"I fully support it." Thomas ruffled Severus's hair amidst his complaints and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Living with Sherlock, they had become accustomed to setting a research topic for themselves during every phase.
The field of magic offered no fewer things to research than the field of technology.
Moreover, after shopping in Diagon Alley, Thomas realized even more profoundly that the development level of the Wizarding World was truly too backward!
In this world, there existed countless fascinating spells, complex and delicate magic patterns, and various miraculous alchemy products, yet the results of magic were rarely used to improve the quality of life.
Most of the time, wizards seemed to still be living in the Middle Ages.
If they could combine magic and technology, perhaps they could usher in a completely new era of magic! Thomas thought this while brushing his teeth with his homemade fully automatic toothbrush.
Although they had read in textbooks that the Wizarding World had a 'Dental potion' capable of curing any dental issue, they still made this toothbrush themselves out of habit.
A self-rotating magic pattern and a magical energy circulation track —as long as a little magic power was injected during use, it became an 'electric' toothbrush.
The first class was Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration, scheduled for nine in the morning.
Originally, they planned to eat breakfast in the Great Hall before going to class, but when Thomas finished washing up and came out, Severus was standing by the bed, frowning, and said, "Aegis is gone."
Thomas sighed helplessly. Well, their guide was gone: "Then let's just go straight to the Transfiguration Class classroom."
Based on what Lucius Malfoy said yesterday, getting lost at Hogwarts might be the norm.
He quickly changed his clothes, stuffed a few loaves of bread brought from the Muggle World into the large pockets of his robes, and the two brothers left the dormitory.
Passing the common room, Thomas was surprised to find that the setting had completely changed.
There were no chains, no skulls, no dim green lights, and even the hard chairs had been replaced by comfortable sofas, arranged aesthetically.
Sunlight filtered in through the lake, making the entire common room look surprisingly cozy.
So, was that eerie, terrifying atmosphere last night a prank on the new students?
"..." Slytherin didn't seem as rigid as he had imagined.
A few students were sitting in the common room chatting. They paid no attention to the sudden appearance of Thomas and Severus, as if they were just air... Leaving the common room, Thomas opened his timetable. On the back was a simple map of Hogwarts, marking the Transfiguration Class classroom —Castle Main Building, First Floor, Classroom Eleven.
Hogwarts, which had given him a complex about navigation when he was younger, seemed unintentionally cooperative this time; the stairs along the way hadn't shifted at all, and they smoothly reached the first floor of the main building.
Checking the time on his watch, they still had an hour before class, so they turned into the Great Hall for breakfast.
There were very few students eating breakfast, and almost no First-year Students; every long table looked deserted.
They sat at a corner of the Slytherin long table, and two empty plates appeared before them.
Thomas tried saying, "I would like two slices of toast with hazelnut jam."
With a soft 'poof,' the food he requested appeared on the plate.
Wow, he was certain that this was just an ordinary plate, not some kind of alchemical product.
So, did this long-renowned magic school actually have a group of highly powerful wizards working even in the kitchens!
"Please give me another fried egg and a glass of hot milk."
Severus also asked for milk and eggs, but for his bread, he requested savory bacon toast.
Thomas spread a large dollop of hazelnut jam on his bread, a sweetness that made Severus, sitting next to him, frown.
Thomas, however, looked satisfied and started chatting with his brother: "I really want to see how wizards cook, Severus. Do you think they roast beef with roaring flames?"
As if the keywords were captured, a large piece of roasted steak appeared on Thomas's plate.
"..." These cooks didn't seem very intelligent.
"Pfft, Thomas, hurry and taste it. See if it was roasted with roaring flames." Severus burst out laughing.
Under Thomas's familial pressure, Severus was forced to share the steak.
The result was that both of them ate far more food than their usual breakfast capacity, and they rubbed their stomachs as they headed to the Transfiguration Class classroom.
"I should have brought the digestion potion out earlier."
"Wait up! I absolutely must make you a portable cauldron!"
