Transfiguration

The green and yellow school uniform collars were clearly divided in the Transfiguration classroom, each occupying the back rows on the left and right sides. There were few new students in this year to begin with, and aside from the last three rows, the six desks in the middle column were mostly empty.

Most Hufflepuff students did not particularly enjoy attending class, and even those who did followed their easygoing nature and sat in the back with their friends. Most Slytherins, meanwhile, had heard from their families about the close relationship between this Gryffindor Head of House and the Dark Lord Grindelwald. They held Dumbledore in awe and did not dare sit too close to him.

Because Xiwen and the other three had arrived too late, only three desks in the first three rows of the middle column and the first two desks in the right column remained. As for the two empty desks on the left side where Hufflepuff sat, they selectively ignored them.

Xiwen found Hogwarts' teaching style quite novel. Ignoring Abu and Mobley's attempts to dissuade him, he walked alone to a desk near the front of the middle column and sat down.

When Elshiona saw Xiwen take the seat closest to the lectern, she gritted her teeth and motioned for Abraxas and the others to sit at the third desk on the right, which she had previously occupied alone. Then, clutching her textbooks, she sat down beside Xiwen and said resentfully, "So you really are a Ravenclaw, aren't you?"

Xiwen was just about to say something when the bell announcing the start of class rang throughout the castle. As it chimed, one of the chairs behind the lectern suddenly changed!

The entire chair stretched and grew taller, its structure becoming solid before condensing into the form of a tall, thin middle-aged man—wearing a dark gray trench coat, with brown hair and beard, a slightly crooked nose, and sharp, profound, wise eyes. He was now studying the stunned young wizards with an amused expression.

Xiwen and Elshiona were the closest and saw everything most clearly. They were also the most frightened...

Elshiona glared fiercely at Xiwen, seemingly blaming him for causing her to be startled face-to-face. Xiwen gave her an innocent look, indicating that he had not expected this at all.

"All right, students!" Dumbledore clapped his hands, signaling everyone to be quiet. "It is time for class. I am very pleased that no young wizard was late or absent for the first lesson of term, but I must still remind Messrs. Rozier, Malfoy, Vole, and Greaves that next time, you should arrive earlier and leave yourselves some time to organize your books and stationery."

Hearing this, Xiwen looked at his completely bare desk and silently took out his textbook, quill, and ink from Pocket Watch Space. He carefully placed them on the desk, afraid of attracting Dumbledore's attention.

Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished. Dumbledore immediately noticed Xiwen's little movements right under his nose. With a soft laugh, he said, "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Mr. Rozier. Would the other three gentlemen be willing to cooperate as well?"

Abraxas and the other two fumbled about in a panic, only to discover that Gomez was the only one who had brought A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Abraxas had accidentally brought A Brief History of the Wizarding World, while Mobley had forgotten to bring a book altogether!

"It seems you have encountered a little trouble!" Dumbledore said lightly, apparently not angry at all. "Mr. Greaves, do not sit by yourself. Bring your chair and sit with your two friends. I believe they need some help."

Abu and Mobley watched gloomily as Gomez squeezed in with them at one desk, creating a rather unique sight in the classroom.

Xiwen glanced at Dumbledore in surprise. This Transfiguration professor could easily have used a simple Copying Charm to produce a textbook for each of them, but he had not done so. Instead, he had arranged for Gomez, the only person in the classroom without a desk mate, to sit with the two of them. It seemed he was subtly trying to help Gomez fit in.

Could such a considerate person really be the "untrustworthy dark wizard" his mother had spoken of? Or was he simply overthinking it?

He had no time to dwell on it. Dumbledore had already begun the lesson. Xiwen quickly sat upright, ready to listen carefully to how this great wizard, said to stand on the same level as the Dark Lord, taught his students.

"Before formally studying Transformation, I hope you understand that it is the most complex, difficult, and dangerous subject you will learn during your time at Hogwarts," he said solemnly. "Human Transformation, like the demonstration I just gave you, can only be achieved after your Transformation reaches a certain level. I must emphasize that before you have mastered the fundamentals of Transformation, absolutely no one may casually attempt Human Transformation..."

Dumbledore then vividly described several cases of failed Human Transformation. Some people had lost their lives, some had spent the rest of their lives in hospitals, some had lived forever with failed transformed bodies, and some had turned themselves into malformed and dangerous magical creatures...

The young wizards present all turned pale with fright, developing an intense reverence for Transformation.

"Even so," Dumbledore said, changing the subject, "Transformation is still highly practical magic, whether in daily life or in battle. Simple, basic Transformation will not pose much danger either."

As the young wizards breathed sighs of relief, Dumbledore assigned them a task: memorize Gamp's Fundamental Law of Transfiguration within twenty minutes.

"If everyone progresses quickly enough, then after the break, we can get right into practice!" Dumbledore winked at the young wizards.

During the break, Dumbledore left the classroom, though no one knew where he had gone. Xiwen was idly flipping through his Transformation textbook when he heard Abu and Mobley talking behind and to his right.

"I feel like Dumbledore is not as evil as my father described," Abu said.

"Who knows? You can know a person's face but not their heart!" Mobley retorted.

Elshiona, beside him, patted Xiwen's arm and asked, "Did your family tell you about Dumbledore too?"

"That's right," Xiwen replied. "It is as though everyone knows about the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald."

Elshiona curled her lip disdainfully. "Only pure-bloods like us can get this sort of information. The Ministry of Magic is still counting on Dumbledore to fight the Dark Lord, so they would never release these matters to others! My mother has always thought Dumbledore was avoiding a duel with Grindelwald. Maybe his reputation is undeserved."

Xiwen carefully thought back to the chair Dumbledore had transformed before class. Even with the spiritual strength of his two lifetimes, he had not detected the slightest flaw.

In his previous life, Xiwen had spent years strengthening his soul to combat the incompatibility between his soul and the universe. He had consumed countless precious medicinal herbs and endured more than twenty years of tempering beneath the crushing pressure of the entire universe. His soul power had reached heights ordinary people could only look up to.

So he shook his head and said, "I do not think so. There may be some other hidden reason."

At that moment, the bell rang again. Dumbledore appeared punctually at the lectern and even winked at Xiwen below. Xiwen's heart jumped, and he hurriedly reflected on whether he had said anything wrong just now.

However, Dumbledore said nothing about it and went straight to the point. "Class begins! First, I would like to ask: can anyone recite the key points of Gamp's Fundamental Law of Transfiguration?"

The surrounding area was silent, as though no one had seriously memorized the textbook during the previous lesson.

Seeing Dumbledore's gaze settle on him, Xiwen thought for a moment before silently raising his hand.

Dumbledore naturally called on him. "Mr. Rozier."

Under Elshiona's astonished gaze, Xiwen stood and accurately recited several key points.

"Very good, entirely correct!" Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction. "Five points to Slytherin."

After Xiwen sat down, Elshiona indignantly passed him a note. Written on it were the words: "So you spent the entire last lesson passing notes with me because you had already memorized it?"

Xiwen innocently wrote the two words, "That's right," and passed it back, making her grind her teeth in anger.

Under the expectant gazes of the young wizards, Dumbledore flicked his wand. In an instant, a match appeared on every desk.

"Today's task is to turn this match into a needle," he explained.

"Ah?" Upon hearing this, many young wizards looked disappointed, saying that anyone with hands could do it.

"Quiet!" Dumbledore said. "Do not think Transformation will be easy just because a match is small. Once you try it yourselves, you will discover the true difficulty of Transformation."

He waved his hand broadly. "Now, begin your practice!"

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