professors. He wasn't scary like Storm, or cold like Vaillancourt, or completely psychotic like Donovan. It helped having a good Professor for one of your favourite subjects. Ayla felt it definitely helped her focus when she wasn't worried about getting in trouble or getting hurt. Both of which were rather common in most of their other classes.

She turned back to her tub as the Professor moved onto the other students. She cocked her head to the side, had it been the one she had envisioned? She had been thinking about one of those old fashioned antique tubs with the clawed feet but this one was still gilded with lilacs, just like the tea cup had been. She ran her hands along the side of it trying to think of a different type of tub. Taking a step back she raised her wand and started to manipulate the tub. Soon, the claws were gone and the tub sat on the floor with the sides nice and tall. The facet stretched up high until it looked like a shower head. She wasn't entirely sure she had replicated what she had been thinking of, something she had seen in a movie once but it was certainly different than it had originally been.

She smiled proudly to herself but was soon distracted by an exclamation from behind her, “No way!”

Ayla turned around and crossed over to where Ambrose was, "Ambrose that's awesome! Good job!" It wasn't elaborate or as big as some of the others around the room but it hadn't blown up either. It was actually a really great accomplishment for him and she was genuinely proud of him. 

Professor Singh smiled. He liked that Ambrose followed his suggestions. He held his hands behind his back. He did not step away. If he did Ambrose might think he was scared. He stayed still. He smiled even more when Ambrose succeeded. Professor Singh loved to watch first years get excited at new spells. The older students did not get excited very often. But when they did it was very special.
"Excellent Ambrose! Bravo Gryffindor." Professor Singh praised. He wanted to clap. "You have done it. Practice again. The same method. Picture it in here. Believe." He put his hand to his forehead. Now it was time to help someone else. He saw Ayla looking at her bath. She was considering maybe. He wanted to challenge her. She was very good at Transfiguration. "What did you decide, Ayla?"

“Ambrose that’s awesome! Good job!” Ayla exclaimed. Ambrose flushed red with pride and embarrassment. Ayla had done nothing wrong, he just wasn’t used to the positive attention.
“Excellent Ambrose! Bravo Gryffindor.” Professor Singh praised.
“Thanks Ayla, Professor.” He replied, bashful, still holding the edge of his bath. He caught sight of Ayla’s over his shoulder, “Oh man, if I could do one like yours… maybe a few more goes, hey?”
“You have done it. Practice again. The same method. Picture it in here. Believe.” Professor Singh advised him, and left him be. Ambrose was sure he was still smiling behind his black beard though. It made Ambrose feel amazing. He never managed to do stuff like this. He could do anything now. Unless… unless it was temporary, like it always was.

He watched the Professor talk to Ayla, and then fetched another teacup. He didn’t fancy trying to reverse the bath straight away. He still didn’t quite believe he’d managed it. This time it was a bright orange teacup with a thick rim, more like a mug. It made Ambrose think of a lion and he closed his eyes to visualise one in a bath, only he didn’t quite open them properly before he tried to cast, and ended up casting it at someone instead…[1]

1.	Can be anyone and have any reaction!

Kelvin was doing well with the spell.  His tea cup had become a tub large enough for two people, with high sides on either end, perfect for lounging all sitting on bronze hippogriff claws. He smiled at his handiwork.  It hadn't been all that difficult.  And it was still in one piece.  And nothing had exploded.

He'd heard the professor tell Ambrose that he'd done well, which wasn't something heard all that often, and tell Ayla to try to change hers.  He decided to try to adjust the tub.  Add some ornamentation...and change the color from the bright blue that the tea cup and now tube were.  He had his wand pointed at the tub trying to decide where to begin when he was shoved forward, catching the edge of his tub his wand went flying as he tucked his head and fell into the thankfully large bathtub.

"Ow.  What the hell?" Kelvin said as he set up in the tub. He reached up to scratch his itching neck, only to feel hair growing.  Fast and long.  All around his head, like a lion's mane.  When he pulled his hand away from his neck, he saw a thick coat of yellow-brown hair sprouting from his hand.  He didn't feel any changes that said he was actually turning into a lion, just a whole lot of itching from hair spreading from his face and hands to under his robes.

In his own part of the room, Jonah was quietly succeeding at the spell. He wasn't doing anything grand and eye-catching like Collins, nor was he... well, Pepper wasn't actually making anything explode this time, but he was standing in the corner in a manner that reminded Jonah of a child given a time-out. Maybe he was preempting the inevitable?

