Winifred overslept and nearly missed breakfast. She rushed down to the Great Hall and grabbed some bacon before following the rest of the Slytherins to Herbology She decided to strike up a conversation with one of the new students. "Hey...Randal, is it? I'm Winifred," she said walking up alongside him.

Randal had briefly talked to Elia as she had come over, but he had Herbology and Elia had Transfiguration. He had watched her go and now was on his way to class with another Slytherin he had not met yet.

"Yes, I am Randal. Nice to meet you Winifred. So what is Herbology like then? Is it all potting and growing or is there any defence against dangerous plants and surviving on plants and things too? My last school was really good for Herbology and using plants in all sorts of ways."

"Well, our Herbology classes aren't that exciting. It's mostly just cultivating plants, but considering the incident that happened a couple weeks ago, maybe we'll get more into defence," responded Winifred.

"I have to ask," Randal replied. "But what happened with plants? I mean I know there was a briar rose spell, but you're talking about something else right?" Randal looked a little worried.

"It's kind of a long story, but I'll try to explain. Professor Sprout and Achel brought some 'Tri-Feddius Tirranus' plants from the Amazon to make some potions to aid the centaurs in the forest. Unfortunately, something went wrong and the plants uprooted themselves and started moving about the grounds. It was all very frightening."

"Oh. That doesn't sound like fun. I guess we just have to see what happens in classes then. Those plants can be very dangerous." Randal falls silent as they approach the green houses.

Peesey also slept in and bumped into Winifred, "Sorry" He said gruffly he then proceeded down to the Great Hall, and grabbed some toast, "Hello, Arcadia, how are you today? Is your brother being nasty to you again?" He waits for answer which he gets, then says "Coming to Herbology?"

"Oh hello Peesemould" Arcadia smiles and flicks her hair " Yes. He is always so beastly to me. You'll protect me won't you? Herbology? oh yes. Shall we go?" She puts out her hand for Peesemould

Peesey didn't know exactly what to do when Arcadia did this. He thought he would ignore this and said "This way to Herbology, I think."

Arcadia gives a 'huff!' and follows Peesemould.

Elia collected her bag and books, and got up to leave the hall. She paused for a moment at the Slytherin table, to ask Randal what class he had, before moving quickly towards the door. She paused near Niki and the WIB, a slightly bemused expression on her face, and looked closer. Her face twisted in a grimace of disgust, and she dashed out of the room.

Bernadette wasn't really paying attention to where she was walking. Next thing you know, she's lying on the floor with her books scattered all around her. She looks at the person in front of her. "Here let me help you, I was so caught up in this book, I wasn't paying attention" she said extending her hand. "I'm Bernadette Williams and your. . . ."

Elia looked up. "Elia Concinni," she replied, before continuing down the hallway towards her first class.

"Um. . .wait. . .wait. . .what class do you have" Bernadette asked catching up to her.

"Transfiguration," Elia replied. "I'm a Gryffindor."

"Oh good, so am I. . .I'm sort of new, and I was looking for someone who was going to Transfiguration, do you mind showing me" she asked.

Elia said nothing, just nodded slightly and continued down the hallway at a fairly rapid pace.

Bernadette walked right behind her. "Excuse Elia, but did I do anything to you, I mean I was just asking if you could show me to our class, sorry" Bernadette said.

Elia continued to walk, then turned and explained. "I don't talk very much... Don't be insulted."

"Oh well why didn't you say so. . . .I talk alot so that won't be any problem" Bernadette said.

The third year Gryffindors start to line up outside the Transfiguration classroom, waiting for Professor McGonagall. When she arrives, they file in and take their seats. Professor McGonagall goes out into the hall for a moment, and Elia looks around at the other students.

Cass sat forward eagerly in her seat unlike potion she was really good in this class. She noticed Elia looking around and waved hi!

Elia nods in reply, then bends over to get something from her bag.

Ayumi tagged behind Dylan, turning various corners and walking through many hallways for what seemed ages. Finally, they saw the rest of the Gryffindors, lined up outside the Transfiguration class. Ayumi breathed a sigh of relief, and laughed. "Geze, for a second there, I didn't think we'd get here on time!"

Once in class, she sat down behind Dylan, and had a look around the room. "Hey!" she whispered behind him. "D'you ever take a transfiguration course before? I haven't....."

She leaned closer, so as to avoid anyone else hearing. "Well,....what exactly do we transfigure? People? Things?" Ayumi blushed with embarrassment from being so clueless. Leaning back in her seat, she saw Madison entering the room. Ayumi waved happily to get her attention. "Ohayou~!"

Elia looks up from her bag, which tips over, spilling several books and pieces of newspaper onto the floor. Collecting her spilled things, she watches the other students, and replies to Ayumi. "We haven't done human transfiguration yet," she explains, quietly.

