As a group of Ravenclaw witches entered the shape-shifting classroom, Kyle hurried after them, blending in naturally as they made their way to the front. By the time they reached the second row, only a small witch stood between Kyle and the front of the room, just a step away from his goal.
Kyle's hand, hidden in his pocket, was clenched tightly around a bag of dried fish. He was nervous, but on the outside, he managed to appear carefree. However, just as he was about to pull out the fish to unlock his plan, he noticed something unsettling: the Ravenclaw witch in front of him seemed to have the same idea. Because she was ahead of him, Kyle could clearly see a green object slowly emerging from her pocket.
A cat toy?
"Oh no, someone else beat me to it!" Kyle's thoughts went dark, and his body went numb. He didn't even need to think it over—once the little witch revealed the cat toy, Professor McGonagall would instantly transform back into her human form. All of Kyle's careful planning had been for nothing.
"Damn it! Why did I overthink everything? Why didn't I just act sooner?" Kyle angrily stamped his foot, wishing he could use a time-turner to go back five minutes and give himself a good slap. But it was too late for regrets. With a sigh, Kyle moved to the left and took a seat in the front row, as if that had been his intention all along.
Meanwhile, the witch who had unwittingly foiled Kyle's plan reached the front of the class, her hand fully out of her pocket. But just as she was about to pull out the toy, the tabby cat perched on the lectern smiled. With a light tap of her hind legs on the table, the cat transformed back into Professor McGonagall in the blink of an eye.
"Miss Lianna, it's kind of you to want to play with animals, but as a witch, it's more important to maintain sharp insight," Professor McGonagall said, suddenly appearing beside the student. With a gentle pat on Lianna's shoulder, she pushed the hand holding the cat toy back into the girl's pocket.
"Pr-Professor McGonagall," the young witch stammered, clearly shaken.
"It's me. If you look closely, you'll notice the lines around the cat's eyes match the square frames of my glasses," Professor McGonagall said dryly. "Now, please return to your seat. The lesson is about to begin."
There were no points deducted, nor was there a harsh rebuke. In Professor McGonagall's eyes, Lianna's actions were no more disruptive than any other behavior she had come to expect from first-year students. She had been at Hogwarts for many years, and her tradition of demonstrating her Animagus transformation in the first lesson had been ongoing for seven or eight of them. Over that time, she had seen countless students like Lianna—those who tried to tease the cat, feed it, or even pet it. None of them ever succeeded.
After all, McGonagall's reputation as a master of Transfiguration wasn't earned easily. Without real skill, how could she have maintained this tradition for so long? And besides, cats are naturally quicker than wizards. If she were to be caught off guard by these first-years, she'd be too embarrassed to keep teaching at Hogwarts.
After Lianna was helped to her feet by her Ravenclaw classmates, Professor McGonagall deftly waved her wand and cast a simple healing charm to calm her down.
"Calm your mind."
The charm worked instantly. Lianna stopped trembling, and the color returned to her face.
"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall, I didn't realize it was you."
"See that it doesn't happen again," Professor McGonagall replied before turning and heading back to the podium. As she passed the first row, she cast a deliberate glance at Kyle. She had suspected that he, like Lianna, had been planning to test her Animagus form. But she quickly noted that Kyle hadn't reacted with surprise after she had transformed back. It seemed he had recognized her Animagus form from the start and had simply wanted to sit in the front row.
Indeed, she should never have trusted Weasley's gossip. Kyle was clearly a bright and studious boy.
...
Back at the podium, Professor McGonagall surveyed the young wizards before her and said sternly, "Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous of the spells you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone who dares to misbehave in my classroom will be asked to leave and never allowed back in. I have warned you."
The moment Professor McGonagall spoke, the entire classroom fell into silence. Meanwhile, Kyle's heart, which had been anxiously waiting for the worst, finally settled. He had escaped. Thanks to Lianna—if not for her, it would have been him publicly facing humiliation.
Kyle resolved that after class, he would go and talk to Cho. Whether or not Lianna wanted to buy the map, he would make one and give it to her. He couldn't let a kind person be discouraged.
The relief of surviving the disaster made Kyle take notes more cheerfully, and the dull Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration now sounded far more pleasant.
However, unlike him, Kanna, who was also sitting in the front row, was now on edge. She couldn't understand how she ended up next to Kyle when she had already taken her seat at the front. Didn't the first-year student he came with sit in the back row?
Could it really be a coincidence that they were sitting together?
But no, that didn't make sense. She distinctly remembered they were roommates. If she hadn't known that, she would never have chosen to sit in the front row, given her personality. But now, here she was, sitting in the front row... and Kyle was right beside her. The worst possible situation.
Kanna was so lost in thought that she was mechanically scribbling notes without even realizing she had written a string of meaningless words ages ago.
At the lectern, Professor McGonagall continued to talk about the precautions of Transfiguration, unaware that the two students right under her nose were entirely distracted.
"Alright, that covers the basic laws of Transfiguration. Everyone must remember these—they are the foundation of everything you will learn in this subject," she said, glancing at the students with a final reminder.
"Transfiguration is a rigorous discipline. When you wave your wand, you must focus with absolute precision, like this…"
Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and the lectern transformed into a pig.
It looked like any ordinary pig—able to run, jump, and squeal with all the proper features. When it noticed that everyone was staring, it let out a startled squeal.
The demonstration left the first-year students completely awestruck.
Especially those new to magic—they could hardly believe that such a lifelike creature could have been conjured from a simple table.
Every student's eyes were now glued to Professor McGonagall, eager to begin learning.