If you ran a survey asking which teacher people had feared most in their school days, most answers would probably be their homeroom teacher.
Just like Horatio now had to attend a class taught by the head of his House.
After enjoying the newly introduced steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk from the Hogwarts kitchen, Horatio had to admit that the kitchen's cooking was impeccable. Still, seeing his classmates use knives and forks to eat steamed buns gave him an indescribably awkward feeling.
Cho Chang of Ravenclaw felt the same way. Sharing the heritage and tastes of the Dragon Kingdom, Horatio and Cho had plenty in common when it came to food.
The interactions between Cho, Horatio, and Harry Potter were a story for another time. For now, let us turn our attention back to the Hogwarts Transfiguration classroom.
Hermione looked puzzled as she saw Horatio leaning over his desk and dry-heaving nonstop. "Horatio, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Horatio glanced at the cat on the podium. As his understanding of souls deepened, he had become able to observe the souls of things directly. Take Ron's rat, for example. To everyone else, it was just an ordinary rat searching for food on the desk. But to Horatio, it was an ugly, short, fat man sprawled across the tabletop. It had scared him so badly that he immediately fired an Avada Kedavra at the rat.
Though it had dodged, it seemed not to have dared appear in front of Horatio afterward.
Because he had openly used the Killing Curse in the common room, the Gryffindor students had more or less begun distancing themselves from him. Ron especially often whispered to Harry Potter behind his back that Horatio was a Slytherin dark wizard disguised as a Gryffindor.
Horatio had not pretended not to care. He secretly cast a Nightmare Curse on Ron, making him frequently dream of an old man lying on his chest. Unable to sleep night after night, Ron had no choice but to seek Professor McGonagall's help.
After Dumbledore learned of the situation, he dragged Horatio to the headmaster's office by the ear and gave him a full hour of moral instruction. In the end, Horatio removed the Nightmare Curse from Ron.
Still annoyed, Horatio concealed the truth and looked forward to seeing Ron's expression when he discovered it.
"Horatio, don't you really like Hathor? Why do you feel like throwing up whenever you see that cat?" Hermione asked helplessly, gently patting his back to make him feel better.
Can you imagine Professor McGonagall squatting on the podium like a cat? Horatio silently replied in his heart.
As the bell rang, Harry and Ron finally rushed into the classroom.
"Good thing Professor McGonagall isn't here yet, or we'd be done for," Ron said to Harry, still shaken.
The cat that had been sitting on the podium leaped into the air, spun 180 degrees, and landed in the water... no, transformed into Professor McGonagall.
"Perhaps I should turn you into Pocket Watches, so you'll learn to remember the time."
"Sorry, Professor. We just got lost."
"Then perhaps I should turn you into maps. Now return to your seats. And Mr. Horatio, stop throwing up. Does seeing me make you that uncomfortable?" Professor McGonagall shot Horatio a glare before turning and walking behind the podium.
"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you will study at Hogwarts. I warn you all: if anyone misbehaves in my classroom, I will ask them to leave, and they will never be allowed back in."
"Really?" Horatio perked up. Wasn't that a perfectly legitimate excuse to skip class?
"Mr. Horatio excluded. If you dare cause trouble in my class, I'll deduct House points..." Professor McGonagall suddenly realized that deducting his points would only come back to hurt herself, so she immediately changed her words. "I'll give you detention every night and make you copy Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration one hundred times a day."
"Tch, boring." Horatio instantly wilted like an eggplant struck by frost.
"All right, everyone, there's no need to pay attention to irrelevant people. Let's begin today's lesson." With that, Professor McGonagall transformed the podium into a pig, then changed it back.
"Miss Granger, do you have a question?" Professor McGonagall asked Hermione, who had been holding her hand up for quite some time.
"Professor, what exactly is Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration that you just mentioned?" Hermione stood and asked.
"Excellent question, Miss Granger. Although Transfiguration is remarkable, it must still obey certain fundamental laws. These laws are known as Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration.
First, food cannot be conjured from nothing.
Second, life cannot be created or revived.
