Ravenclaw Tower was located on the west side of the castle, with the common room and dormitories situated at the very top.
Rey followed the prefect all the way back to the tower. Surprisingly, Peeves, who was notorious for pranking first-years, didn't show up. It made the prefect leading them so paranoid that he kept scanning the corridors, terrified that the poltergeist was concocting some massive, delayed-action scheme.
Automatic rotating staircases, moving figures in portraits, ghosts drifting through walls...
Experiencing these marvels firsthand was completely different from watching them in a movie. It sparked intense curiosity in all the new students, Rey included.
Finally, led by the prefect, the first-years reached the top of a long, winding staircase and arrived at the door to the Ravenclaw common room.
There was no handle, just a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. When the prefect knocked, the eagle opened its beak and posed a question: "Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"
The prefect, Mencho Gessif, took the opportunity to show off his wit in front of the new students. His answer left the bronze eagle speechless, and the door swung open.
To Rey, however, there was no standard answer to a question like that. It was the same logic as "the chicken or the egg."
The key wasn't the answer itself, but the analysis and unique insight behind it. As long as your logic was sound—and ideally, surprising to the eagle—you would pass.
The group of first-years followed the prefect inside.
It was a wide, circular room. The walls were hung with blue and bronze silks, and graceful arched windows punctuated the stone.
The ceiling was a domed cupola painted with stars, which were echoed in the deep blue carpet below. The room was filled with tables, chairs, and bookcases. In a niche opposite the door stood a tall statue of white marble: Rowena Ravenclaw.
Beside the statue, a door led to the dormitories upstairs—boys to the left, girls to the right.
The prefects explained the virtues of Ravenclaw as they went. They noted that this spacious common room offered the best views of the Hogwarts grounds by day.
Not bad at all, Rey thought, impressed. If you had to compare the four houses, Ravenclaw definitely has the best common room.
Rey had no idea about the suspicion his acceptance letter had caused among the Heads of House. Nor did he know that his encounter with the muggers had drawn the attention of a mysterious figure in Knockturn Alley.
Back in the dormitory, Rey lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He still felt like he was walking through a dream.
He never expected to be reborn. He never expected to end up in the world of Harry Potter. And he certainly never expected to be a student at Hogwarts.
Is it fake? Is it real?
Maybe he would wake up and realize this was all a dream—that his terminal illness in his past life was the only reality.
---
Early the next morning, Rey woke up and found that he hadn't been dreaming. He hadn't returned to his wife and daughter. His past life was just a memory now, irretrievable.
Rey got up early. He didn't want to pull a Harry Potter and be late for his very first class.
The first class of the morning was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall.
When Rey walked into the classroom, McGonagall was already standing behind her desk, organizing her lesson plan. She looked up and greeted him immediately. "Good morning, Mr. Faest."
"Good morning, Professor McGonagall."
Rey was surprised by her memory. There were a lot of new students, yet she seemed to have memorized everyone's name instantly. She didn't make a single mistake with the students who entered after him.
Faced with the stern Professor McGonagall, none of the first-years dared to make a noise. They quickly found empty seats and settled down.
Once everyone had arrived and no one was late, McGonagall nodded. "Alright, class. We will now begin your first lesson in Transfiguration."
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said, her voice crisp and severe. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
Her strict tone successfully intimidated the first-years. Those who had been whispering fell silent immediately, sitting up straight to listen.
"Transfiguration is the magic of changing one object into another. It can turn inanimate objects into living things, and vice versa. Some Transfiguration spells can alter a part of a subject, such as turning a human's ears into rabbit ears."
McGonagall's class wasn't exactly "fun" in the chaotic sense, but it was captivating.
She was a master of the art, and an Animagus to boot.
After her introductory lecture, she demonstrated by transforming her desk into a pig and then back again. That display of effortless mastery instantly won over the class.
"To learn such Transfiguration, you must start with the Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration..."
"For example, how to turn a match into a needle."
After a simple demonstration and an explanation of the key points, she distributed matches and told the students to begin practicing.
Magic, like any skill, required practice—especially regarding the control of magical power within the body. Starting with small objects helped new students learn that control. It was better than letting them wave their wands wildly and blow things up, like that Irish kid in the movies.
Rey theorized that to turn a match into a needle, you first needed to know exactly what the needle looked like.
The more detailed the mental image, the better. When chanting the incantation, the image of the needle had to overlap with the reality of the match. It was like creating a magical blueprint for the match to follow.
The classroom was filled with the sound of incantations—some shouted, some whispered.
Staring at the small match, Rey superimposed the image of a silver pin over it in his mind.
Then, naturally, he chanted the spell and gave his wand a sharp, precise wave.
A miracle happened. The wood of the match constricted and changed texture, morphing into metal. Finally, it sat there: a silver needle with a distinct eye.
The texture wasn't quite perfect—it still looked a little dull compared to real steel—but for a first attempt, managing to change the material and shape was impressive.
"Very good, Mr. Faest. That is an excellent performance."
Professor McGonagall walked over to Rey's desk, picked up the needle, and examined it with a nod of approval.
"Professor, will the needle stay like this forever?"
"Of course. Unless you use the Reparifarge spell, or if the object is destroyed, it will remain in its transfigured state."
"Therefore, everyone must understand that Transfiguration spells are strictly forbidden to be used on fellow students. Severe infractions will result in expulsion."
After answering Rey's question, McGonagall took the opportunity to issue another warning to the class.
---
Rey wanted to ask more questions, but he decided against it.
He was just a first-year wizard. It was better not to appear too deep in thought about the mechanics of magic right away.
For instance: when the Transfiguration succeeded, Rey didn't feel any drain on his magic. Was the magical consumption for such a small change so negligible that he couldn't feel it?
In The Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry was learning the Patronus Charm, he was exhausted after just one cast.
Rey had a lot of questions, not just this one. But he shelved them for now and continued practicing.
This time, he wanted to refine the transformation.
As he focused on his practice, Professor McGonagall watched him closely. After seeing him successfully transform the match into a sharp, metallic needle once again, she finally nodded to herself.
---