The claim that "everyone in Slytherin is a brother or sister" was somewhat exaggerated, but they lived up to it quite well at school.
The Prefect escorted the little snakes all the way to the Transfiguration classroom before leaving to hurry to his own lesson.
The bell rang abruptly.
Professor McGonagall took attendance and found that Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were absent. A hint of displeasure crossed her face.
The stern witch was deeply unhappy that students from her own house were late on their very first day.
With a stony expression, she assigned them some preliminary reading, then turned into a gray tabby cat and leaped onto the teacher's desk.
The cat held her front paws elegantly together, her tail curled demurely around them.
Allen noticed the square markings around the gray cat's eyes-they matched Professor McGonagall's glasses.
The experience of attending a normal lesson was so novel to Allen that he watched the gray cat with considerable fascination.
Soon, he caught the cat glaring at him. He obediently lowered his head and leafed through beginner's Transfiguration, which he had long since engraved in his memory palace.
...He had no intention of offending a professor on his first day at school.
Before long, Harry and Ron arrived, panting and carrying their textbooks.
Hermione glanced back and shook her head.
Allen sat straight-backed and alert. In that short time, he had already reread the textbook.
His keen ears picked up two sets of heavy footsteps. His eyes remained fixed on his textbook, making him look engrossed, but half his attention shifted toward them.
Beside him, Draco glanced at the pair and wrinkled his nose.
Seeing no sign of Professor McGonagall, Ron breathed a sigh of relief and nudged Harry. "What do you reckon Professor McGonagall would look like if she saw us coming in late?"
Harry gave him a speechless look and said nothing.
Out of the corner of Allen's eye, the tabby twitched her nose, narrowed her eyes, and jumped down from the desk. She turned into a woman with her hair in a tight bun and stared sternly at the two tardy little lions.
Ron gaped in admiration. "That was bloody brilliant!"
Professor McGonagall remained expressionless. "Thank you for your assessment, Mr. Weasley. Perhaps I should turn you or Mr. Potter into a pocket watch. Then at least one of you could arrive for lessons on time."
Allen casually glanced over and gave Harry a meaningful look.
The excuse on the tip of Harry's tongue became a sincere apology. "I'm sorry, Professor!"
When Allen glared at him, inspiration struck, and he added, "I'll learn my way around the castle as quickly as possible. I definitely won't be late again!"
Professor McGonagall looked at him, then said after a moment, "See that you do, Mr. Potter! Hurry up and take your seats!"
Once the two little lions had slunk into their seats, Professor McGonagall officially began the lesson.
She turned the teacher's desk into a pig, astonishing everyone, then changed it back and said sternly, "You have a long way to go before you can do this!
"Now, I will explain the key points of Transfiguration. These form your foundation, and I expect you to pay close attention!"
Allen uncapped his fountain pen and occasionally wrote a word or two on his parchment. Draco bent his head and scribbled furiously, his quill bobbing nonstop.
After explaining the theory, Professor McGonagall took out her wand and said, "Transfiguration."
The tip of an ordinary match sharpened, silver spread across it, and it became a sharp needle.
She gave everyone a match and told them to transform it with their wands.
The young witches and wizards were a little disappointed. They did their best to adjust their expectations and waved their wands at the matches.
The classroom filled with the sound of young voices reciting the incantation. Allen stared at his match, certain of one thing: The Wizarding World was poor!
Just then, Professor McGonagall passed him. Seeing that he was doing nothing, she tapped his shoulder.
Allen raised his eyes to meet Professor McGonagall's, then picked up his wand and tapped the match.
An instant later, the match became a long, slender, sharp needle!
Professor McGonagall was delighted. She bent slightly and asked Allen, "Mr. Cornwall, have you learned the Nonverbal Spell?"
Allen sat a little straighter. "I'm not sure, Professor."
He also hoped to receive some guidance from Professor McGonagall, so he said earnestly,
"I've found that as long as I'm calm enough, focused, and determined, I can naturally perform magic through my wand! In fact, casting silently is easier for me than saying the incantation aloud."
Beside him, Draco's wand hand paused. Then he resumed chanting with renewed effort.
