Devro glanced at his watch.
There wasn't much time left before class began.
The classroom was already filling up with students, and the atmosphere was gradually becoming noisy.
Devro waved goodbye to Hermione, signaling that he was heading to the Slytherin table. Then he turned and left.
His appearance caught the first-year Slytherin students off guard.
They stared at Devro with wide eyes, surprised to see him.
They had clearly assumed that after Snape took him away yesterday—before he even finished his meal—Devro would be expelled.
But now, here he was, alive and well.
Whispers quickly spread across the room.
"What's going on? He wasn't expelled? I thought I definitely wouldn't see him again!"
"Yeah! Maybe he got detention or something instead?"
"I don't get it at all!"
But Devro didn't care about the gossip or criticism.
He wasn't interested in them.
Besides, the entries on his body had already been harvested yesterday and stored safely in the entry library.
He casually found a seat at the front of the room and sat down.
Although he hadn't yet loaded any transfiguration-related entries from others, he wanted to try his hand at it.
Could it be that his natural talent in transfiguration was really useless?
He refused to believe that!
Devro was especially serious today. He had vowed to prove himself.
Of course, sitting in the front row wasn't just about determination—he wanted to closely observe Professor McGonagall's masterful transfiguration: the complete Animagus transformation.
He hoped that, with the Magical Genius entry, he could understand the process down to its fine details.
Unfortunately…
As soon as the bell rang, the tabby cat lying on the podium leapt to the floor.
Its body twisted and morphed instantly.
Before Devro could even catch a single detail, a serious-looking woman in black and green robes stood in front of the class.
Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor House, and officially registered Animagus—
Professor Minerva McGonagall!
Devro was stunned.
This process… wasn't purely magic.
No—magic was only a part of it.
He could tell, using the Magical Genius entry, that although McGonagall used a great deal of magic, the transformation couldn't possibly be completed using just transfiguration knowledge.
Unless… the caster had modified their own body in advance.
Devro recalled fragments of information about Animagi from the original book.
He vaguely remembered that the transformation required the use of a complicated potion, taken under very specific circumstances.
So in reality, becoming an Animagus required both transfiguration and potion-making—a fusion of two disciplines.
Devro's eyes lit up.
Though his transfiguration wasn't advanced, as a Potion Spirit, potion innovation was his specialty!
Several ingredient combinations instantly came to mind.
He began mentally arranging and experimenting with different formulas to see if he could deduce the Animagus potion recipe on the spot.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
A sharp knocking sound pulled him back to reality.
Devro looked up, snapping out of his thoughts.
Professor McGonagall was staring at him, clearly displeased.
"Mr. Alexander, would you care to share what you're thinking about?"
Devro straightened up immediately.
Angry cats were terrifying.
"Professor, I was thinking about whether Animagus is the result of multidisciplinary magic."
McGonagall raised an eyebrow.
She hadn't expected to hear "Animagus" from a first-year student.
"Because," Devro continued, "after observing your transformation, the magic involved didn't seem sufficient for such a complex transfiguration. So I thought... maybe advanced human transfiguration isn't just transfiguration."
McGonagall's expression softened into mild surprise.
Devro not only knew the term Animagus—but he could also analyze her magic usage?
This was truly unprecedented.
Now intrigued, she asked:
"So what's your theory on how to achieve human transfiguration?"
Devro exhaled with relief.
He answered carefully.
"I think it must be a combination of transfiguration and potion-making. For instance, the Polyjuice Potion is loosely based on the transformation abilities of Metamorphmagi, right? So perhaps Animagus transformation builds on that—but requires a potion capable of permanently restructuring the user's body."
McGonagall gave a small nod.
A rare smile tugged at her lips.
"Your reasoning is close to current academic understanding. Human transfiguration is indeed a fusion of multiple disciplines. But Animagus transformation is extremely dangerous. While potions help initiate the process, they don't eliminate the risks."
"You'll learn more about it in sixth year. For now, focus on the basics. Don't try to bite off more than you can chew."
She turned and walked back to the podium.
Devro nodded respectfully.
It seemed she didn't punish him because it was his first offense—and because his thoughts, while advanced, were still related to class.
The rest of the students were left bewildered.
"What were they even talking about?"
"What's an Animagus? I've never heard of that!"
"Isn't that sixth-year material?"
"Are we in the wrong classroom? This is first-year, right?"
"How is a first-year discussing advanced theory with the professor?!"
Even the Slytherins who had doubted Devro started to reconsider.
"Could he be an illegitimate child from some pure-blood family?"
"Maybe! How else would he know so much?"
"And he beat Malfoy—and wasn't expelled…"
"Yeah, so what do we even do now…"
Malfoy, hearing all this, was livid.
Seeing Devro in the spotlight made his blood boil.
The class officially began.
"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you'll study at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall announced from the podium.
"Anyone who misbehaves, dozes off, or causes trouble in my class will be expelled—and never allowed back."
She gave Devro a pointed look.
He shrugged helplessly.
Then came the demonstrations.
McGonagall transformed her desk into a pig—and back again—several times.
The students were fascinated, maybe even more so than they had been watching her transform from a cat earlier.
Perhaps turning objects into animals felt more attainable than turning into an animal yourself.
Devro was equally captivated.
No doubt about it—McGonagall had the Good Teacher entry.
She was a master at engaging her students.
Then she shifted into lecture mode.
"Transfiguration is a highly dangerous branch of magic. Why? Let me show you."
She waved her wand.
Colored magical dust shot from the tip, forming a vivid 3D projection in the air.
It shifted into terrifying figures:
Grotesquely distorted human bodies, fused with animal parts, or collapsing into unrecognizable blobs of flesh.
The entire class turned pale.
Devro, however, looked thoughtful.
So these are the consequences of misused transfiguration?
The danger was real.
One mistake and you might become something inhuman—irreversible.
Learning Animagus definitely needed to be approached cautiously.
"These are all tragedies born from ignoring the greatest rule of transfiguration," McGonagall said sternly.
"And that rule is caution!"
"These wizards used transfiguration recklessly—on themselves or others—without full understanding. The consequences were irreversible."
"Even Anubis, the legendary Egyptian magic master, who could revive the dead, lost half his sanity after turning himself into a jackal through reckless transfiguration."
"The Sphinx, the Minotaur, even centaurs—are all suspected to be results of failed or unbalanced transfiguration."
"So I ask all of you—never let your curiosity exceed your caution."
Devro nodded silently.
He finally understood why the Transfiguration Prodigy entry emphasized caution as the most vital trait.
Without it, you wouldn't become a master—you'd meet Death directly.
The students, once excited, now looked uneasy.
The fear had sunk in.
After that stern warning, the lecture shifted to theory.
Just as the books described, transfiguration theory was dry, complicated, and unforgiving.
Even with the Exam Genius entry, Devro found it challenging.
Still, he managed far better than the others.
He looked over to see Malfoy practically biting his quill in frustration.
That lifted Devro's mood a bit.
Finally, the theory portion ended—and the moment Devro had been waiting for arrived.
The practical session.
Time to find out just how much talent he really had in transfiguration.