Rule five of space-time magic: Known, established reality must never be altered. Any deliberate attempt to change an established fact of the past will only send events in the opposite direction from the desired outcome.-Saint Tristan Bilius Weasley
After leading Harry and Ron through their daily dose of overachieving, Tris returned to his dormitory for a shower, then waited for them in the Great Hall before taking them to the Transfiguration classroom.
Their first lesson that morning was also their first Transfiguration lesson of the term. Tris figured that with his help, the two of them would avoid arriving late and making complete fools of themselves like they had in the film.
Although he did not mind letting his brother reveal his true nature-a cheerful little idiot-making snide remarks about Professor McGonagall right in front of her was simply too embarrassing.
It felt like it would drag down the Weasley family's image at Hogwarts, or even throughout the entire wizarding world.
With the help of the Thought Maze, Tris could clearly recall the location of every classroom at Hogwarts. Given a little more time, he could even figure out the rules governing the changing staircases.
As a result, the three of them reached the Transfiguration classroom a few minutes before class began. They were just about to enter when someone nearby called out to Tris.
"Tris!" A cool female voice came from beside them.
It was Daphne.
"Need something?" Tris stood in the doorway, looking puzzled.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look and grinned mischievously.
Tris shot them a fierce glare, and they immediately turned and ran into the classroom. His fighting ability was more than enough to crush those two weaklings, and he never pulled his punches.
Daphne watched the three of them fool around, her expression cool.
Only after Harry and Ron had gone inside did she ask, "Do you go running every morning?"
"Yes." Tris nodded.
"Why?" Daphne asked.
"Why?" Tris blinked. For a moment, he genuinely did not know how to answer.
In the nonmagical world, exercising needed no explanation. In the wizarding world, however, things seemed rather different. Wizards cared more about magical power than physical strength, after all.
And in truth, magic could accomplish far more than physical strength could.
To give the simplest example, a basic spell could easily levitate something weighing hundreds or even thousands of kilograms. Even a world-class strongman would struggle to lift the same weight.
"Well, there's no particular reason. I just thought a strong body might help with using magic. It's an experiment." Tris came up with an excuse on the spot.
"I see." Whether Daphne believed him was unclear. She nodded. "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble."
With that, she walked into the classroom.
Why were Slytherin girls all like this?
Tris could not help rolling his eyes before following her inside. But the moment he entered, his eyes went wide.
He saw Harry and Ron standing beside the teacher's desk, clicking their tongues to coax a tabby cat perched on a tall stool, with spectacle-like markings around its eyes. That was how he had coaxed the village cats that roamed freely near the Burrow, and Harry and Ron had clearly picked it up.
Ron was even worse. He was actually reaching out to scratch the tabby's chin, another cat-petting technique he had learned from Tris.
"Holy shit!" Tris was so alarmed that the profanity burst out of him. "Ron, you idiot, stop right now!"
"Huh?" Ron's outstretched hand froze in midair. He turned back to Tris in confusion. "What's wrong, Tris?"
Tris felt as though his heart had nearly leaped out of his chest.
That had been close. Just a little closer, and Ron would have brought a disgrace upon the Weasley family that they would not live down for the next ten years-taking liberties with his own Head of House while at school.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness I made it in time.
His face dark, Tris strode forward, grabbed Harry and Ron by their collars, one in each hand, and hauled them away from the tabby, which was looking at them with the indulgent concern reserved for idiots. Then, looking deeply embarrassed, he bowed slightly to her.
"I'm terribly sorry, Professor McGonagall. Please forgive my brother's foolish behavior. But please believe me when I say that he truly is merely stupid and ignorant, rather than rude or deliberately offensive."
His words left every young wizard in the classroom stunned.
Hogwarts, and apparently every other school in the wizarding world, seemed to share a tradition: if information about school was useful, you absolutely never told your family about it if you could help it.
Having been caught in the rain themselves, they simply had to tear up everyone else's umbrellas too.
Neither Bill, Charlie, nor Percy had ever mentioned to their younger brothers that Professor McGonagall could turn into a cat.
What?
The twins?
Did anyone seriously expect anything from them when it came to this sort of thing?
I certainly didn't!
Since nobody had said anything, not a single student knew Professor McGonagall could turn into a cat, even though more than half of the Gryffindors and Slytherins in this year's intake came from wizarding families.
Seeing Tris bow to a cat and address her as Professor McGonagall left even Hermione momentarily bewildered.
The tabby glanced at Tris. It was hard to imagine that approval could show so clearly in a cat's face and eyes.
The next moment, the tabby leaped lightly into the air, her body stretching as she moved. By the time she landed, she had become Professor McGonagall, dressed in deep green wizarding robes.
Gasps!
A chorus of sharp intakes of breath filled the classroom. Clearly, everyone had been stunned by that display.
