The forbidden corridor on the third floor of Hogwarts.
The wooden door swung shut behind Leo with a soft click.
Fluffy, the enormous three-headed dog, lay sprawled in the middle of the room.
All three massive heads rose at once, and three pairs of vicious, restless eyes locked onto Leo.
“Now this is the kind of pet I want,” Leo said admiringly.
“Grrrr…” Three drooling mouths opened, strings of saliva hanging from yellowed fangs as growls gathered deep in the creature’s throats.
“Hey, hey.
Good dog.
Don’t bark.” Leo sprang forward and drove off the floor with explosive force.
Both hands shot upward, the heels of his palms slamming heavily into two of Fluffy’s heads and snapping them backward hard enough to knock them unconscious.
“Whine!” The remaining head immediately behaved itself.
Its mouth snapped shut, and its tail tucked firmly between its legs.
“That’s better.” Leo reached up and patted the dog’s head.
He spent a while playing with Fluffy before finally dragging himself away and returning to bed.
..
Early the next morning, Harry opened his eyes to find daylight already streaming in from outside.
“Morning.” Leo happened to walk through the dormitory door at that moment.
He peeled off his soaked sleeveless shirt and tossed it into a bucket, wiped himself down with a towel, then changed into his Hogwarts uniform.
“Morning…” Harry blinked at him.
“Leo, what have you been doing?” “Oh, just a little exercise.
I ran a few laps around the Black Lake, then swam across it and back a couple of times.” Leo casually dried his hair.
“The lake’s actually pretty fun.
There are grindylows, merpeople, and this giant squid that’s great to mess around with.” “Do you ever need to rest…?” Ron muttered from his bed.
At this point, he had no idea what to make of Leo’s absurd amount of energy.
Was this bloke even human?
“Merpeople?” Harry immediately became interested.
“What do they look like?” “Uh…” Leo considered the question.
“Half human, half fish.
Human on top, fish on the bottom…
You’ve seen movies, right?
You know, long hair, great figure, that kind of mermaid.” “Got it.” Harry nodded, then hesitated.
“So…
was the mermaid you saw pretty?” “It’s not really about whether she was pretty.
She was more…
unusual.
Really unusual.” Leo thought back carefully.
“Narrow eyes, a fairly large nose, sharp teeth, grey skin, and hair like seaweed…
Very cute.” “That doesn’t sound remotely cute,” Harry said, now genuinely curious about Leo’s definition of the word.
“The disappointing part was that it was still too dark this morning, so I couldn’t get a good look at her chest.” “All right, that’s enough…” Ron climbed out of bed and started getting ready.
“Can we just go and get breakfast?” “Fair point.
We’ve got lessons this morning.
If we don’t leave soon, we’ll be late.” ..
Hogwarts had one hundred and forty-two staircases, many of which moved whenever they pleased, making it extremely easy for first-years to lose their way.
Leo, however, had no such problem.
He simply did not bother using the stairs.
By the time Harry and the others finally reached the Great Hall, Leo was already sitting at the Gryffindor table after finishing enough breakfast for three people.
“You’re ridiculously fast,” Harry said.
“If you want, I can bring you along next time.” Leo spread his hands.
“No, thanks.” Harry and Ron shook their heads immediately.
They had already seen how Leo got downstairs, and neither of them had any desire to experience something that terrifying firsthand.
“I suggest you stop talking and start eating,” Hermione said.
She had already finished breakfast and was putting away the book she had been reading.
“Otherwise you really will be late for class.
I’m going ahead.
See you there.” “I’ll go too.
Try not to be late.” Leo wiped his mouth and left the Great Hall with Hermione.
“Leo, did you grow up in a wizarding family?” Hermione asked as they made their way toward the classroom.
“Yeah.” Leo nodded.
“Then you must have been around magic since you were little, right?” Hermione asked eagerly.
“Do you know any spells already?” “Ah, well…” Leo’s eyes shifted as he quickly came up with an explanation.
“The thing is, I’m an orphan.
My parents died just after I was born.” Hermione’s face immediately flushed bright red, and she looked completely flustered.
“Ah, I’m sorry!
I didn’t mean to—” ..
The students gradually filed into the classroom and took their seats.
Before long, a beautiful tabby cat padded gracefully through the door as well.
“Hehehe…
You’re just a little kitty.
What are you going to do, huh?
Think you can escape from me?
Not a chance!” Leo’s eyes lit up, and he immediately reached out, fully intending to pet the mature catgirl before him.
The tabby was so startled that it leapt away at once, transforming in midair back into Professor McGonagall.
“Mr.
William, please return to your seat,” Professor McGonagall said irritably.
She had only intended to use her Animagus transformation to make an impression on the class.
She had not expected one of her students to be some sort of menace.
“An Animagus!” Hermione exclaimed.
“I read that Professor McGonagall is one of only seven registered Animagi from the twentieth century—” “One of the seven most law-abiding Animagi,” Leo summarized.
“Er…” Hermione was still suffering secondhand embarrassment from what had just happened, yet Leo somehow looked completely unbothered.
“Do you really like cats that much?” “To be precise, I like pets that are a little unusual.” Hermione froze.
“Wait…
You knew that was Professor McGonagall before you tried to pet her?” Leo looked perfectly calm.
“Both possibilities are equally valid.
That’s my answer.” Hermione immediately began staring at him as though he were a pervert.
“All right, it is time to begin.” Professor McGonagall turned to the class.
“Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts.
Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back.
You have been warned.” “Wait, where are Harry and Ron?” Hermione whispered anxiously.
No sooner had she spoken than Harry and Ron rushed into the classroom, both sweating heavily.
“Mr.
Potter.
Mr.
Weasley.” Professor McGonagall’s expression hardened.
“Perhaps I ought to Transfigure the pair of you into pocket watches.
Then perhaps you might learn what it means to arrive on time!” Harry jumped at the rebuke and quickly explained, “I’m sorry, Professor.
We got lost, and then Mr.
Filch stopped us.” “Then perhaps I should Transfigure you into a map instead.
Though I trust you will not require one to find your seats?” The two boys hunched their shoulders and hurried silently to their places.
“If you need me to bring you next time, just say the word,” Leo whispered.
“Thanks…
but I think we’ll pass,” Harry whispered back.
“Suit yourselves.” At the front of the classroom, Professor McGonagall Transfigured her desk into a pig and then changed it back again.
The display left the students staring in amazement, though it was far beyond anything they would be attempting for quite some time.
Turning furniture into animals was advanced magic, and the first-years had a long way to go before they reached anything close to that level.
Transfiguration demanded precision and discipline, so Professor McGonagall spent most of the lesson explaining theory.
After filling their parchment with page after page of dense, complicated notes, each student was given a match and instructed to try turning it into a needle.
Everyone drew their wands.
The moment the students seated near Leo saw the twenty-inch weapon in his hand, several eyelids visibly twitched.
“Is that really a wand?” “I think so,” Leo replied calmly.