Transfiguration Class's Tabby Cat

On the left side, by the window, stood a tall, thin boy in front of a bed. He was standing on tiptoe, trying to shove a book, so heavy it could knock someone out, onto the top shelf of the bookshelf.

He wore a pair of round-framed glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses were focused and slightly nervous. His light brown hair was messily sticking up, as if it had just been blown by a gale.

Seeing him enter, the boy offered a shy but polite smile. "Hello, you must be Schilam Yulian Black. My name is Edgar Finch. I'm from a magic family in Yorkshire."

Yulian smiled back and greeted him. "Just call me Yulian."

"Hi! Yulian."

The speaker was the owner of the bed on the left, by the door. He was leaning against the headboard, tossing a model Golden Snitch that changed patterns on its own up and down in his hand. He had dark, slightly curly hair, a deeper skin tone, and a nonchalant look in his eyes.

"My name is Casen Moretti. I hope you don't snore at night."

This book was first published on Taiwan Novel Network, the preferred site for Taiwan novels, t̸̸w̸̸k̸̸a̸̸n̸̸.c̸̸o̸̸m̸̸. Read anytime, offering you an error-free and non-disordered reading experience.

Yulian couldn't help but laugh. He put down his suitcase and walked to his own bed—the one on the right, by the window.

"Don't worry, I'm not old enough to snore yet. But if you grind your teeth in your sleep, I might join in."

Boys of eleven or twelve are lively, and before long, the three of them were chatting. The tall arched window was open, and the night breeze, carrying moisture, gently brushed past.

Hogwarts morning. Sunlight generously streamed into the Ravenclaw Tower dormitory 307. Yulian was woken up by Casen Moretti hitting him with the Golden Snitch model—the little thing landed precisely on the tip of his nose, its cold touch making him jolt awake.

"Get up, your highness!" Casen drawled, leaning against the headboard. "If you don't get up soon, breakfast will become lunch."

"The first class today is Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class. I heard that those who are late or perform poorly will be turned into porcelain dolls and displayed on her desk as decorations."

Yulian rubbed his eyes and saw Edgar Finch already dressed and neat, meticulously smoothing every crease of his robe in front of the mirror, muttering, "'Basic Transfiguration Guide' says 'focus is the cornerstone of success'..."

"Don't be nervous, Edgar," Yulian said with a laugh as he put on his "couture" school uniform. "Professor McGonagall looks strict, but as long as you're serious, she's actually very fair. Besides, I bet she wouldn't turn us into dolls; that would be too wasteful. At least a goblet."

The three of them, joking as they hurried to the Great Hall, saw many young wizards already dining.

The Great Hall, at this time, was not arranged with the usual four long tables, but with tables placed in small groups.

As soon as Yulian found a table and sat down, he saw Hermione approaching quickly with a plate of toast, a confident glow on her face that said, "I've already previewed all the lessons."

"Good morning, Yulian!" she said, putting down the toast. "What class do you have this morning? We have Potions with Slytherin. I reread 'Basic Potions' last night and memorized all the recipes again. I'm sure I'll earn points for Gryffindor."

Yulian yawned and glanced at Hermione, thinking that Hermione was still too naive.

"You've memorized it, but do you know about Harry, Ron, and the others? Maybe you won't earn points, but they might lose them instead."

"Ugh! Why do you sound like the Weasley twins? You just can't stand seeing others do well." Hermione gave him a strange, sidelong glance. "As for Harry, I've already warned them anyway."

Just as Yulian was about to respond, he saw Harry and Ron rush over like two gusts of wind, Ron still holding an unfinished sausage in his hand.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Ron said breathlessly. "We almost got lost! These castle stairs are playing tricks on us!"

Harry seemed a bit preoccupied. He leaned closer to Yulian and whispered, "Yulian, I think I just saw Professor Snape staring at me... My scar is hurting a bit again."

"Don't worry, Harry," Yulian said, patting his shoulder. "Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe something else is watching you. But you should be careful of Snape today; I heard he's particularly difficult to deal with."

"Yulian's right," Ron chimed in. "George and Fred told me Snape specifically targets Gryffindor to deduct points."

"It's Professor Snape!" Hermione corrected from the side. She then huffed and walked away, but turned back after a few steps. "You guys, hurry up! Don't be late for the first class of the school year!"

"She talks like she's the professor," Ron muttered, having been somewhat displeased with Hermione's attitude since they were on the train.

"Haha, she's always been like that, don't mind her," Yulian explained.

"Right, Yulian, what class do you have this morning?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"We have Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class with Hufflepuff this morning, and Potions in the afternoon."

"I wish we could be in the same class," Ron grumbled. "I can't stand looking at those Slytherins."

Harry nodded in agreement beside him.

Sunlight filtered through Hogwarts' stained-glass windows, casting dappled light on the stone corridors.

Yulian, following the tail end of the morning mist, walked with his dorm mates towards the Transfiguration classroom. The silver lime wood wand in his pocket vibrated slightly, restlessly, as if anticipating something fun.

As the classroom door opened, they saw that the young wizards from Hufflepuff had arrived even earlier.

Yulian immediately spotted Lyria in the corner. She was still wrapped in that feather-adorned cloak, looking down and fiddling with something. Seeing Yulian enter, she merely lifted her ice-blue eyes before quickly lowering her head again.

Yulian pulled Edgar and Casen to a window seat in the middle-back of the classroom, a habit he'd maintained for years.

Following them, young wizards from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, such as Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Terry Boot, also gradually entered.

Yulian recalled that these individuals later became members of Dumbledore's Army, so who said Ravenclaws were just bookworms obsessed with knowledge, and Hufflepuffs weren't smart either.

Professor McGonagall had not yet arrived. A tabby cat with dark stripes and square markings around its eyes was perched on the podium.

Of course, Yulian didn't have the urge, like some other transmigrators, to go up and pet it to show off his uniqueness.

What he didn't know was that before he entered, Lyria, who was close to animals, had wanted to go up and play with the kitten, but the tabby cat had jumped away, refusing her.

The class bell rang.

The tabby cat, crouched on the podium, suddenly leaped down gracefully. Its fur rippled like waves, expanding, and in an instant, it transformed into a black wizard's robe.

The cat's elegant arching back straightened into a tall posture. The patterns of the square spectacles faded into the air, leaving only the sharp, serious eyes behind the lenses.

Amidst the gasps of all the young wizards, Professor McGonagall adjusted her collar, hiding all emotion behind her stern, unsmiling expression.