You Can't Even See What You Do To Me

"It's fine," Seth said. Claire noticed that as they talked to each other, he said more and more. "I don't know. It's just what I always knew. It's like Muggleborns are I suppose. Not knowing anything about this world until they get here. My dad rarely uses his magic, even today."

Claire nodded. That point of view was drastically different from hers, but she could see how it would make sense to him. If that was how she was raised, she supposed it would make sense as well. Magic had always been a part of her life, and she could not imagine life without it, but if she was born with no knowledge of it, she would not feel the same way, would she?

"And I wasn't ecstatic to be coming here, because then I had to leave my best friend behind at home and would get to hang out with him only on holidays."

This time, Claire responded. "Awe, that really sucks! I did not have a lot of really, really close friends before coming to Hogwarts, so I guess it was easier for me to just leave it all behind."

"Awe, that really sucks! I did not have a lot of really, really close friends before coming to Hogwarts, so I guess it was easier for me to just leave it all behind," Claire said in response to Seth's words. He shrugged a little bit.

"I've known Alex since I was 9," he said. "We would hang out every day. At least until I got my letter that is. But he knows about magic and stuff, because I told him. Even though my parents told me not to....I'm not going to lie to my best friend about something at big."

He stopped talking then, deciding that he had shared enough for now. And then he realized he knew just about nothing about Claire. "So what was your life like before school?" he asked, hoping to get her rambling so that he wouldn't have to talk for a while.

"I've known Alex since I was 9," Seth said, a touch of nostalgia in his voice. "We would hang out every day. At least until I got my letter that is. But he knows about magic and stuff, because I told him. Even though my parents told me not to....I'm not going to lie to my best friend about something at big."

Claire nodded, slightly impressed. She never told any of her friends about magic, because they were all muggles, and she was raised on the ideas of secrecy among the muggles. They could not know anything, her parents always told her.

"So what was your life like before school?" Seth asked, as if hoping to get out of talking for a while. However, Claire being the chipper person she was, did not mind, and she started to answer.

"Well, my parents were both wizards. I went to muggle school until I got my Hogwarts-"

Claire was cut off by McGonagall's sudden entrance, and the beginning of class. Claire never did get to finish telling her story, but she did not really mind. She did rather enjoy transfiguration class, and she forgot during the span of the class that she was telling the story at all.

"Well, my parents were both wizards. I went to muggle school until I got my Hogwarts-" Claire started to answer Seth's question, but she got cut off by the lesson starting up. Seth couldn't have been more relieved. It meant that he didn't have to talk anymore. At least not for the moment.

The class went by fast enough, but it wasn't very enjoyable. Seth just didn't like the subject. It was something he'd never grasped the point of. Where was the need to change one thing to something else? It just didn't make any sense. Magic, he supposed, didn't make any sense.

The class was fun that day--they were working on transforming chairs into animals of their choice. It took Claire a couple tries, but she finally succeeded in transforming her wooden chair into a small, fluffy kitten. She was rather proud of herself, because although she was not the first to figure it out, she was not one of the last. That was the type of person Claire was--she was right in the middle of the pack. She did not really stick out, which she was perfectly happy with. The middle of the pack was where the people were, after all.

Class was almost over, and Claire had some free time. She turned to see how Seth was doing. She remembered him saying he did not really like Transfiguration, but it was a class that she really liked. However, just because someone did not like a class, it did not mean that the person was bad at it, and she was curious to see whether Seth was good at Transfiguration or not. Maybe she was a bit nosy, but she had always been just a bit nosy.

That was the way she worked.

Seth frowned as he saidhe incantation again and again to little effect. The most it did was alter his chair a little bit, but not enough to resymbol any sort of animal. He frowned at it, brushing his hair from his face as it tickled his nose. He had never been a particular fan of practical magic. He was just fine with theory work, but when it came to the appliance of that theory...he just couldn't grasp is that easily.

The frowning just deepened when Seth took a short break and looked around. Nearly everyone else had already managed to do the spell successfully. He looked back down at his chair. It was always like this.

Seth seemed to be having a bit of trouble with his chair. Claire watched as he worked, trying to figure out what he was doing wrong. It looked like he was getting the words right, pronouncing them correctly and everything. He was getting all the movements correct, and his wand flicked just as it was supposed to. Seth's issue, though, it seemed, was that he was not really focusing. He would say the spell, and do the motion, and hope for the best, instead of envisioning the effects and applying them mentally.

Most of the class was already done, so Claire decided to help Seth out. He would need to know how to do it himself, obviously, but she could give him her advice.