Madison grinned and waved back. "Good morning," she greeted, taking a seat next to Ayumi. "I overslept...I thought I was going to be late for class." She glanced around the room. "'Morning Dylan," she greeted, noticing him. She turned back to Ayumi. "So, you like Hogwarts so far?"

Ayumi nodded. "Hogwarts is really interesting. Although my first impression was a bit on the negative side, meeting new friendly people has really improved my out look on staying here!" She then leaned over and took her wand from the bag she had been toting about.

Madison smiled. "Yeah, the people here are really nice...well, when all the house rivalry isn't going on. We all worked together pretty well when all that other stuff happened, but now everything's back to normal." She pulled out her own wand and set down her bookbag. "So what do you think we'll be doing today? Nothing too hard, I hope..."

Andy rushed into the classroom and took a seat. "Hi," he said to Elia. "Just finished breakfast. I forgot my book in my room so I had to run all the way to the common room."

He pulled out his 11 1/2-inch wand and laid it on the table. "Where's Professor McGonagall?"

"She went to get the supplies," Elia replies, picking up one last scrap of newspaper.

"Oh," said Andy. "That's unusual. Professor McGonagall is usually prepared."

He slumped in his chair. He didn't get much sleep last night. Thinking of Marvo, Egreen, and Kat took up a lot of energy. He felt sick. What the heck is happening?

"Hi Andy", Nimue came in and sat down looking rather dejected, "glad I'm not late. I was hoping Kat might come back but she hasn't. I feel so sad and lost and not in the mood for lessons but maybe it will take my mind off things."

Elia, who, after all, does know these people, even if she never *really* got to know them, glances sympathetically at Andy and Nimue, but is too shy to say anything. Just then, Professor McGonagall returns, carrying a large wooden crate which turns out to be full of frogs they're supposed to turn into teacups. She doesn't look happy. Neither do the frogs.

Hey Nimue," said Andy. "I know I feel the same way. Where could they have gone?"

Andy hushed as Professor McGonagall walked in. He saw the crate that contained frogs. Great. Frogs. Teacups. Could this day get any better? He looked at Nimue and rolled his eyes. Where was Kat?

She smiled weakly at Andy and also at Elia, whom she hadn't really got to know last term. With all these new students it was good to see a familiar face.

"Hey Elia. Are you cool with this frog thing? I just don't think living things should be turned into objects. Maybe the Professor will let me have an exception."

Nimue also gave Cassandra and gave her a wave and a smile though didn't want to attract too much attention from Professor McGonagall. They might well be heroes but they were also still students.

Cass gave Nimue a smile, and gesture and mumble and a torn piece of paper formed out of a broken piece of pencil lead. The paper had words written on it! It said 'So how are the school's heroes?'

Nimue smiled and wrote a note back: *Not that good since Marvo was taken away then Egreen and now Kat has gone*

The reply came back from Cass *Sorry to hear that! Nimue thing will get better you just wait!*

Elia shrugged. "I'm sure Professor McGonagall would let you turn the teacup back into a frog," she said with a smile, "but even if she won't, I doubt that she'd give you an exception."

Dylan swallowed anxiously, trying not to let his own nervousness show. He hadn't done this sort of thing since the end of last year. Frogs into teacups? He wasn't sure if he could do it at all. The last thing he needed was to make a fool of himself. He pushed his hair back from his eyes, but it fell promptly into place, covering his gaze with a curtain of obsidian. "How hard d'you think 'twill be?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light.

Nimue expected this would be so and that even if they managed the transfiguration that they'd lose points if they couldn't restore the frogs.

Prof. McGonagall was flustered. Dumbledore had told her about the mis-print in the timetables, but the Slytherins and Ravenclaws still had not turned up for her class. She checked the box of frogs. She had been delayed trying to get so many frogs.

Her normal store of tea cups was much smaller than she needed for such a large class, and she had to spend a longer than normal turning all of them into frogs before class. She was expecting at least one student to complain about cruelty to animals and at least if they started as tea cups then there was no real argument.

She pushed her glasses back up her nose and returned an escapee frog back to the box it had come from.

"Quiet down class, I'm sure the remaining students will be here soon. In the mean time I'd like you to get into pairs. One from each pair should come and collect your frog or frog."

Once she'd collected her frog Nimue attempted the transformation but not very well as her heart was definitely not into subjecting a frog to such an indignity being a girl with a great deal of respect for the natural world. She was able to turn a few inanimate objects into teacups though just to prove to Professor McGonagall that it was upon ethical grounds that she wasn't doing the frog.

Cass went up to the box and selected a frog she made it back to her seat and sat down. The frog unlike others just sat there almost as if he did this everyday!