Snagging five points successfully in less than five minutes of the very first class of the term made all the other children present who were also first-years cast envious glances.
Harry looked at Vera’s needle enviously: “How did you do it? My match has absolutely no movement at all.”
“Imagination is the key,” Vera explained softly, “Do not just wave your wand; specifically imagine the needle’s shape, luster, weight… Imagine your magic passing through the wand and changing the match in the form of a spell.”
She picked up Harry’s match and placed it on the table: “Come on, try again. This time close your eyes and imagine the shape of a needle.”
Harry nodded thoughtfully, staring back at her match, her lips moving for a while as she muttered the spell.
Vera noticed a faint glow glimmering at the tip of her wand, but the match only trembled slightly before stopping all reaction.
On Vera’s other side, Hermione was also continuously trying to replicate Professor McGonagall’s operation.
Her match gradually took on a silver glow, but it was still some distance away from turning into a needle.
From this point of view, discussing learning alone, Hermione’s magical talent among her peers was practically miles ahead.
In this year’s batch of students, only Harry could surpass her slightly in both Defense Against the Dark Arts and Quidditch.
Vera watched her earnestly try a few times, then asked softly from the side: “Need any help?”
Hermione raised her head, stubborn defiance flashing in her brown eyes, her small face flushed from concentration: “Thank you, but I want to try it myself again—the principle of Transfiguration is changing the essential properties of an object rather than just its appearance, right?”
Vera was somewhat surprised by the depth of her understanding and nodded: “That is right, changing the essence is the key.”
A flash of determination crossed Hermione’s eyes as she raised her wand once more: “Then I need to more precisely imagine the changes in the internal structure…”
Vera looked at her focused profile, and suddenly understood why Hermione in the original work could master magic far surpassing her peers in her first year; this earnest spirit of study was indeed rare in Gryffindor.
In the classroom, McGonagall patrolled back and forth, occasionally correcting the students’ movements and pronunciation.
When she passed by Harry, one end of Harry’s match suddenly became sharp.
Although the whole thing was still wooden, it indeed had the rudimentary shape of a needle.
“Progress, Miss Potter,” McGonagall said approvingly, “Keep up the good work.” Get faster updates on g.com.
Harry’s face flushed red with excitement.
She turned to look at Vera, her green eyes full of joy: “I almost succeeded!”
Vera gently patted the back of her hand: “Try again, you will master it soon.”
Just as she finished speaking, Ron’s match nearby suddenly puffed out a wisp of Black smoke, startling him so much that he almost fell off his chair.
Neville’s situation was even worse; after a slight “pop” sound, his match directly started smoking.
Professor McGonagall quickly waved her wand, extinguishing the small flame on Neville’s desk: “Do not be discouraged, Mr. Longbottom, Transfiguration requires patience and practice, please continue.”
Neville’s face flushed red, fumbling to take a new match, and mumbled an apology quietly.
At that moment, Hermione’s match had already successfully transformed, and she excitedly raised her hand, “Professor! I did it!”
Professor McGonagall walked over briskly, picked up Hermione’s silver needle to inspect it closely, and nodded with satisfaction, “A very standard transformation, Miss Granger, two more points for Gryffindor.”
Hermione proudly straightened her back, looking at Vera with sparkling eyes, “I did it too.”
“Mm, very impressive.” Vera returned a faint, gentle smile, secretly marveling in her heart at how truly astonishing Hermione’s learning ability was.
She herself had relied on the assistance of her Magic Circuit, directly analyzing Professor McGonagall’s magic flow for a one-to-one replication to achieve such an effect, whereas Hermione relied entirely on her own hard strength.
As she was sighing with emotion, she saw Professor McGonagall’s gaze sweep around the classroom before finally landing on her, those eyes narrowing slightly as if evaluating something.
Vera lowered her eyelids nonchalantly, pretending to focus on the silver needle in her hand.
It wasn’t until Professor McGonagall’s gaze shifted away from her that she turned her head slightly and let out a secret sigh of relief.
When the class bell rang, only Vera and Hermione had completely succeeded, while most of the others were entirely clueless.
Harry’s match had finally taken the shape of a needle before the end of class, though it still retained the wood grain, which was still a considerable progress.
Before leaving, Professor McGonagall assigned homework—an essay on the basic principles of Transfiguration, due next Monday. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
As the students left the classroom in twos and threes, Harry also carefully put her half-wood, half-metal “needle” into her pocket, “Are you packed up?”
Vera nodded, pushing her wheelchair to leave the classroom, when Professor McGonagall on the podium suddenly called out to her, “Miss Black, please stay behind.”
Harry and Hermione gave Vera a worried look, and Vera gave them a comforting look, “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up soon.”
When only the two of them were left in the classroom, McGonagall stared at her with a stern expression, “Miss Black, regarding this morning’s matter…”
Vera lowered her eyelids, “I am very sorry for touching your Animagus form without permission, Professor.”
Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow slightly, “You know about the Animagus?”
“I saw it in an extracurricular book.
A Wizard who can completely transform into an animal while retaining human intelligence is called an Animagus,” Vera answered cautiously, “but I didn’t expect it to be you.”
The corners of Professor McGonagall’s lips rose imperceptibly, but she still maintained a serious image as she said, “It seems Miss Black’s reading volume is quite extensive, and her Transfiguration talent is also very impressive. First-year students who can successfully cast a Transfiguration charm on the first try are very rare.”
Vera shook her head gently, “Just good luck, Professor.”
“Luck?” Professor McGonagall chuckled softly, “There is no such thing as luck in Transfiguration. Your magic control is extremely precise, hardly like a beginner.”
“Perhaps it’s because I studied it in advance at home,” Vera answered softly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the wheelchair armrest, and her expression looking a bit desolate, “After all, I have a lot of time to… study these things.”
Professor McGonagall was silent for a moment, and finally just nodded, “Regardless, Miss Black, your talent must not be wasted. I look forward to seeing you in my Transfiguration Club one day.”
Vera was slightly stunned, then raised a smile, “I will work hard, Professor.”
Pushing her wheelchair out of the classroom, Vera thoughtfully recalled the Transfiguration Club that McGonagall had just mentioned.
Although it wasn’t mentioned in the original book, Slughorn had the Slug Club in his sixth year, so it didn’t seem strange that Professor McGonagall, who was also a Head of House and a core subject teacher, had a Transfiguration Club.
So… could this be considered an olive branch extended to her by McGonagall in advance?