Outside the door.
A black cat sat primly on the windowsill, tail elegantly curled around its forepaws.
Before long, a small wizard stepped out from the shadows of the corridor.
Sean was quite sure he had lost the ability to cast magic—not because he lacked a wand, but because he couldn't feel any magic inside himself.
However…
Thinking it over, Sean took out a Transfiguration notebook:
[Witches and wizards naturally possess a unique 'spirit-double,' most clearly shown in Animagi.
For example, James Potter's spirit-double is a stag—evident not only in his Patronus, but also in his Animagus form.]
So… was his spirit-double a cat?
Sean felt a twinge of disappointment; he had hoped it would be some flying creature.
Wait… not necessarily impossible.
Up in the air above a corridor statue, a huge owl now had a passenger on its back—a black cat.
It glanced at Neville, just returning from the greenhouses below, then tapped the owl with its paw pad. The great owl banked and flew off.
"Oh—how delightful…"
At the end of the corridor, the long-bearded old wizard hadn't expected so many good shows in just a few days. Stroking his beard, beaming, he began to look forward to this Christmas very much indeed.
When Sean had just changed back from a cat into a boy, the sudden appearance of Dumbledore made him start.
"Mr. Green," Dumbledore said, blinking.
"Headmaster Dumbledore," Sean answered politely.
"An amusing biscuit—but… Mr. Green, would you care to learn Animagus magic?"
The Headmaster, unusually direct, sounded as if he were quite looking forward to something.
"Yes, Headmaster."
He didn't know what was afoot, but Sean wasn't about to miss the chance to learn from the greatest white wizard of the age.
"Every weekend over Christmas, I'll be happy to see you. Oh, nearly forgot—the password to the Headmaster's office is: Cockroach Cluster."
With that, Dumbledore drifted away—then turned back, deep and mysterious:
"Of course, Animagus is a difficult branch of Transfiguration—but with a little luck—yes, only a little—you'll manage it quickly, child."
In the Headmaster's office.
No sooner had Dumbledore sat down than Healer Dilys Derwent began to speak—yes, today she had swapped places with her portrait in the Headmaster's chair:
"Albus, are you finally going to let yourself put it all down?"
Dumbledore's blue eyes deepened. He gazed at the scandalously grimy kettle hissing away:
"My dear Healer Dilys Derwent, you and I both know—perhaps Animagus' transformation best reveals a wizard's will…
A stag that sacrifices for love; the rat that hides in the dark; the faithful black dog…
And the cat—symbol of grace, calm, steadfastness, and wisdom.
Muggles think black cats are ill omens, but wizards do not—black cats bring good luck, Healer Derwent; on this we have always agreed."
He gently smoothed Fawkes's feathers, then gave a playful wink:
"Oh—by the way, have the luck statue on the third-floor corridor changed to a black cat, would you? Tell Mr. Filch it's my Transfiguration, not a student prank."
The black cat…
Or rather, Sean—
He was moving through the corridors. A transformation aligned with one's spirit-double not only preserves will, it lasts longer.
A single Apprentice-tier biscuit was enough for him to hold his spirit-form for three minutes.
Economical and cost-effective, you could say.
A cat's world is wonderfully strange. Take windowsills—three times his own height; a wizard could never clear them, but for a cat it was effortless.
No wonder Professor McGonagall loves using her Animagus form; Sean was beginning to understand.
Coming out of that marvelous state, Sean began considering the next animal for his biscuit series.
He soon decided—of course, a stag.
Though he couldn't observe one up close, with the professor's detailed notes he could still finish before Christmas.
At Hogwarts, rumours about the Christmas feast were making the rounds again—this time about the Weird Sisters; it was said their songs would be played during the feast.
Everyone had something to say about it now.
Sean didn't know if the Weird Sisters report was true, but Hermione was half-inclined to believe it. As for who or what the Weird Sisters were, she wasn't entirely sure; she'd never listened to the WWN, but judging by the excitement of classmates who'd grown up on it, the Weird Sisters were a very famous band.
Even the professors were acting oddly now—students actually saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape walking together.
Everyone knew Snape always targeted Gryffindor—half the house's lost points were his doing; and while McGonagall never said it aloud, upper-years knew she always hoped the Gryffindor team would thrash Slytherin.
To see the two of them together, exchanging an occasional word, was enough to stun even the ghosts.
"Actually, they get on very well," the Fat Friar remarked.
"Friar, I agree—but it's been a long time since we've seen this sight," replied a ghost in a ruff and tight doublet.
Lately McGonagall had been less severe. She even let first-years catch their breath—and would then turn the desk into a stag.
Sean didn't even blink; he studied the stag for a long time.
But Professor Quirrell kept his students busy, droning from the text right up to the last second of class.
Snape, needless to say, would sooner adopt Harry as his godson than let students play games in class. He surveyed the room with a dark look and told them that if they still couldn't brew a Deflating Draught, they'd be handing in five feet of parchment.
That frightened the first-years badly enough that Sean gave a rare group lesson in the Hope Nook on the knack of brewing the draught.
On the final day before Christmas—the day gift-giving began—
Thanks to formidable time-management, Sean not only produced the Reindeer Biscuit, he also refreshed a broad swath of his alchemy proficiency:
[Howler: Beginner (10/300)]
[Floating Quill: Beginner (1/300)]
[Mrs. Norris Biscuit: Beginner (10/300)]
[Owl Biscuit: Apprentice (10/30)]
[Reindeer Biscuit: Apprentice (1/30)]
[Three Beginner alchemical items and six Apprentice alchemical items unlock the Alchemy—Beginner domain title]