Professor McGonagall began her lesson with a flourish, transfiguring her desk first into a portly pig, then a roaring lion, and finally a giant, menacing serpent that sent the front-row students scrambling back in a wave of delightful terror. It was a masterful display, a clear statement that Transfiguration was a discipline of immense power and precision.
The first practical lesson was to turn a toothpick into a needle. It was a task that required not just a change in shape, but a fundamental change in substance—wood to metal. For most first-years, it was an impossible challenge.
For Tom, it was an opportunity.
He had mastered this simple spell during the summer, but as he listened to McGonagall's lecture, a new layer of understanding clicked into place. Andros's lessons on the nature of magic had given him a framework that the textbook lacked.
//SYSTEM NOTIFICATION//
> New insight into Transfiguration principles gained from 'Professor McGonagall'.
> +5 Study Points.
Another notification followed. A new avenue for earning points had just opened up.
While the other students chanted fruitlessly, Tom calmly performed the spell. The toothpick on his desk shimmered and reformed into a flawless silver needle, so finely detailed it could have been an art piece.
"Excellent!" McGonagall's voice cut through the murmuring. "A perfect transformation on the first attempt, Mr. Riddle, and with such artistry! Five points to Slytherin!"
The Gryffindors were nonplussed, but a cold silence fell over the Slytherin students. Malfoy shot Tom a look of pure contempt. How dare a Muggle-born succeed where he, a pure-blood, had failed?
Tom barely registered their reactions. His attention was on the new alert flashing in his mind.
//SYSTEM NOTIFICATION//
> Recognition from a professor received.
> +5 Study Points, +1 Achievement Point.
> New Long-Term Quest Activated:
> > Objective: Earn the most House Points.
> > Reward: House Points convert to Study Points (1:1) and Achievement Points (5:1). Bonus rewards for winning the House Cup.
Tom's world shifted. Suddenly, the petty rivalries of the House Cup had become the most important game in the castle. It was no longer about house pride; it was about fuel for his own ascension. A cold calculation formed in his mind. To win the House Cup, especially in Slytherin, he would have to overcome Dumbledore's inevitable favoritism towards Harry Potter.
Dumbledore's grand plan to forge a savior… Tom thought. How unfortunate that it now conflicts with my own progress.
Later, inspired by Tom's advice to treat the spell not as a mechanical process but as an act of will, Daphne also managed a partial success, turning her toothpick into a silver-colored wooden needle. It was enough to earn another point for Slytherin and a triumphant smile. Hermione, after a frustrating hour, finally managed to change the color of her toothpick, earning a point for Gryffindor just before the class ended in chaos, thanks to an exploding toothpick from Seamus Finnigan.
After class, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode cornered Daphne, questioning her association with a "Muggle-born." Daphne, her usual sweetness replaced by a flash of pure-blood fire, cut them down with a sharp retort about their own magical incompetence before stalking off.
Tom, meanwhile, had been pulled away by Hermione to the library. He had a new mission: to absorb every book he could into his Learning Space for Andros to study. He moved through the shelves, flipping through books at a dizzying pace.
"Child, what are you looking for?" Madam Pince, the hawk-eyed librarian, finally demanded, her patience worn thin.
"I don't know what I'm looking for," Tom replied with practiced innocence. "That's why I'm looking at everything. Is there a problem?"
Madam Pince's lips thinned, but she could find no rule he was breaking. She retreated, defeated.
As they left the library, a sixth-year Slytherin prefect approached. "Riddle. Professor Snape wants to see you. His office, after your last class."
Across the Great Hall, Rosier caught Tom's eye and made a crude throat-slitting gesture.
Tom simply smiled. The game was afoot.