Am I right, Professor?

Wait, you actually know how to do that?

Ron stared blankly at the rat scurrying all over him, swallowed, and turned to Harry with a pleading look.

Harry hurriedly took half a step back and looked away. His meaning was clear.

You made the bet. This has nothing to do with me. Keep away.

Their little boat of friendship capsized just like that.

The thought of eating the rat made Ron gag.

It wasn't just because he would have to swallow a living creature raw. More importantly, he liked rats himself and even kept one named Peter-no, Scabbers-as a pet.

Hermione didn't understand, but she respected his choice.

With a flick of her wand, she undid the Transfiguration. The rat instantly turned back into a quill and drifted to the floor.

"Heh."

With a soft chuckle, Hermione walked away without looking back.

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

They knew perfectly well that none of the books they could buy in Diagon Alley before starting school contained instructions on Transfiguration. In other words, Hermione had learned it immediately after watching McGonagall perform it just once.

Even for Ron, who came from a wizarding family, this was far beyond anything he could comprehend.

What did that make her?

A genius?

Watching Hermione's retreating back, Harry and Ron hurried after her.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Hermione kept walking and looked at the spellbook in her mind.

She had already awed the two boys and begun establishing her authority over them. Right now, she was more interested in the two Transfiguration spells she had just recorded.

[Transfiguration lv1 (1/1000)]

[Transfiguration: Animagus (cat)]

She had already used the former, gaining a point of proficiency in the process.

She could feel that level-one Transfiguration could only transform small objects, and the effects didn't last very long. Increasing her proficiency would improve the results, but it wouldn't take her beyond those limits.

She would probably have to reach level two before she gained any other capabilities and achieved a qualitative change.

As for the latter, Hermione hadn't had a chance to try it yet.

An Animagus was a wizard who could turn into an animal while retaining their magic. One of its rules was that the animal form depended on factors such as the wizard's build and personality. They couldn't choose it, and they could only ever transform into that one animal for the rest of their life.

Moreover, mastering this transformation was extremely difficult, and the training involved considerable danger.

The fact that only seven people in the Harry Potter world had registered as Animagi throughout the entire twentieth century said it all.

Judging by the spellbook's description, however, Hermione should be able to turn straight into a cat just like Professor McGonagall. Since the Animagus transformation was permanent, there was no proficiency involved either.

But in that case... could I collect other Animagus transformations too?

Hermione strode onward as she thought, with two followers trailing behind her, one on either side, like bodyguards.

Without sparing even a moment to mourn the blow the two boys had suffered, she headed for her next battlefield... the Potions classroom!

No matter the subject, the corner of the back row was always hotly contested territory.

Hermione had twenty years of experience in that regard.

Right now, however, this supposedly inconspicuous corner had become the focus of every first-year's attention.

That was because Snape, dressed in black robes, was staring fixedly at Harry beside her, his face dark.

"Mr. Harry Potter, our celebrity among the first-years. Tell me, what would happen if I added asphodel root powder to an infusion of wormwood?"

Uncomfortable with the way Snape spoke to him, Harry glanced at Ron for help.

Ron promptly slumped over his desk and played dead.

"I don't know, Professor," Harry said helplessly.

"Where would you find a bezoar?"

"I don't know..."

"Then... what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"...Sorry."

"Clearly, fame alone is not enough." A flicker of disappointment passed deep within Snape's eyes as he added snidely, "Is it, Mr. Potter?"

His mocking words, coupled with his cold tone, lank black hair, and large hooked nose, made him seem perpetually ill-intentioned.

The classroom was utterly silent.

Harry already had a poor impression of Snape. After being singled out so blatantly, he couldn't hold his temper and retorted, "Clearly, Hermione knows the answers, but you only want to ask someone who doesn't."

The moment the words left his mouth, Harry regretted them.

He felt Ron stiffen beside him, and his own heart sank.

The young witches and wizards all stared wide-eyed.

Was he really that bold?

Picking a fight with a professor on the very first day-and Snape, the hardest one to get along with, at that.

Was that just what you'd expect from a Gryffindor?

Everyone turned in unison toward Hermione, who was leaning against a stone pillar in the corner.

Hermione: ???

Seriously, what is wrong with you?

She had tucked herself away in a corner and hadn't shown the slightest sign of raising her hand, yet he had still managed to drag her into this.

To be fair, Hermione had misjudged Harry. He genuinely thought she knew.

After all, her earlier display of Transfiguration had left a deep impression on him. Combined with her cool, haughty manner, it had gradually begun to make him feel as though Hermione knew everything.

Sure enough, Snape turned his gaze toward Hermione, his eyes settling coldly on her.

"Since Mr. Potter claims you know all this, you foolish girl, you can answer. If you get it wrong, Gryffindor will lose... what are you reading?"

Snape's gaze fell on the book lying open in front of Hermione, and he frowned.

"A History of Hogwarts?"

At the sight of the title, Snape's mind stalled for two seconds. Then he laughed in sheer anger.

"Miss Granger, you're reading school history in my Potions class? Are you certain there's nothing wrong with your eyes and you haven't brought the wrong book? Or is my Potions class no longer worth learning anything from, as far as you're concerned?"

"Pfft!"

Over on the Slytherin side, Malfoy was the first to lose control, letting out an exaggerated laugh. His two cronies joined in.

"Hahaha! Reading school history in Potions! Are all Gryffindors idiots like this?"

For a moment, every Slytherin burst into irrepressible, mocking laughter.

The Gryffindor students, meanwhile, were too frightened even to breathe loudly. They all kept their heads down, afraid of being caught in Snape's fury.

It's over.

The same words sprang into Harry's and Ron's minds.

They thought Hermione was done for. Professor Snape, the most terrifying teacher according to first-year legend, had caught her reading an unrelated book in class. Surely that would cost them twenty points?

Yet under everyone's gaze, Hermione merely sighed softly and calmly closed her book.

She raised her head, met Snape's black eyes, and spoke at an unhurried pace.

"Asphodel root powder and wormwood can be used to make the Draught of Living Death, an extremely powerful sleeping potion. A bezoar is a stone taken from a goat's stomach and can counteract most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they're the same plant, also known as aconite."

"Am I right, Professor?"