Monday had a Transfiguration class.
Upon waking up, John first saw Tom's enthusiastic tongue.
Groggily getting out of bed, he walked to the table and scooped a spoonful of dog food for Tom, then went to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Looking at himself in the mirror, John felt like he had forgotten something.
"Oh no, today is Transfiguration class!"
He had stayed out late night wandering, came back and exercised, and then fell asleep.
Hurriedly stepping out, he noticed the alarm clock on the floor still had Tom's drool on it.
No wonder he didn't hear the alarm clock; Tom had used it as a chew toy.
Putting on his wizard robe, John left the Slytherin common room; it was empty.
In the corridor, he began to envy the Weasley twins because they always managed to find convenient shortcuts. Fortunately, John was in good physical shape.
When he arrived at the Great Hall, there was still time for breakfast.
Hermione had been looking around, and when she saw John coming, she waved to him.
John sat down next to Hermione and glanced at her, still in a cold war with Harry and Ron. He didn't say anything.
"Where's Neville? Did he oversleep or get lost?"
From what John knew, Neville often misplaced things and frequently got lost.
"His toad is missing; he's looking for it in the Gryffindor common room," Hermione said, eating a buttered roll, crumbs clinging to the corner of her mouth.
She had slowed down to wait for John. Normally, at her usual pace, she would already be on her way to the classroom.
John cut into his fried egg and put it in his mouth. "Alright, I think I know what to give Neville for Christmas. He needs a cage to keep Trevor in."
Noticing the crumbs at the corner of Hermione's mouth, John gestured to his own to indicate to her.
Hermione's face turned as red as a blush as she realized.
By the time John was almost finished eating, Neville finally arrived, having been lost again. This was Neville's fourth time getting lost, and John thought he should get him a Marauder's Map.
Neville sat down and took out his Remembrall, staring at the red ball, clueless about what he had forgotten.
The Remembrall turned red when something was forgotten, but Neville never knew what it was.
John looked him up and down. "Neville, you might not get to eat breakfast today."
"Why?" Neville was dismayed, having just made it to the hall.
John sympathetically held up two fingers. "Two reasons: one, it's almost time for class; two, you need to go back to your dormitory."
"Because you forgot to wear your robe."
Neville finally remembered what he had forgotten and rushed back to the dormitory, anxious on the moving staircases.
…
John arrived at the Transfiguration classroom. He had missed the last Transfiguration class due to detention for fighting, which he deeply regretted.
He was very interested in Transfiguration but couldn't remember much about it.
In the classroom, the green of Slytherin and the red of Gryffindor were clearly divided. He and Hermione sat apart.
Whether in the magical world or outside, students always avoided the front rows.
The few remaining seats were all in the front row. John walked over to take a seat.
Suddenly, a tabby cat appeared in his line of sight.
The tabby cat sat on the podium, its markings resembling a pair of square glasses.
As a cat lover, John couldn't resist. Although he vaguely remembered a plot involving a cat, his body acted faster than his thoughts.
Taking out a cat treat meant for Mrs. Norris from his pocket, John approached the tabby cat with a smile.
This move left both houses' young wizards stunned, as well as the tabby cat itself.
"This is a cat treat. Want to try it?"
John couldn't believe he sounded like an uncle trying to lure a child.
After his action, he received looks of reverence and admiration.
The tabby cat broke free from his grip, jumped off the podium, and transformed into a middle-aged woman.
"Mr. Wick, I believe you should find a seat rather than standing here like a block of wood."
Professor McGonagall maintained her composure, the square glasses revealing the source of the tabby cat's markings.
John withdrew his hand, remembering the plot about the cat.
Professor McGonagall's Animagus form was a tabby cat with distinctive markings.
Walking back to his seat gloomily, John felt he might develop a psychological shadow.
He silently vowed to be careful when petting cats in the future, ensuring they weren't Animagi.
Hearing snickers, John turned to see Slytherin students go silent under his gaze.
The Gryffindor students looked at him with admiration. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, stared with his mouth slightly open, seemingly seeing someone bolder than himself for the first time.
Hermione lowered her head, stifling a laugh, her bushy brown hair trembling like a little lion's mane.
This incident changed the young wizards' impression of John. They saw that this boy had a cute side too.
In Transfiguration class, they learned to change objects' forms.
Looking at a box of paper clips, John attempted to transform it into a mouse.
Transfiguration was difficult to control, and John tried many times before finally mastering the spell.
Though it was still Level 1, he successfully completed the transformation before class ended.
His lifeless mouse paled in comparison to the water goblet Professor McGonagall had transformed.
"Slytherin, five points."
As the first to complete the task, Professor McGonagall awarded John points.
What John saw as a poor attempt, Professor McGonagall found satisfactory. For a beginner who had missed a class, it was quite good.
Even Hermione, the know-it-all, hadn't finished due to Transfiguration's difficulty.
After class, John left the classroom with Hermione quickly catching up.
"How did you do it?"
Displaying her academic nature, Hermione was relentless in her questioning, still upset about not completing the task.
John couldn't mention his 'cheat,' so he claimed to have watched Professor McGonagall demonstrate before.
Fortunately, Hermione didn't pursue the matter for long.
In the corridor, John stared at a suit of armor.
"What are you looking at, John?" Hermione asked, stopping to inquire.
Magical portraits leaned closer, showing curiosity.
John stroked his chin, muttering, "This could be a good weight training tool."
The portrait knight's jaw dropped. What kind of young wizard thinks about weight training?
John, always one to act on his ideas, set his sights on the sword held by the suit of armor.
Though the armor itself would be a good weight, it was too large and inconvenient. The sword, however, could be strapped to his back, doubling as a workout tool.
"I'll take the sword tonight."
His eyes gleamed with determination, unsettling the armor.
Besides the Gryffindor common room, Hermione spent most of her time in the library.
The know-it-all had a thirst for knowledge about everything except Divination.
John was also dragged there, primarily to familiarize himself with the Restricted Section.
He picked up a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, pretending to read.
The library had strict rules. If anyone caused a disturbance, Madam Irma Pince would let them know her displeasure.
Earlier, John had seen Neville being chased by a broom for making too much noise after lunch.
John sympathized with him.
Time passed to the evening.
After cleaning the Trophy Room, John stealthily returned to the corridor with the armor.
The poor suit of armor woke the next day to find its sword missing.
This incident became a Hogwarts mystery, with Filch swearing it was the work of the Weasley twins.