Having escaped famine, I was accepted into Hogwarts.

Chapter 28: Practical Tips on Transfiguration

"My goodness? Kane, how do you know Hogwarts so well? I remember you only arrived at Hogwarts yesterday, just like us. How did you know that the staircase was malfunctioning, and that there's a secret passage leading directly to the Transfiguration classroom?"

Harry and Ron kept asking these questions even after they went into the Transfiguration classroom.

Kane was getting annoyed by the questions. What could he say? Could he say that before you all came to Hogwarts, I had already wandered around here for a whole time, shared a bunk bed with Dumbledore, and even went to the Forbidden Forest to cut down a tree demon?

You're so annoying, bro!

The classroom was packed with young wizards. Not a single one was late for Professor McGonagall's first class. The tabby cat sitting on the podium nodded imperceptibly, then suddenly leaped forward into the air and transformed into Professor McGonagall, gracefully standing in the center of the classroom.

"Very good. Not a single one of you was late for the first class, which is much better than the previous year's students," Professor McGonagall said calmly.

Hearing this reserved praise, the young wizards below were also a little happy. Ron relaxed a bit when he saw that Professor McGonagall was not the monstrous figure his brothers had described, who would inhumanly and equally kill all the students in all the houses as soon as class started.

Then he raised his hand and asked, "What happened to the young wizards from the previous year?"

"They eventually moved up to the second year, and on their first class, not only were they late, but a student also interrupted me, so I deducted two points from Slytherin's score that year," Professor McGonagall said calmly.

"Um???"

Ron had a sudden feeling that something was wrong.

Sure enough, Professor McGonagall has now spoken up: "Just like now, Mr. Weasley, for interrupting and disrupting the class, Gryffindor, four points deducted."

In an instant, the entire Hufflepuff fell silent, as listless as quails, and the other houses that shared classes with Gryffindor also quickly shrank back.

Professor McGonagall is ruthless when it comes to deducting points; it's terrifying.

Normally, Professor McGonagall wouldn't lose points for such a small thing as responding to a question. But since it was the first class, Professor McGonagall was eager to establish her authority in front of these young wizards, and Ron, oblivious to the danger, joined in.

That was also a bad idea.

However, these things are relative. It wasn't a good outcome for Ron, but it was fantastic for Professor McGonagall to establish her authority. Looking at the little wizards below, who were like quails, she nodded in satisfaction and began to deliver her usual opening remarks for this class.

"The Transfiguration you learn in this classroom will be the most sophisticated and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts over the next seven years. Therefore, I need you to follow my instructions 100% in class and absolutely prevent any behavior like a little wizard's sudden tremor, because that could really cost you your life."

After Professor McGonagall finished speaking, she took a matchstick from the podium: "I've said what I needed to say. Now it's time for me to test whether you've prepared before the start of the semester. Turn a matchstick into a needle—it's a very simple trick."

"Of course, it's okay if you fail. I'll go through it all over again later. Don't worry, you won't miss any points in my class."

After Professor McGonagall finished speaking, she waved her wand, and matches from the matchbox flew onto the desks of each young wizard.

"This is just a test, not an exam. There's no need to feel pressured. Just do your best."

Kane felt a rare sense of calm listening to Professor McGonagall's teaching style, which combined harsh words with sweet words.

After all, such a precise and efficient teaching method must belong to a professor who is experienced and knowledgeable. The chances of getting nowhere by asking Professor McGonagall after class will be greatly reduced.

After feeling a bit more at ease, he took out his wand. The Transfiguration spells he had practiced before were very basic, mostly involving chanting incantations and then visualizing the shape of the object to be transformed.

The more complex the form, the greater the difference from the original form, and the more difficult the transformation becomes. However, these factors do not pose a significant challenge to Kane.

Firstly, he genuinely felt he was quite talented, and secondly, because of the shadows, his magic was stronger than that of other young wizards.

Secondly, turning a matchstick into a needle... is that really a challenge for one's imagination?

Sure enough, as the wand inlaid with a gem flashed for a moment, the matchstick on the table had turned into a glittering silver needle.

"Not buddy? How did you do that?" Ron, sitting next to Kane, looked at Kane's finished work with some surprise, then looked at the matchstick in front of him that hadn't changed much.

"Perhaps you could consider getting a different wand? I mean it," Kane said quietly.

"Don't even mention it, where would I get the money?" Ron sighed wryly.

Harry Potter, standing nearby, was eager to try; he really needed to gain warm friendships through the cold Galleons!

However, he quickly became well-behaved again, because Professor McGonagall walked over, looked at the silver needles on Kane's desk, nodded in satisfaction, and then reached out to pat his head.

"Mr. Cairnheath of Gryffindor was the first to complete the transformation. Gryffindor, add five points."

Kane raised an eyebrow. First deducting points, then adding them, he only gained one point in total. As expected of Professor McGonagall.

Compared to the young wizard from the neighboring Ravenclaw school who successfully transformed, although he didn't get the first-place bonus, he still gained four points. Gryffindor lost three points overall.

"Honestly, Professor McGonagall is selfless, but isn't she a little too selfless?" Ron muttered to Kane and Harry as he leaned on the table.

"Perhaps Mr. Weasley, you should not only change your wand, but also your mouth." Professor McGonagall appeared behind Ron at some point, staring at him intently.

"Oh, I see, Professor." Ron quickly sat up straight and meticulously used his wand to cast a spell on the match, which then lit up.

Professor McGonagall extinguished the fire in the blink of an eye, then handed Ron a new match: "Two points deducted from Gryffindor."

Suddenly, more complaints arose from Gryffindor. They had all found a reasonable and appropriate outlet for their venting: sighs, helpless cries, and complaints. The pressure of legality and compliance weighed on Ron.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, breaking the tension. After surveying the area, she concluded that those who could successfully transform had already succeeded, while those who couldn't would struggle even with another day and night. Ultimately, they would still need her, the professor, to impart knowledge and resolve their doubts.

Kane finally sat up straight; the hard stuff he wanted to hear was finally here.