Time passed, and most of the students arrived before class began and quietly reviewed their lessons.
However, even after the bell rang, McGonagall still had not appeared.
The classroom door suddenly opened with a dull thud, and Harry and Ron rushed in, panting heavily.
"We made it." Noticing that McGonagall had not arrived, Ron heaved a sigh of relief. "Can you imagine the look on her face if she found out we were late?"
The tabby cat on the teacher’s desk suddenly leapt forward and transformed into McGonagall, dressed in emerald-green robes. She walked directly toward them.
Harry stared in astonishment, while Ron swallowed nervously.
"That was brilliant."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr Weasley," McGonagall said expressionlessly.
She had not expected anyone to dare arrive late to the very first lesson.
"Perhaps it would be more effective to turn you and Mr Potter into pocket watches. Then you might learn the importance of being on time."
"We got lost," Harry explained. "Those staircases are impossible, and Peeves played a trick on us. He pointed us toward a wall that looked exactly like a door."
"A fine explanation, but everyone else managed without one. Two points from Gryffindor," McGonagall declared.
"I trust you will not require a map to find your seats."
Harry and Ron exchanged helpless looks before sitting in the remaining empty seats.
"We lost points on the first day?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
"To be precise, during the first lesson of the first day.
You should get used to it quickly. Unless something unexpected happens, this will probably become normal for Gryffindor."
Hermione rolled her eyes and suddenly felt exhausted.
Was that supposed to be comforting? It had not helped at all.
"The Boy Who Lived is rather disappointing," Daphne said disdainfully.
"It was only a mistake. Besides, arriving late is rather fitting behaviour for someone important."
"And Weasley?"
"Well... he is still from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. You should have some faith in him."
Daphne gave a dry laugh.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will study at Hogwarts," McGonagall warned sternly. "Anyone who misbehaves in my class will be removed and forbidden from returning. You have been warned."
After establishing her authority, McGonagall demonstrated the wonders of Transfiguration to the young witches and wizards.
Without speaking an incantation or making any complicated movement, she merely tapped her wand and transformed the teacher’s desk into a living white pig before turning it back again.
The students’ eyes lit up. Seeing magic performed before them was far more impressive than reading about it in a textbook.
McGonagall was satisfied with their reaction. Only after they had calmed down did she begin the lesson.
"Transfiguring animals is still far beyond your current ability. First years must begin with the fundamentals..."
An outstanding student like Hermione filled several pages with notes, while a poor student like Ron did not write a single word.
Vade chose Daphne as the standard for his performance. He worked slightly less diligently than the young heiress of a pure-blood family and made sure that nothing about him stood out.
After the theory came the practical exercise. McGonagall gave each student a matchstick and instructed them to transform it into a silver needle.
The students drew their wands and began reciting the incantation. Meanwhile, McGonagall walked around the classroom, patiently searching for anyone with a talent for Transfiguration.
Vade deliberately restricted the flow of his magic. He appeared to be trying very hard, but in reality, he accomplished nothing. He even nearly poked Hermione in the head with his wand.
Turning a matchstick into a needle was neither especially easy nor particularly difficult.
Although it involved changes in both shape and material, the matchstick was so small that anyone capable of remaining calm and controlling their magic precisely should be able to accomplish it.
Vade had already mastered this basic form of Transfiguration while staying in Diagon Alley. However, because of his limited magical reserves, he could only transform relatively small objects.
As for turning an inanimate object into a living creature as McGonagall had done, he was still incapable of that.
"Hey, be careful."
Hermione shook her head and continued struggling with her matchstick.
After more than a dozen attempts, it finally changed.
It was still made of wood, but its shape had become that of a needle.
"Very good, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor," McGonagall said with obvious satisfaction.
Hermione clearly had considerable talent for Transfiguration, and she was also a Gryffindor. McGonagall naturally could not have been more pleased.
Hermione smiled happily as well. Thanks to those five points, Gryffindor would no longer have a negative score on the first day of term.
"Impressive." Vade gave her a thumbs-up.
"What is so impressive about that?" Daphne said sourly. "She is still a Mud..."
Vade hurriedly raised a finger in front of her lips.
"Please do not say that word. At least not until your performance is better than hers."
Daphne gave a quiet snort.
"You should worry about yourself first."
Vade paid her no mind and continued making useless attempts with his matchstick.
At the same time, he devoted part of his attention to Harry Potter.
Unfortunately, Harry’s performance was about the same as his own. Perhaps he simply lacked talent for Transfiguration.
That would not do. What use was a shield if it could not stand out from the crowd?
A sudden explosion interrupted Vade’s thoughts.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.
Seamus Finnigan of Gryffindor sat there with his hair standing on end and his face covered in black soot. He looked as though he had just returned from a battlefield.
"Mr Finnigan, be more careful when casting spells. Try to control the flow of your magic," McGonagall said, shaking her head before waving her wand and cleaning the soot from his face.
What a talent.
Vade sighed inwardly. Seamus had somehow mastered explosive magic without being taught.
Unfortunately, all of Seamus Finnigan’s magical talent seemed to have gone into making things explode.
By the end of the lesson, Hermione remained the only student to complete the practical exercise, earning herself considerable attention.
There was only one lesson that morning, so Vade had plenty of free time.
After leaving the Transfiguration classroom, he parted ways with Daphne and began exploring the magical castle alone.
Although McGonagall had said that a student’s House would become their family while at Hogwarts, Vade was not foolish enough to take those words literally.
At home, a person could do whatever they pleased. At Hogwarts, however, he needed to be more cautious than anyone else, especially after Trelawney’s prophecy.
Reconnaissance was therefore necessary.
Learning the purpose of every room in Hogwarts, the locations of its secret passages, and the usual patterns of foot traffic would be extremely useful during the years ahead.
In addition, he needed to find a secluded place where he could practise magic.
He could conceal his strength and pretend to be weak, but he could not afford to become genuinely weak.
His magical reserves were directly linked to his Sequence. Before advancing to a higher Sequence, his ability to protect himself depended largely on the strength of his magic.
Come to think of it, Hogwarts possessed the Marauder’s Map.
As long as he found that map, most of his reconnaissance would already be complete.
(To be continued.)