Bonded

Nineteen

"I hate her!" Natalie declared as she sat herself down beside George at the Hufflepuff table after her first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, "I really hate her, she kept going on about how all of our other Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers have been 'sub-par'," Natalie did air quotes around the word sub-par, "which to be fair to her, most of them have been really, but then she said that Quirrel, you know the crazy one with You Know Who on the back of his head, was the best of all of them, and then when someone mentioned Professor Lupin, who was obviously the best one we've had the entire time we've been at Hogwarts, and Umbridge basically had a massive go at werewolves and all other 'half-breeds'," Natalie also put air quotes around half-breeds.

"Didn't we warn you Nats," George shook his head and gave a small laugh.

"Why are you here?" Natalie asked the twins bluntly.

"What, are we not allowed to sit with our favourite Hufflepuffs?" Fred gave Natalie a grin.

"No, not if you're going to dismiss my perfectly legitimate complains about that toad of a teacher!" Natalie turned to Calliope, "I can see why these two had to drag you away to stop you from killing her! She's vile, and any attempt on her life is something that I will be happy to help you with."

"I don't want to kill her!" Calliope replied, out of the corner of her eye, she saw George surreptitiously sliding an unwrapped bar of chocolate onto the plate which Natalie had been piling high with deserts, as Natalie's preference was to eat her pudding first. Calliope didn't point this out to Natalie, having been subject to unknowingly testing lots of the twins' products over the summer, all of which she found quite amusing, "I just want to maim her, maybe put her in a coma for the rest of the school year."

"Well, I'll happily help with that," Natalie stopped picking puddings from the platters and turned her attention to her plate, she picked up George's chocolate bar, "anything to get rid of that hag." Natalie took a bite of chocolate, "this is great chocolate, Callie can you pass me some more-"

Before Natalie had finished there was a large poof of smoke, which cleared to reveal a large Chimpanzee sat where Natalie had been seconds before. Fred, Calliope and George all burst into laughter, along with many people surrounding them, soon much of the hall was peering over to see what the commotion was about. Upon seeing a large primate glaring at the Weasley twins, everyone could only assume that some unwitting Hufflepuff had just been pranked.

"Sorry Nats," George laughed, "I couldn't resist."

It didn't take long before there was another poof of smoke, and Natalie was returned to her normal state.

"Do you really have to test those things on me?" she demanded, glaring at George.

"What are friends for other than testing 'Chimpanzee Chocolate, part of our new fool your friends range'!" George shouted the last part so that all of the onlookers could hear.

"You're supposed to be nice to your friends, not prank them!" Natalie huffed, angrily picking up a lemon tart and biting into it.

"Pranking is their way of showing love Nat," Calliope said with a sigh, "I hate to admit it, but this means that they consider you a friend, there's no escape now."

********

Calliope found herself feeling quite down the next day, as she seemed unable to shake the memory of the graveyard from her head for some reason. She was in her own little world as she sat herself down towards the back of the Transfiguration classroom for their first lesson of the year.

"Don't you want to sit with George?" Calliope asked Fred as he took the empty seat beside her.

"I think both George and I can survive a few hours a week not in each other's company," Fred began to take his books and parchment out of his bag, but in a rather subdued manner.

"Are you okay Fred?" Calliope asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm-"

"Human Transfiguration," McGonagall said loudly, a clear sign that she was starting the lesson and drawing the attention of the whole class, "is perhaps the most difficult form of Transfiguration that we teach here at Hogwarts, can anyone tell me the difference between general human transfiguration and the animagus process?" Calliope put her hand in the air, "yes Miss Doge."

"General human transfiguration is only temporary, whereas becoming an animagus is permanent," Calliope said quietly, not enjoying the fact that the entire class was staring at her.

"Speak up Miss Doge, I can't hear you," McGonagall said. Calliope repeated what she had said a bit louder so that McGonagall could hear, "yes that is exactly right Miss Doge, ten points to Hufflepuff." 

McGonagall launched into an explanation of the process of general human transfiguration as the class took notes of what she was saying. She told them how it was easier for a witch or wizard to transfigure another, rather than transfigure themselves and also that it was much easier to transfigure a person into an animal rather than an inanimate object, the closer in size the animal was to a human, the easier the transfiguration would be.

"If you turn to page 6 of your textbooks, you will see a comprehensive list of the incantations you will need to know for your N.E.W.T exams, all of which will turn a witch or wizard into a different animal, object or modify a different body part," McGonagall said, there was a flurry of activity as the class opened their books to page 6, "I do not expect any of you to achieve a full human transfiguration today, but I would like everyone to begin to attempt the first incantation listed- simia, which will, if executed correctly, transfigure the recipient into a monkey. You will work in pairs with the person next to you and take turns practising."

As the room began to break off into practising the spell and chatting, Calliope looked over at Fred. His textbook remained unopened, and his parchment, quill and ink untouched. He had a far-away look in his eyes.

"Fred, what's wrong?" Calliope asked quietly.

"Nothing," Fred shook himself and plastered a smile across his face.

"You can't lie to me," Calliope informed him, as she opened his textbook to page 6.

Calliope fixed Fred with a gaze, a gaze that she often used on her grandfather and Natalie when she felt they were not telling her something. This look very rarely failed to get the truth out of people.

"I'm just having an off day Screamer, it's nothing for you to worry about," Fred said, "I don't even know why I just am."

"It's okay to feel like bad sometimes Fred, you don't need to always be happy," Calliope told him, this was a problem she had grappled with herself, as she always attempted to put on a face to convince others that she was okay. She didn't want Natalie worrying, or Elphias, or Remus, so she tried to push back her own needs, and focus on making sure that her friends and family were happy. Although, it did strike Calliope as slightly odd that both she and Fred were having a bad day at the same time.

"I know," said Fred, "but I'm fine really, just having a bad day."

"Miss Doge, Mr Weasley, less chat, more transfiguring, please," McGonagall said as she passed their table.

Calliope pointed her wand at Fred, Simia, Calliope thought. Fred quickly grew a long monkey's tail, and he spent the rest of the day craving bananas.