Transfiguration Class

Hogwarts had many staircases—one hundred and forty-two in all.

They came in all sorts of shapes. Some were broad and grand, some narrow and small, some swayed precariously, and some even led to different places at different times.

What astonished Harry most was that after climbing some staircases to a certain point, the steps would suddenly vanish. That was far too dangerous. Were the professors really not afraid that Young Wizards would fall to their deaths?

Still, those staircases were relatively easy to deal with. As long as one memorized their patterns, one could pass through them safely. The truly difficult things to handle were the various corridors and doors.

Some doors were hidden behind portraits. If you did not amuse the portraits, they would not open the doors for you.

Other portraits disguised themselves as doors. Even if you amused them, you would find nothing but a wall behind them.

What left Young Wizards even more despairing was that these portraits were constantly moving. Only by remembering what each portrait looked like could one avoid being tricked.

Harry did not understand why Hogwarts Castle had these spells fixed into it. Could it be that the castle had once been a military fortress, only becoming a school after the war ended?

Under such circumstances, if ghosts had not guided them on their first day of classes, many Young Wizards would probably have been late.

Even Harry had nearly been late, but he had directly grabbed Ron by the collar and flown from the fourth floor down to the second. Instead, that put them ahead of everyone else.

Ron patted his chest, his face full of excitement. "Wow, that was so cool! You can actually fly! Harry, is that your Bloodline Magic too?"

Harry had long been prepared to pin all Kamar-Taj magic on the all-purpose Bloodline Magic. "Yes, that's right."

At that moment, a gaunt figure leaned out over the railing on the fourth floor and shouted at the two of them, "Oh, damn it! You two little Trolls! You can't ride Flying Broomsticks inside the castle! Looks like I need to teach you a lesson and put you in detention so you'll remember it!"

Ron jumped at Filch's shrill voice, while Harry retorted, "Mr. Filch, we weren't riding Flying Broomsticks. We flew down directly. Look, like this."

He lifted both feet off the ground and demonstrated for Filch.

Filch froze. He had never seen a wizard who could fly without a Flying Broomstick.

That made him swallow the venom that was about to spill from his mouth. He could only say to Harry with a dark expression, "Even without a Flying Broomstick, it's not allowed. This is the last time!"

Only after Filch left did Ron lower his voice. "Filch is really terrifying. No wonder almost every Young Wizard hates him."

Harry raised an eyebrow and smiled mysteriously. "Don't worry. He'll behave himself soon enough."

Ron did not understand and gave Harry a puzzled look.

"Don't forget, I can 'lend.' And borrowers aren't limited to wizards. Squibs and even Muggles can do it!"

"That's right! Filch is practically mad with how badly he wants to cast magic!"

Ron was only an innocent Young Wizard. He could not grasp how profound an impact Harry's words could have on the present-day Wizarding World.

He was simply happy that he would not have to worry about Filch anymore.

When the two arrived at the Transfiguration Class classroom on the first floor, some Young Wizards were already seated.

Hermione sat in the front row on the left, waving at Harry. "Harry, come over here. There's a seat."

Harry walked toward Hermione. Just as he was about to sit down, he suddenly noticed a cat sitting on the teacher's desk.

The cat was beautiful—a silver tabby British Shorthair.

Its black-and-gray fur was soft and smooth, gleaming beneath the sunlight.

What made Harry even more curious were its eyes. A ring of pale black fur surrounded them, making it look as though it were wearing glasses.

Harry curiously examined the beautiful cat and walked toward it.

He could sense magic within the cat's body, and it was quite powerful.

Was this a magical cat?

Just as Harry was about to pick it up for a closer look, the cat seemed to be startled and immediately leaped down from the desk.

To his astonishment, it rapidly grew larger, eventually turning into a Witch dressed in green robes.

The cat was Professor McGonagall!

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing?" Professor McGonagall was still a little shaken. If Harry had held her in his arms, how could she ever face these students again?

Seeing that Professor McGonagall was a little angry, Harry immediately explained, "Sorry, Professor. I didn't know that cat was you. I sensed magic inside it and thought it was a magical cat, so I wanted to examine it."

"Oh? Being able to sense magic—is that also your talent?"

Harry knew what Professor McGonagall meant. It seemed that word of his Bloodline Magic had already spread. "Yes, it's my talent. It awakened when I received my acceptance letter."

"What an extraordinary talent." Professor McGonagall gave Harry a long look and accepted his explanation. "Now then, Mr. Potter, return to your seat. Class will begin shortly."

Just after sitting down, Hermione, on Harry's left, sincerely praised, "Professor McGonagall is truly a learned master of Transfiguration. She can even turn herself into a cat."

Harry nodded. "I know that magic. It isn't ordinary Transfiguration, but an advanced form of Transfiguration called an 'Animagus.'

An Animagus referred to a wizard who could transform themselves into an animal.

It was an extremely complex and advanced magical skill, requiring rigorous training and complicated magical procedures to master."

"That's so cool!" Hermione seemed very interested in Animagi.

But Harry fell into thought. He thought of Scabbers and the Giant Squid beneath the Black Lake.

He had never seen an Animagus before. Even when he sensed magic within them, he had merely assumed they were Magical Creatures.

But now Harry realized that the magic within them resembled the cat Professor McGonagall had transformed into, as well as that of Filch, the Squib.

Their magic was chaotic and disordered, difficult to control. Magic like that made it hard to cast spells.

Harry could not help wondering whether Scabbers and the Giant Squid beneath the Black Lake might also be Animagi rather than Magical Creatures.

To verify this guess, Harry planned to find time to visit the Forbidden Forest.

As for the prohibition Dumbledore had announced before, Harry felt that the Supreme Mage never followed the rules!

The class bell rang. Professor McGonagall swept her gaze across the classroom and nodded in satisfaction when she saw that no one was late.

"Ahem. Let us begin class. I am McGonagall, your Transfiguration professor.

Transfiguration is the most complex and most dangerous magic among the subjects you will study at Hogwarts.

Therefore, if anyone misbehaves in my class, I will ask them to leave and never allow them back in.

I have warned you!"

Professor McGonagall glanced at Harry, leaving him feeling rather innocent. It seemed Professor McGonagall held a bit of a grudge.