Lesson One (Second Years)

Alexis knew that it was a valuable lesson, a lesson she should remember all her life. She also realized, no matter what, she wouln't have been able to keep Bree alive. Her concentration would have broken by next class.
So what was the lesson? Keep concentrating, or don't play with life? Probably both.
She gritted her teeth, to block the single drop of tear that threatened to appear. 'Toughen up already, you marshmellow! You'll be in the middle of a war before you realize!' she told herself.

Koehl pressed her mouth into a thin line, looking at the contents of the cabinet. It was to her a little bit fascinating, but disgusting at the same time. She looked back at Professor Romain, wondering what he would do next.

Richard thought about doing it - making them see the twisted and deformed creation that came when a person lacked a little power or a little concentration. He shook his head,

"No, you're too young to see that yet." he told them before looking at the cabinet with a pained expression, "Sometimes I think I was too young to see it..."

Shaking his head, this time to clear it, he sighed a little, rubbing at his tired eyes,

"Can someone tell me why they think I've been talking to you about having to control your will and concentration?"

Alexis raised her hand tentatively, 'Because in practical situations we transfigure one object into another to meet our needs, but without proper will and concentration the result can not only be useless, but also harmful?'Alexis raised her hand tentatively, 'Because in practical situations we transfigure one object into another to meet our needs, but without proper will and concentration the result can not only be useless, but also harmful?'

Georgie felt really queezy and ill. She was very squeamish, but didn't want to reveal it to the whole class, so decided that she would discreetly go to the hospital wing at the end of the lesson.

Koehl nodded at the Slytherin girls answer, and noticed that the lone Gryffindor looked green. She frowned and hoped she wouldn't throw up.

Anna was flabbergasted, still staring at her not-so-alive cat.

"Because concentration is the key to a successful transfiguration?" she answered hopefully, looking on the verge of tears.

Alessa gritted her teeth silently as she glared at her dead cat. Two classes with a shitty reputation - that's what she is. She crossed her arms and pouted, just like what she had done during Charms. Might as well not speak and concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate.

Still glaring at her cat, she listened to her professor and the answers of her classmates - not daring to raise her hand.

Clarisse wanted so bad to not show up in her other classes and just stay in the Ravenclaw tower to cry.
She didn't succeed very much at her first transfiguration for this year, already proven by the slight crossover mishap between her cat Nyan and a pincushion... But knowing all this made her feel worse.
I guess knowing too much isn't always a good thing...but it's a lesson learned...
She thought to herself and just kept silent, internally sniffing and sobbing as the class went on.

Richard nodded,

"Concentration is the key to transfiguration because it controls every aspect of it." he told them, "It defines the shape, the weight, the material, the design, the heartbeat and even the breaths taken."

Richard reached down and picked up his cat, which had been mewing at the loss of the others,

"This cat is a part of me... it is a part of my magic given form." he stroked the cat softly, "Someone tell me... do we create life or do we imitate it?"

"We imitate it," Anna stated bluntly. "It is impossible to create life with our own bare hands. And even if we try to, it is not as close as a true life form, as it lacks certain senses and ability."

A tear fell from Iris' eye. What a short time. He or she would have been friends with Vee and the rest of my friends' cats. Bye, Mospie. This is all my fault. She didn't raise her hand to answer the recent questions from the professor because of being guilty, but she did it on the second question. "We do not imitate life. We create it. Every life is unique and different from the other. That's what makes it special. But we can only do that if we're willing to and focused on it without hesitation." She answered from her heart, wiping the tear from her cheeks to her jaw.

Georgie put her hand up shakily. "I dont think that we create or imitate life. We try to, but as she can see some times it doesn't work, and when we think we do, it is still something controlled by us, and can easily be ruined if we lose that concentration. I dont think anybody has the right to imitate life, or create it in magical ways." She said, still feeling sick.

Richard held up a hand,

"I'm not going to tell you which one is right." he told them firmly, "So that every time you have to try and transfigure an animal you will think twice. Because if you imitate life then perhaps there's nothing wrong with letting your concentration slip. But if you do create life... well then letting your concentration slip is like murder or perhaps manslaughter."

He shrugged a little,

"I think the only reason people still cling to the idea that we imitate life is that they can't handle the idea that they've killed something." he glanced at his watch, "Okay... do we have to concentrate to sustain life if we're doing an animal to animal transfiguration?"

Iris nodded and respected the other opinions. She waited for the next discussion quietly.

Koehl considered Professor Romain's question. Do wenhave the concentration for that, even though we are second years? Koehl honestly thought that they didn't, but she didn't voice her answer

Though she was of opinion to keep concentration to sustain life from living to living transformation, she wasn't sure of her answer. She hesitated to voice her opinion, then chose to keep silent for now.

"Yes," Anna replied, her throat feeling lumpy all of a sudden. She could feel tears beimming in her eyes, but she held them back. She was now nothing short of scared of this guy, but a Professor was a Professor, and a class was a class. "Or we'll end up killing them, just like you said."

Richard looked at Tshering for a moment before shaking his head,

"No, we only need a powerful level of concentration if we're giving life, or imitating it, by turning something non-living into something living." he shrugged a little, "You only need minimal concentration to sustain life if all you're doing to changing the animal into another animal."

He frowned,

"Mmm... Can anyone tell me why it's harder to turn a pincushion into a tiger than it is to turn it into a kitten?"

Koehl thought for a moment, and then raised her hand.

"Maybe because the Tiger is so much larger than a pin cusion, that it needs twice as much concentration than just turning it into a kitten?" Koehl felt a bit of heat on the top of her cheeks. Cursed blush, ugh.

Richard frowned,

"Not more concentration, no. Life is a finite quantity. A mouse has the same amount of life as a tiger so you need only concentrate the same amount. The size bit is what's important." he told the class, "Can anyone tell me why it's harder to make something bigger? Where does the extra matter, the extra of the thing, come from?"

Alexis furrowed her eyebrow, 'Doesn't it work similarly to conjuring things, Professor?'

Iris kept silent and only held her feelings for now.

He nodded reluctantly,

"Yes it does work in the same way as conjuring but I'm looking for some insight into the process." he looked out at the class, "How do we add mass to something when there's nothing nearby to merge it with? Where does the extra mass come from?"

Alexis hazarded another guess, 'I'm not sure, but do the magical energy expended converts into the mass?'