Preston cocked his head to the side, watching the girl enlarge her chicken. It was a handy piece of spellwork, despite it not being in the instructions. He chose to let it go, for now.

So long as the chicken was returned as it was, no harm, no... fowl.

Besides, he attention was diverted by the shenanigans of one Miss Flores. Effective method, given her reluctance to pick up a chicken.

He'd just have to see about getting the leftover seed picked up

"I trust you will clean up after yourself, Miss Flores," he said in passing, as he went to see to the others practicing the spell.

Preston walked past the prefect, taking note of the boy's practicing before heading for the chicken pen. A good example to set.

He turned his attention to the boy asking the question. "It shouldn't, no. The spell, done correctly, will not be painful. If you have concerns that you will accidentally cause the chicken harm, take a few extra moments to practice and concentrate. If you still feel especially anxious, see me and we can have you practice on the stuffed item, first."

He passed Mister Stern with a nod. "I don't imagine you'll have any difficulty, after your handwork with that peacock earlier this term, though I'd prefer you didn't use a sticking charm on these birds."

"Whenever you're ready, you may go get a chicken from the pen, Mister Hudson." He spoke, standing behind the boy, as he'd been watching him practice. Seemed confident.

That was good.

Raiden's lips twitched at the corners as one of the younger girls turned around in her seat and looked at him. He'd seen that chicken growing. Oh yes indeed, he had. It wasn't something one could really miss, now. The chicken was abnormally huge.

Standing from his seat, unable to suppress the grin, he passed by the girl's desk on his way to the pen and paused.

"You'll want to be careful with that... bigger chicken, bigger beak. And quite possibly more pecking power behind it." He gave her a bemused sort of look before continuing on to the pen to get a rather normal-sized chicken for himself, as well as some chicken feed.

The bird didn't appreciate being picked up, but Raiden was careful to keep the wings tucked against the body and the head away from his chest. He really couldn't afford to replace his shirts because animals were ruining them. It had been bad enough losing two last term for completely different reasons.

Setting the bird down on the table he'd been sitting at, he scattered a bit of the feed on the desktop for it, dividing his attention between it and the girl with the enlarged bird.

Ellie's jaw dropped as the curtain did. CHICKENS! That was what was behind there?! A ginormous pen of CHICKENS!

Ha! Funn! They were gonna make chicken pillows! Who knew?! Well...other than the Professor... But, as excited as she was, she felt awful all the same. She knew it wouldn't hurt the chickens..or at least that would be what anyone would say..and easy for them to say, right? They weren't being transformed! The chickens couldn't talk for themselves! Then again, it didn't hurt her to be changed to a puppy...but it was just inhumane. Unethical. Doing whatever you want to a poor, innocent animal.

Ellie stood up and got a stuffed animal from the box. Not only would this be much easier, and be less likely to cause a headache, but she knew the stuffed animals wouldn't mind being transformed quite as much as a live one.

Returning to her desk, she pulled out her wand. Swish and flick, she thought as she swished and flicked her wand. Okay. She sat straight up at the edge of her chair and stared at the toy chicken. "Right," she said to herself, "Pulvinus." Her voice was determined in tone. It will change.

But it didn't. Shucks. For once, it would be amazingly awesome to be able to preform a spell the first time. Would it not? So, if at first you don't succeed, try again. Right? "Pulvinus!" she said once more, swishing and flicking away with her wand. Didn't work. Too much flourishment? Perhaps. Once, she reminded herself, Only flick and swish ONCE. Derr... "Pulvinus!" she said, with ONE flick and ONE swish. Nothing. Dumb.

Well, Raiden was getting his chicken, so he supposed he couldn't delay any more. But methodology was never something to be scorned. First thing was first... chicken feed. Kellen got up and scooped a healthy handful of the stuff, taking it back to his desk and piling it in one corner. Now, to find a stupid chicken.

