Taking advantage of a group of Ravenclaw witches entering the Transfiguration classroom, Kyle quickly followed them, walking naturally toward the teacher's desk.
Only one young witch remained in front of Kyle as they reached the second row, just a step away from the teacher's desk.
His hand gripped the dried fish treats tightly in his pocket. Though his heart was racing, he maintained a calm and collected appearance.
But just as Kyle was about to pull out the treats and unlock his achievement, he noticed the Ravenclaw witch in front of him seemed to have the same idea.
From his position, he could see something green gradually emerging from her pocket.
That was... a cat teaser wand??
'It's over, someone beat me to it!' His vision went dark, and his whole body went numb.
He knew immediately — once that witch pulled out the teaser wand, Professor Meow would transform back into Professor McGonagall.
All his careful planning had been ruined!
'Why did you overthink everything? You should have just gone for it right away!' Kyle mentally kicked himself, wishing he could use a Time-Turner to go back five minutes and give himself a good slap.
But what was done was done. He could only sigh and casually shift to the left, taking a seat in the first row, acting as if that had been his intention all along.
Meanwhile, the witch he now resented had reached the teacher's desk, her hand fully extended from her pocket.
At that moment, the tabby cat on the desk gave a slight smile. With a light tap of its hind legs, it transformed back into Minerva in the blink of an eye.
"Miss Leona, while having a kind heart is admirable, maintaining keen observation skills is even more important for a witch."
She appeared beside the first-year called Leona and, with a gentle pat on her shoulder, promptly pushed the hand holding the cat teaser back into the girl's pocket.
"P-P-Professor McGonagall." The young witch stammered, clearly terrified.
"Indeed. If you had observed carefully, you would have noticed that the markings around the cat's eyes perfectly match the square spectacles I wear." Minerva said calmly, "Now, would you please return to your seat? We need to begin class."
McGonagall didn't deduct points or scold harshly — to her, Leona's behavior was as common as first-years arriving late to class.
Having taught at Hogwarts for half her life, she had established this tradition of demonstrating her Animagus form in the first class seven or eight years ago. Every year brought new attempts from first-years like Leona.
Some tried to play with the cat, others attempted to feed or pet it — she'd seen it all.
And naturally, Minerva had never allowed any of them to succeed.
How else could such a tradition endure? Did they imagine her reputation as a contemporary Transfiguration Master came without merit?
Besides, cats possessed faster reflexes than wizards by nature. Being caught so easily by first-years would be grounds for resignation from Hogwarts.
As Leona's fellow Ravenclaws guided her back to her seat, Minerva deftly cast a simple healing charm to settle her nerves.
✭ Tranquillus ➜ Serenity Charm ✭
The spell's effect was immediate — Leona's trembling ceased, and color returned to her face.
"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall, I didn't know it was you."
"Don't let it happen again." Minerva turned back toward the desk, casting Kyle a knowing look as she passed the first row.
She had suspected he might share Leona's intentions, but his lack of surprise at her transformation revealed otherwise.
It appeared he had recognized her Animagus form from the beginning and simply wanted a front-row seat.
Clearly, she shouldn't have given credence to Weasley's words — Kyle was proving to be both clever and studious.
From her desk, Minerva addressed the young wizards with stern authority.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
Her words brought instant silence to the room. Meanwhile, Kyle's anxiety melted away.
What a close call — thanks to Leona. If not for her, he would have been the one facing embarrassment before the entire class.
He decided to tell Cho after class that he would pay for a map to give to Leona, regardless of whether she wanted to buy one herself. After all, good deeds deserved recognition.
The relief of his narrow escape made taking notes feel lighter, and even the dry Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration seemed more interesting.
Meanwhile, Kanna, also sitting in the first row, felt extremely uncomfortable.
She couldn't understand why she kept running into Kyle, even after choosing the first row. The new student who arrived with him was sitting in the last row—could this really be coincidence?
But no — she distinctly remembered they were roommates. Had she not known this, she would never have chosen the first row, given her personality.
And now here she was, stuck in the front with Kyle right beside her. Could her luck get any worse?
Kanna's mind was in such disarray that she mechanically copied Professor McGonagall's words, not even noticing she had begun writing in the wrong lines.
At the desk, Minerva continued explaining the precautions for Transfiguration, unaware of the two distracted students right before her.
"That concludes our overview of Gamp's Fundamental Laws of Transfiguration. Remember them well — they are the foundation of our discipline."
Having finished covering the essential material, she looked up at the class.
"Remember." She continued, "Transfiguration requires absolute precision. When waving your wand, you must concentrate fully, like this..."
Minerva waved her wand, transforming the desk into a pig.
The creature was perfect in every detail — it could run and jump, possessed all the proper anatomical features, and even let out a startled squeal when it noticed everyone watching.
The display left the first-years speechless, especially those new to magic, who could scarcely believe a simple desk had become such a lifelike animal.
The students gazed at Professor McGonagall, eager to begin their lessons.
✭✭✭
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