Hermione was no exception. In fact, she gasped even more sharply than the others, and felt a chill run down her spine.
Granted, she had thought it inappropriate when Harry and Ron had gone over to "play with the cat." But when she first entered the classroom-she had, of course, been among the earliest arrivals-she had been very curious about the tabby perched on the tall stool beside the teacher's desk.
In fact, she had really wanted to reach out and pet her too.
Hermione had loved cats and wanted one of her own since she was little. But her family ran a dental practice, which made keeping pets inconvenient, so her wish had never come true.
She had, however, fed plenty of stray cats around her neighborhood, and petted them too.
The only reason she had refrained this time was that she feared the cat might be a teaching aid, and touching her without permission might displease a professor hiding somewhere nearby. Many of the students had thought the same thing.
Carefree idiots like Harry and Ron were clearly a tiny minority, perhaps even the only two.
Hermione did not dare imagine what would have happened if she had failed to restrain herself and gone over to stroke the cat's head...
Gulp.
Hermione swallowed with some difficulty.
Professor McGonagall paid little attention to the other young wizards' reactions. She used this trick on the new students twice almost every year, and the results were always much the same. Their amazement held little novelty for her.
By comparison, she was rather more interested in Tris, who had recognized her.
"The younger Mr. Weasley." With two Weasleys in the same class, distinguishing them by age was standard practice. Professor McGonagall looked at him with those eyes that always gave Tris an extraordinary sense of calm.
"Was there a flaw in my Transfiguration? How did you see through it?"
Professor McGonagall was clearly not the only one curious about the answer. Many of his classmates were too. Hermione, for instance, stared at him with wide, unblinking eyes.
"Professor." Tris gave her a bright smile that was not remotely Slytherin-like. "As a pioneer and leading figure in modern Transfiguration, you're featured in practically every modern directory of witches and wizards.
"And there have only been seven registered Animagi this century. That's very easy to remember."
Flattery could get through anything.
Even someone as stern as Professor McGonagall liked hearing compliments.
She nodded slightly. "Very good, younger Mr. Weasley. One point to Slytherin for your extensive knowledge."
Out of the corner of his eye, Tris noticed a flash of frustration cross Hermione's face.
While chatting on the train to Hogwarts, Hermione had mentioned buying quite a few books about the wizarding world, including some about famous witches and wizards.
She probably had not reached the modern or contemporary entries yet. Otherwise, she would surely have known about Professor McGonagall's record too.
"All right, everyone, take your seats." Professor McGonagall glanced at Harry and Ron, who had their necks tucked in like a pair of frightened quails. She said nothing more about it, merely telling everyone to get ready for class.
All the young wizards obediently sat down. Some shared desks in pairs, like Draco and Pansy.
Others sat alone, like Hermione in the front row and Neville in the back.
Harry had originally intended to share a desk with Ron, but Tris squeezed in beside them.
Harry did not mind. Although their month at the Burrow had made Ron his best friend, the good impression Tris had made when they first met still held strong.
Tris was still someone he considered a very good friend.
Having Tris squeeze in with them felt a little odd when everyone else was sitting alone or in pairs, but Harry said nothing.
Harry said nothing, but Ron did.
Ron looked disdainfully at Tris, whose robes bore the Slytherin badge of a silver serpent on a green background. "You're a Slytherin. Why are you sitting with us? Look around. Nobody else is sitting in a group of three."
The Transfiguration classroom had long desks and benches, and the first-years were still rather small, so the three of them were not cramped at all. In fact, they had plenty of room.
Tris rolled his eyes at Ron and immediately raised his hand. "Professor McGonagall, may three people sit together?"
Professor McGonagall glanced at the three of them and replied calmly, "Yes, younger Mr. Weasley."
"Then, Professor McGonagall, is there a rule against Slytherins and Gryffindors sitting together?" Tris continued.
"Of course not, younger Mr. Weasley." This time, Professor McGonagall's expression was stern. "Hogwarts encourages communication, cooperation, and friendly progress between all houses. We not only permit it, but strongly support it."
She then looked at Ron. "Mr. Weasley, your inappropriate remarks have cost Gryffindor one point."
Almost immediately, Hermione's fierce gaze landed on Ron.
This was the first time the first-year Gryffindors had lost any points. Until now, Hermione had only been earning points for their house.
Ron instinctively shrank back.
At this point, Ron had not yet fallen under the tyranny of homework. Though he cowered for a moment, he glared right back at her the next.
Tris watched with amusement. My foolish big brother, remember this moment. It may very well be the greatest moment of the rest of your life.
You just glared at Her Excellency Hermione Granger, Britain's future Minister for Magic.
Professor McGonagall paid no attention to the students' little antics. She stepped up to the front, tapped the blackboard lightly, and prepared to begin the lesson.