Professor McGonagall looked very pleased when she saw Harry arrive.
Teachers always liked children with good grades.
When she saw Neville and Ron, she looked less pleased. Often, the only children teachers liked were the good ones.
Still, compared with Snape, who wore a corpse-like expression all day as though everyone owed him eight hundred Galleons, Professor McGonagall was stern, but at least she was not quite so unapproachable.
"Good day, Professor McGonagall." Harry and the other two obediently greeted her first.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom." Professor McGonagall nodded slightly. "Are you having some trouble with Transfiguration?"
"No, Professor. It's something else, though it's also to do with magic," Harry said.
Professor McGonagall nodded and gestured to one side. Her office was large, with a small tea table beside the broad desk. Harry had heard that the very beautiful Professor Babbling occasionally appeared in Professor McGonagall's office, always to have tea.
Harry and the others obediently sat down. Professor McGonagall did not use a wand either. With just a sweep of her slender fingers, the cupboard beside them opened, and three cups floated over in front of them. Then a large teapot poured them three cups of black tea.
"Whatever your question is, you may ask it now." Professor McGonagall seemed to be trying to make her tone gentler, but she still sounded very cool.
Harry noticed that Professor McGonagall's gaze was very deep, seemingly revealing no emotion. He vaguely suspected that this might be the result of practicing Occlumency. If that was true, then Professor McGonagall was a very accomplished practitioner of Occlumency.
At least, although the color of Harry's eyes had grown a little deeper than before, even when he actively used Occlumency, he came nowhere near Professor McGonagall's current state.
"Professor, it's like