He went back to the front, where most of the birds were twitching their heads this way and that, taking in the movements of the students and the giant chicken further back. Eventually, he settled on a chicken that was sitting in its pen, its tongue half-out of its beak. It didn't even care when he picked it up, just lets its legs droop down and swing in the air as he carried it back to his desk. Maybe it wasn't stupid, but it was lethargic and that was good enough for him!

Bigger beak.... Didn't think of that.. Rae turned her head up at the large chicken... What kind of damage could a beak that big do? Errrr....... She looked back at the prefect.. "Know any spell that can put a muzzle on it?" Heheh, even if it was a possible danger... It was A GIANT CHICKEN! who could think that wasn't cool?

Alex started on the wand motion, swish and flick seriously? It was too easy to master for her.. now for the toy animal. Alex got up from her desk and fetched one of the stuffed toys quickly getting back to her desk and getting to work.. "Pulvinus." Alex chanted swishing and flicking her wand looking at the stuffed thingy. And.. hey the legs Transfigured into a pillow.. half of one anyway. she only needed to do the other half now after all.. which was why she started with a stuffed animal first, she didn't want a poor chicken to run around half a pillow!

Preston watched the Prefect caution a younger student and then go get his own chicken. Preston was impressed that the boy took the time to mention the possible implications of the girl's 'fun.'

And there went the first stuffed chicken. He wasn't surprised. He knew that some wouldn't feel confident and others would worry about hurting the chicken. He smiled at the girl and gave her an encouraging nod before moving on.

Preston kept an eye on Mister Stern as he walked toward the chickens and returned with a rather limp one. No chasing animals around the classroom today, it seemed.

Preston returned to the girl with the enlarged chicken. "If you're concerned about it, perhaps you should return it to its normal size. I will not have you unnecessarily muzzling an animal because of something you did to it." Preston arched both eyebrows and looked at her levelly.

That was that.

Preston returned to the first year. "Good. Now, before you try again, use reverto to turn it back into the original toy."

Blink.....blink

Live chickens to pillows? Okay that was really unexpected. Stuffed chickens were one thing but live one? Mina wasn't all to sure how she felt about that. She was pretty confident in her own skills, but what would happen if she completely messed up. A blown up stuffed chicken was far less scary a result then a blown up live chicken. Just imagine the mess there! Yeah, that would not be pretty at all.

Silly girl, it's just a chicken!

Yeah, the voices were taunting her now. Just what she didn't want. Attempting to silence the voices in her head again, she looked to the chickens and frowned. Well, she could always try and if disaster did happen, whatever.

Shaking her head, she sighed and pulled her wand out. Practice first and then she would decide if a live chicken was wise. She would have to actually attempt to grab a chicken and maybe if one bit her, she wouldn't have to use it.

Yeah, she would just hope that one bit her or something. That was a safe plan.

Twirling her wand in her hand, she quietly recited the incantation to herself over and over in her head, she gently swished and flicked.

Rae had a defeated look. Though she really didn't plan on putting a muzzle on the chicken... Her most liked professor was raining on her giant chicken parade. She still wanted a giant pillow, so instead of making the chicken smaller she pulled her wand while performing the simple swish and flick movement and steadily saying "Pulvinus." She was now confident in Transfiguration, yet this was the only class she felt she could perform well in. Now, sitting on her desk was a giant pillow... Not as impressive as a live giant chicken... Oh well..

FUN.

There was something to be said, about how fun this last week of classes had been. Gold had registered, quite subconsciously, that every professor had relaxed - even Professor Lafay - and attempted to make the last, few lessons of the term, lessons to be enjoyed.

Her eyes had wiiiidened when Professor Kingsley had emerged from behind the curtain, with a real, LIIVE chicken. Chickens and Gold.... could have mixed better. The last time she had been in the company of a considerable 'amount' of chickens, it had been that farm visit, and the chicken-y part of it hadn't ended too well. She had rushed out of a coup, red hair faaaanning behind [in a completely desperate way] as a gaggle of chickens rushed after her, attempting to peck at her.

