It was clear that for the first class, the freshmen wouldn't be tackling biological transformations. Professor McGonagall only used a matchstick as a demonstration to help the students understand that transforming furniture into animals would take considerable time and effort.
Despite their best attempts, the little wizards couldn't make the matches in front of them change. While they waved their wands vigorously, the matches remained just as they were—unchanged. This scenario is common; what seems easy when others do it can become impossible when you try it yourself, especially when the "other" person is Professor McGonagall.
"Remember, you're aiming to turn it into a needle, not a silver rod," she said, moving through the aisles and correcting their mistakes as she went.
Half the class had already passed, and still, not a single matchstick had turned into a needle. A few Hufflepuff students had managed to turn their matches into ash, but that wasn't quite what Professor McGonagall was looking for. They even lost a point each for destroying their materials.
Ravenclaw students, however, took a different approach. True to their house's reputation for intelligence, some wizards changed tactics. They stopped trying to turn the matches into needles and instead changed the matches' color or sharpened one end, hoping it would suffice. Some even attempted to swap in actual needles they'd brought along, pretending they'd succeeded in the spell.
Of course, Professor McGonagall saw through their tricks immediately. In the end, she deducted twenty points from Ravenclaw due to the number of students attempting to cheat.
As she observed the classroom, Professor McGonagall was somewhat disappointed. It didn't seem like this class had any outstanding prodigies. However, there was one student who caught her attention.
She looked toward the first row, where Kyle sat, resting his chin on one hand and waving his wand lazily with the other. In front of him, the matchstick kept changing as he worked. Although it hadn't turned completely into a needle, it was halfway there—quite literally. Kyle had managed to create half a needle, which sometimes appeared at the top, sometimes at the bottom, and other times stuck right in the middle of the match.
It was quite baffling to McGonagall. She had seen many students who couldn't manage the spell, and she'd seen others succeed in one try. But she had never encountered someone who failed so successfully.
Nonetheless, Kyle was the only student who had made significant progress. He'd at least managed to produce part of the needle, which was better than what the others had done.
With this, the class came to a close, and just before it ended, one student finally succeeded in turning a matchstick into a needle.
"Professor McGonagall, one of our Hufflepuffs did it!" exclaimed a voice from the front row, drawing everyone's attention.
Professor McGonagall turned to see who it was and smiled. To her surprise, the first person to succeed wasn't Kyle, who she had been watching closely, but rather Connor Prince, a Hufflepuff witch who tended to fly under the radar.
McGonagall didn't dwell on her surprise for long. Picking up the silver needle, she held it up for the class to see. "Take a look, everyone! Miss Prince has succeeded. As a reward for being the first, Hufflepuff earns three extra points!"
Applause broke out across the room, with the Hufflepuff students clapping especially enthusiastically. It wasn't just about the extra points—they were genuinely happy for Connor. All eyes were now on her, but the attention made the socially anxious witch deeply uncomfortable. Her face turned bright red, and white smoke seemed to rise from her head as she nervously wished the ground would open up beneath her.
As soon as class ended, Connor rushed out, clutching her textbook. She felt a pang of regret. Why did she have to sit so close to Kyle? If she had known this would happen, she would have swapped seats, even if it meant being scolded by Professor McGonagall.
Meanwhile, Kyle, who was unaware that Connor was upset with him, left the classroom just as Zhang approached. She invited him to join her in the Great Hall to find Cedric.
"Sorry, I just remembered I have something else to do later. Can you go on without me?" Kyle said, pointing toward Ryan, who was approaching. "We're supposed to visit Mikel together, and if we're late, Madam Pomfrey will throw us out."
"Oh… okay." Zhang sounded a little disappointed but didn't argue. Kyle had to visit a patient, which was more important than their errand. She could handle it alone. After all, she had met Cedric before, and he had left quite an impression. He was the second most handsome boy she had seen at Hogwarts.
The first, of course, was Kyle.
Determined not to waste time, Zhang headed straight for the Great Hall after saying goodbye. Kyle watched her disappear down the hallway, suddenly feeling like he'd forgotten something.
What was it?
He couldn't quite put his finger on it.
At that moment, Ryan caught up with him, grumbling, "Kyle, I saved you a seat, but you ran to the first row instead!"
Kyle immediately remembered the nerve-wracking moment before class and realized what he had forgotten: he hadn't told Zhang about giving Leona the map.
Well… there's always next time.
With a sigh, Kyle turned to Ryan. "Sorry, I was distracted and didn't notice. I'll make it up to you next time."
Ryan waved it off. "That's not what I meant. I'm just surprised you had the guts to sit in the front row. I heard from the older students that no one dares sit up front in Transfiguration. You've got some serious nerve."
"Haha… is that so?" Kyle laughed awkwardly. Given the choice, he'd have avoided the front row altogether.
Thankfully, Ryan didn't notice Kyle's discomfort. "So, are we heading back to the dorm, or should we wait for the others?" he asked.
"Wait? Where are they?"
"They're still in the classroom, organizing their notes," Ryan said. "Oh, and they're reminding Professor McGonagall about Mikel's homework."
Kyle's eye twitched in disbelief. They're serious about this? After a moment's thought, he decided, "Let's just head back to the dorm."
Originally, Kyle had planned to visit the hospital wing with Ryan, but after hearing that, he changed his mind.
A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall was tidying up the classroom, feeling pleased as she saw off the last of the Hufflepuff students. She hadn't seen such dedicated students in a while. They stayed after class to compare notes, fill in gaps in their understanding, and even asked for additional homework.
Now, this is what a student should be like.
Rubbing her tired eyes, McGonagall started collecting the used matchsticks when she noticed that Kyle had indeed succeeded. The matchstick on his desk had transformed into a perfect silver needle.
Perhaps Connor Prince had motivated him.
McGonagall didn't dwell on it but was nonetheless pleased. Two promising students from one house excelling at Transfiguration? That was a good sign.
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