Led by Hannah Abbott, a few Hufflepuff girls were getting restless, clearly itching to act but still hesitating.
But as the time for class drew nearer, and with the sense that Professor McGonagall was about to arrive at any moment, Hannah rallied Bones, and a couple of others to take the chance. Each of them held some kind of snack in hand.
What the hell?
Wayne's eyes widened in disbelief.
Miranda…
Where did you even get catnip?!
Just then, the tabby cat surrounded by girls revealed a very human-like smirk. With a leap backward, it transformed midair back into Professor McGonagall, her expression as stern and composed as ever.
"Miss Abbott—never act so rashly in the wizarding world, especially when you cannot clearly identify the creature in front of you."
She glanced at the catnip, and the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly.
Definitely Hufflepuff students… Only they could manage to pull together such oddball herbs and plants.
"P-Pr-Professor McGonagall…" the flustered girls stammered, clearly terrified.
"All right, class is about to begin. Please return to your seats."
The girls took this as a royal pardon and dashed back to their desks, still wearing expressions of lingering panic.
Even the other students, who had just been watching for fun, were startled. Everyone sat upright, ready for class.
This was one of Professor McGonagall's signature moves—transforming into her Animagus form during the first class to establish authority. It worked like a charm every time.
Soon after, the bell rang, and McGonagall entered full teaching mode.
"Transfiguration is the most dangerous and most complex subject you will learn at Hogwarts."
"If anyone dares to fool around in my class, they'll be removed and never allowed back in."
The Deputy Headmistress's full presence radiated through the room. The entire class went dead silent—even Malfoy and his two goons shrank back.
Even with Snape protecting the Slytherins, if McGonagall got angry, no one could save them.
At the front, McGonagall waved her wand, and dense writing filled the blackboard. It was the legendary Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration—a cornerstone of magical theory.
These were the unshakable fundamentals of all Transfiguration. Before learning any actual spells, one had to memorize these rules to avoid irreversible magical accidents.
The young wizards scribbled furiously in their notebooks. Wayne did too, though selectively—he already knew most of this, and there was no point in wasting ink.
Once everyone finished copying, McGonagall tapped the desk with her wand, and—poof—it transformed into a pig.
This instantly caught the attention of the students. Cries of surprise echoed around the room, their previously bored expressions turning into excitement and anticipation.
A veteran professor with decades of teaching experience, McGonagall knew exactly what would excite first-years.
Each student was given a matchstick. The goal of this class—and likely for the entire month—was to transform that matchstick into a needle.
Transfiguration was categorized by difficulty: from easiest to hardest, it went like this:
Inanimate to inanimate
Animate to inanimate
Inanimate to animate
Animate to animate
Each step up represented a massive leap in difficulty.
Well, never mind the future—just the first lesson alone had already stumped everyone.
Hannah had nearly poked her matchstick to pieces with her wand, but it still hadn't changed a bit.
Her desk partner, Susan, did slightly better. After five minutes, she successfully turned her matchstick… green.
"Transform—transform—transform, damn you!"
Malfoy snarled, jabbing his wand repeatedly.
Bang! A burst of sparks shot out from the tip, nearly blowing up his entire desk.
"Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall said sternly, frowning. "I told you to focus. Anger serves no purpose."
"For your recklessness, Slytherin loses one point."
"Yes, Professor, I understand." Malfoy, unwilling to argue, could only retrieve a new matchstick and start over.
"This is way too hard." Toby gave his matchstick a flick with a flash of silver light. At first, he thought he had succeeded, but then realized the match hadn't changed at all.
"It's not that bad, you just need to focus. Put all your attention on the matchstick, don't think about success or failure."
Wayne offered the tip casually. With a flick of his wand, the matchstick transformed into a silver needle, thick on one end and thin on the other.
There were even delicate patterns etched onto the thicker end.
Just then, Professor McGonagall walked by. Upon seeing his success, she looked both surprised and pleased.
"Perfect, Mr. Lawrence!"
That single transfiguration was something many young wizards couldn't manage even after an entire term.
She looked at Wayne with admiration. "You have quite the talent for Transfiguration. Keep it up, Mr. Lawrence. Five points to Hufflepuff."
"Thank you, Professor," Wayne replied politely.
Toby and Norman, stared at Wayne like he was some sort of traitor.
"Didn't you say you'd never studied magic before? How'd you pull that off so easily?"
"Liar!"
Wayne replied confidently, "I got bored over the summer and did a little preview. What's the problem?"
Toby muttered, "Who in their right mind previews class material over the holidays? That's a complete vote of no confidence in the professor's teaching!"
All right, all right, you win with words.
Many students were envious of Wayne, and the Slytherins, in particular, were filled with jealousy.
The fact that a Muggle-born first-year had pulled off something that most of their pure-blood peers couldn't manage felt like a slap in the face.
Too bad for them—
Until the end of class, no other student succeeded. The closest one had only managed to slightly change the shape of the matchstick, with no alteration to its material.
Still, with Wayne's success, Professor McGonagall was more than satisfied—and even excused him from this week's Transfiguration homework.
Toby and Norman's eyes nearly turned red with envy.
But nothing could stand in the way of a Hufflepuff's appetite.
As soon as class ended, the young badgers grabbed their bags and sprinted toward the Great Hall. Wayne, who walked at a more relaxed pace, stood out as the odd one out.
He walked slowly with his head down, deep in thought about ways to make money.
Thanks to the little scheme from the night before, he'd learned quite a bit about how much pocket money the other students had.
And with the term just starting, their coin purses were still at their fullest. In a few weeks, they'd have spent most of it.
He had to act quickly.
So absorbed was he in his thoughts that he didn't notice a girl coming around the corner.
The two of them bumped straight into each other.
"Ouch!"
The crisp voice snapped Wayne out of his thoughts.
"Sorry—are you okay?"