Shameless Studying

As she studied the younger girl for a long moment she wished she'd thought of going to the library to study instead of choosing the Transfiguration classroom. Or at least got the books first before coming into the classroom in the first place. This girl had to have taken her book. It may be in a school of magic but so far she hadn't come across any text books which vanished on her without a little help. Only one ever bit but that was all.

"I just wanted my book," she replied. "I've got these but I need my book for my next lesson." Lucie put the books down on the nearest desk and tapped the top one lightly with her fingers. "Now do you have any idea where my text book has gone?" She was beginning to panic. If she didn't get that book back now she would fail her next test and the professor might correctly accuse her of having cheated on her previous test. The guilt was already eating at her but she could't face owing up or being found out. That book had to be what the girl was hiding behind her back.

Several things happened in Autumn's head at the older girl's question. Most of the thoughts involved denying that she had anything behind her back. She considered saying that her wand was behind her back, which was half true because it was in the sleeve of the hand holding the book. She could just fess up and apologize.

After a moment more of deliberation, Autumn pulled the book out from behind her back and offered it up to the third year. "I apologize for taking your book. I won't do it again," she promised quietly. She didn't want to say anything else. More words weren't going to make her theft acceptable.

Lucie had no clue how she managed to get away of cheating on her test but she still wished she hadn't. The guilt was hanging onto her like a weight bearing down on top of her head. But she was far too afraid to admit to the professor what she'd done. Instead she decided to make up for it by studying extra hard for Transfiguration. So far it was so much harder than the set up for her test. Most of what she'd read she couldn't make sense of and she decided to leave the textbook aside and look for something else which might help.

The third year managed to find a few transfiguration books on the shelves along with a DADA book or two since that was another struggle. She didn't want to feel the guilt of two cheating sessions or another failed test either for that matter. When she returned to the table where she'd left her work she found the textbook missing. Lucie frowned at the empty space. It was the right table. Everything else was still here.

She put the books she'd been holding down on the table and frowned. Maybe she'd taken it with her and left it near the shelves. Then she shook her head. No. She hadn't done that but it had to be around here somewhere. Maybe it fell on the floor. Lucie looked down and around before stopping at a girl on the floor. Wasn't that the transfig text she'd just had on her lap."Wh...what do you have behind your back?" Lucie asked.

Autumn spent too much time studying Transfiguration, according to her cousin. She had expressed to him over and over that she was going to be an Animagus, and that meant a lot of dedicated study until she could actually practice the Self-Transfiguration. Or Charm. Or whatever it was. But Gregory was obviously too young to understand her dedication. And he probably just didn't care. But she cared.

So she had found (well, actually stole) a third year Transfiguration book and began to read about the subject.

"An Animagus does not know what animal it will become until they make their first transformation," she read aloud, "A witch or wizard could take any animal form. Some say that the wizard will take the form of an animal that reflects their personality. Some say that a wizard will take the shape of something convenient to their purpose for studying this particular branch of magic. But the truth is that the art is too rare and too inconsistent to study and fully understand."

Autumn sighed when she finished. Maybe this was the wrong path for her to take. She closed the textbook and looked up from the seat she had made on the floor.

She quickly recognized the third year whose book she had taken. She scrambled to hide it behind her back. "What do you want?" she asked, trying not to sound or look guilty.