"How's it going?" she asked. The rest of the class was off talking, and no one was there to watch the conversation take place. She did not want to embarrass Seth, or anything like that. She just wanted to help, and she realized that publicly humiliating him would just shatter his concentration more than it already was. That would do nobody any good, and could end with something dead or on fire.

That was usually bad.

Seht was just about ready to give up when Claire spoke. "How's it going?" she asked. He looked at her, still frowning slightly.

"Not very well," he answered, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I just can't seem to get it right. But that's how it always is. I have to practice a spell like mad to get it right. Nothing ever seems to click."

Then Seth looked back at the chair, deciding that once he was done with school he definitely wasn't getting a job that involed a lot of magic. He sort of wanted to get store opened in Hogsmeade, since he loved the village more than anything, but he supposed that a job in the Muggle world would suite him just as well, with the chance that he could acquire one. Seth sighed.

"Not very well," Seth responded. He seemed frustrated, which Claire could understand--he had been working at it for a while, and getting nowhere. "I just can't seem to get it right. But that's how it always is. I have to practice a spell like mad to get it right. Nothing ever seems to click." Seth glanced at the chair, but then zoned out for a minute or two. The ending of his daydreaming was punctuated by a wistful sigh. Claire was pretty sure that his lack of focus was his main problem in regards to magic. He clearly knew how to do the magic, he just did not know how to train himself to think about doing the magic. That was one of the things that Claire knew best, being raised in a wizarding family.

"Well," Claire started out, "what do you think about when you try to do magic? That might make a difference. A lot of the time, for magic to work properly, you have to be focused on what you are trying to do. Otherwise, something different could happen, or nothing at all. I think that might be your main problem."

Claire waited for some kind of response, whether it was ridicule or affirmation.

Seth was about to try the spell again when Claire spoke. "Well," she sad, "what do you think about when you try to do magic? That might make a difference. A lot of the time, for magic to work properly, you have to be focused on what you are trying to do. Otherwise, something different could happen, or nothing at all. I think that might be your main problem."


Seht looked over at her, a frown coming to his face. "But that's just the problem isn't it?" he said, then realizing she'd have no clue what he was talking about continued with, "I have problems with concentration."

Then he looked down at the desk, seeming to be ashamed or embarassed at that fact.

"But that's just the problem isn't it?" Seth said slowly. "I have problems with concentration." He looked down at his desk, his face turning a bit red. The poor guy seemed ashamed of the fact that he had concentration issues, but Claire understood.

"That's okay. I used to have those problems, too, especially when I was younger. I still sometimes have issues with it. I am an easily distracted person. It takes a lot of work, but trust me, you can do it!"

The enthusiasm leaked into Claire's voice, as well as reassurance and confidence. She knew he could do it.

"Here, try this. When you try the spell, think really hard about whatever animal you want to turn it into. Think about the little details, the stuff that is the most distracting. See if that helps?"

"That's okay. I used to have those problems, too, especially when I was younger. I still sometimes have issues with it. I am an easily distracted person. It takes a lot of work, but trust me, you can do it!" Claire said, rather enthusiastically and reassuring, but quite honestly, Seth didn't feel very reassured. Magic was just a concept he didn't think he would ever properly grasp. It just didn't click with him, ever. Even the non-spellwork parts of it like potions and herbology seemed to not click as completely as it did with the rest of his classmates. His mind always seemed to venture to something else, and he had problems pulling it back to the task at hand. Only things that didn't involve schoolwork were easy really, and that was just because they didn't really require too much thought. Like the snowball fight from the weekend.

Claire was still talking, so Seth tuned her back in. "Here, try this. When you try the spell, think really hard about whatever animal you want to turn it into. Think about the little details, the stuff that is the most distracting. See if that helps?" she suggested.

Seth frowned slightly, feeling rather energy-less just from the thought of trying the spell again, but nonetheless he raised his wand up and tried to focus on the animal he wanted. With the animal in mind, he said the incantation and did the wand motion. His eyes had closed due to his concentration, so he opened them again to notice that the chair had sprouted ears. But that was all.

Seth sighed again, looking a little discouraged.

Seth sighed and frowned, but he closed his eyes and tried. Claire could see that he was trying, but his concentration was still a bit off. Maybe it was the school environment? From what she had seen, school and Seth were not friends, and being in the classroom would not help anyone. Maybe if he were in a different environment, it would help?

