Transfiguration Trouble

With the end of term quickly approaching, maybe it's not surprising that I got into a little trouble in Transfiguration yesterday. More than a little trouble, really.

It started out innocently enough - Professor McGonagall transformed herself into a cat again, just like she did at the beginning of the year. It's always exciting to see - so of course some mates and I started talking in the back of the classroom about such transfigurations. It would be soooooo neat to be an Animagus, wouldn't it?

There didn't seem to be any harm in trying. After all, remember that lesson with the toothpicks we were supposed to turn into needles? I tried and tried, but couldn't do anything but make the tip of my toothpick a little bit silver. But nobody got hurt and no major laws of spellwork were broken, so a little experimentation never hurt anyone, right? Now people are saying that I should have known better - that if I'm so weak at Transfiguration, maybe I shouldn't have been mucking around with humans and animals.

But it's the end of the semester, and we were having fun. So somehow it seemed like a good idea to try to turn myself into an Ocelot. Who wouldn't want to be an Ocelot?

So I was supposed to turn into this (notice all the spots on the arms):

But all I ever got was this:

And now I can't seem to go back! All day yesterday, and now today, I've been walking around half-ocelot, or somewhat less than half-ocelot, with a spotty arm. I suppose I should be glad that I only got that far, and didn't stay human but develop an urge to go hunt reptiles. Madam Pomfrey says she can't fix me, and that I will just have to gradually get back to human over time. So now I'm going to spend the rest of the term - and maybe even part of the summer - all ocelotty!

I told my Muggle friends about this, and they say it just looks like I had an accident with a garage door and a can of spray paint. Boy, that would be really embarrassing! At least with Transfiguration trouble I learned something, even if it's sort of a lesson in what not to do.

Calling Madam Pomfrey

Ooohhh....my head.....

I have a terrible cold, and none of my spellwork is good enough to get rid of it. Here it is, almost sick, and I'm stuck sick in my room. I don't even want to go hang out in the common room, because I'm afraid it's catching.

I hope I feel better soon. There's so much to do, what with it being the end of term and all.

Does anyone know a good spell for colds?

Quidditch, Round 3

Wow, this term has gone by fast! It's almost time for the last Quidditch match of the term. So here are my pre-Quidditch questions:

1. This “Harry Potter” character’s first name comes from Roman mythology. The mythological character’s twin brother is named Romulus. What is the Harry Potter character last name?

b. Lupin

2. Which “Harry Potter” character’s first name is the Roman equivalent of the Greed Goddess Athena?

c. McGonagall

3. In ‘Harry Potter’ World, this wizard has created the Philosopher’s Stone (called the Sorcerer Stone in the US). The historical figure from the 14th and 15th centuries was a scribe and a manuscript-seller who became famous as an alchemist. Who is this individual?

Nicholas Flamel

4. What is the first name of a character whose last name is the name of a Bulgarian leader from early 9th century who doubled the country’s territory?

c. Viktor

5. Which character’s name is the name of goddess in Indian mythology?

b. Patil


6. “Where the Wild Things Are” tells the story of Max, a young boy sent to bed without his supper for his wild antics. Who created this winner of the Caldecott Medal?

a. Maurice Sendak


7. What was NOT one of the unexpected defense mechanisms that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook encountered in their attempt to rob Gringotts?

a. The Flagrante Curse


8. What was Snape aiming at when he cut off George’s ear?

c. Another Death Eater’s wand hand

9. How much older than James was Lily? (Referring to Harry’s parents, not children).

d. 2 months

10. Food is one of the five exceptions to what magical law?

b. Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration


Picture Hunt

George

McGonagall

Patil

Where the Wild Things Are

Fiber Fair

So today I'm writing to tell you that I'm not going to tell you much of anything.

I'll tell you where I was this weekend - at a Fiber Event.

I'll even tell you what I did - I walked around and bought some stuff.

But tell you what I bought? No way! I'm sure there's a Ssssneaky Sssslytherin out there who'd just love to know what sort of goodies I found, but she's going to have to be patient. But I assure you, there are goodies.

Want to see just a little bit? OK....

These are some of MY goodies. Sock yarn from Colortura Yarns, and some wonderful silk/wool yarn from Winterhaven Fiber Farm. I'm having lots of fun with my new yarn, and fun thinking about what I should share with my Slytherin friend.

But that's all I'm going to tell you.

Homework

I should be knitting for my Muggle duel, but I suppose I can't ignore homework forever. There's a lot more than this in my "to-do" stack, but I'll start with the easier assignment first:

1. James Potter and his friends have nicknames for each other - give three names and who they belong to.

Padfoot - Sirius Black
Wormtail - Peter Pettigrew
Moony - Remus Lupin

2. What are the three Deathly Hallows?

The Invisibility Cloak
The Elder Wand/Deathstick
The Resurrection Stone

3. What are the four items that belong to the founders of the houses at Hogwarts?

Slytherin's Locket
Ravenclaw's Diadem
Hufflepuff's Cup
Gryffindor's Sword

4. What is the Hogwarts Motto?

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus - Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

5. What is the Hogwarts school song (Book 1)?

Does it have a title? I think it's just the school song, which starts "Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts..."

6. What does O.W.L. stand for?

Ordinary Wizarding Level

7. What exams do Hogwarts students take at the end of their 7th year?

Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests

8. What form does Snape's Patronus take?

A doe, because of Lily Potter

9. Who takes over teaching divination after Trelawney is sacked by Delores Umbridge (Book 6)?

Firenze, a centaur

10. Who is Elanor Cadogan's boyfriend? What is his brother's name?

Elanor's boyfriend is the very fetching Dean, and his brother is Sam.