Transfiguration

If he set aside his pursuit of power and had to choose the subject that interested him most, Vaughan would absolutely choose Transfiguration!

Its vastness, complexity, and versatility touched upon nearly every aspect of the wizarding world.

If there was one discipline that could represent magic itself, Transfiguration would undoubtedly rank first!

Especially its advanced form: Animagus transformation!

After casually dismissing Neville, Vaughan and Hermione took seats at the front and kept staring at the tabby cat.

Hermione found his behavior rather strange. "Vaughan, is there something wrong with that cat?"

"Nothing."

Vaughan certainly did not dare expose Professor McGonagall's little trick.

Honestly, if he had not read the original story and known McGonagall's methods, then at his current level, there was no way he could have identified it as an Animagus transformation with just a hurried glance.

It was far too natural—the distribution of its colors, the amount and condition of its fur, everything seemed utterly seamless.

Only by observing it deliberately could one notice that the tabby lacked normal animal habits, though even that was the result of McGonagall's deliberate control.

She merely wanted to give the young wizards a warning, not secretly spy on anyone.

Hermione did not think much of it, but Professor McGonagall, standing at the podium, was secretly startled.

Over all her years of teaching, she had encountered plenty of young wizards who liked cats and stared at her. But the moment her eyes met Vaughan's, she knew that this Weasley who also liked cats was looking at her with curiosity and amazement.

He had truly discovered her identity!

Perhaps another promising talent for Transfiguration... even if he was a Slytherin.

McGonagall could not help nodding at Vaughan. Vaughan responded with a slight bow, and their silent exchange startled Hermione.

"Vaughan, it—no, she..."

"Shh—this is the professor's surprise."

Hermione quickly covered her mouth and stared curiously at McGonagall.

As class time approached, students gradually filed into the classroom.

A few noticed the tabby cat on the podium, but none gave it a second glance.

When the famous Harry Potter and his dormmate Ron Weasley finally entered last, McGonagall leaped down from the podium, undid her Animagus transformation, and returned to human form.

The entire classroom erupted in astonishment.

It was undoubtedly a successful entrance—one only had to look at the young wizards' shining eyes to see that—but McGonagall was far from pleased.

Because two students had been late on the very first day of class.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. We—Ron Weasley, perhaps I should turn the two of you into pocket watches, so you can remember when class begins?"

"We got lost, Professor," Harry explained stiffly.

"Then should I turn you into maps?"

McGonagall's expression grew even sterner. "Why are you not finding seats? Do you need maps to return to your seats as well? And since you were late, Gryffindor will lose five points. I hope you remember this lesson!"

The two were silent as mice as they hurried dejectedly over to sit beside Vaughan and Hermione.

Those were the only empty seats in the classroom. It seemed that no matter where one was, the seats closest to the teacher were never popular.

"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous form of magic you will study at Hogwarts."

McGonagall waved her wand, turning the desk into a pig. Amid the students' collective gasp, she declared loudly, "Anyone who dares to fool around in my classroom will be punished. Do not say I did not warn you!"

Harry and Ron turned pale with fright.

"The professor is only trying to scare you," Hermione whispered. "Hogwarts stopped allowing Transfiguration to be used to punish students long ago. I read it in A History of Hogwarts."

But before the two could relax, Vaughan added, "But no one can supervise the professors. If she secretly turns you into pigs, nobody would ever know."

Ron gave Vaughan a sullen look. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he listlessly kept quiet.

Harry, on the other hand, still had a favorable impression of Vaughan and did not mind the teasing.

Ever since he had learned of the wizarding world, everyone around him had told him how awful Slytherin was.

But he had never truly felt it himself.

Thus, when McGonagall continued, "Before class begins, I must commend Mr. Vaughan Weasley. He was the only one in the class who noticed my Animagus transformation, so I will award Slytherin five points,"

Harry and Hermione applauded enthusiastically.

Ron muttered under his breath, "Traitor!"

But no one paid him any attention.

McGonagall then began the lesson.

Vaughan opened his textbook, Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Hermione noticed that its pages were densely filled with notes.

"You've already tried it?" Hermione exclaimed.

Vaughan nodded. "Only object transfiguration, and I still have a lot of questions."

As he spoke, he noticed the yearning look on Hermione's face and had to remind her, "I don't recommend trying it on your own, Hermione. If you have any questions, ask me or a professor."

Speaking from Vaughan's own experience, Professor McGonagall's opening remarks had not been exaggerated in the slightest.

Transfiguration truly was the most complex and dangerous subject. Simple changes to an object's shape were one thing—

What Vaughan had tried the previous night, turning dried fish into a mouse, had technically still been object transfiguration. It had not reached the level of living transfiguration.

That mouse had been fake. It was not a living creature.

Living transfiguration meant turning a living creature into an object in another state, or into another kind of living creature. Such changes involved life forms and modes of existence; even if they lasted only briefly, they were filled with unforeseeable accidents.

Just imagine it: you turned a rabbit into a teacup, but when the spell was undone, it did not turn back into a rabbit. Instead, it became a twisted heap of rotten flesh. Worse still, it remained alive for a while, struggling and shrieking without end. That kind of shock...

In any case, after trying it once, Vaughan had been unable to eat for several days.

That was with his mature mindset and his understanding of caution and restraint.

If some young wizard rashly attempted human transfiguration and something like that happened, how horrific would it be...

When class began, Professor McGonagall first took some time to explain the material.

To the young wizards with no foundation in the subject, what Professor McGonagall taught was both complicated and profound. They could only hurriedly jot down the key points.

But for Vaughan, it was an excellent opportunity to verify his own foundations and train of thought.

He spent the entire class bent over his notes, comparing them with his own and marking every similarity and difference between the two.

At the end of class, Professor McGonagall handed everyone a match and asked them to turn it into a needle.

She also taught them an incantation: "Quick Transfiguration."

Everyone learned it, but the incantation only played an assisting role. It was not the key to transfiguration itself. Thus, by the time class ended, only Vaughan had succeeded.

Hermione had managed to change her match. One end had already become pointed.

"Excellent, excellent! Mr. Vaughan Weasley and Miss Granger."

Professor McGonagall held up their results for the whole class to see. "As you can see, Mr. Vaughan Weasley's transfiguration is flawless. Miss Granger has not completely succeeded yet, but she has already met my requirements. I believe that if she had another ten minutes, she would be able to produce a needle."

"Ten points to Slytherin and ten points to Gryffindor. All right, your homework is..."

After assigning the essay and dismissing the class, Professor McGonagall stopped Vaughan. "Mr. Vaughan Weasley, please stay behind. There are some things I need to discuss with you."