Flying Cupids!

Professor Harcourt was in a very gay mood when the day began. That was until a 3rd year Gryffindor and a 3rd year Ravenclaw ruined his day. The boys were absolutely smitten and didn't pay Harcourt an ounce of attention. Harcourt wasn't one for punishments but this lesson was important for their exams and so he gave them detention.

Harcourt huffed and puffed, practically steaming at his desk when the 1st years arrived. They were all chatting about the ball, obviously excited. But, Harcourt was going to make sure they all paid attention with a lesson that was a bit more on the challenging side.

"Enough fiddle faddle and poppycock. Take your seats. We're going to be very busy today, learning the Piertotum Locomotor spell. This spell is used to make statues come to life. In front of your, you will see a statue of Eros or Cupid. You are to attempt to animate the statue in 30 minutes. The spell is on page 224. Good luck. Your time begins now."Harcourt said, flipping over a timer. He watched the students for a moment and then retreated into his office, leaving the students to their own devices. He was not in the mood for this.

Rushing through the halls, Mira made it to the Transfiguration room…far earlier than she’d expected. Really? The sundial outside her window must have been wrong somehow. Or perhaps she had just misread it. Well, arriving first is never a bad thing, she smiled to herself. Mira would have smiled at the professor as well, but he looked rather different today. Was he ill? It took her a moment to realize he was just..mad. She had never seen Professor Harcourt upset before.

“Afternoon, Professor,” she peeped, giving him the tiniest of smiles.

Mira made her way to a desk and sat down. A golden statue of a stupendously handsome man, wings spread and arrow notched, stood on her desk. She recognized it as the Greek god Eros. That's fitting, she thought with a grin.

Spreading a piece of parchment across her desk and dipping her pen in a dark purple ink, she wrote down the basics of the lesson. A moment later, she pulled out her book and flipped to the page; she was studying the illustration when she heard a familiar voice whisper hello. Clearly she wasn’t the only one picking up on the professor’s foul mood.

Mirielle hurried to sit by anyone nice, in case today's lesson was anything like the charms lesson, but the seats were all taken. She guessed that's what you get when you dawdle and day dream your way to your next class. She hurriedly grabbed a seat in the back and made it there just in time to hear the assignment. Turning a statue alive. Her parents always told her to not fiddle with such magic and scolded her brother when he did. They told her it was dangerous because you may never get them back into statue form. Whether it's because it's too hard to wrangle them back into statue form or they refused to go back into statue form because they liked being 'alive'. But the teacher must know what he was doing, right? Speaking of Mr. Harcourt, didn't he look rather crossed today? Oh no, what was she doing? Time was ticking away, so she opened her book, looked at the spell and began chanting.
But her mind wandered again. Why is everything so Valentines day related today? She resolved to ask the Professor so as a fool would only do she raised her hand.
Professor, why is everything today have to do with love? I know Valentines Day is near but aren't we first years too young to be courted?

Wilfreda shuffled into class and randomly picked a seat. After the surprise in charms class she just didn't care about the seating. I can't believe I have a valentine and a date to the dance. I'm going against everything I believe in. I'm a hypocrite! I should be burnt at the stake. As Wilfreda wasn't paying attention to what the professor told them what the assignment was she, once again, had to go against her personal rules and talk during class because she had to ask a fellow classmate.

"What's the assignment?" She asked some random hufflepuff boy.

"We are supposed to turn Cupid alive." He answered her.So that's what the statue sitting in front of her was.

"What's the spell?"The hufflepuff boy sighed and turned her book to page 224."Thank-you." He nodded and then returned to his own work.

Wilfreda started chanting and waving her wand at her statue.Piertotum Locomotor. Piertotum Locomotor. Piertotum Locomotor.   Piertotum Locomotor. Eventually on the sixth try she achieved her goal to turn Eros alive. Eros smiled and winked at her. As if he knew what happened in charms today.Maybe he did. He is the god of love. Maybe he made it happen. Which means he knows what happens and who my future husband is. What if it's not Judas?That little minx. She wanted to ask him if Judas was her future husband but she knew that Eros wouldn't tell her. That and she didn't even know if the animated statue could talk to her.

Aubrey entered the classroom that's for transfiguration and looked at Professor Harcourt, She greeted him by saying "Hello Professor Harcourt"

She then sit on the nearest chair to start working, she got a out a parchment and a quill and her wand and opened her book on page 224 and started reading when she finally found the spell it is Piertotum Locomotor. So she raised her arm quietly, aimed at the Statue and Shouted with a very high voice.

"Piertotum Locomotor.Piertotum Locomotor.Piertotum Locomotor." When the statue finally flied. She looked very happy and wrote the very important notes on her parchment the she put her things back to her bag and smiles at the professor.

