The next morning, Will leisurely left his dormitory carrying a small book trunk.
The lanterns that had hung in the common room were gone, and he had no idea who had taken them down.
Several Slytherin students stared at Will with hostile expressions, but he acted as though he hadn’t noticed.
Ignoring them, Will followed the long, moving staircases through Hogwarts.
Some shifted direction, while others occasionally disappeared without warning.
Eventually, he made his way to the Great Hall.
Will preferred slightly burnt sausages for breakfast, along with toast and ketchup.
Partly because they tasted good, and partly because they were quick to prepare.
At Hogwarts, however, he didn’t need to cook at all.
The breakfast spread was exceptionally lavish, with the House-elves preparing a wide variety of dishes.
Will was reading Transfiguration Guidelines: A Detailed Explanation of Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration while eating a tender roasted chicken leg when a young witch suddenly sat down beside him.
Will wasn’t completely absorbed in his book while eating, so he glanced sideways at Sylvia.
“What do you want?”
“The whole of Slytherin is saying that you hung Selwyn and the others from the lanterns,” Sylvia whispered.
“It was me. So what?”
“You’re looking for trouble!” Sylvia said, clearly frustrated.
“Behrens, I know you’re a genius, but you need to understand that most Slytherin students come from wizarding families. What you’re doing is obviously making enemies for yourself. Haven’t you noticed that you’re already somewhat isolated?”
Will glanced around.
Apart from Sylvia, there wasn’t a single other student sitting near him.
“I don’t care.”
He said it as casually as though Sylvia had simply told him that eating too many chicken legs would make him fat.
And he genuinely didn’t care.
No one would dare seriously harm him while he was at Hogwarts.
This was Dumbledore’s territory, after all, and no family would be foolish enough to extend its reach into the castle.
More importantly, Will had his system.
He only wanted to continuously improve during his time at Hogwarts.
Before Lord Voldemort returned, he needed to gain enough strength to protect himself.
With the principle of “once proven, always proven” in mind, Will couldn’t be bothered to waste time playing childish games with these little snakes.
Once he mastered his skills and became the strongest wizard of his generation, would these pure-blood families still dare to treat him with hostility?
Besides, Will wasn’t as easygoing as Professor Dumbledore.
“You…”
Sylvia’s face flushed slightly.
Why was this guy so stubborn?
“All right, let’s not waste any more time on this. We still have Transfiguration after breakfast.”
Will returned his attention to his book.
“Miss Lestrange, you don’t want to be late on your first day, do you?”
He wasn’t interested in these childish matters.
How many years could he actually study at Hogwarts?
Seven years.
And if the final year was excluded because Lord Voldemort would eventually take control of Hogwarts, that left him with only six years.
How many days were there in those six years, excluding holidays?
Even if Will studied during Christmas and on weekends, he would have only around 1,500 days.
About 1,500 days.
How many magical books were there in Hogwarts?
Thousands.
And how much experience did he need to grind?
Thousands.
Perhaps even more.
He needed to make every day count.
He had no time to waste on childish mind games with the other Slytherins.
Sylvia stared speechlessly at Will, who had already returned to reading.
She cursed inwardly.
Merlin’s beard, that damn Sorting Hat.
How could it put such an obvious Ravenclaw bookworm into Slytherin?
Will practically radiated the temperament of a Ravenclaw from head to toe.
Ten minutes later, “Ravenclaw first-year Will” and Sylvia left the Great Hall together and headed toward the Transfiguration classroom.
The moving and disappearing staircases caused Sylvia considerable trouble along the way.
At one point, she nearly fell when a step suddenly vanished beneath her foot.
“I really don’t understand why Hogwarts has staircases like these!”
“I thought you knew.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Will caught Sylvia before she could fall.
“The strange staircases of Hogwarts are said to have originated during the witch hunts. According to some accounts, they were intended to help defend the castle against Muggle witch hunters. If hunters chased witches or wizards into the castle, the staircases could be used to counterattack.”
“Of course, the witch hunts eventually ended with the widespread use of the Muggle-Repelling Charm. Those staircases became unnecessary and eventually turned into nothing more than a nuisance for Hogwarts students.”
“Hey, Ravenclaw!”
A red-haired boy not far away suddenly called out to Will.
“Can you help us? We’re lost, and we’re going to be late for Transfiguration!”
The black-haired boy with round glasses standing beside him tugged at his friend’s sleeve.
“Ron, how do you know he’s a Ravenclaw?”
Indeed, the two boys were Harry and Ron, who had gotten lost because of the moving staircases.
“Harry, that guy might as well have ‘Ravenclaw’ written on his forehead.”
Ron sounded completely confident.
“Think about it. Besides Ravenclaws, who else would memorize so many boring things?”
“Oh, of course.”
Will nodded.
“Follow me.”
[Someone is curious about you.]
[Charm Experience +1]
[Someone is curious about you.]
[Charm Experience +1]
Will smiled happily and led the group toward the Transfiguration classroom.
“Oh, thank you!” Harry said gratefully.
“Thank you very much. If it weren’t for you, we might have been late.”
[Someone is grateful to you.]
[Charm Experience +1]
“You’re welcome. We have Transfiguration too.”
Will waved his hand.
Ron couldn’t remember seeing the silver-eyed boy at the Slytherin table the previous night, though it was possible he had simply been too busy eating to notice him.
“Are you two Gryffindors too? What’s your na—”
“You three, find your seats quickly.”
Professor McGonagall, standing at the front of the classroom, interrupted Ron with her stern voice.
Harry and Ron sheepishly made their way toward the back row.