The farmer!boy had said they were only being friendly. But his grin had had a rather smirk-y touch to it, and Gold was pretty sure he had only been trying to save her further embarrassment. Which was a silly idea, because she wasn't embarrassed at all - just convinced that she wasn't about to be best friends with a gaggle of chickens, anytime soon. Gaggle of chickens. Is that even correct grammar? Point to ponder.

But, right now, she had to admit that this sounded like fun. Especially since she was allowed to convert the chickens into pillows.

Fluffeh!

Swish and flish, swish and flick, swish and flick. The wand movement was as simple as the incantation. Gold attempted it a few times anyway, for the sake of warming up if not anything else, before straightening up, and heading to the front of the class. Where she hovered, a little uncertain, before finally raising a hand to get Professor Kingsley's attention. "Is there a chance they might.... peck at me, sir?" she asked.

Because that could possibly dampen the fun Gold thought this lesson was going to be.

Alex looked up at the Professor and nodded turning the toy back to normal, "Reverto." Alex chanted the spell was simple and something she had gotten down the first lesson after all. Now.. to finish transfiguring the thing into a pilow.. She had figured out what she had done wrong after all, "Pulvinus." Alex casted swishing and flicking her twisty wand again watching the toy turn into a most of a pillow only the head remained untransfigured on the second try, "Reverto." Alex casted turning it back, "Pulvinus." Alex chanted and this time the toy turned all the way into a pillow.. now if only she could do it on the first try Alex thought to herself. "Would it hurt the chicken if someone transfigured it only part of the way and then kept trying to do the spell?" Alex asked raising her hand, it would explain turning back the toy to normal before doing the spell again.

Ellie acknowleged Kingsley's smile and nod with a smile and a nod of her own, of course.

And she kept flicking and swishing her wand, saying "Pulvinus!" increasingly louder and louder each time. And still, NOTHING HAPPENED!

She was so frustrated! She understood that nothing was going to happen the first or second or even third time. But she had done this multiple times already. And by multiple, I mean like 15. Until she was shouting, unintentionally and without really realizing it. "PULVINUS!!!!" Nothing. She GLARED at the fluffy, stuffed chicken. Even she should have gotten it by now!

At least she hadn't been working with a REAL chicken. It probably would have walked or.. whatever chickens did.. away by now. She slouched back in her chair and sighed. SIGH.

Marie had been sitting there listening to what everyone was saying as she took some notes. There really was no point in her answering as she would just have said the same thing everyone else was saying. No need in being repetative here.

When the curtain dropped revealing all the live chickens, Marie started to laugh as she thought about Destiny being a chicken in the last class.

Grasping her wand in her right hand she started to practice the wand movements, repeating the incantation in her head she gave her wand a...

Swish and flick

Swish and flick

Well that was easy enough. Now to say the incatation outloud while moving her wand.

"Pulvinus," she said, giving her wand a swish and a flick.

Oh yeah, this was going to be so easy to do. As she went to the front to get some chicken feed... since the chickens might be hungry, a brilliant idea popped into her head. "Professor, if we turn Destiny back into a chicken can we then change HER to a pillow?" Hehe, Marie could picture DestinyChicken running around trying to avoid being turned into a pillow... and Marie would be right there chasing her with her wand ready to 'pillowrize' her friend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmbiguouslyMe

"Whenever you're ready, you may go get a chicken from the pen, Mister Hudson." He spoke, standing behind the boy, as he'd been watching him practice. Seemed confident.

That was good.

"I will head over right now Sir!" the boy smiled at the Transfiguration Professor.

Sliding out of his chair Patroclus made his way over to the chicken coupe. As he loomed over the pen, the beady eyes of the birds fell on him, panic in their hearts.
Patroclus lowered himself down to a low crouch, so to be as un-imposing as possible, "Hello everyone" the boy muttered, sprinkling some feed just infront, as a way to tease one of them out.

What Patroclus had first thought was the behind of one of the chickens all of a sudden began to pick at his pile of Food, and Patrocclus knew then and there he had found his friend.

Picking up the extrordinarily soft, and flully chicken, Patroclus scratched the bird softly under its chin, and walked it back to his desk, "Ready to be a lovely pillow my friend?" Patroclus whispered as he placed Mr Feathers on the table.

