The Order of Mischief I

1.24

The castle was buzzing with excited chatter, the third match of the academic year was due to happen on the third weekend of February - the coming weekend. Along every corner, students shared gossip and predictions of how the match would go and which players were good for their competition. Naturally, the school professors could not resist sharing their excitement and thrill. Of course, the adults were wise to not rile up the students and fuel their inter-house competitiveness, they kept their team spirit to themselves, and occasionally enjoyed it with a small and subtle show to members of their houses.

"Quiet down now, children!" Professor McGonagall ordered as she held her wand in her hands. Her classroom was filled with both Gryffindor and Slytherin first year students, all of whom were previously chatting between themselves or slowly walking to their seats. As soon as her voice boomed through the room, everyone rushed to settle down and listen to what she would teach them. The older woman at the front of the classroom was always poised and elegant, often commanding respect and attention without demanding it. She smiled down on the lines of tables filled with short people, "Good afternoon class."

"Good afternoon professor!" The class had sung their greeting in return, happy to see her in a chirpy mood. The teacher was often pleased with her students during the week that a Quidditch match would take place, which meant that everyone would have a less demanding lesson because of it. Sometimes, the matches meant that the students would get less homework to do, especially if they remained well-behaved.

"Today, we will continue practicing turning a match into a needle," she had instructed, waiting for her students to notice the thick wooden stick on their desks. As usual, they were expected to trade notes with their peers and to revise the steps and procedures, before raising their hands up to offer their version of instructions to the class, where they would be told if they got the steps correct or not. A minute or two later, McGonagall had made loud shushing sounds to gather the students' attentions, "So, tell me, how do we transfigure a match into a needle?"

Many hands rose to the air, unusual for an ordinary day in her classroom, but it was expected when everyone knew that chances of them not receiving homework would increase. Professor McGonagall pretended that it was difficult to pick a representative speaker amongst her students, however, she made sure not to pick Potter, Black, Lupin or even Pettigrew before giving everyone else a shot. She called out a name as she picked her candidate, "Miss Zion!"

"Which one?" Sahara and Nahara asked together, at the same time. Their peers gasped and the twins tried their best not to roll their eyes. For some reason, everyone found it surprising whenever the twins would respond or react to a situation in an almost identical manner, even if everyone else did the same as them. Their movements and words were exaggerated and noticed more by the rest of the world, simply because they were twins.

"Sahara," McGonagall had finally picked her target. She had noticed that the older of the twins was previously scribbling in her scroll, barely paying attention. Nahara, on the other hand, was too deep in discussion with her friends, and McGonagall could not decide if the young girl was talking about the lesson or of everything else.

All eyes had expectantly landed on the dark-haired Zion who began speaking, "First, we estimate the mass of the object, and measure the personality or aggression level of the object. And then, with the right amount of wand power and concentration, we cast the spell."

"Correct!" Professor McGonagall had praised as she smiled at the young girl. Hands quickly sunk to the sides of their masters, with many students looking displeased about the lost opportunity of proving their intelligence. The professor fidgeted with her wand and held it firmly in her hand as she spoke, "As Miss Zion has just said, you will all pay attention to the mass and nature of the object before concentrating and casting the spell. So, begin!"