The First Lesson

Early the next morning, Will strolled out of the dormitory carrying a small Book Trunk. The lantern fixture in the Common Room was empty. He had no idea who had taken the students down. Several Slytherins glared at him, but he paid them no mind.

Ignoring them, Will followed the long staircases to the Hogwarts Dining Room. The stairs shifted on their own and could even vanish without warning.

For breakfast, Will preferred sausages grilled until lightly charred, with toast spread with ketchup. Partly because they tasted good, and partly because the meal was quick to make.

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

Will was reading The Code of Transfiguration: A Detailed Explanation of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration while tearing into a tender roasted chicken leg when a young wizard sat down beside him. He never lost himself completely in a book while eating, and he gave Sylvia an odd look.

"What do you want?"

"All of Slytherin is saying you hung Selwyn and the others from the lantern," Sylvia said quietly.

"I did. So what?" Will said without a care.

"You're asking for trouble!" Sylvia explained. "Behrens, I know you're a genius, but most Slytherin students come from wizarding families in the Wizarding World. You're making enemies of them. And haven't you noticed? You're already being isolated."

Apart from Sylvia, not a single young wizard sat anywhere near Will.

"I don't care," Will said lightly, as though Sylvia had merely warned him that too many chicken legs would make him fat.

He truly did not care. While he studied at Hogwarts, no one would dare do anything serious to him. This was Dumbledore's territory, and no family would be foolish enough to reach in here.

More importantly, he had his cheat ability. All he wanted was to keep leveling up during his time at Hogwarts. Before Voldemort returned, he had to become strong enough to protect himself.

With the power to make every gain permanent, Will had no interest in wasting time playing games with those little snakes. Once he reached the pinnacle of power, would those Pure-blood families still dare show him hostility?

Sorry, but Will was nowhere near as accommodating as Dumbledore.

"You—" Sylvia's face flushed. Why was this guy so stubborn?

"Enough. Let's not waste time on this. We have Transfiguration after breakfast, Miss Lestrange. You don't want to be late on the first day, do you?" Will had no interest in this little girl.

How many years could he spend at Hogwarts? Seven! Take away the final year, when Voldemort would control Hogwarts, and he had only six good years to study here. Once holidays were excluded, how many days was that? Even if Will studied through Christmas and every weekend, it was only around 1,500 days!

Around 1,500 days!

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

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

He needed to seize every moment to study magic. He had no time for Slytherin's childish intrigues.

Sylvia stared speechlessly at Will, who had gone back to his book, and cursed inwardly. God, 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 Room with Sylvia and headed for the Transfiguration classroom. Hogwarts's shifting, moving, vanishing staircases gave Sylvia a hard time. She had nearly fallen when a step disappeared beneath her.

"Why does Hogwarts even have stairs like these?"

"I thought you knew. Hogwarts's strange staircases were built during the Witch-hunt. Supposedly, they were meant to help wizards fight back if Muggles pursued them into the Castle. Of course, the Muggle-Repelling Charm ended the Witch-hunt, so the stairs never served that purpose. Instead, they became a nuisance to nearly every Hogwarts student," Will explained, catching hold of Sylvia.

"Hey, Ravenclaw! Can you help us? We're lost, and we're going to be late for Transfiguration!" A red-haired young wizard called out to Will from nearby.

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

The two were Harry and Ron, who had lost their way because of the stairs.

"Harry, he might as well have 'Ravenclaw' written on his forehead. Who else would memorize so much boring stuff?" Ron said confidently. He was good at judging people.

"Oh, sure. Follow me."

[Someone has grown curious about you. Charisma Experience +1]

[Someone has grown curious about you. Charisma Experience +1]

Will smiled happily and led them all to the Transfiguration classroom.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. We might have been late without you," Harry said gratefully.

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

"No need to thank me. We have Transfiguration too." Will waved it off.

Ron did not remember seeing the silver-gray-eyed boy at the long table the night before. Then again, he might have been too absorbed in his food.

"You're in Gryffindor too? What's your na—"

Everyone gasped. The cat on the Lectern had transformed into a stern-looking witch: Professor McGonagall. The display left quite a few young wizards stunned.

"You four, find your seats quickly," Professor McGonagall said from the Lectern, cutting Ron off.