Mina eyed the chickens as she continued to practice. The sinking feeling that she felt before wasn't really leaving her, but she knew that she HAD to just do it. Professor Kingsley wouldn't seriously allow them to harm the chickens, would he? She was probably worried over nothing. Yeah, she was just paranoid.

Taking a deep breathe, she again turned her focus back to her wand movement. Swish and flick....swish and flick.....swish and flick.

"Pulvinus....Pulvinus....Pulvinus" she recited under her breathe over and over as she again looked to the chickens. It was about the time for her to put all her practice into action.

Time to convince a chicken to willing be turned into a pillow....

Yeah, that sure did sound easier said than done.

Storing her wand, she slowly made her way toward the chicken coup.

Chickens!!! They were going to play with use chickens in today's lesson? Arya was beaming with excitement, and it took every bit of her self control to not run over to the pin and play with them ALL. Pulling out her quill, she quickly wrote down the new spell in her notebook as Kingsley spoke. Her eyes kept darting back to the chicken pin as she wrote, watching them clucking and strutting around in their pin.....it was a real shame they couldn't keep them as pets.

Pulling her wand out of her pocket, careful not to let the half eatin candy wand fall out, she slowly twirled it between her fingers. Before she started practicing on the stuffed chickens, she wanted to make sure she knew the wand movements and incantaion well enough.

Arya slowly swished and flicked her wand repeatedly, watching her wand movements. Her eyes occasionally drifted over to the oh so distracting chicken pin, but after a few long moments and another few flicks of her wand, she seemed to have the wand movements.

"Pul-vi-nus....pulllviinusss........pulviinuuus....." Arya began practicing the incantation, twirling her wand slowly while her eyes remained glued to the chicken pin. "Pulviiiinus.....pppppulvinus....." She continued to practice the incantation, switching between that and the wand movements until she had them both memorized.

Oh this was exciting!

When the curtain was dropped to reveal CHICKENS, Destiny could not contain her excitement! Being a chicken for a few minutes, really made her have a new perspective on the little clucking creatures.

No, not really, but she could pretend.

Pulling out her wand, she gave a couple swish and flicks. The wand movements are the easy part, and the hard part was pronouncing the spell correctly. Why couldn't they be easy words!? "Pulverize..I mean Pulvinus. Pulvinus." Eeesh, she could have made a chicken pie with that first word.

Feeling confident with both the wand movement and incantation, Destiny stood and skipped over to the chicken pen to pick out one that she thought would make an EXCELLENT pillow. She wouldn't need to grab feed, since she was once a chicken herself, she knew how to keep them calm and all that.

Or so she thought.

When she picked one up, it almost flapped it's way right out of her hands, "Whoa there!" she exclaimed before realizing the chicken probably had NO idea what she was saying. "Cluuuuck!" Now the chicken knew what she was saying. Placing the now calm chicken under her arm, she walked back to her desk only to hear the MOST absurd thing EVER..

Glare!

Destiny glaaaaared at Marie after hearing what she had said. There was NO way she would be turned into a pillow. The chicken she didn't mind, especially since they were indoors and she wouldn't be able to eat a worm this time. "Marie, I DON'T think so. There is NO way I'm going to be turned into a PILLOW! I'll peck your eyes out before you do THAT to me."

HMPH.

Eesh, just look at this chicken go! It's mouth had like, some sort of suction thing in it, just sucking up all the chicken feed. Did chickens chew? If they didn't, then they should. Because she didn't feel like trying to revive any animals at the moment.

Continuing to make a little pathway of feed allllll the way to her desk, she maneuvered herself out of the way of others for some odd reason, and finally patted her hands clean of any feed, right by her desk. Mwahahaha! And the chicken was still falling for her trap. Oh she was just brilliant.

Hearing her name though, Evelyn looked over at the Professor with a confused expression on her face. Whaaat? CLEAN?! HER!?