Adelaine peered into the Transfiguration classroom before she walked in. She’d heard a few kids from Harcourt’s last class talking about his dark mood today; they even mentioned the word “fuming”. What could have happened? He was usually so happy. None of her friends had arrived yet, aside from Mira; but the Hufflepuff was preoccupied with Kolby again, so Adele took a seat in the back.

How appropriate, she thought with a small smile when she noticed the statues of the god of love on everyone’s desks. So they were to animate the statue? It must be for the dance in a few days, she decided. Some older Ravenclaw girls had described the annual St. Valentine celebration, and she was quite sure they told her about flying Cupids in the Great Hall.

“Alright, Cupid, let’s see you come to life,” she muttered to her statue. He was a foot tall, handsome, with wings poised to take off. “Piertotum Locomotor..”

Nothing happened. Adelaine sighed; Transfiguration had never been her strongest subject.

Arya could feel the tension in the air as soon as she entered the Transfiguration classroom. The usually cheery Professor Harcourt was clearly having an off day. She was closer to him than her other teachers after he helped her perfect those Quidditch techniques; perhaps she could find out what was wrong? She headed to the back of the room where Marigold and Adelaine sat.

“I’ll be right back,” she muttered, setting her things down.

Arry made her way through the maze of desks and up to the cracked office door. Peering in, she knocked lightly and slid into the room. I may be out of my mind barging into an angry teacher’s office, she realized with a grimace. It was too late to turn back now, however.

“Er, professor,” she said cautiously. “Might I ask what happened in your last class to make you so, uh….un-cheerful?”

Wil stared at the little minx of the animated statue and decided to ask him if he knew what had happened in charms class and if he had planned it.
"Eros, do you know about today in charms class?" There was no answer. Wil asked the question again but still no answer. They must not be able to talk. Wil looked around and saw several students staring at her like she was crazy. She immediately turned around and hid within her long blonde locks. She couldn't wait to be dismissed.

Mira smiled curiously at Kolby; the trouble maker was actually…behaving? Wow, she thought, glancing at the office. Who knew Harcourt’s mood could have such an affect? Putting her books away, she adjusted the statue in front of her.

“My day’s been rather boring,” she told him truthfully. “How about yourself?”

Picking up her wand, Mira did the movement and spoke the words, but nothing happened. She tried twice more, but no dice. Disappointed, she picked up the statue and stared at it for a moment. Perhaps he would read her thoughts and decide coming to life might not be so bad. Sure, the world was in quite a rut with the war and all, but the god of love could certainly come in handy.

“I can’t believe Harcourt isn’t going to help us with this,” she muttered to Kolby after her fourth try was another failure.

Mira watched in envy as Kolby’s Cupid statue whizzed back and forth around the room. Since when was he so good in Transfiguration? An unusually dark thought crept into her mind, and she was tempted to smash her Eros on the ground. With a small shudder, she realized Kolby clearly wasn’t the greatest influence.

“No, I stayed at Hogwarts over Christmas. Why are girls any crueler than boys?” she questioned, still bitter about not having a Valentine.

She wasn’t even certain how much she liked Peyton, but nearly every other girl had gotten a mysterious Valentine card already. What if she was the only one in her group of friends sitting on the sidelines while everyone else danced?

“Piertotum Locomotor,” she tried again.

To her delight, the Eros statue came halfway to life. The handsome little guy was waving his arms around with joy and turning his head, but nothing else moved. He stared up at her in exasperation.

Harcourt had his head on the desk when there was a knock on his door. A half drank glass of wine was sitting by him, a now shattered picture face down on the floor.

"Yes? Yes? What is it?"he demanded, looking up. It was Arya. He rubbed his eyes and drew circles on the desk.

"I'm just depressed Arya. Don't worry your pretty little head why."he said, bitterly. He didn't mean to be rude to the girl but he didn't want to talk to anyone. Even one of his favorite students.

"Please leave me be."he said. But, knowing Arya, she was going to figure out was wrong one way or another.

Mirielle couldn't wait all of class period for his answer. She wouldn't have time to bring the stupid chubby greek god to life. She sighed.
"Piertotum Locomotor." Nothing happened. The stupid statue remained a hunk of clay,rock, marble. She wasn't sure. "Piertotum Locomotor." Again nothing, she tried another several times. She knew she wasn't great at Transfiguration but by God she should be able to move some part of the statue. If Merigold could make even the tiniest part of the statue move then so could she. Slytherins are better than Ravenclaws. You can do this. She chanted the incantation once more. She huffed in frustration.That's when Kolby's cupid nearly knocked her out of her chair. Kolby. She looked at Kolby. What does he see in that Hufflepuff? All the other houses are beneath us. It's preposterous to even think that they aren't. Doesn't matter I need his help. Plus he's making no headway with Mira. Mirielle strolled over to Kolby and Mira.
"Kolby if you are done flirting and trying to ask the poor girl out I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me. It wasn't a question. Mirielle always got what she wanted.