Sylvia followed Will to the front and took a seat in the first row.
Professor McGonagall glanced at the two of them and gave a slight nod of satisfaction.
[Someone is curious about you.]
[Charm Experience +1]
“My goodness, how does someone dare sit right under Professor McGonagall’s nose?” Ron whispered to Harry.
“He should be in Ravenclaw. Why is he in Slytherin?”
As he spoke, Ron pulled a pumpkin pasty from his pocket and began eating.
“Maybe he just likes studying,” Harry replied casually.
He had spent six years attending primary school and had met plenty of students who enjoyed studying.
Soon, a bushy-haired girl and a chubby boy entered and took the seats beside them.
“Harry, look. That’s Longbottom.”
Ron lowered his voice.
“My parents and his grandmother talked for a while in Diagon Alley.”
For some reason, this made Ron even more convinced that Will had to be a Gryffindor.
The students soon arrived, and Professor McGonagall began the lesson.
“Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous branch of magic you will study at Hogwarts. Anyone who misbehaves in my class will be asked to leave and will not be permitted to return. Consider yourselves warned.”
“My goodness, our Head of House is terrifying,” Ron muttered.
Harry thought Ron still smelled faintly of pumpkin pasty, which made him a little hungry again.
“I will demonstrate something for you.”
Professor McGonagall raised her wand and transformed the desk into a pig.
Will, sitting in the front row, stared intently at it.
The pig grunted and walked around the podium twice.
It looked completely indistinguishable from a real pig.
Will couldn’t clearly tell the difference either.
However, a faint light flashed through his silver-gray eyes.
He activated his [Wizard’s Eye].
At once, he clearly saw the flow of magic throughout the pig’s body, along with mysterious and intricate patterns woven throughout it.
He couldn’t wait to begin studying Transfiguration systematically.
The students were completely captivated by Professor McGonagall’s demonstration.
Many wished they could start learning immediately, with some already imagining themselves waving their wands and transforming objects into enormous dragons.
Unfortunately, they soon realized that even transforming furniture into animals was far beyond their current abilities.
“Before we begin, I think you should all firmly remember Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration.”
Professor McGonagall’s gaze swept across the classroom.
“Now, which student can tell me what Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration is?”
Most of the students immediately lowered their heads and pretended to study their textbooks.
“What citrus law?” Ron muttered, looking confused.
Hermione raised her hand high.
Will and Sylvia raised theirs as well.
“Miss Granger.”
Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione, whose hand was raised so high that she was practically standing.
“Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration was established by the Transfiguration master and first Minister for Magic, Ulick Gamp. The law defines the fundamental boundaries of Transfiguration, clarifies what magic cannot accomplish, and provides guiding principles for wizards who practice Transfiguration.”
“Excellent. I can see that you’ve prepared diligently for this lesson, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor.”
Professor McGonagall showed a hint of approval.
Hermione Granger was certainly a diligent student.
“Yay!”
Several Gryffindor students quietly celebrated.
“Then who can tell me the specific principles of Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration?”
Professor McGonagall looked toward the delighted Gryffindors.
The students immediately lowered their heads again.
Hermione’s hand remained raised.
Professor McGonagall’s gaze swept around the classroom.
“Hmm. Mr. Behrens, you answer.”
She didn’t want to appear overly biased.
That was something Snape might do.
“First, the Impossibility of Food Creation. Second, the Unsustainability of Biological Forms. Third, the Unalterability of Magical Items. Fourth, the Principle of Absolute Conservation of Quantity. Fifth, the Impossibility of Creating Matter from Nothing.”
Will spoke calmly.
“These are the basic principles of Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration. The detailed explanations are far more extensive. Each principle has several, or even dozens, of academic papers devoted to it. Please forgive my limited understanding.”
Harry felt dizzy.
He had never even heard of any of this.
Could Will’s knowledge really be called limited?
“That guy is incredible,” Ron whispered to Harry.
“I seriously suspect the Sorting Hat is senile. How did it put a Ravenclaw into Slytherin?”
The next moment, however, both Harry and Ron were stunned.
“Excellent, Mr. Behrens. Your answer was extremely precise. As for those detailed explanations, they are far beyond what someone your age should know.”
“Ten points to Slytherin.”
Professor McGonagall was clearly satisfied.
Will’s attitude toward learning was exemplary.
She would never openly favor one House over another.
Strict impartiality was simply her way.
Harry and Ron’s jaws nearly dropped.
Professor McGonagall continued teaching in her usual serious manner.
“Very good. You now understand the basic principles of Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration. Throughout your future studies and practical use of Transfiguration, you must remember these principles firmly.”
“Behind every Transfiguration principle lie countless accidents caused by those who failed to understand its limits.”
“Now, I want you to attempt to transform this match into a needle.”
The first Transfiguration lesson was relatively easy for Will.
He had already mastered Transfiguration, so transforming a match into a needle was little more than repetitive practice.
“Excellent Transfiguration, Mr. Behrens. Five points to Slytherin.”
With Will’s guidance, both Sylvia and Hermione successfully transformed their matches into needles before the end of the lesson.
Even Neville managed to thin his match.
“I did it! I did it! Thank you, Will!”
“Helping a classmate. Five points to Slytherin.”
Professor McGonagall nodded with satisfaction.
Will Behrens was indeed different from the other Slytherins.
By the end of the lesson, Will had earned twenty points for Slytherin on his own, while Hermione had earned ten points for Gryffindor.
“Oh my God, that guy must be Slytherin’s secret weapon,” Ron whispered to Harry as they left the classroom.
“And he’s deliberately trying to get close to you. Harry, you need to be careful.”