Chapter 14: Before Transfiguration Class

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the castle's towers, Hogwarts welcomed the start of another morning. The first class of the day was Transfiguration, and Edward, fresh from his morning workout and breakfast, was, as usual, the first to enter the classroom. The common room felt too far, and the Great Hall was too noisy, so he planned to use the quiet classroom for some self-study. Transfiguration was a complex subject. Even Edward felt it demanded 300% of his focus to master. Luckily, his gift of humility granted him three times the concentration of his peers. Broadly speaking, Transfiguration's difficulty hinged on two factors: the size of the object being transformed and its degree of sentience. Larger objects were harder to transform, and sentient ones even more so. The greater the transformation's scope, the tougher it was. For example, turning a matchstick into a needle was relatively simple. But turning a matchstick into a train or a dragon into a matchstick? Near impossible. Likewise, transforming a matchstick into a turkey—or vice versa—was a much trickier spell. Beyond that, Transfiguration had several branches, like Animagus transformations, which were among the most complex. But in the Knight's Manual of Magic, Merlin described an even more fascinating form of Transfiguration—human transfiguration. This allowed the caster to morph specific parts of their body at will, unlike the full-body shift of an Animagus. The technique had vast applications. In close combat, a magical knight could turn their leg or arm into a blade for a surprise attack. Aside from Merlin, few Round Table Knights had mastered this spell—except for Bedivere, who could seamlessly transform his right arm into a silver one. Lost in thoughts about Transfiguration, Edward stepped into the classroom, only to realize he wasn't the first today. A familiar blonde figure sat at a desk. Daphne's left hand propped up her temple, her quill dangling limply in her right, her head bobbing slightly. She was clearly still half-asleep. Edward stifled a chuckle. Daphne had already pegged him as her rival, determined to beat him even at something as small as being the first to class. He tiptoed to the desk beside the sleeping beauty, about to set his books down, when Daphne jolted awake. "You—when did you get here?" she asked, her cheeks flushing slightly as she realized she'd been caught off guard. "Just now. You can catch a few more minutes of sleep; class doesn't start for a while," Edward said casually, placing his textbook on the desk next to hers. "I wasn't sleeping. I was just... resting my eyes," she huffed, subtly tearing out the page of doodled-on notes. Edward pretended not to notice, keeping his gaze forward. The two studied in silence for who-knows-how-long until a tabby cat slipped through the door and leapt onto the teacher's desk, staring at them intently. Edward met the cat's gaze with curiosity. "Is there something wrong with that cat?" Daphne asked, looking up. Cats were one of her few genuine passions. "Ever heard of an Animagus?" Edward replied, sidestepping her question. "Of course. An Animagus can shift between human and animal form at will. It's one of the most complex and dangerous branches of Transfiguration," Daphne recited swiftly, clearly drawing from knowledge beyond their Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. She studied the cat, realization dawning as she caught Edward's meaning. "You're saying that's an Animagus? But how did you—" Before she could finish, the tabby spoke in a familiar voice. "Good morning, Mr. Bedivere, Miss Greengrass." "Good morning, Professor McGonagall," Edward replied with a respectful nod. Daphne fought to keep her eyes from widening, quickly echoing a "good morning" of her own. "Such diligent students—and two of them! Five points to Slytherin," McGonagall said. "And another five for your familiarity with Animagi." Professor McGonagall was in high spirits. She liked this Edward—smart, kind, talented, and above all, diligent. Students showing up this early to a Transfiguration class were rare, let alone one who recognized her Animagus form on sight. Pity he'd been sorted into Slytherin. "But, Mr. Bedivere, I'm as curious as Miss Greengrass. How did you know it was me? Did I slip up in my transformation somehow?" McGonagall asked, licking her paw. "Not at all, Professor. Your transformation is flawless. It's just that most cats wouldn't dare leap onto your desk," Edward said with a smile. That wasn't the real reason, of course. The true reason was a faint ripple from his gift of sincerity. It wasn't strong enough to pinpoint the cat's true nature or confirm it was McGonagall, but it was enough to tell Edward something was off about this feline. "Impressive. It seems you're not only gifted in Transfiguration but also remarkably observant," McGonagall said, her tail swishing with approval. "You may continue your reading." Edward nodded and returned to his book, but Daphne's mind was racing, despite her efforts to hide it. The strict Gryffindor head, Professor McGonagall, had just awarded Slytherins points! This was Daphne's first time earning points in McGonagall's class—ten, no less! For any student, that was something to brag about for ages. Yet Edward seemed utterly unfazed, as if earning points was as routine as sipping pumpkin juice. How was he so calm? What frustrated Daphne even more was that she'd come early to outdo Edward, dragging herself out of bed despite not being a morning person. She'd nearly dozed off in class. And McGonagall's cat form? She hadn't suspected a thing. Without Edward's hint, she'd have been startled out of her wits when the cat turned back into the professor. Once again, it felt like he'd outshone her. Excitement and frustration coiled around her like a two-headed snake, making it impossible to focus on her book. Edward, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to her turmoil, completely absorbed in his reading. Time passed quickly, and students trickled into the classroom in pairs and trios. None seemed to notice anything odd about the cat on the desk until the room was full. The bell rang, but three seats remained empty. Harry, Ron, and Malfoy were missing.