"Oh, of course Professor." she said with a small smile. Hehe. If the chicken didn't eat all of the feed as it was, then the other students would probably just kick around the leftovers, and he would neeeevvveeer know that she didn't clean it up. Since well, he wouldn't be able to see it and everything. Hehe.

Looking back over to the chicken, her smile faltered slightly when she didn't see it. Where did it go? Raising a brow, she finally spotted the thing right next to her feet. Or, in fact, ON her feet. ACK! GET OFF!

But, it was staring at her.

"Whaaat?" she almost whined, taking a few steps back away from the animal, only to realize that it was doing no good. The chicken continued to be persistent to stay on her shoes. Continuing to take steps back away from the chicken, bumping and hitting desks on the way, and seeing that it was chasing following her...it really started to creep Evelyn out.

OMG. "I don't have anymore feed!" Get away from her! The thing, was creepy!

STALKER CHICKEN!

Arya had practiced the wand movement and incantation until she had them both memorized, and could no longer stand just watching the chickens in thier pin. Seriously, didn't he realize how much of a distraction they would be? Maybe he thought they had self control...whatever that was. If she did have any of this 'self control', there was little of it.

With a few skips Arya was in the chicken pin with chicken feed spilling out of her cupped hands. Some of the chickens had seen a little hesitant of her, but others had surrounded her in a instant, pecking at the seeds that had fallen from her hands.

Grinning at the little farm animals, she crouched down and held her hands out to the chickens. Giggling as the pecked some of the feed from her hands, she gave her hands a little shake so that the others could get some food as well.

She didn't actually plan on using any of them for her transfiguration, atleast not at first, but she wanted to get the urge to feed the chickens and pet them out of the way. Once she was comfortable with transfiguring her stuffed chicken, she would then pick out a chicken. Can't be hurting the poor babies now can we?

Once all the feed had been eatin, she began to pet each little chicken. They were sooo sweet! She wanted one....more specifically the smallest one that she had named Chuckie. But she knew she would just have to settle for using him for her transfiguration. Slowly standing, she crept her way out of the cage, giving a few more pets before climbing out of the cage.

Skipping, Arya went to retrieve her stuffed chicken.

Chicken Pillow Chicken Pillow. Dianna repeated to herself as she got a stuffed chicken and returned to her seat. She'd prefer a toy to start with at least she'll be calmer this way.
She now repeated the spell and the wand movement in her head. You can do this, don't worry. Next thing you'll know you're ready to try this on a real living chicken. Okay the last part she wasn't so sure but it was worth a try.
Raising her shaking hand she got ready. "Pulvinus." nothing happened. Ugh. Shutting her eyes as tight as she can she tried again. "Pulvinus!" should she open her eyes? Yes.
Taking a deep breath she blinked. Wahahaha! Yay! She did it! Chicken no more say hello to pillow.

With Mr Feathers, comfortable and fed on his table, Patroclus thought it was time he turned his fine feathered friend, into a plush pillow.

Going over the incantation and movement in his head, the boy readied himself, and the chicken too, "I will see you shortly!" he muttered giving the bird a soft stroke.

Swish and Flick, "Pulvinus".

Nothing.
Mr Feathers turned his head and stared at the Third Year, as if saying, what was that? "Just you watch!"
Breathing in and picturing a pillow rather than a chicken the boy tried again, "Pillvinus"

BuuckAhhh

Looking down Patroclus was ashamed to see, a pillow with the legs and head of a rather disgruntled Mr Feathers, "Ahh. Sorry, 'Reverto!'" POP! Mr Feathers was himself again, "I think I said that wrong," the boy smiled weakily.

Third time the charm?

Kellen set the chicken down on his desk, where it proceeded to ignore him and scoot closer to the pile of food. So much for gaining its trust; this thing looked like it couldn't care less. Maybe it was a wizened chicken and had gone through all of this before. Or maybe...

He looked up at Kingsley with a raised eyebrow. Maybe Kingsley always used a chicken for a pillow. The thought made him grin, and he reached for his wand.

