The events in the common room couldn't be kept quiet, but even after word reached Snape, he still hadn't taken any action.
He was too busy.
As annoying as Ezio was, and no matter how much trouble he caused, Snape was far more concerned about Harry being in Slytherin.
Since Snape hadn't come looking for him, Ezio didn't feel like seeking him out either. Now that term had finally begun, he had a whole list of questions he wanted to ask the professors.
Their first class of the year was Transfiguration with Hufflepuff. The first-year schedule was fairly relaxed, leaving students plenty of time to get familiar with the school. Their nine o'clock Transfiguration class gave the young witches and wizards enough time to find the classroom. The portraits lining Hogwarts's corridors were very friendly and were happy to tell anyone which way to go. If that didn't work, they could always ask one of the suits of armor stationed throughout the school. They couldn't speak, but they would point the way.
The little Slytherin snakes were somewhat nervous. It wasn't just because they'd heard the previous night that Slytherin was about to start weeding out the unqualified. Professor McGonagall had also left a sufficiently stern impression on them on the first day of term. That teacher, who always had a tight-lipped expression, looked like someone you didn't want to cross.
When the clock in the classroom struck nine, the room was perfectly quiet, but there was still no sign of the teacher at the door. As everyone wondered what was going on, the tabby cat that had been crouching on the teacher's desk—probably someone's pet—suddenly leapt into the air. Its body blurred and shifted midair, and when it landed, Professor McGonagall, wearing an emerald-green wizard's robe, had appeared before them.
Even though he'd been expecting it, Ezio was still captivated by the Animagus Transformation. He'd even used Eagle Vision to sharpen his observations, but while Professor McGonagall was in cat form, he couldn't spot even the slightest trace of disguise.
In terms of concealment, the Animagus Transformation was incredibly effective.
But it wasn't without flaws. For instance, when Professor McGonagall turned into a cat, her square spectacles became markings around the cat's eyes. Such markings were unusual on a tabby, and that unnatural detail was a tiny flaw in the Animagus Transformation.
Amid the young wizards' gasps, Professor McGonagall spoke, her expression stern. The classroom fell silent at once.
"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you will study at Hogwarts." Her gaze swept across the room, prompting the young witches and wizards to sit up straighter. "Anyone who misbehaves in my class will be asked to leave and will never be allowed back in. Consider yourselves warned."
As she spoke, she drew her wand and gave it a casual wave. The teacher's desk beside her turned into a plump white pig. After a few snorts, the pig turned back into a desk.
In the Wizarding World, pigs were among the creatures least attuned to magic. There were fewer magical creatures related to pigs than to any other animal, and their magical abilities were relatively weak.
"Now, open your textbooks and put your wands away. In our first lesson, we'll begin by studying the fundamental principles of Transfiguration. There are strict rules about what Transfiguration can and cannot do, and I expect you all to remember them."
Over the next while, Professor McGonagall taught them Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, a set of principles and rules established by a great Transfiguration master. It clarified the conservation laws of Transfiguration and established the levels of complexity involved.
The young witches and wizards diligently copied the material onto their parchment. They would need to remember everything written on that page for their future Transfiguration lessons.
The first part of the two-hour lesson was a little tedious, but there was no avoiding it. Fortunately, every young wizard followed Professor McGonagall's rules, and nobody misbehaved.
Just as their fingers began to ache from writing, Professor McGonagall paused her explanation of the theory.
"I expect each of you to remember these most basic principles. I'll be testing you on them next lesson, so make sure you spend time memorizing them when you get back."
"Now, let's try the most basic introductory Transfiguration. Put your books aside and take out your wands."
The classroom immediately grew livelier. Professor McGonagall took out a large box of matches, then waved her wand and handed one to each student.
"Can anyone tell me what the first thing you need to do when you want to perform Transfiguration?"
"Imagine it, Professor," Ezio said quietly. Several people nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. Imagine the thing you want to transform into, then use your magic to change the object. The better you know and understand the thing you want to create, the better your Transfiguration will be."
"Slytherin earns a point." Professor McGonagall nodded at Ezio.
"Try turning the match in front of you into a needle. You have half an hour to practise."
The young witches and wizards, who had been eager to try, either waved their wands excitedly or concentrated on imagining a match turning into a needle. Professor McGonagall walked through the lively classroom, observing each student.
"Transfiguration is so hard." Harry tapped the match with the tip of his wand, but only made it roll over. "I have no idea what to do."
"You haven't got the feel for it yet." Ezio gently tapped the match with his wand. A gleaming silver needle appeared before him. Transfiguration had been the subject he'd struggled with most while studying on his own, but he'd managed to get the hang of transforming inanimate objects.
"What do you mean, the feel for it?" Harry asked curiously after seeing Ezio complete the transformation.
"Direct your magic and make it do what you want. If I had to put it into words, you need to learn to release your magic through the tip of your wand."
"That's a very apt way of putting it, Ezio." Professor McGonagall's warm voice came from behind him. She had sharp eyes, and as soon as she saw that Ezio had completed the transformation, she'd walked over. "Besides imagining the object, another fundamental step in Transfiguration is releasing your magic to surround the object you want to transform, then changing it."
"So the difficult part of transforming living things is using magic to surround and capture something that's moving?"
Ezio turned and looked up at Professor McGonagall.
"You could put it that way, but I think there's one more step missing." Professor McGonagall didn't keep her knowledge to herself. After all, students would begin learning to transform living things little by little in their third year.
"When you cast Transfiguration on any living creature, you also have to 'suppress' it. In other words, you need to be able to keep it from resisting. That's the most difficult part of transforming living things—and even more so when it comes to Human Transfiguration."
"Looks like you did a good job studying and practising over the holidays."
After looking down at the needle Ezio had made, Professor McGonagall nodded with satisfaction.
"The transformation is perfect. The shape and sheen are both excellent. Slytherin earns five points."
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