A Summoner in the Wizarding World

When I woke the next day, the shadow had retreated and I felt refreshed but drained, as if I had finished a full workout. After the first rays of sunlight peeked from outside the curtains, I pulled myself out of bed. It appeared no one else had done the same, for the dorm was still blanketed by silence.

I went to clean up before making my way down to the common room. The chilly autumn breeze blew through the tower's windows, prompting me to take the armchair closest to the crackling fireplace. Before long, Hermione also arrived from the other dormitory, carrying a stack of books that almost toppled her.

"Did you sleep well, Hermione?"

She put down the stack with a 'thud' before responding.

"Hmm… I must've, I think. I can't remember when I did, but I do feel quite refreshed this morning. Were the boys friendly?"

Hermione looked as if she was about to tell me something but decided not to, then looked at me expectantly. I shrugged.

"They were fine. All of us were too tired yesterday, so we only told each other our names before going to sleep. Anyway, do you want to get an early breakfast? Then we'd have more time to find our way to the classrooms."

She lit up at that and nodded. 

"May I?"

I swept up her books and put them on an empty shelf nearby. 

"Alright then, after you, my Lady." I followed with an exaggerated bow, earning bouts of giggles from Hermione as she took my hand and pulled me along. 

Already earning its keep, my shadow discreetly did its best to ensure we stayed on the same path last night. Despite that, the castle kept Hermione and I on our toes with various invisible or illusory walls as well as shifting staircases. Along our way through the deserted corridors, occasional owl hoots from those delivering early letters could be heard.

By the time we arrived at the Great Hall, only a handful of students were there, scattered across the tables, some gossiping animatedly while others absorbed in the morning Prophet. The few that Hermione agreed with were reading up class materials. She planned to do just that after consulting our timetable. I took the time to pile roasted potatoes onto her plate, not that she'd be touching that any time soon. 

"Transfiguration first at 10, Charms after lunch and… that's it?"

Hermione flipped the paper, not finding any extra classes and looked visibly disgruntled. 

"We need to find them though - I for one don't know where Professor McGonagall's class is at." I reminded her.

Hermione seemed more satisfied and made quick work of her breakfast. We then joined the upper years making their way to class.

General POV:

Classroom 307, Transfiguration

Minerva McGonagall sat unassumingly on her desk in her Animagus form, as she had done for many decades. She took pride in being one of the ancient art's best practitioners, having accomplished this transformation while barely of age and continuing to keep up with the world's most acclaimed, Albus Dumbledore. 

Despite the honour of teaching this profound branch of magic, however, Minerva lamented the declining interest of her students and the wizarding world as a whole towards the subject. It was most alarming to see its proficiency deemed lesser in many high-profile careers, including Auror and Cursebreaker.

Nonetheless, for this year, the Transfiguration professor found herself a tad hopeful for some talent that would succeed her. Albus had warned her about the orphaned Potter and how he had displayed 'concerning tendencies', though the man did not go into details. Minerva would reserve judgement until she personally taught him, as with the famous Neville Longbottom.

Fortunately for her, the first batch would be an opportunity to observe the former, who joined Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor like his parents. The traditional pairing of wisdom and cunning was in effect once again, likely due to Slytherin pure-bloods having more practice with magic before Hogwarts and Ravenclaw students catching up quickly or even surpassing their emerald-robed counterparts, creating a healthy competition.

Soon enough, two first-years - one girl with bushy ginger hair and a thin boy wearing round glasses - entered the room. The boy gave her a respectful bow, which she returned, before taking their seats. Lost in their own world, the pair immersed themselves in the textbook, occasionally muttering under their breaths.

If her eyes are not tricking her, the boy's shadow seems to not mirror some of his movements at all - yet, she knows no transfiguration is able to give the intangible shadow a life of its own, dismissing it as a trick of light.

To her disappointment, Neville Longbottom arrived late, followed by a breathless Ron Weasley.

"Whew! Made it! Can you imagine the look on Professor McGonagall's face if we were late?"Ron painted.

Professor McGonagall, or rather the tabby cat, leapt up and transformed into the emerald-robed witch with a stern look on her face.

"That was brilliant!", exclaimed Ron, oblivious to what he just said moments ago.

"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley. Perhaps, it'd be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr. Longbottom and yourself into a pocket watch. That way, one of you might be on time.", scolded professor McGonagall.

"We got lost", excused Neville.

"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats.", said the professor as she returned to face the class. Neville and Ron hurried to their seats and stayed silent.

Back to Harry's POV:

After turning her table into a pig, gasps rippled through the classroom. Glancing at Hermione, I saw "The Standard Book of Spells" already open, ready for the lesson. The demonstration had certainly caught all students' attention.

"I don't think we'll be doing that anytime soon, though," I muttered under my breath.

As the class progressed, Professor McGonagall distributed matches for us to transfigure into needles, quickly dampening the excitement of most students. For the next 40 minutes or so, none succeeded.

At my 10th attempt, the match turned halfway pointy and shiny and a voice sounded in my mind: "Transfiguration magic acquired. +10 Transfiguration. 10/100 until the next level."

By the end of the class, I had heard the notification twice more, achieving a perfect transformation at the same time as Hermione.

Impressed by our results, Professor McGonagall cast her discerning gaze over the room. "Well done, Mr. Potter and Miss Granger," she acknowledged, her stern expression softening momentarily. "Your dedication to mastering Transfiguration is commendable."

The room buzzed with whispers as students exchanged surprised glances. Professor McGonagall continued, her voice carrying authority, "In recognition of your exemplary efforts, I shall award Gryffindor house five points each."

A ripple of applause followed, and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. Hermione beamed with pride, her eyes sparkling, while I couldn't help but crack a grin.