I walked toward my first class of the day alongside Abraxas, Orion, and Arnold.
The four of us had already fallen into a comfortable rhythm after our first night in the Slytherin dormitory, and I had to admit that having a small group of allies was already proving useful.
We eventually reached the Transfiguration classroom and took our seats among the other first-years.
Professor Dumbledore was already standing at the front of the room, waiting for us.
He was dressed in a rather unusual outfit that somehow managed to look both eccentric and respectable at the same time.
He wore a pleasant smile, giving off the image of a kindly professor who was more than happy to teach a new generation of witches and wizards.
But my attention wasn’t on his clothes.
It was on his wand.
That isn’t the Elder Wand.
I immediately recognized that fact.
The wand in Dumbledore’s hand was an elegant, onyx-black wand with raised segments running along its shaft.
An intricate swirl connected the handle to the main body, while several runes had been engraved into its surface.
I recognized some of them as Norse runes associated with concepts such as strength, wisdom, harmony, and light overcoming darkness.
It was a beautiful wand, and there was something distinctly ancient about its design.
I had never seen this particular wand in the Harry Potter films from my previous life, at least not in any meaningful detail, but my memories of the future told me that Dumbledore would eventually wield the Elder Wand.
Therefore, this had to be the wand he used before acquiring it.
Interesting.
So this is what Dumbledore’s wand looked like before he obtained the Elder Wand.
I studied it carefully, committing every detail I could to memory.
The shape, the runes, the construction, even the way Dumbledore held it.
A wand was far more than a simple magical tool, and I had already become interested in understanding wandlore.
If this wand really had been Dumbledore’s primary wand for years, then studying it might eventually teach me something about the relationship between a wizard and their wand.
“Good morning, everyone,” Dumbledore said, his voice calm and pleasant.
“Welcome to your first Transfiguration lesson.
I imagine many of you are eager to discover what this branch of magic is capable of.” The room immediately became quiet.
Dumbledore placed a simple wooden matchstick on each student’s desk.
“Our first exercise will be relatively simple.
You will attempt to transform this matchstick into a needle.” I raised an eyebrow.
A matchstick into a needle.
Of course.
This was probably the traditional first lesson for Transfiguration students.
Considering that Minerva McGonagall would eventually become one of the greatest Transfiguration professors in Hogwarts history, and Dumbledore had been an accomplished Transfiguration scholar himself, I wondered whether this lesson had influenced the curriculum that would eventually become standard at Hogwarts.
Dumbledore demonstrated the spell slowly, explaining the wand movement and the concentration required to alter the fundamental properties of the object.
I watched every movement carefully.
The moment he finished the demonstration, I understood it.
Not merely the theory.
The entire spell.
My eidetic memory allowed me to reproduce everything I had just seen, while my extraordinary Transfiguration talent allowed me to understand the magical principles behind it far faster than an ordinary eleven-year-old could.
I picked up my yew wand.
One controlled flick.
The matchstick on my desk shimmered.
Its wooden body elongated, narrowed, and transformed.
A moment later, sitting on my desk was a beautiful silver needle.
Even better, the needle wasn’t completely ordinary.
A subtle green-and-silver pattern had appeared along its surface, almost resembling an ornate magical engraving.
I stared at it for a moment.
Well.
That was easier than expected.
I glanced around the classroom.
Most of the other students were still struggling to get their matchsticks to change properly.
A few had managed to alter the color or shape, but nobody else had produced a complete transformation yet.
Footsteps approached.
Dumbledore stopped beside my desk and examined the needle.
“Very impressive, Riddle.” I gave him a modest smile.
“Thank you, Professor.
I simply followed your instructions.” Dumbledore’s eyes briefly examined the needle again before he smiled.
“Five points to Slytherin.” My eyes widened for the briefest fraction of a second.
Ding!
[House points have been awarded.] [Five House Points awarded to Slytherin.] [Conversion detected.] [Five Good Points have been added to the host’s balance.] I nearly froze.
Good Points?
So that’s how it works.
I quickly suppressed my surprise and returned my attention to Dumbledore, maintaining the expression of a curious first-year student.
Five points had become five Good Points.
That was extremely useful.
I had already suspected that my actions at Hogwarts could generate system points, but now I had confirmation.
House points awarded for positive actions could apparently be converted into Good Points.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
If I could consistently earn House Points throughout my years at Hogwarts, I could potentially accumulate a considerable number of Good Points without even having to deliberately perform some massive heroic act.
And considering my system allowed Good Points to purchase various abilities and items, this could become one of my most reliable sources of power.
I mentally pushed the discovery aside.
I could investigate the system later.
Right now, I needed to maintain my image.
“Would anyone like some assistance?” I asked, turning toward my friends.
Abraxas looked at his matchstick with an annoyed expression.
“I can’t get the stupid thing to change.” I smiled.
“Your wand movement is slightly too wide.
Try keeping it tighter.” He followed my instructions.
The matchstick twitched.
Then its wooden body began to elongate.
Abraxas stared at it.
“I did it!” “Excellent.” Orion was struggling with the concentration rather than the wand movement, so I gave him a few suggestions as well.
Arnold needed considerably less assistance, and I noticed that his matchstick had already begun turning silver at the edges.
“You’ve almost got it,” I told him.
Arnold nodded and concentrated harder.
A few seconds later, his matchstick transformed into a slightly crooked silver needle.
“Not bad,” I said.
Arnold looked at me thoughtfully.
“You really understood the spell after one demonstration?” I shrugged.
“I suppose I’m good at remembering things.” That was an understatement.
I could remember practically everything.
More importantly, I understood things incredibly quickly.
The combination of my enhanced intelligence, eidetic memory, magical talent, adult consciousness, and Tom Riddle’s existing magical instincts was absurd.
I had only been studying magic seriously for a short period of time, yet I was already beginning to realize just how ridiculous my potential actually was.
The original Tom Riddle had been extraordinarily talented.
I was starting with his talent.
Then I had added an entirely new soul, enhanced intelligence, a massive magical reservoir, a system, and knowledge of the future.
If I actually worked hard, I couldn’t even imagine where my limits would eventually be.
Dumbledore eventually moved to help another student, and I returned my attention to my friends.
I had no intention of showing everything I could do.
There was no benefit in revealing my true abilities this early.
Five House Points had already attracted Dumbledore’s attention.
That was enough.
I would become exceptional.
But I would become exceptional gradually.
A little genius here.
An impressive piece of magic there.
A few House Points.
A few compliments from professors.
Eventually, everyone would simply accept that Tom Riddle was a brilliant young wizard.
That was much safer than suddenly revealing that an eleven-year-old could perform magic far beyond his supposed age.
I looked down at the silver needle on my desk.
A faint smile appeared on my face.
My first Hogwarts class had lasted barely an hour.
And I had already earned my first system reward.
This school was going to be very profitable.