Adelaine had been so focused on trying to get the blasted Cupid to come to life that she hadn’t even noticed Marigold sitting next to her.

“Sorry, didn’t see you there. Harcourt’s in a foul mood, so he’s in his office; I believe Arry’s gone to see him,” she explained a bit late. “Piertotum locomotor.”

Cupid’s bottom half came to life. He stretched his legs, jogged in place, then stood still again; obviously he’d realized the situation he was in. Adelaine cleared her throat and cast the spell again, really concentrating this time.

“Finally!” Cupid exclaimed, a tad shocked at his high-pitched voice. “Why do I sound this way? What have you done to me?”

“Simmer down, Cupid,” Adelaine laughed. It was the wrong thing to do. The offended Cupid crossed his arms and sat down, staring up at her stubbornly.

Arya looked around Harcourt’s office, a bit shocked. He was usually so neat and tidy; why did he have such a bee in his bonnet today? Edging a bit closer to the wild-beast-that-was-Harcourt, she bent down and picked up the picture smashed on the floor. It was a portrait of a rather pretty young woman with super-pale skin and bright red hair.

“Is this your sister?” she asked stupidly.

It was obviously his wife or something, but Arry didn’t like to think of teachers having lives outside of school. It was like seeing a dog walk on it’s hind legs. An awkward subject to broach. She scratched her head, sort of wishing she’d just sat down and brought her Eros statue to life like everyone else.

Mirielle was infuriated. As much as she thought that Slytherin was the the best house and that no other house compared she was also not going to be insulted like that. If Mira couldn't see that he was flirting with her and obviously wanted to go to the dance with then she was blind.
" I said poor as in that she deserves better than you." She spat."After all why would she want someone that is always pulling pranks and flirting with girls that are waaayyyy out of his league. I only asked you because you were the only other slytherin in this class." She turned to Mira."But maybe Mira could help me." Then she turned back to her despicable,disgusting, egotistical roommate. "One more thing, boys are more barbaric than girls. Making them more crueler than Ladies. Mira?" She awaited for her answer.

Mira sat in a stunned silence as she listened and watched the rather dramatic scene unfold. Kolby and Mirielle spat their insults at each other, and then the whole situation seemed to be resting in her hands. Why was she being dragged into this? She wanted no part of it, all she wanted was to do her assignment in peace. Sometimes being a Hufflepuff was far too difficult, everyone assumed they could walk all over you; it was like a game of tug-of-war.

“As far as I’m concerned, I think you’re both acting quite beneath your statuses,” she said coolly, rather fed up. “And that’s coming from someone like me who hardly has a status! I‘ll be going now, you can bloody well find someone else to help you.”

Quickly gathering her things, Mira stood up straight and walked to the other side of the room, taking the empty seat by Marigold and Adele.

Mirielle was beyond infuriated now. She was turned down by a hufflepuff. Her. But then she remembered something that she was told once. Darling, I know it's hard to control your temper but your magick acts up when you are angry and we can't let anyone know that we are magickal. They'd come with pitchforks and fire. Please calm down. Her mother was right then and she was right now. Her magick was still more potent when she was angry so she pointed at her statue, which was across the room, and said the incantation. Her cupid started flying around like the happy, chubby god it was.
"I would say thank you Kolby but we both know I'm not." She turned to walk back to her desk but stopped. "I hope you don't get a date. That Mira would reject you. It's the smart thing to do." She laughed and then really did return to her seat.

Adelaine had finally gotten her statue up and moving completely, and Eros was now flying circles around her head. It was rather obnoxious, and it was making her dizzy. She swatted at him a couple of times, but he just laughed and flew faster. Suddenly, Mira appeared in the seat on the other side of Marigold.

“Hello, Mira,” she smiled, leaning over. “You’re looking flustered.”

Eros seemed to be getting a bit exhausted, so he landed on the desk. Panting, he propped his hands on his waist and folded back his wings. Humming some ancient Greek tune, he looked around. Clearly bored, Eros then decided to fly up and have a seat on Adele’s head.

“Fantastic view!” he exclaimed, pleased with annoying her.

“You were asking about news, Marigold,” she said, ignoring the statue. “My parents haven’t written lately. I haven’t heard anything since the Battle of Formigny, and that was April. Father seems to think it'll all be over soon. It's been over a hundred years, after all.”