Professor McGonagall arrived at the Transfiguration classroom half an hour early the next morning, only to find that someone had beaten her to it.
Hearing students discussing magic, she chose not to interrupt. She recognized the two voices—Hermione Granger, an exceptionally studious girl, more diligent than any of her peers. Though headstrong, Hermione reminded McGonagall of her younger self.
The other student was Carnie Stran.
And that was precisely why she hadn't interrupted—she was observing him.
McGonagall had watched his Lumos charm carefully. His talent was average at best—he needed three attempts to succeed. The Wand-Lighting Charm was one of the simplest spells, used purely for illumination, and was something even a young wizard with minimal magical talent could perform.
However… his control and manipulation of magic were at a level that already surpassed most second-year students. His mind was sharp, even if his magical aptitude was lacking.
Still, McGonagall had found nothing particularly unusual about him.
Talent was innate—some students, like Harry Potter, could simply flick their wands and produce powerful magic, while others struggled and ended up causing explosions.
Yet Carnie's technique, despite his low natural talent, stood out.
"Quite impressive, Mr. Stran," McGonagall finally spoke. "Your control has already surpassed most of your peers."
"Professor," Hermione greeted.
"Good morning, Professor," Carnie said.
"Good morning, Mr. Stran, Miss Granger. I hope you both perform well in Transfiguration," she replied before heading to the podium to prepare for the lesson.
More students began trickling in, and Hermione stopped speaking to Carnie.
Since all first-year classes were combined with another house, Transfiguration was shared with Ravenclaw.
Neville and Seamus barely made it before the bell rang. Harry and Ron… were nowhere to be seen.
"Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous branches of magic you will study at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall announced. "Anyone foolish enough to misbehave in my class will be asked to leave—and will not be allowed back. You have been warned."
Then, with a flick of her wand, she transformed her desk into a pig, and then back again.
The students stared, wide-eyed, completely awestruck. They wanted to try it immediately—only to later realize that transforming objects into animals would take them a long time to master.
"Professor!" Carnie raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Stran?"
"If Transfiguration allows us to turn non-living things into living ones… then are they still just objects? Wouldn't that be like… creating life?"
"This is not the creation of life, Mr. Stran," McGonagall replied. "The transformation is purely sustained by magic. Once the magic fades, the object returns to its original state."
"But do these transformed creatures have thoughts and awareness? If you had enough magic, could you keep them that way permanently? And if they lived as real creatures, would they still technically be the original object?" Carnie continued his barrage of questions.
"Mr. Stran," McGonagall said, expression unreadable. "None of this is within the scope of today's lesson."
"I was just curious," Carnie admitted, realizing he might have said too much.
"I will answer these questions in due time as you progress in your studies," McGonagall assured him. "For now, let us continue the lesson."
The other students were stunned.
The discussion had gone far beyond what they could comprehend.
Only a handful of students fully understood—mostly Ravenclaws. Among Gryffindors, only Hermione had followed the conversation.
Those who didn't understand were completely lost. Those who did… were now deep in thought.
But McGonagall quickly snapped everyone back to reality.
As expected, Transfiguration involved a massive amount of theory. Students had to take endless notes.
Carnie, however, found it fairly easy to grasp. First-year material wasn't too difficult.
Then, the classroom door suddenly swung open.
Harry and Ron had finally arrived.
"You are thirty minutes late," McGonagall said, gazing at them disapprovingly. "Perhaps I should turn one of you into a clock. That way, at least one of you would be on time."
"We got lost," Harry said without hesitation. His voice was so firm, so sincere, so flawlessly delivered—one would almost believe him.
Oh, please. They obviously overslept.
"Then perhaps I should turn you into a map instead," McGonagall quipped. "Now take your seats."
She let it go because it was Harry. Understandable.
McGonagall gave everyone their first task:
Each student was given a matchstick.
By the end of class, they had to transform it into a needle.
Those who finished copying notes quickly rolled up their sleeves, eager to start.
"Turn into a needle!"
"Needle-fy!"
"Sharp as a needle!"
Since Transfiguration spells weren't fixed incantations, students began shouting out whatever descriptive words they could think of.
Carnie, meanwhile, had already finished his notes.
Transfiguration was all about visualization and mental focus.
To succeed, one needed a crystal-clear mental image of what they wanted to create—down to its exact structure, function, and form.
Just knowing what a needle looked like wasn't enough.
If one's concentration wavered, if they lacked precision, or if they didn't fully understand the object… nothing would happen.
And if their spellwork was particularly bad… things might explode.
That was why beginner students were encouraged to chant descriptive words aloud—to help keep their focus on the intended transformation.
However, higher-level Transfiguration required no incantations at all.
The classroom was now filled with chaotic shouting.
Ron:
"Toothpick! Clock hand! Nail! Turn into a needle!"
Harry:
"Turn into a needle! Turn into a needle!"
Hermione:
"Sharp and thin!"
She was extremely focused.
Carnie, sitting next to her, also began practicing.
Instead of choosing just a descriptive word, he decided to combine shape and material properties into his incantation.
"Sharp and thin, hard as iron!"
He waved his wand.
…Nothing.
Carnie tried four more times.
Still nothing.
Maybe I used up all my magic earlier with Lumos…? he wondered.
Then, he noticed something.
"Hey, Hermione! Yours is changing!" Carnie was the first to spot it. "That's amazing!"
Hermione had been feeling discouraged ever since Carnie's earlier spell. He could tell, and he figured a little encouragement wouldn't hurt.
Hermione didn't say anything—just rolled her eyes at him.
In reality, she had secretly borrowed Carnie's phrase to test it out.
And it had worked.
Her matchstick had shrunk, becoming thinner—almost like a toothpick. It even had a slightly sharper tip. The material hadn't changed yet, but the wood had darkened.
"Very well done, Miss Granger. Keep up the good work—five points to Gryffindor!"
McGonagall was visibly impressed.
The Gryffindors were thrilled.
Five points on the first day? The House Cup was already within reach!
Hermione's face turned red.
As her classmates whispered praise, she felt deeply conflicted.
She knew she only succeeded because she copied Carnie's method.
If he had kept practicing, he probably would've gotten there too.
She had essentially stolen his work.
By the end of class, Hermione was the only one who had made any progress.
This crushed most students' enthusiasm for Transfiguration.