Mind Over Matter

Elizabeth Melborne stood at the front of her classroom a kitten on one side of her desk occupied with cat nip and a small black bird resting one her finger. They would be crucial in her demo that day, plus she though it cute she had a Gryffindor and Ravenclaw class along with her cat and bird companions.

As the students filed in she put the bird back into a little cage, "Welcome to advanced NEWT level Transfigurations, I am Professor Elizabeth Melborne. Call me whatever you wish.. with in reason of course" she said with a smirk. She found it added flare to allow the student to call her what they wanted, hack they could even call her Lizzie if they wanted.

"Yes I am New here and no I don't know any of your names, so here is what we will do today, the lesson is on the board. I am sure you will all have questions, besure to tell me your name before you ask. You all have a stone on your desk, Gryffindors you will turn it into a cat like the one you see on my desk. Ravenclaws,you will turn yours into the little black bird you see in its cage. Ready? begin" she said getting down to business. These were spell they would have learned in there 5th year, so it was the easy part, the harder part woud come later.

When the new professor announced that they could call her what they pleased, Lainey leaned back in her chair and smirked back. I'll call her Liz, she decided, nodding to herself. She looked like a Liz. The fact that she assigned a task and left them to it confirmed Lainey's opinion of the new professor, and she was amongst the first in the class to successfully transfigure their stone.

The task completed, Lainey looked on around the room, idly observing her classmates' progress. Liz was right to assign them an easy spell -- plenty of students were having difficulty with that as it was. She shifted around in her seat and sought the desk where Alex sat, grinning at him mischievously. The commotion of the shoddy spellwork going on around them was adequate cover for them to talk, although they still drew a few stares from people who found a friendship between the team captains to be suspicious.

"So how're you doing?" she asked, grinning and determinedly ignoring the stares. They were really going to have to do something about that, and soon, but now was hardly the time or place. "New professor seems cool."

Elizabeth pretended to twiddle her thumbs as she obvserved everyone closely, it was easy to see wou had practiced and who hadn't. She let those who were done alone, and let them chat as she helped those having trouble and gathered there names.

__

Alex smiled over to Lainey, his transfigured cat was alright he supposed, not perfect.. still a little stiff for a cat.. he was still tweaking. He nodded to her comment about their new professor. He knew the Melbornes actually, her parents had often come over to his parents parties and functions. Though he had never met Elizabeth he heard a little about her.

" Oh I am doing good, cats still a little stoned though" he said with a sheepish looks at the admittedly bad joke. "And yeah. she is cool surprisingly, I know her parents, they used to come over to my place for my parents parties all the time. Never met her though, she's been traveling aboard for her Masters in transfiguartion and has been all over the world according to The Melbornes" he muttered to her.

From what he could tell Elizabeth, could be a fun professor..

__

When everyone got there Birds and Cats transfigured Elizabeth got everyones attention again.

"Alright everyone, now that you all remember how to do that, now it is time to switch, Ravenclaws turn your birds into cats and Gryffindors turn you cats into birds. You may find it harder to do so. Cats and birds are quite different, one is a natural hunter, the other as forager and usual pray. Once you get it call me over for me to see, Good luck" She instructed.