About the Eyes

The next morning, when Loren got up, dawn had only just broken outside.

Seeing that the others were still asleep, Loren quietly got dressed and slipped out.

The pudding he had put in his pocket last night had been replaced by a House-elf with a fresh one. The one he had hidden last night had been lemon-flavored, while this one was Strawberry Flavor.

After leaving the common room and having breakfast, he roughly explored the Castle's First Floor and Second Floor.

Looking at the girls' bathroom, Loren felt eager to give it a try, but he did not know Serpentese, and Moaning Myrtle should be inside. On the first day of school, he did not want his new classmates to think he was a pervert, so he gave up.

The entire Castle carried an ancient sense of history, clean yet imposing. All sorts of portraits hung along the corridors. Many of the people in them were alive, and some even greeted Loren.

After making a rough circuit of the place, he had spent much of his time on the Staircase. Loren did not understand how it operated and could only wait helplessly for it to change direction. A few times, it carried him straight from the First Floor to the Second Floor, or brought him back down. In the end, it took him a long time to find his way out.

More and more students filled the corridors, so Loren returned to the dormitory and woke Harry and the others, who were still asleep. Without waiting long, he grabbed his textbooks and hurried to his first Transfiguration Class.

When he arrived at the classroom, Professor McGonagall, in cat form, was already sitting on the desk. Her two front paws were neatly together, and her tail curled in front of them.

Loren's eyes immediately became deep again as his Talent Vision activated. A soft red glow radiated from the cat.

Professor McGonagall in cat form raised her head and met Loren's gaze. She noticed those blue eyes tinged with obscure shadows. But she made no move. Demonstrating Animagus transformation to First Years during their first lesson was an effective way to spark their interest in Transfiguration Class.

His vision quickly returned to normal. Loren pretended not to know anything and found a seat.

Hermione had already arrived as well. She sat in the middle of the room, flipping through her Transfiguration textbook.

"Did you see that cat on the desk?" Loren leaned over.

Hermione did not even look up. "It was already there before I arrived. If I were you, I'd review first instead of chatting."

"There's still plenty of time before class, and you've practically memorized the textbook already. Why not go pet the cat?" Loren smiled like a Devil tricking someone into signing a soul contract.

Hermione glanced furtively at the cat on the desk, tempted. She really had nearly memorized the textbook. Her constant rereading was only to ease the complicated emotions of excitement and nervousness.

"Look at that Tabby Cat. Its fur is glossy, it's clean, and it's so well-behaved. While there aren't many people around, petting it a couple of times would definitely be satisfying." Loren looked utterly malicious.

Prompted by a certain someone, Hermione went up to smooth the Tabby Cat's fur and pat its head. In a completely unfamiliar environment, this was a challenge for her, and she soon came back down.

Loren sat up straight. "Well? Nice, wasn't it?"

Hermione smiled, looking much more relaxed. "What do you think Professor McGonagall will teach us today? I think it'll be magical theory, or perhaps some simple Transfiguration."

The little person in Loren's heart was already impatient, but he held back and said solemnly, "I don't know, but I haven't memorized the textbook yet, so I need to... pfft, cough, cough." He could not hold it in and pretended to cough twice.

Loren opened his book with an expression of righteous determination, as if he were about to study. "All right, stop talking."

Harry and Ron were still late. They had spent too much time chatting over breakfast, then got trapped on the Staircase for quite a while.

Hermione looked at the last two to enter with some disdain, pursed her lips, and turned toward the desk—only to watch helplessly as the Tabby Cat in front transformed into a stern-faced Professor McGonagall.

The girl's face turned pale at once, and she froze, unable to say a word.

Loren chuckled beside her, his shoulders shaking, though he did not dare laugh aloud.

After reprimanding the late Harry and Ron, Professor McGonagall began the lesson.

"What you just saw was Animagus transformation, an advanced form of Transfiguration. It allows people to transform into suitable animals and accomplish many things humans cannot."

The students grew excited, and the classroom filled with chatter.

"I want to become a lion! The great Gryffindor's Animagus must be a lion!"

"If you ask me, it should be an eagle. Then you could fly."

"Could Slytherin's Animagus be a snake?"

The topic gradually drifted from what they wanted to become in increasingly strange directions.

"Quiet!"

Professor McGonagall looked at the noisy classroom and pointed her wand at the desk. The desk began to twist and swell. One end sprouted a tail, the other turned into a pig's head, and when the corners became four hoofed legs, the entire desk transformed into a huge fat pig, squealing wildly.

The students all widened their eyes, captivated by the incredible Transfiguration, and fell silent.

Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at the fat pig the desk had become, her stern gaze sweeping across the students below. It was as though she were saying that anyone who misbehaved would be turned into a fat pig too.

Under Professor McGonagall's explanation, the students gradually understood that Transfiguration involved profound theory and required a great deal of practice.

Professor McGonagall handed each of them a match and had them try to turn it into a needle.

Hermione did not say a single word to Loren throughout the lesson. She repeatedly waved her wand, causing her match to undergo some noticeable changes.

