"Transfiguration is an extremely profound, and rather dangerous, branch of magic. At the same time, it is also a form of magic you will use frequently in the future."
Professor McGonagall's voice was crisp and steady, carrying easily through the classroom.
"You must study it with rigor and seriousness. If anyone disrupts my class, I will remove them immediately, no matter which House they belong to."
She opened with a firm warning, a clean "show of force." Only when every student sat up straight, backs rigid and faces attentive, did she nod in satisfaction.
Then she offered them a sweet date.
She showed them the charm of Transfiguration.
McGonagall's wand tapped the square teacher's desk lightly.
In the blink of an eye, the neat wooden desk became a plump, snow white pig, round, docile, and ridiculously cute.
The next part made the first years gasp so hard they nearly choked.
The pig became a lion, and its roar shook the room like thunder.
Then, in another swift transformation, it turned into a massive python.
The moment those cold, slit eyes locked onto the students, a chill ran through the classroom. The kids in the front row went pale, stumbled backward, and practically fled toward the rear seats.
Even the Slytherins did not look great.
Yes, their House emblem was a snake.
No, that did not mean every Slytherin enjoyed being stared down by a giant one.
Tom saw a flicker of amusement pass through McGonagall's eyes.
He silently complained to himself.
So even Professor McGonagall, the serious one with the stern brows, is secretly kind of wicked.
Crack!
With a sharp pop, the python vanished and the teacher's desk returned.
Only then did the commotion gradually settle.
"That is the allure of Transfiguration," McGonagall said, calm as ever, as if she had not just traumatized half the room. "It allows you to change the world. However, transforming into large animals is knowledge reserved for upper years. For now, we begin with fundamentals…"
She handed each first year a toothpick.
Their task for the lesson was simple in wording, brutal in practice:
Turn the toothpick into a silver needle.
"When you cast, picture the needle in your mind. Clearly. With precision. Focus. No stray thoughts. And you must believe, firmly, that the toothpick in front of you is the needle. Let what exists in your mind overlap with reality…"
…
After explaining the essentials, McGonagall allowed them to practice freely.
The classroom filled with whispered incantations.
Unfortunately, a toothpick remained a toothpick. Nothing changed.
Tom, meanwhile, was spacing out.
[You have gained insights from the professor's Transfiguration experience. Credits +5]
[You have gained insights from the professor's Transfiguration experience. Credits +5]
Two notifications rang out in his mind back to back.
Not only did ten credits drop into his account, Tom also discovered a new way to earn them.
Turning a toothpick into a needle was basic. He had mastered it over the summer.
But McGonagall's explanation had given him a different perspective.
So the system rewarded him for that?
The real surprise came next.
McGonagall moved among the students, checking their progress.
For most of them, nothing had happened.
She did not look angry at all.
Because toothpick to needle was not the simplest Transfiguration. It was not only about adjusting shape.
The crucial part was material conversion, wood into metal.
For children who had just touched magic for the first time, it was absolutely beyond their current level.
But did McGonagall not know this?
Of course she did.
The reason she chose this as the first lesson was obvious:
It was a test.
A challenge that was difficult, but not impossible, perfect for quickly filtering out talented seedlings.
Then she could pay more attention to those with real potential.
McGonagall shook her head slightly.
She had checked more than half the class.
No one had impressed her.
Until she stopped behind Tom.
Tom lifted his wand and drew a small circle.
Tap.
In McGonagall's delighted gaze, the toothpick transformed, cleanly, instantly, into a silver needle, gleaming with a bright metallic sheen.
And even better,
It was not the most common plain needle.
Delicate patterns ran along the needle's body, so fine and dense it looked like something you could display in a case as a tiny work of art.
"Excellent!"
McGonagall's voice rang clearly, loud enough for the entire class to hear.
"Mr. Riddle has successfully performed the transformation on his first attempt, and with decorative engraving, no less. I am awarding five points to Slytherin!"
The Gryffindors did not react much. They were new, they had not yet absorbed the full House rivalry.
The Slytherins, however, went quiet.
Malfoy looked at Tom with open disgust.
A pure blood like him had not succeeded.
So why should some Muggle born wizard?
Tom did not care about House points.
But the system prompt that followed made his attitude do a complete one eighty.
[Host has earned recognition from the course professor: +5 credits, +1 achievement point.]
[System has opened a large, long term continuous task: "Hogwarts' Most Outstanding Student."]
[House points earned by the host will be converted 1:1 into credits.]
[Every 5 House points: +1 achievement point.]
[Leading your House to win the House Cup grants additional rewards.]
House points?
Tom did not care.
But credits and achievement points?
Now that was a different story.
He suddenly regretted something.
If he had been sorted into Gryffindor, would he not have basically "won" the House Cup for free for the next few years?
Now it was a problem.
In Slytherin, if he wanted to take the House Cup,
Then he would have to find a way to
hit old Dumbledore hard.
These years' House Cups were practically pre decided anyway.
On one side, it was to raise Harry's reputation.
On the other, it was a kind of conditioning.
Dumbledore needed to train Harry into the habit of stepping forward in crises, of throwing himself into danger at "critical moments."
Only that kind of Harry would have the courage to face Voldemort in the future, to confront the prophecy head on.
Before, Tom had zero interest in Dumbledore's "Savior Training Program."
In his view, Voldemort only had two endings.
One: follow canon and get countered to death by Harry.
Two: Tom grows strong enough, and crushes him with one hand.
But if the House Cup gave credits,
If House points gave achievement points,
Then chasing them was for improvement.
And improvement inevitably offended the root of things.
Dumbledore,
You will understand, won't you?
Right?
Read, collect, tip, three great acts of reading!