While the other first-years stared curiously at the tabby cat perched on the professor's desk, I saw far more. My eyes flickered briefly, perceiving the radiant shape beneath mundane fur — a human soul, sharpened by decades of discipline. McGonagall, in all her feline glory.
She thought she was observing us.But I was already observing her.
I settled into my seat beside my carefully curated allies — Draco, Harry, and Hermione. A balanced combination of legacy, influence, and intellect. The perfect foundations of my future inner circle.
McGonagall shifted into her human form, startling several students. I merely smiled — theatrics were wasted on someone who could see the truth already.
She introduced the basics of Transfiguration… slow, dull, instructional. The class struggled with wobbly matchsticks that barely changed shape.
I had no patience for mediocrity.
Drawing on the refined craft buried within Sauron's memories — precise will, forceful intention — my matchstick shimmered, twisted, and reshaped itself into a flawless silver needle. I tapped it once, engraving a swirling sigil of darkness along its surface, a personal mark of sovereignty.
Not just Transfiguration.Art.
McGonagall paused mid-sentence.
Her sharp eyes fell upon the needle.
"…First-year students are not typically capable of such advanced precision," she murmured, voice controlled yet undeniably impressed. Then louder, to the class:
"Ten points to Slytherin."
If murmurs hadn't already begun, that did it. Students exchanged looks — some awestruck, some intimidated.
Draco smirked smugly beside me.Hermione stared at me with fascination… hungry fascination.Harry looked torn — admiration laced with the confusion of his shifting loyalties.
Good.
Let them witness the beginnings of a legend.
As the class ended, McGonagall approached, her gaze studying me like a puzzle she intended to solve.
"You have remarkable potential," she said.
I met her eyes without flinching.
"I plan to use it."
For a heartbeat, her lips twitched — amusement? Concern? Respect? It hardly mattered.
Another class, another step toward shaping Hogwarts into my empire.