Chapter 11.
During dinner, the mischievous Draco couldn't help but walk over to the Gryffindor table with his followers, Goyle and Crabbe, to stir up trouble. Soren could only facepalm in silence; how much did Draco love Harry to constantly provoke him?
As described in the original novel, Draco contemptuously challenged Harry to a duel.
In his view, Harry, who grew up in the Muggle world and had only been exposed to magic for two weeks, probably didn't even know what a duel was and would surely be too scared to accept, allowing him to mock Harry freely. But unexpectedly, Ron couldn't help but step in to assert his presence, unnecessarily helping Harry accept the duel, "A duel it is! I'll be his second; who's your second?"
Draco glanced back at Crabbe and Goyle and said without hesitation, "Of course it's my brother."
Crabbe and Goyle couldn't help but mutter under their breath, "Then what are you looking at us for..."
"At midnight, how about that? We'll meet you in the trophy room; it never locks," Draco continued without acknowledging their complaints.
Soren's slow voice came from afar, "I say... you lot are openly discussing dueling and fighting in public, and you've chosen to do so at midnight, which violates school rules; furthermore, dragging me into a duel without asking for my opinion—does that really seem appropriate?"
Ron scoffed without hesitation, "You guys clearly proposed the duel. What? Now that you're scared, you want to back out? Cowardly wimp!"
Ron's tone was indeed a bit excessive, causing even Harry to frown. However, Harry didn't want to be misunderstood as siding with Slytherin, so he chose to remain silent.
At that moment, Soren felt a bit angered by Ron's words. Although he maintained a neutral expression, his tone suddenly became very chilling, "I just don't want to violate school rules for a boring reason. Since you want to duel, there's no need to wait until midnight..."
After saying this, Soren drew his wand and lightly tapped a cup on the long table. In an instant, the cup transformed into a fierce gray wolf, baring its sharp fangs and letting out a terrifying howl!
Screams erupted from the Gryffindor table, Harry's face instantly turned pale, and Ron was so frightened that he fell backward off his chair. Just as Professor McGonagall rushed over, Soren waved his wand again, and the gray wolf transformed back into the cup. He then said in an emotionless voice, "Do you still want to duel me now?"
Professor McGonagall arrived with a stern expression and said sharply, "Mr. Malfoy! Please explain what is going on here. Using magic to harm fellow students is strictly prohibited at Hogwarts!"
Soren turned to Professor McGonagall. He knew that this professor always acted fairly and would not show favoritism toward Gryffindor, so he was unafraid.
He replied in a calm tone, "Professor McGonagall, Mr. Weasley has never had a good opinion of our Malfoy family, which I don't mind. However, just now I merely wanted to peacefully cancel the duel agreement between them and my brother, but I was insulted by Mr. Weasley—he called me a cowardly wimp! I only intended to scare them a bit with Transfiguration; I don't think that counts as harming fellow students, does it? There are so many people here witnessing this; they can all testify."
Professor McGonagall, after questioning several students dining at the same table, confirmed that what Soren said was indeed the truth. She pressed her lips tightly together because Ron's insulting behavior had cost Gryffindor 20 points, which placed them at the bottom of the house rankings after already losing quite a few points over the past two weeks. Many little wizards from Gryffindor shot unfriendly glances at Ron and Harry.
Professor McGonagall turned to Soren and said, "Even if there was a reason, Mr. Malfoy, your actions were inappropriate. You are only a first-year student; what if your magic went out of control and harmed fellow students?"
Soren spoke calmly, his tone filled with undeniable confidence: "Professor, I apologise for being blunt but that would never happen."
With that, he waved his wand lightly, and the four cups on the table transformed simultaneously into a snake, a spider, a chick, and a red fox. Then, with another gentle wave, the four little animals tangled together, turning into a snake-like monster with a fox tail, a comb, and eight spider legs, raising its terrifying head, flicking its forked tongue, and hissing. With another light wave, the snake-like monster instantly broke down into the four previous little animals and then reverted back to the four cups.
Professor McGonagall stood there, speechless, stunned by Soren's performance. After regaining her composure, she slowly said, "Mr. Malfoy, that is truly incredible Transfiguration. Can you tell me what level your Transfiguration skills have reached?"
"What level?" Soren stroked his chin. "I think... aside from the Switching Spell and the Vanishing Spell, I should have mastered everything at the OWL level..." As he spoke, he glanced at Ron and added, "To be honest, just now, if I wanted to, I could have turned him into a white ferret."
This statement shocked Ron, filling him with fear, anger, and hatred, but the presence of Professor McGonagall and the sharp gaze from Soren prevented him from saying anything harsh.
Although Professor McGonagall's expression remained stern, Soren could sense a hint of delight that she inadvertently revealed between her brows. "Come with me to my office; I have something to discuss with you."
Soren followed Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall, still able to hear Ron's low curses, but he paid no mind to it and hurriedly followed Professor McGonagall to her office.
