The first lesson

Early the next morning, Will leisurely left his dormitory carrying a small bookcase. The lantern decorations in the common room were gone; he had no idea who had taken them down. Some Slytherin students stared at him with hostility, but Will ignored them.

Leaving them to it, Will followed the long staircases, which moved of their own accord and could even suddenly disappear, to the Hogwarts dining hall.

For breakfast, Will preferred lightly charred sausages with toast spread with ketchup, partly because they tasted good and partly because they were quick to prepare.

At Hogwarts, though, he did not have to cook at all. Breakfast was a lavish affair, with the house-elves preparing a wide variety of dishes.

Will was reading "Principles of Transfiguration—Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration Explained" while chewing on a tender roasted chicken leg when a young witch suddenly sat down beside him. He never lost himself entirely in his books while eating, and he gave Sylvia a curious look.

"Did you need something?"

"Everyone in Slytherin is saying you were the one who hung Selwyn and the others from the lanterns," Sylvia said, lowering her voice.

"I was. What about it?" Will was utterly unconcerned.

"You're making trouble for yourself!" Sylvia explained. "Berens, I know you're a genius, but you need to understand that most Slytherin students come from wizarding families. Doing this is just making enemies for yourself. Besides, haven't you noticed? You're already being isolated."

Apart from Sylvia, not a single young wizard or witch was sitting anywhere near Will.

"I don't care." Will was so casual that Sylvia might as well have been telling him that eating too many chicken legs would make him fat.

He truly did not care. No one would dare do anything serious to him while he was studying at Hogwarts. This was Dumbledore's territory, after all. No family had enough of a death wish to reach its claws in here.

More importantly, he had his cheat. All he wanted was to keep grinding levels during his time at Hogwarts. Before Voldemort returned, he needed to gain enough strength to protect himself, at the very least.

With the mighty power that made every gain permanent, Will could not be bothered to waste time playing childish games with those little snakes. Once he had mastered his powers and become the strongest of his generation, would those pure-blood families still dare bear him any hostility?

Sorry, but Will was not as easygoing as Dumbledore.

"You—" Sylvia's little face flushed red. How could this guy be so stubborn?

"Enough. Let's not waste time on this. We have Transfiguration after breakfast, Miss Lestrange. You wouldn't want to be late for your very first lesson, would you?" Will had no interest in this little girl.

How many years could he spend at Hogwarts? Seven! Excluding the final year, when Voldemort would control Hogwarts, Will had only six years to study here properly. And how many days did those six years amount to once the holidays were deducted? Even if he studied over Christmas and every weekend, it would only be about fifteen hundred days!

About fifteen hundred days!

How many books on magic did Hogwarts have? Thousands upon thousands!

How much experience did Will need to grind? Thousands upon thousands! Perhaps there was no end to it at all.

He needed to seize every moment to study magic. How could he have time for Slytherin's childish scheming?

Sylvia stared speechlessly at Will as he read, silently cursing, Good heavens, that damned Sorting Hat! Why did it put such an obvious Ravenclaw bookworm in Slytherin?

Everything about Will, from head to toe, screamed Ravenclaw.

Ten minutes later, "Ravenclaw first-year Will" left the dining hall with Sylvia and headed for the Transfiguration classroom. Hogwarts's moving, wandering, disappearing staircases gave Sylvia a hard time; she had just nearly fallen because a step had vanished.

"I really don't understand why Hogwarts needs stairs like these!"

"I thought you'd know. Hogwarts's peculiar staircases date back to the witch-hunts. Supposedly, they were designed to defend against Muggles hunting wizards. If the hunters pursued them into the castle, the wizards could use these stairs to fight back. Of course, Muggle-Repelling Charms put an end to the witch-hunts, so the stairs never served any purpose. Instead, they became a nuisance for most Hogwarts students," Will explained as he held Sylvia steady.

"You there, the Ravenclaw! Could you help us? We're lost, and we're going to be late for Transfiguration!" A short distance away, a red-haired young wizard called to Will for help.

The black-haired boy with glasses beside him tugged at his sleeve. "Ron, how do you know he's a Ravenclaw?"

Indeed, these were Harry and Ron, who had gotten lost because of the staircases.

"Harry, that guy might as well have 'Ravenclaw' written across his forehead. Think about it. Who besides those Ravenclaws would memorize all that boring stuff?" Ron was brimming with confidence. He was an excellent judge of people.

"Oh, of course. Follow me."

[Someone became curious about you. Charisma Experience +1]

[Someone became curious about you. Charisma Experience +1]

Will smiled cheerfully and led the group to the Transfiguration classroom.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. We might have been late if it weren't for you," Harry told Will gratefully.

[Someone felt grateful to you. Charisma Experience +1]

"No need to thank us. We have Transfiguration too." Will waved a hand.

Ron did not remember seeing this silver-gray-eyed boy at the long table the previous evening, though he might simply have been too absorbed in eating.

"You're Gryffindors too? What's your—"

Just then, everyone gasped as the cat on the teacher's desk transformed into a stern-looking witch—Professor McGonagall. That display left quite a few of the young students awestruck.

"You there, please find seats as quickly as possible," the stern-faced Professor McGonagall said from the front, cutting Ron off.

