If Vaughn had to pick a favorite subject at Hogwarts, one that had nothing to do with power or survival - it would, without question, be Transfiguration.
The sheer scope of it. The complexity. The versatility. Transfiguration touched every corner of the magical world in one way or another.
If there were a single subject that best embodied magic itself, it had to be this one.
Especially when it ca to the advanced branches. Animagus transformation, for instance.
After casually brushing off Neville with a vague excuse, Vaughn and Hermione took seats in the very front row. From that mont on, Vaughn's eyes stayed fixed on the tabby cat sitting on the professor's desk.
Hermione gave him a curious glance. "Vaughn, is there sothing wrong with that cat?"
"Not really," Vaughn said calmly, though he certainly wasn't going to ruin Professor McGonagall's surprise.
Honestly, if he hadn't read the original books and known what was coming, he probably wouldn't have figured it out. His current level of magical skill wasn't nearly sharp enough to spot an Animagus transformation at a glance.
The disguise was flawless. From the natural fur pattern to the precise number of whiskers and the way the fur lay on its body, it looked and moved like an actual cat. Only if one studied it deliberately could they tell it lacked true animal instincts. But even that, Vaughn knew, was Professor McGonagall's doing. She had perfect control over every detail.
She wasn't spying on the class. Just making an entrance.
Hermione shrugged and lost interest, but the cat on the desk, McGonagall in feline form-had noticed Vaughn. And that startled her.
Over decades of teaching, she'd seen plenty of students stare at her cat form. So were simply cat lovers. But when she locked eyes with Vaughn Weasley, she imdiately understood. This boy wasn't just admiring her. His gaze held both admiration and analysis.
He knew.
A Transfiguration talent in the making… even if he was a Slytherin.
She gave Vaughn a tiny nod of acknowledgnt. Vaughn responded with a polite bow of his head. Their silent exchange was enough to make Hermione flinch in surprise.
"Vaughn, it--she…" Hermione whispered in a rush.
"Shh. It's supposed to be a surprise," Vaughn murmured back.
Hermione clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes now flicking between the cat and the front of the room, buzzing with curiosity.
Students began to file in as class ti approached. A few noticed the tabby on the desk, but no one gave it a second glance.
Then ca the last pair to enter: the famous Harry Potter and his dormmate, Ron Weasley.
As they slipped inside, the cat leapt off the desk and transford mid-air into Professor McGonagall.
The class erupted in gasps and astonished murmurs.
It was a spectacular entrance. Judging by the awestruck expressions around the room, it had definitely made the intended impression.
But McGonagall's expression soured quickly.
Two students had dared to be late to her first class.
"Mr. Potter. Mr… Ron Weasley," she said, eyeing them both sternly. "Perhaps I should transfigure you into pocket watches to help you rember class schedules?"
"We got lost, Professor," Harry said sheepishly.
"Then would you prefer to be turned into a map?" she replied, voice growing sharper. "And why are you still standing there? Do you need directions to your seat as well? Five points from Gryffindor for being late. Let's hope that helps your mory."
The two boys, clearly deflated, scurried to the only open seats left, right beside Vaughn and Hermione.
As always, no one wanted to sit too close to the teacher.
"Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall began, flicking her wand with crisp precision, "is among the most complex and dangerous forms of magic you will learn at Hogwarts."
With another flick, the desk before her transford into a squealing pig.
Students gasped in unison.
"And anyone foolish enough to try mischief in my classroom will be punished accordingly. You've been warned."
Harry and Ron both turned visibly pale.
"She's just trying to scare you," Hermione whispered. "The school outlawed Transfiguration as a form of punishnt years ago. I read it in Hogwarts: A History."
But before the boys could sigh in relief, Vaughn added smoothly, "Of course, that assus soone's actually watching. If she turned you into pigs behind closed doors… well, no one would ever know."
Ron shot him a dark look. He clearly had sothing to say but kept it to himself, sulking instead.
Harry, though, didn't seem to take offense. Despite all the warnings he'd heard about Slytherins, Vaughn didn't seem bad to him.
Just clever.
"Before we begin today's lesson," McGonagall continued, "I must comnd one student. Vaughn Weasley was the only one in the class to recognize my Animagus form. For that, five points to Slytherin."
Harry and Hermione both clapped enthusiastically.
Ron muttered under his breath, "Traitor."
Nobody paid him any attention.
McGonagall launched into the day's material. Vaughn flipped open his textbook, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Hermione glanced over and was startled by what she saw.
His book was covered in notes, every margin, every empty space packed with ticulous handwriting.
"You've already started practicing?" she asked, wide-eyed.
Vaughn gave a modest nod. "Only basic object transformations. I still have a lot of questions."
He noticed her starry-eyed expression and added gently, "I wouldn't recomnd trying it on your own, Hermione. If you're curious, ask or the professor. Really."
From experience, he knew McGonagall hadn't been exaggerating earlier.
Transfiguration truly was one of the most dangerous fields in magic. Shifting the shape of an object was one thing.
But transforming a living creature?
That was sothing else entirely.
Last night, Vaughn had attempted to turn a dried anchovy into a mouse. It looked like a mouse, furry and twitchy - but it wasn't alive. Not truly. The creature was just an object shaped like a mouse. No heartbeat, no breath.
The real risk lay in transforming living things. Turning a living creature into an object or another species entirely involved altering the very essence of its being.
It was unstable, volatile, and far too easy to go horribly wrong.
Vaughn had read about a rabbit that was turned into a teacup during a botched transfiguration. When the spell ended, it didn't change back into a rabbit.
It beca a lump of pulsing, screaming flesh.
Still alive. Still conscious. For a few agonizing minutes.
After attempting a transformation spell like that once, Vaughn hadn't been able to eat for days.
He was cautious by nature.
But not everyone was.
He shuddered to think what would happen if so overconfident first-year tried to transfigure a person.
McGonagall's lecture continued, densely packed with theory and terminology. Most students scribbled down notes in a blur, barely keeping up.
But for Vaughn, it was a chance to verify what he already knew. He cross-checked her points against his own notes, underlining key similarities and marking contradictions.
At the end of the lesson, McGonagall handed each student a matchstick.
Their first practical task: turn the matchstick into a needle.
She taught them the incantation, Feraverto, but warned them that the spell alone wouldn't be enough. Transfiguration relied more on will and ntal clarity than on words.
By the ti class ended, only Vaughn had completed the transformation.
Hermione's match had begun to shift, one end had already beco tallic and pointed, but it was still incomplete.
"Excellent work, Mr. Weasley. Miss Granger, very well done too," said McGonagall, holding their results high for the class to see. "Observe: Vaughn's transfiguration is flawless. Miss Granger's is just shy of completion. I'm confident she would succeed with another ten minutes."
"Ten points to Slytherin and ten to Gryffindor," she added.
"Now, for your howork…"
She assigned an essay and dismissed the class. As students began packing up, McGonagall called out, "Mr. Weasley, please stay behind. I have sothing I'd like to discuss with you."
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