The Transfiguration Class classroom.
Many students were already seated inside; all the Slytherin new students, except for the two of them, had already arrived.
The Prefect, Lestrange, glared fiercely at them, her eyes full of dissatisfaction and warning. Thomas felt bewildered; they weren't late.
Ignoring Lestrange, he and Severus took the empty seats in the front row.
At this moment, the podium was still empty; Professor McGonagall didn't seem to have arrived yet.
However, her spot was occupied by a tabby cat with glossy fur and distinct markings.
Its gaze was unusually sharp, constantly sweeping over the young wizards below.
Thomas observed the tabby cat. The cat gave him a strange feeling; its behavior and gaze seemed more like... a person than a cat?
When Thomas used his ability to sense it more deeply, he could confirm that it was indeed a cat... He lowered his head, furrowing his brow in thought, missing the scrutinizing look the tabby cat cast his way.
McGonagall keenly detected a powerful, unique energy, and she immediately looked toward the source of the energy on the left.
Due to the entanglement between Slytherin and Gryffindor, the left half of the desks were entirely occupied by Slytherin young wizards.
But none of them seemed to be paying attention to the podium. Who exactly was the source of this power?
The class bell rang. Entering the classroom with the bell was not Professor McGonagall, but four Gryffindor students.
They were also old acquaintances of Thomas and Severus —James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.
They looked like they had been running wildly, their faces slick with sweat.
"If I had known the Professor wasn't here yet, I wouldn't have run so fast!" James stopped when he saw there was no teacher in the classroom, bent over his knees, and complained breathlessly.
"I told you we didn't need to run. So what if we're late?" Sirius glared at James.
Remus waved his hand: "Stop arguing and hurry up and find seats."
Meanwhile, Peter, who had the weakest athletic ability, couldn't utter a single word.
"Mr. Potter, I believe your Professor is already here." The tabby cat leaped down from the podium, its body elongated, transforming into a Witch —the teacher of this class, Professor McGonagall.
"Wow!" The young wizards exclaimed in surprise.
Thomas was very surprised that there was magic capable of changing a person's physiological structure; one must know this was not a simple sleight of hand.
"You should be glad you weren't late, or I would have turned you into a pocket watch." Professor McGonagall said sternly, prompting a burst of laughter.
Even someone as thick-skinned as James Potter blushed bright red and was extremely embarrassed.
"Alright, now quickly find your seats. We are about to begin class." Professor McGonagall turned and returned to the podium.
With a gentle wave of her wand, the stand beside her turned into a blackboard, on which her name was written: "I am your Transfiguration teacher, Minerva McGonagall."
The fluent execution of Transfiguration left all the young wizards in the classroom deeply impressed.
Everyone unanimously straightened up, taking out their textbooks and notebooks, ready to record the Professor's words at any moment.
"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous branch of magic you will study at Hogwarts. Its practicality outweighs theoretical knowledge, so I will have you learn to use these spells through practical application."
"You may put away your textbooks now. These are things you will only need after class."
As the young wizards looked confused, Professor McGonagall waved her wand again, and a match appeared in front of every young wizard.
The name on the blackboard behind her changed into a spell and a simple diagram.
"Today we are learning the most basic Transfiguration Spell. It can turn any wooden object into the shape you desire. Imagine the object you wish to transform it into, pronounce it long at the beginning and short at the end, and wave your wand in a triangle." The podium in front of Professor McGonagall transformed into an exquisitely carved bronze cat statue.
The young wizards in the room were all eager to try, when they heard Professor McGonagall say: "Now, everyone try to turn this matchstick into a needle."
"Huh?" The difference between a statue and a needle was quite significant.
"Don't underestimate turning it into a needle. Whoever succeeds first, I will award ten points to his House." Professor McGonagall said with a frown.
With incentive came motivation; the atmosphere became enthusiastic. Everyone wanted to earn points for their House, especially since the rivals were the most hated Slytherin/Gryffindor!