Lesson One (First Years)

Emily entered the classroom.
''My apologies professor , I just signed up.''


(OOC - Just got back from vacation)

Richard grinned at the two who'd spoken up,

"Oh you two are good!" he congratulated them happily, "Finally get some students with talent... You're both right! You can't make something into gold without a philosopher's stone. There's a tricky component to the gold atoms that mean you can't transfigure something into gold. But as Mr Gray says, you can imitate gold by changing an object's weight and color. I recommend not taking fake gold to the goblins, they tend to get a mite annoyed. Heads roll for that."

He frowned a little,

"Tell me class... what do you know about any philosopher's stones?"

J. J. put her hand up nervously. This one she knew, or at least thought she did. Even Muggles had stories about the Philosopher’sstone.
"Well," she said when she had been called upon, "Obviously as has been just said, it could make metal into gold, and I believe its also supposed to make umm, the elixir of life, which can make someone immortal if one chooses to drink it."
She refrained from adding the Muggle fact that it was supposedly complete "codswallop" because, obviously, from the way everyone was speaking, in the Wizarding world it appeared to be anything but.

"The first, and last, stone known to be made was created by Nicholas Flamel," Damian added onto J.J.'s answer. "It was supposedly destroyed during the years preceding the Second Wizarding War."

Richard raised an eyebrow,

"Really Mr Gray? The first and last?" he asked with a small smile, "In over four thousand years of human and magical advancement and then degradation... do you really believe that only one man, ever, found the secret?"

He grinned,

"You'd be wrong." he informed his happily before shrugging, "Now... can anyone tell me why transfiguration is harder than regular spell casting?"

Again J. J. hesitantly answered.
"Would it be because you are actually changing something?" She paused a moment to think about what she was trying to say, and find the words to describe it, "With other spells, they seem to be more affecting an object, an outside force where as with transfiguration you are actually going inside of it, rearranging molecules, and changing I guess its entire make up."

"Just because it's the only one known doesn't mean it really was the only one, sir," Damian said agreeably.

He was going to answer the man's newest question, but his housemate beat him to it. He was going to guess that Transfiguration required greater focus than many other spells, but he thought that J.J.'s response was just as accurate - probably more.

Richard frowned a little at that answer before nodding slightly,

"I'll allow that." he decided eventually, "Five points to hufflepuff. Now tell me another reason, the most obvious reason. Perhaps the thing I've been drilling into you all lesson...?"

"Is it because of the concentration it requires, sir?" guessed Damian. "Like, with other spells, you really only need to think about the effect you want, but with Transfiguration you have to keep the entire process in mind, visualize all of it at the same time." He bit his lip uncertainly.

Richard smirked,

"Mr Gray, you are correct again." he raised an eyebrow, "You sure you weren't supposed to be a raven? Oh well, ten points to hufflepuff."

He paused for a second,

"Can someone tell me the elements found within air?"

"Guess I'm more hard-working than I'm smart, sir," Damian grinned, then carefully considered the question. They had learned this at his muggle school...

"Oxygen," he said, "Nitrogen, and... something else. I can't remember, sir." He was enjoying this class. Granted, he'd been enjoying all his classes, so far, but this one was especially challenging and Damian had always rather liked a good challenge.

J. J. listened to Damian's answer, realizing that she too actually knew this answer. It was something they learned in Muggle science.
She tentively raised her hand when Damian trailed off, "Isn't there also a little bit of Hydrogen in it? And maybe Carbon... or is that just Carbon dioxide?"
She trialed off suddenly uncertain of herself. Was there even Carbon Dioxide in air?

Richard nodded,

"The hufflepuffs as a whole have got the basics so five points to hufflepuff." he announced before smiling, "Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and some hydrogen. The basics of air."

He smirked,

"Who can tell me which of these elements is easier to transfigure? Come on, give it a guess."

After a long pause in which it seemed that no one was going to respond, J. J. put her hand slowly into the air.
What could it hurt to guess? After all wasn't that what the professor had said he wanted.
She thought about each of the elements, trying to decided which would be easiest to change.
"Umm," she said slowly, "Would it be Hydrogen... it has the least amount of stuff in its make up, so maybe it would be easier to change less things?"
She wasn't sure if this reasoning was sound, but it had already come out of her mouth, so she pretty much had to stick to it. Besides, she didn't have any better thoughts.

Damian frowned thoughtfully. He thought that perhaps Hydrogen would be simplest to transfigure - it was the first on the large table of elements his last teacher in primary school had had pinned to the wall, after all - but did simple necessarily mean easy? What if one was trying to transfigure something simple into something more complex? A match stick had proven easy enough to turn into a needle, but Damian was pretty sure it would be much easier to change his desk into a chair than his simple matchstick.

"Would it depend what you're transfiguring it into, sir?" Damian asked. "Like, wouldn't some things be easier to change into certain things than others? Or does that make much difference?"