Harry, of course, was familiar with Animagus, as there were quite a few Animagi in the Fire Ash Snake Faction who liked to transform into aggressive and agile animals like wolves and leopards.
The consequence of transforming into beasts was that Harry felt no psychological pressure when casting ancient magic, and could cast his favorite ancient magic without any hesitation — shrinking animals to step on them and crush them.
Though not very sanitary, it was indeed stress-relieving.
It's just puzzling why the Fire Ash Snake followers would scream in terror when they saw this magic...
Do they dislike it?
Soon, the classroom was filled with students arriving one after another.
Perhaps because no one dared to step forward and tease the cat, the newcomers only observed curiously from a distance but didn't dare approach.
Once everyone was seated, the cat suddenly leaped forward, and Professor McGonagall, wearing a deep green robe, appeared in front of everyone.
"That was so cool!" Ron instinctively praised.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall said to Ron.
This unusual way of introduction immediately piqued the curiosity of the young wizards, who sat up straight, eager for the transformation class to begin.
"Transformation spells are the most complex and dangerous magic in your Hogwarts curriculum," Professor McGonagall said, "and anyone who misbehaves in my class will be asked to leave and never return—I have warned you."
"I bet, Harry," Ron whispered, "she was thinking of Fred and George when she said that."
Professor McGonagall glanced at Ron whispering and then turned her desk into a pig, quickly transforming it back.
The students were captivated, eager to start learning immediately, though they quickly realized that transforming furniture into animals would take quite some time.
After taking a heap of complicated and profound notes, Professor McGonagall handed each of them a matchstick to try transforming into a needle.
This was a piece of cake for Harry; he waved his magic wand and turned the matchstick on the table into a needle, decorated with beautiful patterns.
"Wow, cool!" Ron instinctively praised.
"Mr. Weasley?" Professor McGonagall gave him a stern look, "No talking during class!"
"But, Professor," Ron argued, "Harry instantly turned the matchstick into a needle..."
Hearing Ron's words, Professor McGonagall stepped forward and confirmed that Harry had indeed turned the matchstick into a needle.
"Not bad for a transformation spell," Professor McGonagall praised, "Mr. Potter has earned five points for Gryffindor."
The classmates applauded, partly for Harry's outstanding performance and partly because Gryffindor had gained five points.
Everyone at Gryffindor knew that it's easy to lose points but hard to earn them—even as freshmen.
Harry, however, remained composed and gracefully thanked Professor McGonagall.
If he couldn't do this on his second go, it would have been a waste of six years of schooling.
Professor McGonagall rarely smiled, but she did, looking at Harry's green eyes, more convinced he resembled his mother.
By the end of the class, only Hermione had managed to alter her matchstick somewhat.
Yet, with Harry's exceptional example, Hermione merely garnered Gryffindor an additional two points.
After class, Hermione squeezed in between Harry and Ron.
"Oh my goodness, Harry, how did you do that?" she asked rapidly, like a barrage: "Professor McGonagall had just finished talking, and you turned the matchstick into a needle."
"After all, Harry is the Savior," Seamus remarked from behind them, "You wouldn't expect the Savior to be just ordinary, would you?"
In fact, Seamus' explanation did convince Hermione.
Thinking about it, if he didn't possess any special skills, how could he be mentioned in so many books?
The group continued to the hall and sat at the Gryffindor long table.
"Hey, Harry," Neville said, "how did you do it? Could you teach me?"
"Oh, it's really not that hard," Harry replied, drinking his juice dry and pulling out his magic wand, "Take this cup for instance, if I want to turn it into a bowl, I just need to imagine the appearance of that bowl in my mind, and then..."
As Harry spoke, the cup turned into a blue-and-white bowl.
"Wow," Neville eagerly pulled out his wand, aimed at his cup, and a light flashed at the tip of his wand.
Unfortunately, the cup only expanded around the middle.
"That's already a good start, Neville," Harry praised, "to make initial changes to a cup is a great beginning—remember, the stronger your wish, the better the transformation effect... Well done, Ron."
On his left, Ron had already transformed the cup into a goblet bowl.
To achieve such a feat with a wand not truly suited for him, Ron was already among the standout students.
Harry increasingly felt that he should gift his dear friend a wand for Christmas.
Being praised felt good, Ron smiled happily, though he still said, a bit troubled, "I've been trying hard to imagine that bowl, but I just can't do better."
"You need to believe in yourself," Harry encouraged, "the heart's belief is the best magic."
Motivated, Ron picked up his wand again and cast a spell on the cup in front of him.
This time, the transformation was significantly better—at least in shape, it qualified as a bowl.
"You've got it, Ron," Seamus praised, "Watch me!"
For a moment, Harry had a bad premonition.
And indeed, as expected, when Seamus waved his wand, there was a loud bang.
The cup didn't transform, but instead, it exploded high into the air, then landed heavily in front of the five of them.
"In some ways, it achieved something," Hermione picked up the cup, "Look, at least the rim is wider."
In the afternoon, they had Herbology, where a plump witch named Sprout led them to the greenhouses behind the castle to learn how to cultivate these strange plants and fungi and understand their uses.
In Herbology, Harry was likely one of the better students.
After all, a hundred years ago, their Herbology was taught by the most beautiful woman at Hogwarts, Professor Garrick, who always wore braids.
Frankly, a teacher's looks indeed greatly impact a student's enthusiasm for learning.
Harry naturally liked the gentle and beautiful Professor Garrick, who was always like a neighborly big sister, frequently finding reasons to ask her questions after class. Professor Garrick was fond of adorable Harry, not only patiently answering his questions but also teaching him how to cultivate Chinese Biting Kale.
Cassandra even teased him for it.
"Look, like a dog chasing a flying broomstick, he'll never catch it, and even if he does, he can't ride it."