Claire watched the chair as Seth said the words for the spell. At first, there was no change, but gradually, a lovely pair of ears started to grow, right along the top edge of the back. It was much more than he had managed before, but it was not a complete transformation. Seth looked up, opening his eyes, and his face fell. Another small sigh came from his mouth, and he looked disappointed in himself.

"Hey, don't get down on yourself!" Claire said, the enthusiasm still in her voice. She was absolutely, positively sure that Seth could manage it, with some practice. "Look, you got it to sprout ears! You had not managed that before? I'm sure if you worked on it some more, you would be able to manage more." Claire wanted to reach out and give him a big hug, but she was not sure he would be comfortable with that.

Seth looked wistfully at the ears the chair now sported, trying to decide if he wanted to give it yet another go, or to just give up for now and practice again later. As he considered this, he heard Claire talking, the girl obviously having noticed his discouragment.

"Hey, don't get down on yourself! Look, you got it to sprout ears! You had not managed that before? I'm sure if you worked on it some more, you would be able to manage more," she said.

Seth shrugged a little bit at her in response, pushing his hair from his face for the millionth time that day. "I'm just frustrated with it. Nothing ever seems to work for me, even when it works for everyone else."

He made a small gesture around the room to prove his point. "I'm the only person who hasn't gotten it yet."

"I'm just frustrated with it. Nothing ever seems to work for me, even when it works for everyone else." Seth paused, looking around the room in dismay. "I'm the only person who hasn't gotten it yet."

Claire looked around and saw that Seth was right, sadly. The others had all gotten their chairs into random animals, and some had even managed to change it back into the chair it started out as.

However, Claire was not easily discouraged, and she was determined to get it into Seth's head that he could do it.

"Chin up, Seth. How other people are doing does not matter. I've always thought that every person's magic works ever so slightly differently--there had to be a reason that different wands work for different people, right? I think you just have to figure out the best way for things for work for you. Don't worry about other people."

Seth looked wistfully at his eared chair. Maybe if he gave it one more go he'd accomplish something for once. Not a perfect something. He could live without that. Just something more than what he had now. Claire seemed to think he could, as she kept trying to encourage him, as she still was now.

"Chin up, Seth. How other people are doing does not matter. I've always thought that every person's magic works ever so slightly differently--there had to be a reason that different wands work for different people, right? I think you just have to figure out the best way for things for work for you. Don't worry about other people."

He looked at her for a moment. Slowly nodding, he said, "Right, sure. I'll give it one more go, before I quit. Then I'll just practice it later."

Seth looked back at the chair, closed his eyes in concentration, and gave the spell one last go. Once he was done with the incantation and motion, he found himself fearful to open his eyes again, not wanting to see yet another failure.

"Right, sure. I'll give it one more go, before I quit. Then I'll just practice it later." Seth still did not seem confident in his own abilities, but there was a determination that showed up as a steely fire in his eyes which had not been present before. He slowly nodded, and he closed his eyes. His concentration was clear, although it was not the same as before--instead of sitting there, squeezing his eyes shut with all his might, he was focused and relaxed. He spoke the incantation, and the results were immediate.

The chair started to morph before Claire's eyes. It shrunk, it's body becoming elongated. The color changed to a brown, almost orange. The legs of the chair became soft and furry, with small, white claws at the ends. The chair sprouted a tail, brown with a white tip, and it grew eyes, black and beady, but shining with a sort of sly intelligence that was shocking. The only thing that remained from before were the ears.

Seth's calm was shattered, and he looked terrified. He would not open his eyes.

"Seth, look!" Claire said, letting him know that it was safe.

Seth still hadn't opened his eyes when he heard Claire. "Seth, look!"

Tentatively, Seth opened his eyes. He looked where the chair was to see....a hyper little fox, waving its tail around. Seth looked at it stunned. Then he looked over at Claire. "Did...Did I do that? I made it a fox?"

He was in absolute shock as the thought set in, not truly believing himself as he looked back at the small animal. It looked back at him, head tilted sideways.

Slowly, Seth smiled. He had finally done magic without hours of work.

"Did...Did I do that? I made it a fox?" Seth asked, stunned. He stared at the fox, not believing that he really did it.

Then, a smile broke out on his face. He was beaming, and it was probably the happiest that Claire had ever seen him, the entire time that she had known him. Granted, that was not a long time, but it still was an accomplishment in Claire's mind. She was a happy person, and she believed that everyone else should be as well.

"Yes! You did it!" Claire said, enthusiastically. "I told you you could! You just need to figure out the way things work for you. It might take a bit of time to get used to it, but you can do it, I'm sure. This right here is proof. If you can figure that out, who knows what else you can do!"

