The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the Hufflepuff dormitory, and Charlie was rudely dragged out of bed by Ernie and Justin.
"Hurry up! We're gonna be late for Transfiguration!" Ernie stomped his feet in panic.
"This is our very first class of the term!"
"Professor McGonagall is not someone you want to mess with. I heard she's super strict."
Charlie rubbed his groggy eyes, still half-asleep.
His midnight escapade with the Weasley twins had left him with barely a wink of sleep, and now he was dead tired.
"Five more minutes..."
He buried his face back into the pillow, mumbling indistinctly.
"No way!" Ernie pulled the blanket off him.
"You know, I heard an upperclassman say that a student once showed up late on the first day, and McGonagall turned him into a frog. He didn't turn back for a whole week!"
Justin chimed in, "I heard it was a skunk."
"Doesn't matter what it was. Either way, terrifying!" Ernie insisted.
Charlie groaned and sat up, rubbing his face. "Fine, fine, I'm up."
The three quickly washed up, grabbed their bags, and ran all the way to class.
Along the way, Ernie wouldn't stop rambling about how important Transfiguration was and how terrifying Professor McGonagall could be.
"She's the Head of Gryffindor and supposedly a master of Transfiguration."
The classroom was on the second floor of the castle. They arrived just before the bell rang.
The room was already filling up with students. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first-years had the class together.
Ernie pulled Charlie to a seat right in the front row, with Justin trailing close behind.
"Why the front row?" Charlie grumbled. "What's wrong with the back?"
"Front row's the best!" Ernie declared seriously.
"You can hear better and see the blackboard more clearly."
Charlie rolled his eyes but sat down anyway.
"Where's the teacher?" Justin glanced around. The podium was still empty.
Charlie lay his head on the desk, eyelids drooping. "Perfect. Time for a nap..."
Before Ernie could stop him, Charlie had already nestled into his arms and fallen sound asleep.
Ernie poked him a few times, but seeing no response, decided to let him sleep a little longer.
After all, the professor isn't here yet, we'll wake him when she arrives.
Justin twitched at the corners of his mouth. You're really such a great friend, dragging him to the front row just to nap.
Just then, a tabby cat silently padded into the classroom, leaping lightly onto the teacher's desk.
It had distinctive markings along its back and eye-shaped rings around its eyes, making it look quite stern.
"Wow, what a cute kitty," a Ravenclaw girl whispered.
The cat scanned the room with its serious gaze before settling its eyes on Charlie, fast asleep in the front row.
It narrowed its eyes, tail twitching, then jumped down from the podium and gracefully walked over to his desk.
Ernie and Justin watched the cat curiously.
"Is that Professor McGonagall's pet?" Ernie whispered.
"Maybe," Justin shrugged. "It looks really smart."
The cat leapt onto Charlie's desk, sitting perfectly upright with its tail curled neatly around its paws.
It stared at Charlie for a moment, then reached out a paw and gave his head a light tap.
No response.
Still snoozing soundly.
The tabby cat blinked, confused. Wait... this is during class, right? I didn't get the time wrong?
It raised a paw again and tapped Charlie a bit harder.
Still nothing, Charlie just mumbled something incoherent and sank deeper into his nap.
The cat's tail twitched in irritation, eyes flashing with a stern glint.
It was just about to swat again when Charlie shifted in his sleep.
Without warning, his arm shot out, scooped the cat up into a hug, and pulled it against his chest like a plushie.
He shifted again, resting his head right on the cat's soft, warm body, and went back to sleeping like a baby.
[Your Majesty has manhandled a royal tutor. Tyrant Points +5]
Even the system alert didn't wake Charlie. He just muttered something and hugged the cat tighter.
The tabby cat froze, eyes wide with horror, clearly stunned by the sudden intimacy.
It struggled to get free, but Charlie's grip was way too tight. It didn't want to claw a student, either. For a moment, it was completely stuck.
Ernie and Justin stared, mouths open. They weren't sure whether to rescue the cat or applaud its patience.
"This cat is so well-behaved," Justin whispered.