Loren leaned over to Hermione and began trying to make amends. "Before you wave your wand, carefully picture the needle in your mind. How long it is, how thin it is, which end is the point."

Hermione did not reply and swung her wand forcefully.

Hearing the short wand cut through the air with a faint whistle, Loren felt Hermione really wanted to smash his head in.

Before long, Hermione barely transformed her match into a needle. It was still as thick as a matchstick, but it had the rough shape of a needle.

"Hermione Granger has improved quickly. She deserves five points." Professor McGonagall showed a rare smile. She was delighted to see a talented student.

The professor did not seem to care about her disrespectful act, and Hermione finally felt at ease.

Professor McGonagall demonstrated the transformation process a few more times and explained several key points.

"Loren Morgan, come to my office tonight," Professor McGonagall said after class.

Loren's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, the real culprit behind the prank has been discovered. There's no blind Dora here.

That afternoon was Herbology Class. Professor Pomona Sprout was not a stern person, and her class was interesting as well, so it passed quickly.

Although Hermione was in the same group as Loren, she still did not say a single word to him.

That evening, Loren came to Professor McGonagall's office, a small study beside the Second Floor corridor.

Not long after he knocked, Professor McGonagall's voice came through the wooden door. "Come in."

Loren entered and saw Professor McGonagall grading something, perhaps upper-year assignments or something else.

He found a chair and sat properly. Since Professor McGonagall did not speak, he waited quietly.

After a while, McGonagall looked up, rose from behind her desk, and walked to the door. "Come. You're going to meet Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Professor McGonagall, it was just a prank. It doesn't warrant seeing the Headmaster, does it?" Loren panicked at once.

Professor McGonagall said nothing and walked straight out of the office.

Loren hurried after her, explaining as they went, "I really wasn't trying to maliciously prank you and Hermione..."

Professor McGonagall kept a stern face and did not say a word the entire way. She needed to teach this boy a lesson. She led Loren to the Third Floor and stopped in front of a huge Stone Gargoyle.

"Licorice Wands!" After she spoke the password, the Stone Gargoyle jumped aside, and the wall behind it split in two.

Behind the wall was a spiral Staircase moving slowly upward like an escalator.

As soon as Loren and Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, they heard a rumble behind them as the wall closed again. They spiraled higher and higher, until at last they stopped before a gleaming oak door with a Brass Door Knocker shaped like a Griffin.

Loren followed Professor McGonagall inside. The white-bearded Dumbledore was already waiting there. Seeing them enter, he said to Loren with utter seriousness, "Hmm, Mr. Morgan, it is a pleasure to meet you."

No matter the situation, Loren had never failed to catch a joke. He sat down as though they were old friends. "Oh! Headmaster Dumbledore, I've heard so much about you."

"Ha ha ha ha..." ×2

Their gazes met, and they burst into cheerful laughter together. Dumbledore pulled out a box of Cockroach Clusters from beneath his desk and handed it to Loren. "Being around young people makes this old man feel a little younger too."

Loren understood as well. This probably was not the prelude to expulsion. He swiftly took one and popped it into his mouth. "Then you should come to the common room more often and tell us some stories."

Seeing Loren's decisive movement, Dumbledore's smile grew more satisfied. "Professor McGonagall told me about you. Hogwarts always encounters students of extraordinary talent."

Loren was a little confused. Was pranking people a sign of talent?

Professor McGonagall, who had long been speechless at the interaction between these two, finally spoke. "Loren's eyes are somewhat unusual. He can see things that others find difficult to see."

"Yes, before the school year began, you told me there was a student who could see where an Apparition would land," Dumbledore said.

Professor McGonagall added, "And this morning, Loren seemed able to see through my Animagus form, so I brought him here for you to take a look."

Loren realized that this was about his mysterious talent.

"Can you share your unique perspective with us, Loren?" Dumbledore looked at him with a smile.

"Of course!"

Loren also wanted to know what this talent actually was. He began carefully recalling what he had seen. "Regarding Apparition, before Professor McGonagall appeared, I seemed to see space distort in a blurry way."

He paused, then continued, "This morning, I saw a red glow on the cat at the desk. It gave me a familiar feeling, so I roughly guessed."

Professor McGonagall took the opportunity to add, "And then he used that to prank poor Miss Granger, leaving her terrified for an entire lesson."

"Ha ha ha ha, what an enviable age," Dumbledore said with a laugh.

After that, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall began talking. They told Loren that many people in this world possessed extraordinary talents.

Some were inherited through bloodlines, such as half-blood wizards possessing the enchanting abilities of Veela. Others awakened on their own, such as Metamorphmagus abilities that could alter one's appearance, or the gift of prophecy.

Neither of them knew exactly what was going on with Loren's eyes. Dumbledore said he would look through some records and ask a few old friends, then tell Loren once he had an answer.

The conversation lasted quite a while, and Loren and Dumbledore finished an entire box of Cockroach Clusters.

When Professor McGonagall said it was time to leave, Loren made up his mind and spoke. "By the way, Headmaster Dumbledore, I also saw some strange scenes. I think I should tell you about them."