As the little wizards filed into the classroom, Professor Cat gave a quick headcount. Everyone was there. She leaped off the desk and mid-air, poof, turned back into Professor McGonagall.
"Wow!"
Same as Alice earlier, even though they'd seen the trick a million times, the kids still let out an impressed gasp.
McGonagall straightened her spine, cleared her throat, and the noise died instantly.
The corner of her mouth twitched, barely a smile. "All right, it's practically Christmas already. Can every single one of you turn a match into a needle before the holidays?"
"No? Then why aren't you practicing?"
At her words, everyone scrambled for their wands and pointed at the matches in front of them.
Gryffindors always do something the Slytherins don't see coming.
Neville got shoved forward by a couple of his housemates. He tried to shrink back.
But McGonagall's got a sixth sense for classroom roughhousing. She zeroed in on Neville, nostrils flaring slightly.
"Mr. Longbottom, is there a problem with my lesson plan?"
Neville froze. Getting called out in class? That only ever happened in Potions. And he respected McGonagall way more than Snape.
His round face went beet red.
Alice knew this wasn't on Neville. It was the kids messing with him.
So, she thought, "will any of them actually stand up for him?" Neville looked too panicked to speak.
Gryffindor never lets Alice down. Seamus Finnigan, head down, stood up.
"Did I ask you to stand, Mr. Finnigan?" McGonagall's voice got sharper.
"P-Professor, I'm not trying to disrupt class. I just… wanted to explain what happened."
Stumbling over every word, he still got it out.
Turns out, Neville had asked when they'd be able to turn into a cat like McGonagall.
Seamus and the others dared him to ask her. Neville, obviously, wasn't about to. Cue the shoving.
McGonagall's expression softened, but she still laid down the law. "You had a reason, but disrupting class is still disrupting class. Gryffindor, minus one point."
The Slytherins smirked silently. They'd racked up sixty-one points today. Winners.
Neville sat down, looking crushed. Alice knew from their few chats that he hated causing trouble. Losing a point for Gryffindor was gonna eat at him.
Sure enough, Harry and the others started whispering reassurances.
Alice caught McGonagall's eye. The professor's lips twitched again, this time with quiet pride.
Okay, fine. Alice had to admit: when it came to being a teacher and a head of house, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout were leagues ahead of Snape.
Any of them tried to be fair. Snape? Eh… let's not go there. Slytherin did benefit from his favoritism, after all.
Still, Alice didn't approve.
McGonagall, pleased with the Gryffindor camaraderie, spoke again. "While Longbottom's timing was poor, the desire to learn is commendable."
"Forget the match-to-needle drill today. Let's talk about something fun. What do you think of Transfiguration?"
"Speak freely. No right or wrong answers."
The room buzzed. Gryffindors jumped in first; Slytherins mostly watched.
"I think Transfiguration's… tough, but cool," Harry said, scratching his head and looking at McGonagall. "At first, I didn't get the principle. Then you told me to picture the needle's details, and it finally clicked a little."
"If you can really master changing one thing into another, it's like real magic power. Hard, but awesome and useful."
McGonagall nodded approvingly.
Ron chimed in. "It's way harder than I thought, Professor. I practiced for nights last week, and my needle still had match vibes. Hermione nailed it, though. But I'll get it. I know I will."
At the mention of Hermione, McGonagall gave her an encouraging look.
"Transfiguration is a core Hogwarts subject," Hermione said. "Your notes say it requires precise incantations, clear intent, and total focus. Even something simple like match-to-needle involves a temporary shift in a substance's essence. It lays the groundwork for advanced work. For me, it's not just changing objects; it's training magical thinking."
McGonagall's eyes lit up. "Excellent, Granger. Some of you grew up without magic and have no idea what it can do."
"Granger's point about magical thinking is spot-on. You need that mindset to weave magic into every part of your life."
"Granger, I'm glad Transfiguration is helping you build it."
She turned to the Slytherins. "No one from Slytherin wants to share?"
Every Slytherin kid glanced at Alice. Alice looked at Draco Malfoy, smack in the middle of the room.
Draco caught her eye, blinked, then stood. "Professor, may I?"
"Of course, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco lifted his chin. "Transfiguration is a required subject in the Malfoy family curriculum from a young age."
Alice rolled her eyes, of course it is, as Draco kept going.