Professor Kingsley made his rounds around the class, nodding as he watched Miss Bennett practice. The students were taking this seriously, which was heartening to him.

"Good work, Miss Quirregen. Try it again?" He smiled as he passed her desk. Giant pillow, indeed.

Preston paused to watch Miss Laksh practice. He thought a moment, before answering her question. "They are used to being handled, so so long as you are gentle with them and provide them with some feed, they will likely not peck you. If they do, it will only be minor." He smiled. "A little love nip, if you will."

Preston continued his walk around the room, made much easier by the circular nature of the desks. "I can't speak for a chicken, but they don't seem to show much distress - simply confusion - when it happens. So I would say, no, it does not hurt them to be partially transfigured." Of course, if you did the spell completely wrong, he added in his head, you could cause pain... but that wasn't the spell.

Preston made his way over to a very frustrated Miss Stone. "Set your wand down," he said softly, crouching down to be at eye level. "Now, close your eyes, and imagine the chicken toy becoming a pillow. Watch the transfiguration in your mind several times. Then, when you're ready, take a deep breath and try again."

He would have stayed to watch Miss Stone, but he had a... situation to attend to. "Absolutely not, Miss Salazar. First, you will recall that the classroom rules explicitly state that you are not to cast on each other without my instruction. Secondly, even though she would be in chicken form, it would still be as complex a transfiguration as if you were trying to turn a human into a pillow. So, no. No you may not." His voice was stern and level. Any such attempt, well, the rules said immediate detention. And that would be that.

He turned away from the Slytherin, walking past Mister Hudson again. With a nod and a smile, he continued on.

Good, he thought. Another student ready for a chicken! He smiled as she passed him.

He watched as Miss Lovegoods practiced, getting comfortable with the incantation. Excellent. He kept walking around the room.

Sigh. Miss Shepard's interaction with the chicken had been entertaining and Preston had been about to move on when she registered what the other had said.

"Miss Shepard, I am surprised at you. Haven't I proved that the well-being of my students comes first? I certainly could have let you eat that worm, last class. I'm sure it would have been a great hit with the others." He looked at her pointedly. "I would not allow such a thing to happen in my classroom. So, please, refrain from threatening and raising your voice, and get back to work."

The three of them... it was always something. Preston walked back to his own desk, grabbed a handful of feed, and placed it on Miss Flores' desk as he walked by.

Preston smiled, watching the young girl feed the chickens, before getting a stuffed one.

Walking around again, he saw success! "Excellent! Think you're ready to try it on a live chicken? Or do you want to revert the pillow and practice on the stuffed some more?"

Ah, partial transfiguration. Preston's eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled, watching the half-pillow, half-chicken from across the room.

The look from Mister Stern had gone unnoticed, as Professor Kingsley continued around the classroom.

Ellie bit her lip when Professor Kingsley came over. Because then she realized how obvious her frustration must have been. Hehe.

She silently placed her wand down as instructed and closed her eyes. Chicken stuffed animal-pillow. Chicken stuffed animal-pillow. Chicken stuffed animal-pillow. Okay. Good?

She took the wand back in her hand. Flick, swish, "Pulvinus!" It worked right?! She stared at it. Maybe it was a delayed reaction? She stared some more. Nope. Nothing happened. She'd never taken this long to accomplish a spell before! Soooo annoying. And then she was supposed to try it on a LIVE chicken. SNORT.

The ickle firstie spun and twiddled her wand around in her fingers and continued to stare at the chicken. WHY didn't it work? Oh, why?!

With her hand extended, Mina carefully stopped just before the coup. These little beady eyes of those chickens were on her and that kind of unsettled her a bit. They were all staring at her!

She hadn't expected to be stared at so much but perhaps the chickens knew just what she was about to go to one of them and wanted to make sure she knew they were WATCHING her.

Swallowing, she lowered her hand as she dropped some feed. She would have to gain their trust before she did anything. Trust first and then she could take one and pillowrize it.

Baby steps.

Holding her hands up, so they could so see them. The chickens continued to stare at her. Yeah, these chickens were more suspicious than knarls!