Ron and Harry sheepishly headed toward the back rows, while Sylvia followed Will to the front row.

Professor McGonagall glanced at the two of them and gave a small, approving nod.

[Someone became curious about you. Charisma Experience +1]

"Blimey, how does anyone dare sit right under Professor McGonagall's nose? He ought to be in Ravenclaw. How did he end up in Gryffindor?" Ron said to Harry as he took a Pumpkin Pasty from his pocket and wolfed it down.

"Maybe he just likes studying." Harry did not give it much thought. He had spent six years at primary school and seen plenty of good students.

Before long, they saw a bushy-haired girl and a chubby little boy sit down beside the other two.

"Harry, look, that's Longbottom. My parents talked to his gran for ages in Diagon Alley." Now Ron was certain: Will was definitely a Gryffindor.

Soon, all the students had arrived, and Professor McGonagall began the lesson.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone who misbehaves in my classroom will leave and never return. You have been warned."

"Blimey, our Head of House is terrifying," Ron said.

Harry felt that Ron kept giving off a pumpkin smell, which was making him hungry again.

"I will demonstrate a few things for you."

As Professor McGonagall spoke, she waved her wand and turned the teacher's desk into a pig. Sitting in the front row, Will stared intently at it. It grunted and circled the platform twice, no different from a real pig. Will confirmed that, under these circumstances, he could not clearly distinguish it from a genuine pig.

But a moment later, a dark gleam flickered in Will's silver-gray eyes as he activated his "Wizard's Eye." He could clearly see the flow of magic through the pig's body, along with mysterious, strange, intricate patterns.

Will could guarantee that the patterns he had seen when turning a matchstick into a needle had been nowhere near this complex. He could hardly wait to begin studying Transfiguration systematically.

Every student was captivated by Professor McGonagall's display and wanted to start learning immediately. Some were already imagining conjuring a dragon with a wave of their wands. They soon realized, however, that it would be a long time before they could turn furniture into animals.

"Before we begin, I believe you should all commit Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration firmly to memory. Now, can anyone tell me what Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration is?" Professor McGonagall swept her gaze across the room, and most of the students buried their faces in their textbooks.

"What law of oranges?" Ron felt a little dazed.

Hermione thrust her hand high into the air. Will and Sylvia raised theirs too.

"Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall could see that Hermione was practically rising out of her seat.

"Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration is a fundamental law of Transfiguration established by Ulick Gamp, a master of Transfiguration and the first Minister for Magic. It defines the basic boundaries of Transfiguration, specifies what magic cannot accomplish, and provides guiding principles for wizards using Transfiguration."

"Very good. I can see you've prepared thoroughly for the lesson, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor." A trace of approval appeared on Professor McGonagall's face. Hermione Granger was a fine child.

"Yes!" Some of the young Gryffindors looked delighted.

"Then who can explain the specific provisions of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration?" Professor McGonagall stared at several of the delighted students.

Those students immediately lowered their heads.

Hermione's hand remained high in the air.

Professor McGonagall looked around. "Now, Mr. Berens, you answer."

She did not want to appear overly partial. That was something Snape would do.

"One: food cannot be created. Two: biological forms cannot be sustained. Three: magical objects cannot be altered. Four: quantity must remain absolutely constant. Five: matter cannot be created from nothing. These are the basic provisions of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. The detailed explanations are far too extensive; each provision has several, or even dozens of academic papers devoted to it. Please forgive my ignorance."

Harry felt his head spin. He had never even heard of any of this. How could Will call that ignorance?

"Hey, this guy's brilliant. I'm seriously starting to think the Sorting Hat's gone senile, putting a Ravenclaw in Gryffindor," Ron said, nudging Harry with his elbow.

But the next moment, both of them were dumbstruck.

"Very good, Mr. Berens. Your answer was extremely precise. As for those detailed explanations, they are far beyond what someone your age is expected to know. Ten points to Slytherin!" Professor McGonagall was thoroughly pleased. Will had an excellent attitude toward learning. She would not openly favor any house; stern fairness was her style.

And then...

Harry and Ron were so astonished that their jaws nearly hit the floor.

Professor McGonagall continued teaching in her stern manner. "Very well. You now know Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. In your future studies and use of Transfiguration, you must keep these laws firmly in mind. Remember, behind every law of Transfiguration lie countless accidents. Next, you will attempt to turn this matchstick into a needle."

The first Transfiguration lesson was easy, and Will had already learned the basics. Turning a matchstick into a needle was merely repeating an exercise.

"Excellent Transfiguration, Mr. Berens. Five points to Slytherin."

Under Will's guidance, Sylvia and Hermione also successfully turned their matchsticks into needles shortly before the lesson ended.

Even Neville managed to make his matchstick thinner.

"I did it! I did it! Thank you, Will!"

"Five points to Slytherin for helping your classmates." Professor McGonagall nodded approvingly. Will Berens really was different from the other Slytherins.

In the end, Will alone had earned twenty points for Slytherin, while Hermione had earned ten for Gryffindor.

"Blimey, that guy must be Slytherin's secret weapon. He even went out of his way to get close to you, Harry. You'd better be careful," Ron muttered in Harry's ear as they left the lesson.