If one set aside the pursuit of power and asked Vaughn to choose the subject he was most interested in, he would absolutely choose Transfiguration!
Its vastness, complexity, and sheer versatility touched almost every aspect of the wizarding world.
If there was one subject that could represent magic itself, Transfiguration would easily take first place!
Especially its advanced application—the Animagus transformation!
After casually brushing Neville off, Vaughn sat in the front row with Hermione and stared intently at the tabby cat sitting on the teacher’s desk.
Hermione found his behavior odd.
“Vaughn, is there something wrong with that cat?” “Nothing.” Vaughn didn’t dare expose Professor McGonagall’s little trick.
Honestly, if he hadn’t read the original books and known McGonagall’s routine, it would have been impossible for Vaughn, at his current level, to recognize it as an Animagus transformation with just a cursory glance.
It was too natural.
From the color patterns to the density and growth of the fur, it was absolutely seamless.
Only with deliberate observation could one notice that this tabby lacked actual animal instincts—and even that was a result of Professor McGonagall’s intentional self-control.
She merely wanted to give the young wizards a striking first impression, not secretly spy on them.
Hermione didn’t think much of it, but up on the platform, Professor McGonagall was secretly surprised.
In all her years of teaching, she had seen plenty of children stare at her because they liked cats.
But when her eyes met Vaughn’s, she knew that this cat-loving Weasley was looking at her with an expression full of scrutiny and wonder.
He had definitely seen through her identity!
*Perhaps another promising talent for Transfiguration…
even if he is a Slytherin.* Professor McGonagall couldn’t help but nod at Vaughn.
Vaughn bowed slightly in return, and their silent exchange gave Hermione quite a start.
“Vaughn, it—no, she…” “Shh.
It’s the professor’s surprise.” Hermione quickly covered her mouth, staring curiously at Professor McGonagall.
As the start of class drew near, the students trickled into the classroom.
Occasionally, someone would notice the tabby on the desk, but no one gave it a second look.
When the famous Harry Potter and his roommate, Ron Weasley, finally walked in last, Professor McGonagall leapt down from the desk, canceled her Animagus form, and transformed back into her human shape.
The entire classroom let out a massive gasp of awe.
Such an entrance was undoubtedly a grand success, as evidenced by the shining eyes of the young wizards, but Professor McGonagall was highly displeased.
Because on the very first day, two students had actually managed to be late.
“Mr.
Potter, Mr.
We—Ron Weasley, perhaps I should transform the two of you into pocket watches to ensure you remember the time of class?” “We got lost, Professor,” Harry explained dryly.
“Then perhaps a map?” Professor McGonagall’s expression grew even sterner.
“Why aren’t you finding your seats?
Do you require a map to find those as well?
Furthermore, for your lateness, five points will be deducted from Gryffindor.
I hope you remember this lesson!” The two fell as silent as cicadas in winter and slunk over to sit next to Vaughn and Hermione.
It was the only empty spot left in the classroom.
It seemed that no matter where you went, the seats closest to the teacher were never popular.
“Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts.” Professor McGonagall waved her wand, turning her desk into a pig.
Amid the collective gasps of the students, she spoke loudly, “Anyone who dares to misbehave in my class will be punished.
Do not say I did not warn you!” Harry and Ron turned pale with fright.
“The professor is just trying to scare you,” Hermione whispered.
“Hogwarts banned using Transfiguration to punish students a long time ago.
I read about it in *Hogwarts: A History*.” Before the two could sigh in relief, however, they heard Vaughn chime in, “But there’s no one to supervise the professors.
If she quietly turns you into a pig, no one will ever know.” Ron gave Vaughn a sullen look, wanting to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut.
Harry, on the other hand, still had a good impression of Vaughn and didn’t mind his teasing.
Ever since he had learned about the wizarding world, everyone around him had been telling him how evil Slytherins were.
But he didn’t have any real sense of that yet.
Therefore, when Professor McGonagall continued, “Before we begin our lesson, I must commend Mr.
Vaughn Weasley.
He was the only one in class who noticed my Animagus transformation.
For this, I am awarding five points to Slytherin.” Harry and Hermione clapped enthusiastically.
Ron muttered under his breath, “Traitor!” But no one paid him any attention.
Afterwards, Professor McGonagall began her lecture.
Vaughn flipped open his textbook, *A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration*.
Hermione noticed that the book was densely covered in handwritten notes.
“You’ve already tried it?” Hermione gasped.
Vaughn nodded.
“Only object transfiguration, and I still have many questions.” Seeing Hermione’s longing expression, he felt compelled to caution her.
“I wouldn’t recommend trying it on your own, Hermione.
If you have any questions, you can ask me or the professor.” Speaking from Vaughn’s own experience, Professor McGonagall’s opening remarks were not exaggerated in the slightest.
Transfiguration really was the most complex and dangerous magic.
Simply changing the shape of an inanimate object was one thing— Vaughn’s attempt the night before to turn a dried fish treat into a mouse was actually still an object transfiguration, falling short of true organic transfiguration.
The mouse was fake; it wasn’t a living creature.
Organic transfiguration involved turning a living creature into an inanimate object, or into another species of living creature.
This kind of alteration involving life and existential forms, even if brief, was fraught with unpredictable hazards.
Imagine turning a rabbit into a teacup, only for it to fail to return to its original form after the counter-spell was cast, instead turning into a pile of twisted, mangled flesh.
Even more horrifying was if it remained alive for a while, constantly writhing and screaming.
The psychological impact…
At any rate, after trying it once, Vaughn couldn’t eat for days.
And that was with his mature mind and capacity for caution and self-restraint.
If a young wizard rashly attempted human transfiguration and ended up in such a state, it would be unimaginably tragic…
The lesson officially began, starting with Professor McGonagall’s explanation.
To the young wizards with no prior background, Professor McGonagall’s explanations were both complex and profound.
They could only scramble frantically to jot down every key point.
But for Vaughn, it was an excellent opportunity to verify his own foundation and train of thought.
Throughout the entire class, he kept his head down taking notes, cross-referencing them with his own pre-prepared notes, and marking the similarities and differences between them.
Towards the end of the lesson, Professor McGonagall handed out a match to everyone, instructing them to turn it into a needle.
She also taught them a transfiguration spell.
Everyone learned the incantation, but the words only served an auxiliary purpose; they were not the deciding factor in the transformation.
Consequently, by the end of the class, only Vaughn had successfully completed the task.
Hermione had managed to make her match change slightly, with one end already sharpened into a point.
“Excellent, excellent!
Mr.
Vaughn Weasley and Miss Granger.” Professor McGonagall held up their results for the class to see.
“As you can see, Mr.
Vaughn Weasley’s transfiguration is absolutely perfect.
While Miss Granger has not fully succeeded, she has met my expectations.
I believe that with another ten minutes, she would have produced a needle.” “Ten points each to Slytherin and Gryffindor.
Now, your homework is…” After assigning the essay and dismissing the class, Professor McGonagall called out to Vaughn.
“Mr.
Vaughn Weasley, please remain behind.
I have something to discuss with you.”