Time passed little by little.
Most of the students had arrived before class began and were quietly reviewing their notes.
Even after the bell rang, however, Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be seen.
Bang!
The classroom door suddenly burst open.
Harry and Ron rushed inside, both panting heavily.
“We made it.” Seeing that Professor McGonagall hadn’t appeared yet, Ron let out a long sigh of relief.
“Can you imagine how furious Professor McGonagall would’ve been if she’d caught us late?” At that very moment, the tabby cat sitting motionless on the teacher’s desk leaped gracefully to the floor.
In an instant, it transformed into Professor McGonagall, dressed in emerald-green robes.
She strode directly toward the stunned pair.
Harry’s jaw dropped.
Ron swallowed nervously.
“That…
was incredible.” “Thank you for the compliment, Mr.
Weasley.” Professor McGonagall’s face remained perfectly expressionless.
She hadn’t expected anyone to arrive late on the very first lesson of the school year.
“Perhaps it would be more useful if I transformed you and Mr.
Potter into pocket watches.” “Then you might better appreciate the importance of punctuality.” “We got lost,” Harry hurriedly explained.
“The staircases kept moving, and Peeves played a trick on us.” “He pointed us toward a wall that looked exactly like a door.” “A very good explanation.” “But I don’t recall the rest of the class needing one.” “Gryffindor loses two points.” Her verdict was immediate.
“I trust you won’t need a map to find your seats.” Harry and Ron exchanged helpless glances before silently taking two empty seats.
“We lost points already?” Hermione stared in disbelief.
“More accurately…” Wade smiled.
“It’s the first lesson of the first day.” “You should get used to it.” “If nothing unexpected happens, this will probably become Gryffindor’s normal routine.” Hermione rolled her eyes.
For some reason, she suddenly felt exhausted.
Was that supposed to be comforting?
It had exactly the opposite effect.
“The Boy Who Lived is rather disappointing.” Daphne remarked with obvious disdain.
“This was just an accident.” “And honestly…” “Showing up late to class is practically heroic behavior.” “And what about Weasley?” “…Well…” “He’s still from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.” “You should have at least a little faith in him.” “Heh.” 1 “Transfiguration,” Professor McGonagall began sternly, “is among the most complicated and dangerous forms of magic you will study at Hogwarts.” “Anyone caught fooling around in my classroom will be asked to leave.” “And they will never return.” Having firmly established her authority, she proceeded to demonstrate the wonder of Transfiguration.
Without speaking a single incantation or making any elaborate gestures, she lightly tapped her desk with her wand.
The wooden desk instantly transformed into a living white pig.
A second tap…
…and it became a desk once more.
The classroom erupted with excitement.
Seeing it with their own eyes was infinitely more impressive than merely reading about it in a textbook.
Satisfied with their reactions, Professor McGonagall waited until everyone had calmed down before continuing.
“Transforming animals is still beyond your current level.” “We’ll begin with the fundamentals.” Hermione diligently filled several pages of notes.
Ron, meanwhile…
…didn’t write a single word.
Wade quietly chose Daphne as the model for his own performance.
He worked just a little less enthusiastically than the young pure-blood witch, ensuring his efforts appeared perfectly average.
After the theory lesson came practical work.
Professor McGonagall handed every student a single matchstick.
Their task was to transform it into a silver needle.
The classroom immediately filled with students practicing spells while Professor McGonagall walked between the desks, patiently searching for those with talent for Transfiguration.
Wade deliberately restrained the flow of his magic.
He looked incredibly focused…
Yet accomplished absolutely nothing.
At one point, he even nearly poked Hermione in the head with his wand.
Transforming a matchstick into a needle wasn’t especially difficult.
It involved changing both shape and material, but the object itself was tiny.
As long as one’s magic was steady and precisely controlled, it wasn’t particularly challenging.
Wade had already mastered this basic Transfiguration back in Diagon Alley.
His only limitation was magical power.
He could only transform relatively small objects.
Turning an inanimate object into a living creature…
Like Professor McGonagall had done…
That remained far beyond him.
“Hey.” “Careful.” Hermione gave him a quick warning before returning her full attention to her own matchstick.
After more than a dozen attempts…
…it finally changed.
Although it was still made of wood, its shape had become unmistakably needle-like.
“Excellent, Miss Granger.” Professor McGonagall smiled warmly.
“Gryffindor earns five points.” A gifted Transfiguration student.
And from Gryffindor, no less.
There was every reason for her to be pleased.
Hermione beamed with pride.
Thanks to those five points, Gryffindor would no longer finish its first day with a negative score.
“That’s impressive.” Wade gave her a thumbs-up.
“You really are a genius.” “What’s so impressive about it?” Daphne muttered, sounding slightly jealous.
“She’s just a Mu—” Wade immediately raised a finger to stop her before she could finish.
“Please don’t use that word.” “At least not until you’ve performed better than she has.” Daphne let out a soft snort.
“You should worry about yourself first.” Wade merely smiled and continued pretending to struggle with his matchstick.
At the same time, part of his attention remained fixed on Harry Potter.
…Unfortunately, Harry’s progress looked about the same as his own.
Perhaps Harry simply wasn’t gifted in Transfiguration.
That won’t do.
If my convenient shield doesn’t stand out…
He’s no different from a floor tile.
Boom!
A sudden explosion shattered Wade’s train of thought.
Every head in the classroom turned toward the source of the noise.
Seamus Finnigan sat there with his hair standing on end like a charred bush.
His face was blackened with soot, making him look as though he’d just returned from a battlefield.
“Mr.
Finnigan.” Professor McGonagall sighed.
“Be more careful while casting.” “Try to maintain better control of your magic.” With a wave of her wand, the soot vanished from Seamus’s face.
An extraordinary talent…
Wade thought to himself.
He’s somehow mastered explosive accidents without anyone teaching him.
Unfortunately…
All of Seamus Finnigan’s magical talent seems to be specialized in explosions.
By the end of class, Hermione remained the only student who had successfully completed the exercise.
She had unquestionably stolen the spotlight.
There was only one class scheduled that morning, leaving the rest of the day free.
After leaving the Transfiguration classroom, Wade parted ways with Daphne and began exploring Hogwarts on his own.
Professor McGonagall had said that each House would become its students’ home.
Wade had no intention of taking that statement literally.
At home…
One could relax completely.
At Hogwarts…
He needed to be more cautious than anyone else.
Especially after Professor Trelawney’s prophecy.
That made familiarizing himself with the castle essential.
He wanted to learn the purpose of every room.
The locations of secret passages.
The busiest routes students used throughout the day.
All of it would prove invaluable over the next several years.
On top of that…
He also needed to find somewhere secluded enough to practice magic.
Pretending to be weak was one thing.
Actually becoming weak was another.
His magical power was tied directly to his Sequence.
Until he advanced further, his ability to protect himself depended heavily on the strength of his magic.
Come to think of it…
Hogwarts has the Marauder’s Map.
If I can get my hands on that…
Most of my reconnaissance work will already be done.
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