Ron and Harry sheepishly headed for the back, while Sylvia followed Will to the Front Row.

Professor McGonagall glanced at the two of them and nodded faintly in approval.

[Someone has grown curious about you. Charisma Experience +1]

"Blimey, who'd dare sit right under Professor McGonagall's nose? He should be in Ravenclaw. How did he end up in Gryffindor?" Ron said to Harry, pulling a Pumpkin Pasty from his pocket and taking a large bite.

"Maybe he just likes studying," Harry said. He had spent six years in primary school and met plenty of good students.

Before long, a girl with bushy hair and a chubby boy sat down near them.

"Harry, look, that's Longbottom. My parents talked with his grandmother for ages in Diagon Alley." That settled it for Ron: Will had to be in Gryffindor.

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

"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you will study at Hogwarts. Anyone who misbehaves in my class will be asked to leave and will not be allowed back. Consider yourselves warned."

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

The smell of pumpkin kept wafting from Ron, and Harry was starting to feel hungry again.

"I shall show you something."

Professor McGonagall waved her Wand, turning her desk into a pig. From the Front Row, Will watched it closely. It grunted and made two circuits of the Lectern, looking no different from a real pig. He was certain he could not tell them apart under these circumstances.

Then Will's silver-gray eyes flickered darkly as he activated the Wizard's Eye. He could clearly see the flow of magic through the pig and the intricate, mysterious patterns covering it.

He would bet anything that the patterns on the Matchstick he had turned 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 demonstration and wanted to start at once. Some were already imagining themselves conjuring a Dragon with a wave of a Wand. But they soon learned it would be a long time before they could turn furniture into animals.

"Before we begin, I expect you all to commit Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration to memory. Now, can anyone tell me what it is?" Professor McGonagall surveyed the room. Most of the students buried their heads in their textbooks.

"What law about oranges?" Ron felt dizzy.

Hermione raised her hand high. Will and Sylvia raised theirs too.

"Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall could see Hermione was almost out of her seat.

"Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration was established by Ulick Gamp, a master of Transfiguration and the first Minister for Magic. It defines the fundamental limits of Transfiguration, identifies what magic cannot accomplish, and provides guiding principles for wizards using it."

"Very good. You've clearly prepared thoroughly, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor." Approval showed on Professor McGonagall's face. Hermione Granger was a promising child.

"Yes!" A few young Gryffindors beamed.

"Then who can tell me the specific provisions of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration?" Professor McGonagall looked at the grinning students.

Their heads promptly dropped.

Hermione's hand remained raised high.

Professor McGonagall looked around. "Mr. Behrens, your answer, please."

She did not want to appear excessively biased. That was something Snape would do.

"First, food cannot be created. Second, transformed living forms cannot be sustained indefinitely. Third, magical objects cannot be altered. Fourth, quantity must remain absolutely constant. Fifth, matter cannot be created from nothing. Those are the basic provisions of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. The detailed explanations are extensive; each provision has several, sometimes dozens, of academic papers devoted to it. I'm afraid I don't know enough to cover them."

Harry's head spun. He had never even heard of any of this. How could Will call that not knowing enough?

"Hey, this guy's amazing. I swear the Sorting Hat's gone senile and put a Ravenclaw in Gryffindor," Ron whispered, nudging Harry with his elbow.

But the next moment, both boys were dumbstruck.

"Very good, Mr. Behrens. That was precisely stated. 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 with Will's attitude toward his studies. She would never openly favor one house over another; strict fairness was her way.

And then...

Harry's and Ron's jaws nearly hit the floor.

Professor McGonagall continued in her stern manner. "Good. You now know Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. Remember its provisions throughout your study and use of Transfiguration. Every one of them exists because of countless accidents. Now, you will try 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 practice he had done before.

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

With Will's guidance, Sylvia and Hermione also managed to turn their Matchsticks into Needles just before class ended.

Even Neville managed to make his Matchstick thinner.

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

"Five points to Slytherin for helping a classmate." Professor McGonagall nodded approvingly. Will Behrens really was different from the other Slytherins.

In the end, Will earned twenty points for Slytherin on his own, while Hermione earned ten for Gryffindor.

"Blimey, he must be Slytherin's secret weapon. He even approached you on purpose, Harry. You'd better watch out," Ron muttered in Harry's ear as class ended.