A Certain Magical Hogwarts

The tabby cat disappeared, replaced by Professor McGonagall.

She was now wearing her square-shaped glasses, which looked exactly like the distinctive markings around the tabby cat's eyes. McGonagall's expression remained unchanged, seemingly unfazed by the entire situation.

In fact, William seriously suspected that students in the past had probably tried to use a cat toy to play with her, or even dared to pet her head!

Everyone in the room fell silent, startled by Professor McGonagall's sudden transformation.

Boba Tea, however, was the most shocked of all. The little cat had no idea how the beautiful tabby had suddenly disappeared and turned into a strict-looking woman.

 Terrified, Boba Tea's fur stood on end as it grabbed its little fish snack and bolted from the scene.

McGonagall did nothing to stop the fleeing cat. Instead, she scanned the room, her gaze lingering on William a bit longer than on anyone else. 

Much like Professor Snape, her aura of authority made it clear that she was not someone to be trifled with.

McGonagall began speaking, her voice firm and unwavering. "Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous branches of magic you will study at Hogwarts."

"If anyone is foolish enough to misbehave in my class, I will have them leave and never allow them back in. Consider yourselves warned."

No one dared to speak, and Boba Tea continued to shiver in fear at William's feet.

"Transfiguration," McGonagall continued, "as the name suggests, is the art of changing one object into another. It can bring inanimate objects to life or turn living creatures into something entirely different." She demonstrated by taking out her wand from her robes.

"Like this."

With a light flick of her wand, Boba Tea, who was cowering by William's legs, floated into the air. McGonagall caught the trembling cat, her stern face softening slightly into a small smile.

Boba Tea looked pitifully at her, letting out a soft "meow," as if attempting to charm its way out of trouble with its cuteness.

McGonagall, however, was unmoved. With a tap of her wand on Boba Tea's head, the cat transformed into a teacup.

Holding the teacup by its cat-tail-shaped handle, McGonagall gave it a little wave to ensure all the students could see the transformation clearly.

Everyone's attention was immediately captured.

After a few more taps with her wand, the teacup morphed into a small, humming, pig-like creature with tiny wings, which buzzed around the classroom like a miniature flying drone.

The class erupted into applause, eyes wide with excitement as they watched the little pig fly. Everyone was eager to start learning, itching to try the magic themselves.

McGonagall soon turned Boba Tea back into its original form, gently petting the orange tabby's head before conjuring a food dish out of thin air. 

Boba Tea, still shaken, sniffed at the dish, then devoured its snack before scurrying back to William's side.

"Now," McGonagall said, addressing the class once more, "please open A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Today, we will start with the basic principles and Gamp's First Law of Elemental Transfiguration."

The class obediently opened their textbooks, and their initial excitement was quickly dampened as they saw the dense formulas and complex theories staring back at them.

 The enthusiasm dimmed as they realized how much work lay ahead.

"Provided things go smoothly," McGonagall added, "we may even attempt some simple transformations by the end of class."

Her words reignited a spark of excitement among the students. Although the theory was daunting, the prospect of trying real magic spurred them on.

An hour later, McGonagall was still discussing various theories, and the students had taken copious amounts of notes. 

To keep their attention, she occasionally performed spectacular transformations—using Boba Tea as her model.

William was thoroughly engrossed. Though he had already studied this material over the summer and consulted Cedric on the parts he didn't understand, McGonagall's teaching was leagues beyond anything Cedric could offer.

Finally, after sensing that her students were beginning to tire of the heavy theory, McGonagall set down her textbook and surveyed the class. Seeing the relieved expressions on her students' faces, she announced, "Alright, now we can move on to some practical application."

She distributed a matchstick to each student. "Your goal is to turn this matchstick into a needle. The more precise, the better."

Cho gripped her wand, glaring at the matchstick as if trying to intimidate it into transforming. But the matchstick remained stubbornly unmoved on the desk.

Marcus Belby jabbed his matchstick with far too much force, snapping it in half with a loud crack. Glancing nervously at McGonagall, he decided not to ask for another one and pretended nothing had happened as he continued prodding the broken pieces.

The rest of the class wasn't faring much better. Most of the students didn't even know the spell, and many just sat there, bewildered.

"Have you already figured it out?" Cho eventually gave up and turned to William.

William, still poring over his textbook, shrugged. The section he was reading was far beyond today's lesson. "More or less," he replied.

He set down his book, picked up his wand, and gave the matchstick a gentle tap. The matchstick disappeared, replaced by a long needle.

Well, "needle" wasn't quite the right word. The object was more like a small iron rod—about as thick as the original matchstick, with a vaguely pointed tip at one end.

Still, it was an impressive transformation, far ahead of what any of the other students had managed so far.

"How did you do that?" Katie Bell, sitting behind him, stood up, her voice full of admiration.

She realized that not all wizards were created equal. Ravenclaw's genius, as expected, lived up to their reputation.

William shrugged modestly. "I spent a lot of time practicing over the summer. As one great wizard once said, 'I merely spent the time others use for coffee breaks on studying Transfiguration.'"

Several other students were drawn over by Katie's exclamation. Seeing that William had successfully performed a Transfiguration spell, they expressed their amazement.

McGonagall approached William's desk. Boba Tea was hiding inside his robe, too terrified to poke its head out.

She glanced at the makeshift needle, surprise flickering in her eyes. Her usually tight lips seemed to relax slightly.

Turning a matchstick into a precise needle was a task most students wouldn't complete until a few weeks into the course. McGonagall had given them this exercise as a way to lighten the mood, not expecting anyone to actually succeed today.

"Well done, Mr. Stark," McGonagall said, her tone approving. "Ravenclaw earns one point."

Cormac McLaggen, sitting nearby, scowled. Ever since arriving at Hogwarts, he had taken a disliking to William. McLaggen had assumed that once he entered school, his own exceptional talent would shine through. Instead, William kept pulling further and further ahead of him.

Gripping his wand tightly, McLaggen glared at his matchstick and held his breath.

Veins bulging, his face darkened as he tried to force his magic through sheer willpower. His wand trembled in his hand as he concentrated.

Finally, something happened—but not the intended result. Instead of magic, a noxious, eye-watering gas escaped from McLaggen's body, flooding the classroom with an unbearable stench.

The Gryffindors sitting near McLaggen immediately clutched their noses and scrambled to distance themselves from him.

Oblivious to the chaos around him, McLaggen was feeling surprisingly relaxed and focused after his little "release." Confident that he was now in peak condition, he pointed his wand at the matchstick and gave it a few taps.

Fsssh!

The matchstick ignited instantly. The flames, fueled by the lingering gas, flared up with alarming intensity.

McLaggen panicked, throwing the burning matchstick across the room, where it landed squarely in Eloise Midgen's light brown, fluffy hair.

Apparently, it had been a while since Eloise last washed her hair, because her oily locks caught fire instantly.

Eloise was now a human torch, burning brightly like an oversized matchstick herself.

join my patreon for 35+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/HyppoTL