Outside the door.
A sleek black cat sat primly on the windowsill, its tail elegantly curled around its front paws.
It wasn't long before a young wizard appeared in the shadows of the corridor.
Sean was dead certain he'd lost his ability to cast spells—not because he didn't have his wand, but because he couldn't feel the magic humming inside him anymore.
But...
Sean pondered, pulling out his notes on Transfiguration:
[Wizards naturally have a unique Animagus form, most notably shown in Animagi like James Potter. His was a stag, which showed up not just in his Patronus Charm but in his Animagus transformation too.]
So, was his own form a cat?
Sean felt a twinge of disappointment—he'd hoped for something that could fly.
Wait a sec... maybe it could.
Up in the air above a stone gargoyle in the corridor, a massive owl had a... black cat perched on its back.
The cat glanced at Neville heading back from the greenhouses, then prodded the owl with its paw. The huge bird veered off in another direction.
"Oh—now that's interesting..."
At the end of the corridor, the old wizard with the long white beard never imagined he'd see so much excitement in just a few days.
He stroked his beard, grinning from ear to ear, already buzzing with anticipation for Christmas.
Sean had just shifted back from cat to human when Dumbledore popped up out of nowhere, startling him into a jump.
"Mr. Green."
Dumbledore twinkled his eyes.
"Headmaster Dumbledore."
Sean greeted him politely.
"An intriguing cookie, but... Mr. Green, would you like to learn about becoming an Animagus?"
The headmaster was unusually direct, like he was really looking forward to something.
"Yes, Headmaster."
Sean had no clue what was going on, but he wasn't about to pass up a chance to learn from the greatest white wizard of the century.
"Every weekend over Christmas, I'd be delighted to see you. Oh, almost forgot—the password to the headmaster's office is 'Cockroach Cluster.'"
With that, Headmaster Dumbledore strolled away slowly, but not before dropping a cryptic line:
"Of course, becoming an Animagus is a tough branch of Transfiguration, but with just a smidge of luck—yes, only a smidge—you'll succeed in no time, my boy."
In the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore had just settled into his seat when Dilys Derwent, the St. Mungo's healer, spoke up smoothly—yep, she'd swapped spots with the headmaster himself:
"Albus, are you finally ready to let go completely?"
Dumbledore's bright blue eyes grew even deeper as he stared at the grimy old kettle:
"Dear Dilys Derwent of St. Mungo's, you and I both know that Animagus transformations might best show a wizard's true spirit...
The stag that sacrifices for love; the rat skulking in the shadows; the loyal black dog...
And the cat, symbolizing grace, calm, steadiness, and wisdom.
Muggles think black cats are bad omens, but wizards see it differently—black cats bring good luck, Dilys Derwent of St. Mungo's. We always have."
He gently preened Fawkes' feathers, then winked playfully.
"Oh—and by the way, we need to swap out that lucky statue on the third-floor corridor for a black cat. Give Filch a heads-up, will you, Dilys Derwent of St. Mungo's? That's my Transfiguration, not some prank by the students."
As for the black cat...
Or rather, Sean?
He was padding through the corridors. A proper Animagus shift didn't just keep your mind intact—it lasted way longer too.
One [Apprentice]-level cookie let him hold his form for a full three minutes.
Talk about efficient and budget-friendly.
The cat's world was downright magical. Like that windowsill—three times his wizard height, impossible for a human to leap onto, but for a cat? Piece of cake.
No wonder Professor McGonagall loved using her Animagus form so much; Sean was starting to get it.
Snapping out of that wondrous state, Sean started mulling over his next animal in the series.
It didn't take long to decide—definitely a stag.
He couldn't study one up close, but with the prof's detailed notes, he could nail it before Christmas.
Rumors about the Hogwarts Christmas feast were swirling through the castle again—this time, it was the Weird Sisters, supposedly playing their tunes at the banquet.
Everyone had something to say about it now.
Sean wasn't sure if the Weird Sisters thing was legit. But Hermione was buying it.
As for who or what the Weird Sisters were, even Hermione didn't know the full scoop—she'd never tuned into the Wizarding Wireless Network. But judging by how hyped her classmates were, the ones who'd grown up with WWN blaring, they sounded like a super famous wizard band.
Even the professors were acting weird. Students caught McGonagall and Snape walking together, of all things.
Everyone knew Snape had it out for Gryffindor—he'd docked half their house points single-handedly.
And McGonagall? She never said it outright, but upper-year kids knew she dreamed of the Gryffindor Quidditch team crushing Slytherin.
Seeing these two side by side, chatting now and then? Even the ghosts were gobsmacked.
"They actually get along great."
The Fat Friar sighed.
"Friar, I agree, but we haven't seen this in ages."
A ghost in a ruff-collared doublet replied.
McGonagall had eased up lately, even giving the kids a breather before turning a desk into a stag.
Sean stared at it unblinking, studying every detail for ages.
But Professor Quirrell kept the class droning on from the textbook right up to the bell.
Snape? Forget it—he'd sooner adopt Harry as a godson than let them play games in Potions. He glowered at the whole class, warning that if they didn't master the Swelling Solution, they'd each write a five-foot essay.
That freaked out the young wizards. Back in the common room, Sean rarely gave a group rundown on brewing the Swelling Solution tips.
The day before Christmas—the start of gift-swapping time.
Thanks to killer time management, Sean not only whipped up stag cookies but also leveled up his alchemy skills big time:
[Howler: Beginner (10/300)]
[Floating Quill: Beginner (1/300)]
[Mrs. Norris Cookie: Beginner (10/300)]
[Owl Cookie: Apprentice (10/30)]
[Stag Cookie: Apprentice (1/30)]
[Three beginner alchemy items, six apprentice-level ones—unlock Beginner title in Alchemy?]