The next morning, the Daily Prophet was everywhere.
Stacks of newspapers floated across the Great Hall, dropping copies onto the breakfast tables.
Students grabbed them immediately.
Gasps.
Laughter.
Whispers.
At the Ravenclaw table, Alexander opened a newspaper and nearly spit out his pumpkin juice.
On the front page was a huge headline.
"Flying Car Seen By Muggles — Underage Wizards Involved!"
Below the headline was a moving picture of Harry and Ron flying the enchanted Ford Anglia across the sky.
Alexander burst out laughing.
"This is amazing."
He wiped tears from his eyes.
Cho leaned closer and whispered,
"It was serious, you know."
"They could have been expelled!"
Alexander waved his fork dismissively.
"Not with Headmaster Dumbledore around."
He took another bite of eggs.
"Harry will always be safe."
Cho shook her head but then pointed at the lower half of the paper.
"Hey, look."
"There's a section about you."
Alexander leaned over.
The smaller article read:
Alexander Chen, an Asian American wizard from the United States, caused chaos during the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony by attacking the Sorting Hat. Some question whether this incident reflects disrespect toward British magical traditions.
Should the student be expelled?
Alexander blinked once.
Then started laughing again.
"Oh crap."
"I'm getting more famous."
He flipped the paper shut.
"Good thing Harry is front page, and I'm just a small article."
Cho laughed too.
"Well, hurry up and eat."
She pointed toward the doors.
"We have Professor McGonagall's class soon."
Alexander groaned dramatically.
"Transfiguration…"
But he finished breakfast quickly.
Soon, they arrived at the Transfiguration classroom.
Students took their seats.
After a short wait, the door opened.
Professor McGonagall walked in with her usual sharp expression.
The entire class immediately quieted.
"Good morning."
She placed her books on the desk.
"This year, we will be focusing on more advanced Transfiguration."
She wrote on the board with quick, precise strokes.
"Animal to object transformations."
"Shape modifications."
"And greater control of transformation duration."
Students immediately started taking notes.
Alexander sighed quietly.
"I wanted to work on more spells for dueling…"
He shook his head.
"Oh well, Transfiguration is useful too."
Soon, Professor McGonagall began the practice session.
Students started transforming small animals into objects.
While everyone concentrated, Alexander raised his hand.
Professor McGonagall walked over.
"Yes, Mr. Chen."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hopefully this is not about yesterday's… incident."
Alexander smiled politely.
"Of course not, Professor."
"I learned my lesson and will accept all punishments."
McGonagall studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"What question do you have?"
Alexander leaned forward slightly.
"Well… I've been working on my dueling and spell work this summer."
"Do you have any tips about improving or winning a duel using only Transfiguration?"
For the first time, McGonagall looked genuinely surprised.
"That is… a rather unusual question."
She folded her arms.
"Why are you interested in that now?"
Alexander shrugged.
"Over the summer, I had a duel with a friend."
"My Transfiguration seemed to be lacking."
He chuckled.
"My ravens made of stone got burnt."
"I couldn't think of a way to fight back using Transfiguration."
McGonagall's expression turned thoughtful.
"Yes…"
"That is a common limitation."
She nodded slightly.
"After dinner, I will prepare some notes for you."
Alexander's eyes brightened.
"But," she continued firmly,
"If you have further questions, they will have to wait until after you finish serving detention."
Alexander grinned widely.
"Of course, Professor."
"After my detention, I'll be asking for a lot of help."
McGonagall nodded and moved on to assist other students.
Cho leaned over.
"Do you really need help?"
Alexander shrugged.
"Yes."
"I need to improve my Transfiguration."
He gestured toward the front of the classroom.
"And why not ask one of the best Transfiguration witches in the world?"
Cho rolled her eyes.
"Even as a star student, I don't know everything."
Cho smirked.
"Sure."
She returned to practicing her transformation spell.
Alexander also began practicing.
But as he worked, his mind slowly drifted.
Dueling tactics.
Spell combinations.
Creative uses of Transfiguration.
He became so lost in thought that he barely noticed time passing.
Until—
The bell rang.
Class was over.