A week quickly went by, as the first years were getting used to finding their way across the castle, getting used to their classes.
"There look."
"Where?"
"Next to the tall kid with the red hair."
"Wearing the glasses?"
"Did you see his face?"
"Did you see his scar?"
Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory everyday. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring.
"You are as famous as ever Harry", Ron smirked. Ron, Hermione and Harry were making their way to Transfiguration class. Both Ron and Hermione snickered as they knew Harry didn't like being gawked at by people.
"I wish they stop. It's getting frustrating now", Harry sighed.
"Maybe they are hoping that you would give them an autograph", Hermione smirked.
'Don't give them any ideas Hermione. If they heard of that, I wouldn't be able to even come out of my dormitory.", Harry sighed.
The trio were making their way down a staircase. There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other and from what Harry's magic sense told him, the coats of armour could move.
The presence of the ghosts didn't offer much assistance either. It was quite unsettling when one of them unexpectedly glided through a door you were attempting to open. While Nearly Headless Nick was always willing to guide new Gryffindors in the right direction, encountering Peeves the Poltergeist, especially when running late for class, posed more challenges than navigating locked doors or tricky staircases. Peeves would engage in mischievous antics, such as dropping wastepaper baskets on your head, yanking rugs from beneath your feet, showering you with bits of chalk, or stealthily approaching from behind, becoming invisible, seizing your nose, and screeching, "GOT YOUR CONK!"
As for the caretaker, Argus Filch, discussing him was best avoided. It seemed like he was constantly seeking an opportunity to assign students to detention. Filch had a feline companion named Mrs. Norris, a gaunt, dusty-colored creature with eyes that resembled Filch's own, bulging like lamps. Mrs. Norris patrolled the corridors independently. Break a rule in her presence or step slightly out of line, and she would swiftly dash off to fetch Filch, who would appear, wheezing, mere seconds later. Filch possessed an unparalleled knowledge of the school's secret passageways, rivaling even the expertise of the Weasley twins, and could materialize as unexpectedly as any of the ghosts. He was universally disliked by the students, and many harbored the fervent desire to deliver a well-deserved kick to Mrs. Norris.
As the trio entered the Transfiguration class, everyone else was already seated. The three of them quickly filled in the empty seats, waiting for Professor McGonagall. Five minutes later, she walked in wearing her signature stern-face. Today they were going to learn how to change a match stick into needle.
Harry being already familiar with this wasn't paying much attention to the class. Instead he was thinking about the creature he had dreamed about. Initially he had given up thinking because he thought it was just a one time weird dream. But in the past week Harry had dreamt about that creature every night. He had gone to the library to search for any book that might have information on the creature, but so far he had found none.
"r. Potter...Mr. Potter", Harry was jerked awake from his thoughts by McGonagall's voice.
"Yes Professor?", Harry looked up at Professor McGonagall who was standing in front of his and Ron's desk.
"Would you mind paying attention to class? Or do you consider what I am teaching to be entirely rubbish?"
"Sorry Professor, it's not rubbish. But I already know how to do the transfiguration, so I was just thinking of something else", Harry said with an apologetic tone.
McGonagall was taken aback at Harry's statement.
"So you meant to say that you are already capable of transfigurating a match into a needle?"
"Yes, Professor McGonagall."
"Then please demonstrate it"
Harry nodded and looked at the needle in front of him. Holding a match in his hand, Harry concentrated deeply on the image of a needle, bypassing the use of a wand. The magical energy flowed through him, and in a moment that left the class in awe, the match transformed into a gleaming needle.
The room fell silent as McGonagall, known for her stern demeanor, found herself momentarily stunned. She recovered quickly, her eyes narrowing in a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
"Well done, Mr. Potter, take ten points for Gryffindor for that excellent piece of magic." she finally acknowledged, her voice carrying a hint of both approval and intrigue.
"But may I inquire why you are not using your wand Mr. Potter?"
"Professor, it's due to certain constraints that I can't use it as of now. I cannot say it here in front of everyone, but if you want I can stay back and tell you after class."
"Very well, Mr. Potter"
The students exchanged astonished glances, and whispers spread throughout the classroom about Harry's exceptional display of wandless magic. Hermione and Ron both just smirked as they had already seen Harry perform wandless magic everyday in the past week. As McGonagall went around the class to see other students and help them out, Harry got lost in his thoughts again.
By the end of the class, only Harry and Hermione had managed to get the transfiguration. Hermione's match had gone all pointy and silver but it was still made of wood. As the students pilled out of the classroom, Harry stayed back, motioning Hermione and Ron to save him a seat at lunch.
"Well, Mr. Potter, are you able to speak now?"
"Yes, Professor. I didn't use my wand because my wand is quite special"
"Every wand is special Mr. Potter. Not that I condone your wandless magic, but it's safer to use wand to ensure the safety of others around you, don't you think?"
"Professor, I am capable of using all spells and charms without a wand, so you don't have to fear about that. While I said that my wand is special because....well it will be easier to show you Professor."
Harry pulled out his wand Elythral and kept it on McGonagalls desk. Then he took out the scroll he had gotten along with it and gave it to McGonagall. McGonagall was looking at the wand with a weird gleam in her eyes as she tried to figure it out. The wand was still emitting a warm glow. McGonagall raised her hand towards the wand to touch the wand.
"NO...Professor please don't touch it."
Professor McGonagall sent him a puzzled look as she took the scroll. She took the scroll and started reading it. A subtle gasp escaped her lips as she read about the wand's unique combination of elements, transcending the capabilities of any known magical artifact. The descriptions painted a vivid picture of a wand that surpassed the Elder Wand in its potency and versatility.
McGonagall's stern demeanor softened momentarily, replaced by a mix of reverence and curiosity. The mention of the wand's sentient nature and the potential for unparalleled magical feats left her contemplating the implications. Closing the scroll with care, McGonagall couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the discovery of such a magical marvel.
"I see now Mr. Potter. It would seem that you require to study the wand properly before using it."
Harry nodded as he took back the wand and scroll. He could see that Professor McGonagall still had questions about the wand but she decided not to ask.
"Now run along for lunch Mr. Potter. I believe your friends would be waiting for you"
Harry nodded and made his way out of the class towards the Great Hall for lunch. He had almost forgot about the wand because he was able to do wandless magic. He should really study the wand.