Professor McGonagall was thrilled. She seemed to understand why Albus had called them together last night and specifically mentioned Allen's genius.
A child so young had already begun considering the essence of spellcasting on his very first encounter with spells.
She nodded. "Yes, Mr. Cornwall. However, we recommend using incantations to guide magical power because most young witches and wizards your age cannot control their own magic.
"Incantations help you cast spells, and in the process, they also help regulate the flow of magic within your body. Without even realizing it, you will find your control over your magic improving.
"That is why accidental outbursts of magic become less frequent as witches and wizards grow up. Of course, if a child never practices spells at all, the magic within them may deteriorate, go out of control and cause irreversible harm, or grow so weak that they can perform only the smallest feats of magic."
Understanding dawned on Allen, and his sea-blue eyes slowly lit up. "I understand! Thank you for your guidance, Professor!"
Professor McGonagall nodded with satisfaction and announced, "For Mr. Cornwall's perfect Transfiguration! Five points to Slytherin!"
The half-blood little snakes exchanged rather odd looks.
The Muggle-born little lions were astonished. Keeping out of sight of the other Gryffindors, they cautiously gave Allen a thumbs-up.
Professor McGonagall was delighted to see the light in Allen's eyes. After a moment's thought, she brought him to the front of the classroom and asked him to turn the teacher's desk into a wardrobe.
All the young witches and wizards stopped to watch.
The request was outrageous. Professor McGonagall had just explained that the larger an object was, the harder it was to transform!
The pure-blood children watched for entertainment, while the Muggle-born children worried for their Crown Prince.
Draco remembered last night's watch cabinet and thought Allen might actually pull it off.
Harry looked a little smug. He alone knew that Allen really could do it!
Ever since Edward had asked Allen to turn an office desk into a sofa, Allen had been deeply dissatisfied with the ugly sofa he had produced on his first attempt.
He had practiced repeatedly during his evening lessons. Whenever he got it wrong, he studied the Magical Theory tome thick enough to bludgeon someone to death, and that was how he had made such progress.
Harry knew he could never match that perseverance.
Allen studied the teacher's desk and quickly worked out an approach.
He waved his wand. The bottom of the desk bulged outward, then expanded. A seam opened down the middle of the wood, and small pieces protruded to form handles. Finally, it became a classic double-door wardrobe.
Professor McGonagall opened the wardrobe doors. Finding a hanging rail and compartments all properly in place, she was even more delighted.
The children's jaws had already dropped.
Harry and Hermione were utterly stunned. They knew the Crown Prince was a genius, but they had never imagined he was this gifted.
Hermione glanced at her completely unchanged match and decided that first place in their year was out of reach. With enough effort, she could still come second.
Professor McGonagall delightedly took out a book and handed it to Allen. "Allen, your spellcasting has already far exceeded the first-year requirements. You needn't keep reading the first-year textbook. This is the second-year textbook. Have a look through it first."
Allen accepted it, bowed to Professor McGonagall in thanks, and returned to his seat.
Draco pursed his lips and poked Allen. "Allen! How on earth did you do that?!"
Allen thought for a moment. "Picture the structure in your mind, wave your wand, and let it guide your magic to cover the object."
The young witches and wizards secretly listening in: ???
They seemed to understand...yet somehow they didn't...
Draco's face fell, so Allen had to elaborate.
"When casting a spell, you must stay calm and confident. Believe you can do it! Try to sense the magic inside your body and get it flowing. Use your wand to guide it, covering the object more precisely-that will make your Transfiguration much more likely to succeed."
The children eavesdropping around them frowned in bewilderment.
They understood the first half, but the second...They racked their brains trying to sense their magic, yet came up empty.
Wasn't magic everywhere, like air?!
The children did not understand, but Professor McGonagall knew just how succinct and insightful that explanation was. She looked at Allen in delight, clasping her wand in both hands. "For Mr. Cornwall's concise summary, ten points to Slytherin!"
She looked at Allen affectionately. "Mr. Cornwall, please stay behind after class."
There was no doubt about it. Even Neville, who was slower to catch on, could tell that Allen had won the affection of this witch renowned for her strictness.
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