Third, magical items cannot be created; they require the support of goblin magic or Alchemy.
Fourth, the quantity of an object cannot be increased.
Fifth, substances that do not exist in nature cannot be created."
"If Transfiguration cannot increase quantity, then why was Horatio able to turn a small boat into a large one at the start of term?"
Covering his face, Horatio spoke before Professor McGonagall could answer. "Is it possible that I first transformed the small boat into a pirate ship of the same size, then used an Engorgement Charm to make it bigger?"
"Just as Horatio said, Transfiguration cannot increase the quantity of an object, but it can be used together with other spells, such as the Engorgement Charm and the Gemino Curse. However, you must remember that things created through the Engorgement Charm and Gemino Curse are fundamentally still the original object.
"For example, if you transform a glass marble into an iron ball, then duplicate it with the Gemino Curse, you will still end up with two glass marbles, because you have not changed its essence.
"If you wish to alter the essence of an object, that falls within the domain of Alchemy."
"Then what magic did you use to turn into a cat just now, Professor?"
"That is an advanced application of Transfiguration known as Animagus transformation. This magic is extremely dangerous. You may only attempt it in your upper years and with my approval."
After finishing her exchange with the ever-curious Hermione, Professor McGonagall began explaining the key points of Transfiguration. The young Wizards were thoroughly confused and could only lower their heads and copy the obscure concepts into their notes.
Only Horatio idly looked around the room, boredly drawing Peppa Pig in his notebook, earning an angry glare from Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall then handed each young wizard a match and told them to experiment freely. But when she reached Horatio, she skipped right over him.
"??? Professor, I'm reporting you for discrimination. You know, political correctness is pretty popular these days. Maybe they'll replace you with a professor with darker skin," Horatio protested.
"Mr. Horatio, I know you have mastered Transfiguration quite well, but I hope you will show a little humility and stop disturbing your classmates during lessons." Professor McGonagall still gave Horatio a match. She was merely afraid he would pull off something outrageous in her Transfiguration class, definitely not afraid of political correctness.
Hermione gave it a try. After dozens of failures, she finally made the match change. She turned it silver, with one end becoming very sharp.
"Very well done, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall held Hermione's match up for the young Wizards to see. "As Miss Granger is the first to make a match change, Gryffindor receives one point."
Hermione took back her match and looked at Horatio provocatively.
"???"
So you really didn't learn your lesson, huh? Hadn't I shown you my Transfiguration before we even started school? And you still dared provoke me?
Professor McGonagall looked at Hermione approvingly, then gave Horatio a disdainful look.
Fine, fine. So that's how it is? If I don't make this big, then wouldn't the Transfiguration talent I raised to eleven points have been wasted?
Horatio picked up Kei and pointed it at the match. In an instant, the match transformed into a silver needle.
"Not bad, but you should remember that this is Transfiguration class, not Alchemy class." Professor McGonagall immediately saw that the match's essence had changed.
"Tch, take another look at the tip of the needle." Horatio took out a microscope and placed the needle beneath its lens.
Professor McGonagall leaned in to look. A silver Hogwarts castle stood clearly upon the needle's tip. Not only was the castle lifelike, but tiny people attending class could be seen through its windows. Those little people even moved.
As Professor McGonagall turned the silver needle, she eventually found the Transfiguration classroom. She discovered that the Hogwarts on the needle's tip was unfolding in perfect sync with the real Hogwarts. Even everyone's expressions could be seen with absolute clarity.
Professor McGonagall fell silent. At last, she said helplessly, "An exquisite feat of Transfiguration. Your talent truly cannot be questioned. Fine. Do whatever you want in my classroom, as long as you don't disturb the other students."
"Oh, and for your outstanding Alchemy and Transfiguration, Gryffindor receives five points. Class dismissed."
After class, the young Wizards all crowded around the microscope and saw the Hogwarts on the tip of the needle, crying out in amazement again and again.
Hermione could not help falling silent when she saw it.
With a smug expression, Horatio made the gesture K-pop idols hated most with his right hand. "Actually, the gap between us is only a tiny little hundred million points."
Before you continue