Professor McGonagall's office was a small study located at the end of a corridor on the second floor. There was a roaring fireplace, and outside the window, one could see the Quidditch pitch. Behind Professor McGonagall's desk were shelves filled with dense books on Transfiguration and students' Transfiguration papers, all showing signs of having been read, rather than just being for show on a bookshelf.
It seemed that Professor McGonagall's "Hat Trick" title was indeed not unfounded; Ravenclaw suited her just as well, Soren thought to himself.
After sitting down at her desk, Professor McGonagall stared at Soren for a few seconds before organizing her words and saying, "Mr. Malfoy, you probably are one of the most talented student in Transfiguration I have ever seen. Your learning progress far exceeds that of your peers. To not waste your talent, I would like to invite you to join my Transfiguration Club."
"Transfiguration Club?" Soren asked, perplexed. He was well-versed in the original novel and did not recall such a club.
The only clubs he remembered were the Duelling Club that appeared in the second year, the Slug Club that emerged in the sixth year, and the Gobstone Club organized by students... Right, it seemed that Gryffindor's Vicky Frobisher mentioned her focus on the "Charm Club" when competing with Ron for a position on the Quidditch team; perhaps the Transfiguration Club was a similar organization.
"That is a club I established, meeting once a week, where some of your upperclassmen who excel in Transfiguration discuss and study topics related to Transfiguration. Of course, where you can also publish academic papers in the 'Daily Transfiguration' to contribute to the field of Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall explained.
After saying this, Professor McGonagall pulled out a book from the shelf; it was her own Transfiguration notes from when she was preparing for her OWL exams, filled with many private tips and insights not found in textbooks. She handed it to Soren, as she had high hopes for him and looked forward to his future achievements in the field of Transfiguration.
[Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Notes Acquired!]
"It is my honor, Professor," Soren said respectfully, nodding as he left Professor McGonagall's office.
Back at the Slytherin long table in the Great Hall, Draco and his followers, Daphne, Meredith, and Pansy, eagerly surrounded him. "What did Professor McGonagall want you for?" Draco couldn't help but ask first.
"Nothing special," Soren explained nonchalantly. "She invited me to join her Transfiguration club and even gave me a book on Transfiguration."
"Transfiguration club?" several people echoed. "What is that?"
"I heard it's a club that Professor McGonagall set up herself," Soren thought for a moment and said, "to discuss and study topics related to Transfiguration."
"Are you kidding?" Pansy exclaimed, surprised into silence. Soren was sure she unconsciously glanced at Draco again, a complex expression flickering in her eyes.
"You're amazing, really enviable," Meredith said, a bit jealous, as this was undoubtedly Professor McGonagall's special attention towards Soren.
"Of course, you have to consider who my brother is. If my brother were a bit more diligent and spent more time studying and doing homework instead of trying to find ways to annoy that bunch of Gryffindors all day, he would definitely be no worse than me, right, Draco?" Soren said with a smile.
"Absolutely!" Draco replied proudly.
At that moment, Soren caught sight of Harry and Ron trying to eavesdrop from a distance and said lightly, "Potter, Weasley, don't you think it's quite rude to listen in on other people's conversations?"
Draco and the others turned their heads to see the two sneaking around nearby, glaring at them with anger.
Ron, unwilling to back down, said, "What gives you the right to say we're eavesdropping? We just happened to be passing by. Do we need your approval to walk down the corridor?"
Soren calmly retorted, "It doesn't matter. The matter about the duel isn't over yet, but I don't intend to break school rules for you. How about this: right here, in front of everyone, I challenge you to a game of Wizard's Chess to decide the winner. Do you dare?"
Soren knew that it had been mentioned in the original story that Ron's greatest talent was Wizard's Chess; he wouldn't back down from a challenge. Soren aimed to hit him hard in his area of expertise, making him feel the pressure of a comprehensive defeat.
A flush of excitement crossed Ron's face. "I dare! What's there to be afraid of!"
Soren replied, "Of course, even if it's just a game of Wizard's Chess, I won't waste my time just to beat you. If we're going to compete, we need to raise the stakes—how about 10 Galleons?"
Ron's face turned red instantly; his entire savings didn't even add up to a single Galleon, let alone 10. However, faced with the Malfoy family, he couldn't admit to being poor; losing would mean losing face.
Soren ignored him. "If you don't have 10 Galleons on hand," Soren turned to Harry, "this matter may not have started because of you, but it's still related to you. It wouldn't be unreasonable for you to cover this Galleon, would it?"
"Sure! I believe in Ron!" Harry agreed enthusiastically.
After dinner, Soren happily took his newly earned 10 Galleons and went back to the Slytherin dormitory with Draco and the others.
At the long table sat Ron, looking dejected, and Harry, who also didn't look too good. Harry could only whisper some comfort to Ron—but it seemed ineffective. Losing the Galleons was a small matter for Harry, but the game of Wizard's Chess had taken place in front of everyone; being defeated by the Malfoys in public made Ron feel utterly despondent.
He felt the glances around him filled with pity, which made him feel very ashamed. He covered his face and ran straight into the Gryffindor dormitory, with Harry hurriedly following him out of the Great Hall.