The next second, before Harry or Ron could react, the tabby cat on the podium leaped into the air. Mid-flight, it began to stretch and twist, fur receding into black robes, limbs elongating, until it landed silently on the stone floor not as a cat, but as the stern, imposing figure of Professor McGonagall.
Ron and Harry froze, their mouths hanging open.
A collective gasp went through the other first-years. They hadn't known the cat was their professor, and a wave of relief washed over them; they were glad they hadn't been late, and even gladder they hadn't tried to pet the cat.
Only Hermione remained completely unfazed.
"That was… amazing," Ron managed to say, his face burning with embarrassment.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall said, her voice dangerously calm. "Perhaps I should transfigure you and Mr. Potter into a pocket watch. That way, one of you might be on time."
"We were lost," Harry whispered, a feeble defense.
"Then perhaps a map," she retorted without missing a beat. "Now, go sit down."
Looking as though they'd just received a royal pardon, the two boys scurried away from the front of the class. Their eyes scanned the room, lit up, and they made a beeline for the back corner, sliding onto the bench next to Hermione. She didn't even look up from her book. They didn't seem to mind, craning their necks to see what she was reading. For all her coldness, she was the only other student they really knew.
The rest of Transfiguration class was a lecture, not a practical lesson. Professor McGonagall explained the fundamental rules and various branches of the discipline—summoning, vanishing, human transfiguration, and Animagi—while performing small feats of magic that left the other students whispering in awe.
When the class ended, the students filed out, buzzing with excitement.
"Did you see that? She turned a matchstick into a needle!" Ron exclaimed to Harry.
Harry was just as impressed. For the first time, he felt like he was truly in a world of real magic. He glanced over at Hermione, who still looked completely placid.
"Hermione, didn't you think that was incredible?" he couldn't help but ask. He didn't get how she could remain so calm about everything. "Or… are you from a wizarding family, like Ron?"
Hermione finally looked up from her book and shook her head. "No. My parents are both Muggles."
Ron's face fell. He was from a long line of wizards, yet he was acting like a tourist. This girl, who had supposedly never seen magic before, was acting like it was old news.
"Hmm," Hermione said, tapping a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "It was very impressive, yes. But once you learn how it's done, it's actually quite simple."
Harry and Ron exchanged a look.
"You say that like you could do it," Ron said, a challenge in his voice. He was getting tired of her know-it-all attitude.
"Yes," Hermione nodded simply. "I can."
The two boys stared, their eyes wide. Ron had just been trying to get a rise out of her; he never expected her to agree so brazenly. It left him speechless. Even Harry looked skeptical.
Hermione saw their disbelief and a half-smile played on her lips. "What will you do if I prove it?"
Ron puffed out his chest. "Fine. If you can do it, I'll eat Harry's quill. Satisfied?"
Harry shot him a betrayed look. "Hey! Why is my quill the wager?"
"Deal," Hermione said, ignoring him. She raised her wand and pointed it at the feather quill in Harry's hand. "Vera Verto."
A silver light flashed from the tip of her wand. Before their astonished eyes, the quill began to transform. The feathery tip softened and grew a head, the shaft sprouted four tiny legs and a long tail, and in seconds, it was no longer a quill, but a small, twitching mouse.
The mouse leaped from Harry's stunned grasp, scurried across the desk, and climbed right onto Ron's shoulder.
Both boys were frozen, their mouths so wide open you could have fit an egg inside.
Hermione's smirk widened. She leaned forward and uttered a single, devastating word:
"Eat."
Ron looked utterly horrified. He glanced at the live mouse sniffing at his ear, swallowed hard, and shot Harry a desperate, pleading look.
Harry immediately took a step back and pretended to admire the stone wall. Your bet, your problem. The ship of friendship has sailed.
The thought of eating a raw, living creature made Ron's stomach turn. Besides, he liked mice. He had one as a pet—Scabbers. Wait, Scabbers… Peter… Hermione's mind briefly flickered with a memory from her past life before she dismissed it.
Seeing Ron's genuine distress, she took pity on him. With another flick of her wand, the spell was undone. The mouse morphed back into a quill and clattered to the floor.
"Hah."
With a soft chuckle, Hermione turned and walked away, leaving the two boys staring after her in shock. They knew for a fact that the spell she'd just used wasn't in any of the first-year books. She had learned it just by watching Professor McGonagall do it once.
That wasn't just genius. That was something else entirely. They quickly grabbed their things and hurried to catch up.
Hearing their footsteps behind her, Hermione didn't slow down. She was more interested in the notifications from her magic book. She had established her authority with the boys, and now she was focused on her own progress.
Transfiguration: Lv. 1 (2 / 1000)
Spell Learned: Vera Verto (Object to Animal)
Animagus Transformation (Cat)
The Level 1 Transfiguration was clearly limited to small objects for short durations. The Animagus ability was different; since the transformation was permanent for a wizard, there was no proficiency bar. It was a toggle, not a skill to be leveled. Does that mean I can collect other Animagus forms? she wondered.
With Harry and Ron trailing her like a pair of bodyguards, she strode through the castle corridors. Their next battlefield awaited: the Potions classroom in the dungeons.
In any school, the corner seats in the back row are prime real estate, and Hermione, with twenty years of academic experience, knew this well. But today, her inconspicuous corner was the center of attention, because Professor Snape was looming over it, his greasy black hair framing a face fixed in a permanent sneer.
"Mr. Potter," Snape began, his voice a low, menacing drawl. "Our… new… celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry, clearly unnerved, looked to Ron for help. Ron instantly slumped onto his desk and played dead.
"I don't know, Professor," Harry said.
"Let's try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
"I don't know, sir."
"And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
"I… I'm sorry."
"Clearly," Snape sneered, "fame isn't everything."
The insult, combined with Snape's obvious and unfair targeting, made Harry's temper flare. "But I bet Hermione knows," he retorted, gesturing at her. "It seems you just want to ask someone who doesn't know the answer."
The entire class turned to stare. Hermione, who had been trying her best to become one with the stone pillar, felt a flash of pure annoyance. Are you serious? I'm hiding in the corner, not even raising my hand, and you drag me into this?
Harry was wronging her, of course, but he didn't know it. After her display in the hallway, he was starting to believe she knew everything.
Snape's gaze shifted slowly, locking onto her. "Since Mr. Potter is so confident in his clever friend, perhaps you should answer. If you are incorrect, it will be five points from Gryffindor for… What are you reading?"
Snape's eyes narrowed at the book open on her desk. He leaned closer, his voice dripping with venom. "Hogwarts: A History?"
He was silent for a moment, then let out a short, angry laugh.
"Miss Granger. You are reading a history book in my Potions class. Is my subject no longer worthy of your considerable intellect?"
Hermione met his glare without flinching. Internally, she shrugged. He's not wrong. She had already copied every recipe from the first-year textbook into her grimoire. For her, Potions was no longer a science of probability, but a matter of following instructions. Unless Snape demonstrated something new, this class was, quite literally, a waste of her time. She'd learn more from history.
PLS SUPPORT ME AND THROW POWERSTONES .