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"Good lord, Kane! How are you so familiar with Hogwarts? I thought you arrived just yesterday like the rest of us.
How did you know that staircase was going to act up, and how did you know there was a secret passage straight to the Transfiguration classroom?"
Harry and Ron hadn't stopped badgering him with these questions until they crossed the threshold of the classroom.
Kane was getting tired of the interrogation. What was he supposed to say? "Oh, before you guys showed up, I spent the sumr wandering around, beca bunk-bed buddies with Dumbledore, and went into the Forbidden Forest to chop down a Tree Guard."? That's a one-way ticket to being the most hated kid in school.
The classroom was packed. Being Professor McGonagall's first class, not a single student dared to be late. A tabby cat sat perched on the desk, its gaze inscrutable.
Suddenly, it leaped forward, shifting mid-air into the tall, stern figure of Professor McGonagall, who landed elegantly in the center of the room.
"Very good. For your first lesson, not one of you is late. That is a significant improvent over the previous year," McGonagall said calmly.
Hearing this reserved praise, the young wizards felt a small surge of pride. Ron, seeing that McGonagall didn't actually have fangs or a monstrous appetite for students as his brothers had claid, relaxed a little.
He raised his hand. "So, what happened to the students from last year?"
"Eventually, they moved on to their second year," McGonagall replied evenly. "But in their first lesson, they were not only late, but a student interrupted . Consequently, I deducted two points from Slytherin."
"Wait, what???"
Ron suddenly had a very bad feeling about where this was going.
Sure enough, McGonagall's voice sharpened. "Just as you have done now, Mr. Weasley. For interrupting and disrupting the discipline of the class: four points from Gryffindor."
In an instant, the Hufflepuffs in the room went as quiet as quails, and the students from other houses tucked their heads in like tortoises. McGonagall's point-deducting style was truly terrifying and utterly impartial.
Normally, she wouldn't be this harsh over a simple comnt, but this was the first day. She needed to establish absolute authority, and Ron had served himself up on a silver platter.
Bad luck, truly.
However, while it was a disaster for Ron, it was a triumph for McGonagall. Looking at the sea of intimidated faces, she nodded in satisfaction and began her standard opening lecture.
"Transfiguration is so of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. I require your absolute attention and total obedience to my instructions. There is no room for 'fidgeting' or 'experinting' without permission, for such mistakes can quite literally cost you your life."
She took a match from her desk. "I have said my piece. Now, let us see if any of you have bothered to look at your textbooks before today. Turn your match into a needle. A simple trick."
"Of course, if you fail, do not worry. I shall explain the process from beginning to end shortly. No one will fall behind in my classroom."
With a wave of her wand, matches flew onto everyone's desks. "This is a test, not an exam. No pressure. Simply do your best."
Kane felt a rare sense of security listening to her "stick and carrot" teaching style. This was an experienced, knowledgeable educator. The chances of him getting a real answer about his Conjuration book after class had just skyrocketed.
He pulled out his wand. Basic Transfiguration relied on a clear incantation and a vivid ntal image of the desired object. The more complex the change, the harder the spell. But for Kane, this wasn't much of a challenge.
First, he felt naturally gifted, and his mana pool was bolstered by the peculiar energy of the shadows. Second, turning a wooden stick into a silver needle didn't exactly tax his imagination.
The gemstone on his wand flickered with a faint light. In a heartbeat, the match on his desk had beco a gleaming, sharp silver needle.
"No way, mate? How'd you do that?" Ron asked, staring at Kane's finished product and then at his own stubborn piece of wood.
"Maybe you should consider a new wand? I'm being serious," Kane whispered.
"Don't even start. Where would I get the money?" Ron sighed, looking miserable.
Harry sat nearby, itching to help. He really wanted to use his cold, hard Galleons to buy so warm, fuzzy friendship for Ron, but he stayed quiet. McGonagall was walking over.
She looked at the silver needle on Kane's desk, nodded with approval, and gave his head a rare, brief pat.
"Mr. Kane Heath of Gryffindor has succeeded first. Five points to Gryffindor."
Kane tilted his head. Deduct four, add five... so we're only up by one point? Clever move, Professor.
The Ravenclaw student who succeeded next earned four points. Between the two houses, Gryffindor was technically trailing by three points because of Ron's mouth.
"Seriously, she's impartial, but maybe a bit too impartial?" Ron grumbled under his breath.
"Perhaps, Mr. Weasley, you should not only consider a new wand but a mouth that stays shut," McGonagall's voice drifted from directly behind him.
"Oh! Right, Professor!" Ron sat up straight and waved his wand at the match with exaggerated focus. The match imdiately burst into flas.
McGonagall extinguished it instantly and handed him a fresh one. "Two points from Gryffindor."
The rest of the Gryffindors let out a collective groan. Ron beca the target of a perfectly legal and compliant "pressure campaign" of sighs and glares.
McGonagall cleared her throat, ending the tension. She surveyed the room; those who were going to succeed had done so, and those who hadn't weren't going to figure it out without guidance.
Kane sat up straight. The "at" of the lesson was finally about to be served.
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