In any case, Jonah wasn't doing that either. He had, with little fanfare, transfigured his teacup from a frilly, pinkish thing with watercolored lilies into an unassuming, mostly-white bathtub; it had no feet, but it made up for it with a detachable showerhead. It was the kind of bathtub they had in the house where he grew up. Unlike some of the other students, he did not try to change his tub after the initial transfiguration, instead opting to list in his notebook as many practical applications of the spell as he could think of.

His thoughts were interrupted by an "Ow. What the hell?" from Watkins, and he looked up to see his yearmate growing a rather impressive layer of golden-brown fur. Jonah snickered to himself. "Showing our Gryffindor pride, are we?" he called, sending a sarcastic grin in Kelvin's direction.

Maybe it was not safe to take eyes off Ambrose Pepper. Kelvin was minding his own business. Now he was in his bath. He had a load more hair. All the students stopped and gaped. Some made fun of Kelvin. It was not unusual but Kelvin looked alarming. Professor Singh walked swiftly to Kelvin. He gave Kelvin a hand up.
"Kelvin let me help you out of the bath."

"Careful with your aim Ambrose." Professor Singh advised. He had no doubt who had done this. "You make a fine lion Kelvin." Professor Singh admired the fur on Kelvin's hands. He hoped it would be easy to fix. "Now. Finite incantatem." The Professor waved his wand. Kelvin's fur shimmered. But it did not go away. "Homo hominis reddo valetudo!" The Professor tried instead.

Dan pushed his already rolled sleeves further up his biceps as he concentrated on the spell. He had picked a rather plain teacup with only a little decoration around the rim, no point trying to make something fancy until he knew he could do it simply. The bath he had made was similarly simple with just a tub, simple gold taps and plain yet sturdy feet. He was in the midst of maybe adding something fancy when he noticed the long hair growing out of Kelvin's skin. This class was getting more interesting by the minute, and maybe the Professor wouldn't wonder why Dan's bath was so simple. He tried to give Ambrose a reassuring grin, maybe he could cheer his mate up. His bath was much better than Dan's after all.   

Celene had been having some initial difficulty with the spell, but she was now getting the hang of it. Transfiguraiton didn't come to her as easily as things like potions or care of magical creatures did, but Celene was by no means bad at it. After a few failed attempts, she successfully turned her simple porcelain teacup  into a simple copper roll top tub. 

Celene smiled, looking at her tub. Perhaps it was silly, but one of her favorite things in the world was to soak in a nice warm bath. When school or life became too much for her, she would often take refuge in relaxing waters of warm tub.

Celene's reverie was abruptly disturbed by commotion elsewhere in the classroom. She looked up just in time to Ambrose Pepper miss with his spell and watched as it went streaking to the opposite side of the room. She tried to see if it had hit anyone, but it was difficult to tell from her angle. She couldn't help but look disdainfully back at Ambrose. He's going to become a public health hazard if he's not carefull she thought.

Celene did feel a little bad for Ambrose.  She would be mortified if anything like that had happened to her. She was exceedingly glad that she was not Ambrose right now.

Her attention was quickly drawn back across the room, however. It appeared that Ambrose's spell had not collided with the wall benignly as she had originally thought.  She could now clearly see that it was Kelvin Watkins who had fallen victim to Ambrose's spell, and he was now beginning to grow what might someday be described as a glorious lion's main. Kelvin didn't look like he was in pain, but Celene was still worried about him. She took a few steps closer. She didn't want to be in the way, but she did want help in any way that she could.

Ayla had smiled at the Professor when he approached again, "What did you decide, Ayla." She shrugged it off in a rather non chalant matter, "nothing too fancy. I saw it once in a movie." She wondered if she could change it yet again. How hard would it be to add in a shower head and curtain? She wasn't able to answer her own question when a commotion broke out behind her.

She let out a long sigh as the situation became clear. She shot Jonah a smirk at his remark but tried to focus on giving Ambrose a reassuring smile. At least Kelvin wasn't hurt. Sure a little furrier than usual but nothing a good shave couldn't fix.

Ayla couldn't help the chuckle that escaped when the Professor ensured Kelvin that he made a fine looking lion. It made her think of Felinus, the caretaker. Hopefully Kevin's transformation wasn't as permanent. She imagined it would be awkward being a lion in Ravenclaw tower.