"My mom had one that would scratch your face off if you tried to touch it."
Ernie nodded in awe. "Yeah, it's super tame. Wonder who it belongs to... I want one like that too."
For some reason, Ernie got the sudden feeling the cat was glaring daggers at them, there was something eerily human in that look.
A chill ran down his spine.
"Don't you think that cat's eyes are... kinda human?" he whispered to Justin.
The cat began swishing its tail across Charlie's nose, trying to wake him.
Charlie's nose twitched, tickled by the fur. He scrunched his face, then finally cracked his eyes open.
Groggy, confused, and still half-asleep, he realized he was hugging a cat.
His eyes widened.
The cat took the chance to squirm free, leapt off the desk, and bolted out of the classroom.
Charlie blinked after it, dumbfounded. Then he turned to Ernie and Justin.
"Wait, what just happened? Why was I hugging a cat?"
Ernie exhaled in relief. "Thank Merlin, you're finally awake. That cat showed up out of nowhere, and you just... grabbed it in your sleep."
"Good thing Professor McGonagall didn't see it," Justin added with a sigh.
"They say she's really strict. You'd definitely lose points for napping in class."
They'd all seen McGonagall's no-nonsense attitude during the Sorting Ceremony.
Moments later, the classroom door swung open, and Professor McGonagall strode in.
Ernie noticed her footsteps were a little hurried, her robe slightly rumpled, as if someone had just... manhandled her?
The thought horrified him.
That's the Head of Gryffindor House! Who could possibly manhandle her? Dumbledore?!
McGonagall tapped the podium with her wand. The classroom instantly fell silent.
"Welcome to Transfiguration. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall."
Her voice was stern and clear.
"Transfiguration is among the most complex and dangerous forms of magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone caught fooling around in my classroom will be dismissed, permanently."
As she spoke, she flicked her wand, and the podium transformed into a squealing pig.
Nobody in the class dared speak after that.
"Now open your books. We'll begin with the five major principles of Transfiguration."
Her voice echoed through the classroom. But inwardly, McGonagall was still bitter.
She had meant to enter as a cat, give the students a scare, and earn some early respect, but Charlie's impromptu snuggle had completely ruined that plan.
And there was no way she was revealing herself after being treated like a stuffed animal in front of the entire class. So she had to flee, transform, and re-enter the normal way.
Meanwhile, Charlie sat upright at his desk, looking attentive, but mentally, he was already miles away.
McGonagall had only just begun lecturing, and Charlie was already fighting a losing battle against sleep.
Last night's adventure had taken its toll. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton.
Professor McGonagall glanced toward his seat. Seeing him sitting straight, staring at the book with legs shaking restlessly, she assumed he was paying close attention and moved on.
Unbeknownst to her, Charlie had mastered the ancient art of sleeping upright with open eyes and twitchy legs, a technique forged over years of school napping.
[Your Majesty neglects state affairs and succumbs to sloth. Tyrant Points +2]
System notifications continued to ping through his mind, but Charlie was already deep in dreamland, oblivious to all of it.
Eventually, McGonagall wrapped up the theory and moved on to practical exercises.
"Now then," she said, waving her wand, "you'll each find a matchstick before you. Your task today is to transform it into a silver needle. Use the spell and wand movement I just demonstrated."
The classroom buzzed with excitement as students picked up their wands and tried casting the spell.
It wasn't long before the room was filled with incantations, sparks, and groans of frustration.
Ernie leaned over and nudged Charlie. "Wake up! McGonagall's got us turning matches into needles!"
Charlie didn't respond.
Ernie began sweating, shaking Charlie's shoulder more urgently.
Professor McGonagall noticed the commotion and put down her teaching notes, walking over.
"Mr. White," she said, voice sharp. "How's your progress?"
Ernie turned pale, Justin froze, but to their shock, Charlie instantly opened his eyes and sat up like nothing had happened.
"Good morning, Professor." He smiled politely, voice clear and composed.
McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, Mr. White, what task did I just assign?"
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters