Meow Meow Meow Meow

When Lin Yuan walked out of the Charms classroom, he was immediately surrounded by his Gryffindor classmates.

"Ryan! You're a monster!" Seamus Finnigan looked at him with utter adoration, almost asking for an autograph on the spot. "Silent casting? Wandless casting? I've only read about such things in the biographies of legendary wizards in Modern Magical History! How did you do it?"

"Yeah, Ryan," Harry chimed in, his eyes sparkling with genuine curiosity and admiration. "What did you mean by 'Understanding Feathers'? It sounds so profound."

Ron, on the other hand, wore an expression of being utterly defeated and questioning his entire existence.

He poked Harry's arm with a dejected look, muttering, "Harry, I feel like out of the three of us, I'm the one responsible for comic relief and setting the atmosphere. You're the Boy Who Lived, and he's the mysterious genius who's already mastered university-level magic before school even started. As for me? I just set feathers on fire and give myself a cold shower."

"Don't say that, Ron," Harry comforted him. "Your Howler is pretty impressive too, at least it's loud enough."

Ron's face fell even further.

Hermione Granger did not join the commotion.

She walked slightly ahead of the group, her back ramrod straight, but Lin Yuan could sense a competitive spirit in her slightly quickened pace and tightly pressed lips.

Her academic pride had been challenged like never before in that moment.

Her textbook-perfect Levitation Charm had paled in comparison to Lin Yuan's seemingly effortless Mental Levitation.

Now, she was eager to prove in the next class that she was still the top of the year.

Lin Yuan offered a calm smile to the surrounding buzz, without explaining too much.

His mind was racing, comparing the just-concluded Charms class with the upcoming Transfiguration lesson.

"Charms are like applying a functional patch to a target. Then Transfiguration... according to Hermione, it's about fundamentally changing an object's core properties. In other words, it's not patching, it's rewriting the entire program's source code. The difficulty isn't even on the same scale."

A strong sense of anticipation arose within him.

Compared to those functional, flashy Charms, Transfiguration, which could touch the very essence of matter, was closer to the "Great Way" he pursued.

If he could decipher the rules of Transfiguration, he would be one step closer to deciphering life, deciphering souls, and ultimately achieving the goal of an immortal body.

They walked through several corridors and arrived in front of a spacious and brightly lit classroom.

Unlike Professor Flitwick's cozy study filled with books, this classroom appeared exceptionally empty, even a bit desolate.

Several rows of desks and chairs were neatly arranged in the room. The podium was empty, except for a tabby cat squatting quietly on it, observing every student who entered the classroom with its bright green eyes.

"Oh, look, a cat," Ron whispered. "I hope it's not Filch's Mrs. Norris. I don't want to get a detention right at the start of the term."

The students found their seats, and the classroom buzzed with whispers.

Everyone was guessing why the professor hadn't arrived yet, but a cat was perched on the podium.

Harry and Ron excitedly discussed Quidditch, while Hermione had already opened her thick Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration and was quickly previewing the material.

Lin Yuan wasn't reading.

From the moment he entered, his gaze was fixed on the tabby cat.

"Something's not right."

In his Spiritual Sense, this cat was... too "perfect."

Its life force was as steady as a straight line, and the magical patterns on its fur were as clear as a printout.

Most importantly, deep within its seemingly ordinary feline soul, lay the incredibly powerful, pure, and complex soul core of a human wizard.

The strength of that soul was like a piece of steel, tempered through countless trials – resilient, sharp, and filled with a sense of order and unquestionable authority.

"So, an Animagus," Lin Yuan understood instantly. "Perfectly integrating one's soul and magic into another creature's form, even changing the essence of its life form. This isn't just 'rewriting code' anymore; it's replacing the original system with an entirely new operating system, while retaining the core user data. Brilliant, truly brilliant."

The moment he finished his analysis, the class bell rang.

The noise in the classroom gradually subsided, but the professor still hadn't appeared.

Ron couldn't help but whisper to Harry, "Are we going to be late? Will Professor McGonagall be very fierce?"

Before he finished speaking, the tabby cat on the podium suddenly leaped down from the desk.

In mid-air, its body began to undergo a jaw-dropping transformation.

The cat's form rapidly elongated, its fur receded, its limbs became slender arms and legs, and a black wizard's robe materialized out of thin air.

When she landed on her feet, she had completely transformed into a tall witch.

Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her expression stern, and she wore a pair of square-framed glasses, her eyes behind them as sharp as an eagle's.

It was Professor Minerva McGonagall.

The entire classroom fell silent, everyone stunned into disbelief. Ron's mouth hung open, wide enough to fit an egg.

"Wow..." Harry murmured.

Professor McGonagall's sharp gaze swept across the room, her eyes seeming to pierce through everyone's inner thoughts.

"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," her voice was clear and stern, devoid of any emotion. "Anyone who is inattentive or disruptive in my class will be immediately expelled and will not be allowed to return. You have been warned."

Her gaze lingered for a second on Ron and Harry, then shifted to Hermione.

"Perhaps turning some of you into pocket watches would give you a better concept of time. At least then one of you could tell me when you should shut up."

The air in the classroom seemed to freeze.

"Transfiguration is a science that requires extremely high concentration and precise control. It's not like the little tricks you just learned where you wave your wand and see results." Her words carried a hint of disdain for Charms class. "In Transfiguration, there's no such thing as 'close enough.' Even the slightest mistake can lead to extremely serious consequences."

With a wave of her wand, the lectern in front of her instantly transformed into a roaring Mighty Lion, only to revert back to its original form the next second.

This display of fluid, top-tier Transfiguration made the new students gasp in awe once again.

"Before you can turn furniture into animals, you need to learn from the very basics," Professor McGonagall said. "Today, your goal is simple."

She waved her wand again, and a perfectly ordinary matchstick appeared out of thin air on each student's desk.

"You are to turn this matchstick into a needle."

She paused, her sharp gaze sweeping over everyone.

"This requires you to transform an organic, flammable wooden object into an inorganic, hard metal object. This involves a complete change in the essence of the material. The spell is simple, and the wand movement is also simple, but the real difficulty lies in your will – it must be firm enough, clear enough."

"You must construct an incredibly clear concept of a needle in your mind. Its hardness, its sharpness, its metallic luster, every single detail. Then, use your magic to forcibly overlay this concept onto the matchstick."

"Now, begin."

At her command, the students immediately scrambled into action.

"One, two, three, Vera Verto!"

The classroom once again echoed with the sound of incantations.

But this class was clearly not as interesting as Charms.

Most students' matchsticks merely twitched on their desks before falling still.

Harry's matchstick had one end become slightly sharper, but it still looked like wood overall.

Ron's matchstick had become somewhat bent and emitted a faint burnt smell, as if it were about to be cooked.

"Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall's voice rang out coldly, "please clarify, are you trying to turn it into a needle, or a cooked noodle?"

Ron's face instantly turned red.

Just then, Hermione Granger once again displayed her talent.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, seemingly constructing the image of a needle with all her might in her mind.

Then, she suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze incredibly focused, waved her wand, and clearly recited the incantation.

"Vera Verto!"

The matchstick on her desk began to change at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The wooden texture gradually faded, and a layer of silvery sheen emerged. The ends of the matchstick began to contract, one end sharpening, and the other developing a small, blurry eyelet.

A few seconds later, a "needle" appeared on her desk. Though somewhat rough and not sharp enough at the tip, it was undeniably made of metal.

"Very good." Professor McGonagall walked over, picked up the needle, and examined it, a rare hint of praise on her face. "While the form is not yet perfect, you have successfully changed its essence. Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor."

Hermione's face finally regained its confident smile. She subconsciously glanced in Lin Yuan's direction, a hint of challenge in her eyes.

However, Lin Yuan wasn't looking at her.

He wasn't even rushing to cast the spell.

Just then, Professor McGonagall's gaze finally fell upon Lin Yuan, who hadn't even touched his wand.

He was looking at the matchstick in front of him with that same "observing" expression.

Professor McGonagall's brow furrowed in displeasure.

The type of student she hated the most was the arrogant one who couldn't even be bothered to try.

"Mr. Lin," she said, taking a step towards him, her voice already carrying a cold, pre-storm pressure, "I hope you haven't ignored a single word I just said. Transfiguration cannot be learned by 'looking.' If you have no intention of moving that noble wand of yours, then..."

Her words were cut short.

Even as the cold, warning tone of her voice still echoed in the air.

The matchstick in front of Lin Yuan had changed.

It didn't "begin to change," it "had already changed."

The transformation happened so quickly that no one even saw the process.

The moment Professor McGonagall's words fell, the matchstick lying quietly on the tabletop seemed to have been fast-forwarded.

Unlike Hermione's matchstick, which underwent a slow, struggling, incomplete transformation, this one simply annihilated and was reborn.

That small piece of wood, in an instant, seemed to lose all physical form, decomposing directly into countless invisible, faintly shimmering, fundamental particles.

Then, these particles, under Lin Yuan's powerful and precise will, like a surgeon's scalpel, instantly reassembled in a new, perfect, and undeniable order.

"Hum--"

A barely audible hum.

When the light faded, the matchstick on the tabletop was gone.

In its place was a needle.

A needle so perfect it was breathtaking.

Its entire body was a deep silver-gray, the needle straight and its lines smooth, without the slightest flaw.

Its needle tip was so sharp it seemed capable of piercing space, shimmering with a chilling light that made one's heart palpitate.

And what was most unbelievable was that on its tiny needle tail, there was actually carved a circle of incredibly exquisite, miniature three-dimensional carvings, almost indistinguishable to the naked eye, twined like rose vines.

It was no longer a "needle transformed from a matchstick."

It was more like a work of art, crafted with utmost dedication by a master, a marvel of ingenuity--

An artwork.

"..."

Professor McGonagall's reprimand, ready to burst from her lips, got stuck in her throat.

Her face, always as stern as carved stone, completely froze at this moment.

Within a mere second, her expression went from displeasure to shock, then to bewilderment, finally settling into a shock that defied description.

She, Minerva McGonagall, one of Albus Dumbledore's most accomplished students, a recognized authority in the field of Transfiguration, and the strictest professor at Hogwarts for decades, lost her composure at this moment, under the gaze of the entire class.

She dazedly, even staggeringly, took two steps forward and arrived at Lin Yuan's desk.

Her hand, trembling slightly, reached out towards the silver needle lying quietly on the desktop, a veritable work of art.

When her fingertips touched the needle, an icy texture instantly spread from her fingertips.

This was not an illusion, not wood temporarily altered by magic.

This was a real needle.

She picked up the needle and held it before her eyes. Her usually piercing gaze, shining through her square-rimmed glasses, stared intently at it without blinking.

She saw the needle tip shimmering with a cold light, saw the flawless needle body, and finally, her gaze focused on the circle... of tiny carvings that made her lifelong learning tremble.