Seth still looked stunned, but he was clearly ecstatic. Unable to resist any longer, Claire stuck her hand out to give him a high five. She was proud of him.

Seth was....well happy was an understatement. He had finally done it. Proper magic, that is. And he just couldn't keep the grin off of his face. He wished classes were over for the day so that maybe he could write this dad. Seth felt that he would be proud, having been the one pushing for Seth to start Hogwarts in the beginning despite his obvious want not to.

"Yes! You did it!" Claire was saying yo him enthusiastically. "I told you you could! You just need to figure out the way things work for you. It might take a bit of time to get used to it, but you can do it, I'm sure. This right here is proof. If you can figure that out, who knows what else you can do!"

Seth just nodded at her for a moment, before noticing that in her enthusiasm at him succeeding she had raised her hand for a high five. He returned it, feeling thankful that she'd been so adamant about him trying the spell and concentrating. He would have given up otherwise, as was usual. He felt as though he should say something to acknowledge that he was grateful for her help, but he'd never been so good with wording things and they usually just ended up sounding stupid.

Seth looked so happy he could barely speak, and Claire beamed. However, just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the class. It had seemed like a really long class, but Claire viewed it as a successful one.

Seth and Claire walked out of the classroom together, and while they were walking, Claire spotted Bri. It was just then that she remembered her grand plot, to hook Bri and Seth up. Just from the last class, she was even more firmly cemented in the idea that they would be the perfect couple. Bri would be able to provide encouragement and support for Seth, she was sure of it. Seth's energy would balance out Bri's perfectly. Claire chatted amiably the two for a second, Seth describing what had happened in transfiguration.

However, Claire realized that if she was to set the two up with each other, she would have to give them some time alone. Thus, she separated from the group.

"Hey guys, I have to go get a book from my dormitory. Bri, I will see you in the next class, and Seth, I'll see you later!" She smiled cheerfully, skipping off down the hallway. This would be a piece of cake, she was sure. When left to their own devices, surely the two would realize that they were meant for each other.

Having done the spell in class, Seth's normal energy level during school hours had nearly sky-rocketed. He was nearly actually bouncing up and down, extremely pleased with himself for once. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he told Bri just what had happened. Even when Claire excused herself, he was still going on about it. He was just that excited. Bri was happy for him as well, smiling.

Claire went to the common room, grabbed a book as a prop, and went down to the Great Hall for lunch. She took her time, pacing herself to allow as much time as possible for Seth and Bri to talk while still saving some time for herself to eat. It was not an exact science, but she managed well enough.

She made it back down in slightly more time than it should have taken, but that did not matter. She quickly located her friends, pleased to see that Bri and Seth were sitting together despite house differences. This was promising. She ambled to the table, smiling cheerfully, and she plopped down next to Bri, across from Seth. The two seemed to be in high spirits--Seth's happiness over his achievements were contagious.

"How are we all doing?" Claire asked, as she put food on her plate. The other two were already eating, having decided not to wait, but Claire did not mind at all. She would have rather they started anyway, not wanting have been the cause for a delay. She did not want to be a bother.

Seth and Bri had walked to lunch, still chatting away happily. The two decided to both take seats at the Hufflepuff table so that their conversation wasn't interupted. They hadn't talked in ages after all, not counting Hogsmeade.

They were still talking when Claire showed up as well, having apparently retrieved the book she had gone to get. "How are we all doing?" she asked after sitting and starting to get herself some food.

"Good," Seth said, the first of the two to answer, as Bri was chewing her food. "Er...thanks for the encouragment back in class. I needed that."

"Good." It was Seth that answered her, as Bri was zoning out. She had always been that way--when she ate, she thought, and she was off in a world where no one else could reach her. Today, even with Seth there, was no exception, it seemed.

There was a pause, and then Seth continued, rather awkwardly. He almost seemed shy, kind of embarrassed, but still happy nonetheless. "Er...thanks for the encouragement back in class. I needed that."

Claire smiled reassuringly. "It was absolutely no problem at all. I knew you could do it, you just needed a little push in the right direction. I always had issues with it as well, so I figured I'd pass along some knowledge from experience. Plus, you looked like you were about to fall apart, and we could not have that! A very close friend of Bri's is a very close friend of mine. I'm just proud that it worked out for you! I knew you could do it, as long as you approached it your way!" Claire was bubbly, cheerfully dissolving the awkwardness as best she could. They were in the same class together, so they might as well get used to talking together about this kind of thing.