After finishing breakfast, Louis and Hermione wandered around the castle until nearly eight o'clock before parting ways.
"Be careful—Professor Severus Snape, who teaches Potions, is also the Head of Slytherin House. I've heard he never gives points to other houses. Watch out, he might deduct points from you for no reason," Louis warned before they separated.
"Sounds like he's not much of a good teacher," Hermione frowned.
"True, but he's still a professor. Nothing we can do about it," Louis said with a shrug.
The two agreed to have lunch together and then went their separate ways.
Louis returned to the Slytherin common room, grabbed his textbooks, wand, and top hat, and got ready for class.
"Morning, everyone. Well, since none of you are awake, sweet dreams," Louis said cheerfully while pinching his nose and waving goodbye to his roommates, who were scattered awkwardly around the room, still deeply unconscious from the night before.
The first class at Hogwarts was Transfiguration, taught by the stern but famously fair Deputy Headmistress, Professor Minerva McGonagall.
When Louis pushed open the classroom door, a few students were already seated.
Oddly, the room was silent, even though the professor wasn't visibly present.
Well… maybe she was present.
Louis looked up and saw a tabby cat sitting atop the teacher's desk.
"Good morning, Professor," Louis said as he tipped his top hat and gave a slight bow to the cat.
The tabby cat looked at him with a slightly surprised expression, then leapt lightly to the floor and transformed into the familiar form of a witch.
"Mr. Wilson, your powers of observation are quite impressive," Professor McGonagall praised. "Five points to Slytherin."
"Thank you very much for your generosity," Louis responded politely.
He had a good impression of Professor McGonagall. Strict as she was, she treated everyone fairly and impartially. She was without a doubt the true second-in-command at Hogwarts.
Far better than a certain biased Potions professor who had gone off the deep end.
"However, Mr. Wilson, unusual attire is not permitted at school," McGonagall said sternly. "That hat of yours is rather inappropriate."
"You're right. I'll put it away immediately." Louis drew his wand from his robe and tapped his top hat.
Poof!
A burst of light flashed from the wand's tip, dazzling everyone for a moment. When they looked again, the rather conspicuous top hat—clearly too large to be tucked away casually—had completely vanished.
"As you wish," Louis said, stowing his wand and, under McGonagall's surprised gaze, finding a seat with his book.
A wave of excited murmuring burst out across the classroom. Slytherin girls and even many of the Gryffindors were clearly impressed by what they'd just seen.
> [You've used a simple sleight of hand to fool thirteen underage wizards and the experienced, sharp-eyed Professor Minerva McGonagall.]
> [Trivial Deception Achieved]
> [You have gained 2,300 Trick Points.]
> [Current Trick Points: 2,320]
Just a small magic trick, and Louis had already made back the points he'd spent on that last lottery pull. Nothing could be more satisfying.
What Louis had just performed was actually a very ordinary stage trick. The top hat was built from collapsible metal supports and stiff cardboard. By unlocking the key joints, it could quickly fold up and be stashed under his voluminous robes.
There was no need to use any kind of storage magic at all.
Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall frowned, trying to recall Louis's exact movements. She wracked her brain, but couldn't think of any spell that could do what he'd just done. Little did she know—Louis couldn't use magic at all.
There was still time before class started, so Louis moved the inkwell and quill off his desk and placed his Transfiguration textbook on it.
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration—the standard first-year text. It provided step-by-step explanations of spellcasting processes and cautions, with a large portion dedicated to the dangers of misusing Transfiguration.
Louis had already memorized the entire book. The case studies were downright chilling—transforming oneself into a magical creature could warp one's mind and even cause them to refuse to return to their original form.
The book also detailed advanced Transfiguration techniques: Switching Spells (turning one object into another, with no relation needed between them), Vanishing Spells (making an object disappear), and Animating Spells (giving life-like motion to inanimate objects).
Overall, Transfiguration was an incredibly versatile branch of magic, and mastering it could greatly benefit any wizard.
Just look at Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore—both former Transfiguration professors. It also hinted at the subject's high difficulty.
But what did difficulty matter to Louis? He was a Muggle—he couldn't learn it anyway.
"But if I could ever become the Transfiguration professor…" Louis let his thoughts drift, time passing unnoticed as he daydreamed.
As class time neared, most of the seats on the Slytherin side remained empty. This displeased Professor McGonagall, though she said nothing. It was common for new students to get lost in Hogwarts.
So, she turned back into her cat form and sat on the desk again.
That must be a very comfy form, Louis thought, remembering the Monkey Talisman's power.
If he had the chance, he wouldn't mind trying out what it felt like to be a cat.
Just then, the door burst open, and two boys came dashing in.
"Whew! Good, the professor's not here yet," Ron said, looking around in relief.
"Why are there still so many empty seats?" Harry scanned the room. Most of the faces were familiar—fellow Gryffindors. Among the Slytherins, all the girls were present, but only one familiar boy—Louis—sat among them.
"Hey, that guy actually made it up this morning. I thought those Slytherins would've beat him so bad he'd be stuck in bed," Ron said with a chuckle.
At that, Harry frowned and glanced at the vacant Slytherin seats.
Judging by the looks of things… it wasn't clear who had beaten who into bed.
Ron, seeing that the professor wasn't here and others were still late, relaxed a little and looked around—only to spot the cat sitting on the desk.
"Huh? Why is there a cat here?"
No sooner had he said it than the cat leapt up and transformed back into a human, making both Ron and Harry jump in fright.
"Mr. Weasley. Mr. Potter. You are late," Professor McGonagall said, her sharp gaze practically skewering them.
"Sorry, Professor," Harry said, flustered. "The moving staircases changed too quickly, and we didn't notice. We had to take a detour."
"You could've left earlier," McGonagall scolded. "Perhaps I should transfigure you both into pocket watches—maybe then you'll learn to keep time."
"Five points from Gryffindor. Each."
"Professor!" Harry cried. Ten points gone—before the term had even properly started. And wasn't she the head of Gryffindor House? Couldn't she cut them a little slack?
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