The class day.
As they ate, discussion erupted.
"Transfiguration's is taught by professor McGonagall," Leo said. "I heard from Orion that despite her being in Gryffindor she is always Strict, but fair never show any judgement in all houses."
Cedric nodded. "My brother said she is a quidditch enthusiast, despite all of it she still prefer a fair play even when Gryffindor is losing ."
"Potions is taught by professor Snape who is head of Slytherin house," Cedric continued. "I study the first and second year book at home like crazy because he like to attack student with question, even when the question didn't cover the book material at all, my sister has been the victim before and now she always study potion first before everything." The four of them not include Leo was shocked, Leo know all of this already but the two of them who comes from muggle family and the other two don't have older sibling didn't know this information at all, Maribel was sweating because she focus on history of magic more since she loves history. Leo try reassure them "don't worry we can help you study a little bit, potion class is in Thursday which is two days for now" Cedric chimmed in "no worries I heard he hated griffindor more than Hufflepuff but cedric hesitated "....we will have class with slytherin tho" all of them start to worried more.
Cedric try to reassure them again but to no avail,
"Oh!... and as we all know Herbology is Professor Sprout," Leo try to change topic. "She's is our head of hufflpuff houses." Elowen chimed in "I heard from a senior that she is the kindest among all the professor, she is like the kind aunt in the neighbourhood"
Then Rowan squinted at the parchment. "Defence Against the Dark Arts… Professor Alaric Crowe, how about him?"
Leo grimaced slightly. "Yeah, That post's cursed. New teacher every year so I don't have any information on him."
"why?" Rowan ask
Cedric and Leo look at each other and both was hesitated but then Leo said "well... despite being a muggle do you guys know the gist of current history of the notorious dark lord right"
"yeah" both Rowan and Tobias said in unison since both of them got the information about basic magic world history by the ministry of magic who assign to help them when they got their first letter.
"yeah apparently the dark lord cursed that position"
All six of them grimmed and the four of them who lived through the reign of the dark lord before being defeated by harry potter remember the situation even though they we young, family fall apart, dead, defeated, locked up in Azkaban, runaway, all many things that happened in span of few years.
Noticing the grim expression of all her friend Maribel try to change the subject but was unable to think what type of story....
Maribel leaned over. "He looks… incompetent."
Elowen nodded thoughtfully. "But I suppose anyone willing to teach a cursed subject is already brave—or desperate."
Breakfast Talk
After the initial grim story they slowly integrated into a more fun self introduction about themselves and the magic world.
Maribel insisted that she liked to be called Mari as she wanted to be like Cedric also go by Ced
Over toast and porridge, Leo, Cedric, Maribel, and Elowen tried explaining Quidditch to Tobias and Rowan.
"So you're telling me," Tobias said slowly, "there are four balls, three types of fouls, and the game only ends when someone catches a flying walnut?"
"It's a sort of look like a walnut but golden" leo corrected.
Rowan blinked. "I miss football."
Splitting Up
With two hours before Transfiguration, they all split out. Although they were encourage by their senior to stick together as group, all six of them paired up so that they don't go alone and they could do what they want without compromising with the whole group.
Maribel and Elowen headed straight for the library to study a bit of transfiguration and potion, both of the girls was shocked that Leo and Cedric study diligently, especially Mari she taught everyone is more relaxed before going to Hogwarts and think that studying History of magic is already excessive but now she felt like she was left behind.
Rowan and Tobias went to investigate the kitchens, they wanted to understand the process of making the food and how the house elf look like.
Leo turned to Cedric. "Come on. I heard about a corridor with a painting that talks like a cats. She meows. Apparently it's from a failed Animagus experiment."
Cedric's eyes lit up. "I want to see the Owlery too."
They wandered through corridors and staircases, laughing, getting lost, finding enchanted tapestries and whispering walls. They found the cat-talking painting—she hissed at Cedric affectionately.
The First Morning: Transfiguration
Leo and Cedric arrived at the Transfiguration classroom with time to spare something they owed entirely to Vela, whom they had run into during exploring earlier that morning. Vela had taken one look at their confused expressions, listened patiently to Cedric's enthusiastic but wildly inaccurate directions, and offered to guide them herself. Leo was happily describe the Hufflepuff houses and how amazing it is, and Vela who didn't want to lose said good things about Ravenclaw houses.
After arrived they said their goodbye.
The classroom was already open when they arrived, sunlight slanting through tall, arched windows and illuminating rows of polished desks. Leo and Cedric chose seats at the very front partly out of eagerness, partly because Leo didn't trust himself not to get distracted if he sat any farther back, suddenly Leo ask to Cedric "the four of them are still not here do you thinks we should go and find them, this castle is a maze" Cedric was contemplating for a moment but then he said "that why we have to stay here, this place is a maze, if we try to find them we are the one who got lost, I'm sure they ask a passing senior" Leo nodded and went back to sit.
Perched neatly atop the teacher's desk was a cat.
She was a striking creature: silver-tabby fur marked with dark, precise stripes, eyes sharp and intelligent in a way that made Leo pause. Her posture was unnervingly proper—tail wrapped neatly around her paws, back straight, as though she were judging the room rather than merely sitting in it.
Leo tilted his head, studying her.
Something about that cat felt… peculiar.
Still, he didn't move to touch her. In Lyra's letter when she was a first year , she had been very clear borderline frantic about this, really..
Never. Ever. Touch. That. Cat.
Lyra hadn't explained why, only that her handwriting had gone jagged and distressed when she mentioned it. Leo had assumed—quite reasonably—that the cat carried some sort of aggressive magical disease or had bitten a first-year once and never let anyone forget it.
So he stayed put.
As more students filtered in—mostly Ravenclaws—reactions to the cat varied. Some ignored it entirely. Others whispered excitedly and tried to pet her, only to yelp as the cat swatted their hands with surprising force and a very offended hiss.
Cedric leaned closer.
"That cat… is that Mrs. Norris?" he whispered. "My sister told me Filch's cat is always spying on students, but… I don't know, she looks different. Smarter."
Leo frowned slightly.
"I don't think so," he murmured. "Mrs. Norris is describe to look… meaner."
Just before the bell, the Hufflepuffs arrived in a flurry—dishevelled, breathless, and clearly having had an eventful morning. Leo snickered as Rowan tripped over his own robes while Tobias tried to fix his tie and walk at the same time.
Maribel was sweating all over her face.
"We took a wrong staircase," Elowen hissed as she slid into her seat.
"It moved," Rowan added defensively.
"And moved again!" Tobias said. "I swear it was laughing at us."
Before Leo could reply, the classroom fell suddenly silent.
The cat leapt gracefully from the desk.
Midair, she transformed.
Gasps filled the room as fur became fabric, limbs lengthened, and the silver tabby resolved into a tall witch in emerald robes. Professor Minerva McGonagall stood before them, spectacles perched low on her nose, her expression sharp enough to cut glass.
Those who had ignored the cat sighed in relief.
Those who had tried to pet her turned bright red.
"Fortunately," Professor McGonagall said crisply, "you are all on time. Otherwise, I would have deducted points before we even began." Her gaze swept the room. "My name is Professor McGonagall. I do not tolerate tardiness, foolishness, or sloppy magic. Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous subjects you will study at Hogwarts."
She turned and flicked her wand, transforming her desk into a pig and back again with effortless precision.
"You will begin by learning the fundamental principles of Transfiguration, including Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. There are five Principal Exceptions—no, you may not create food from nothing, and yes, you will be tested on this."
Groans rippled softly through the room.
After the portion of explaining the gamp Law
Professor McGonigal continued
"For your first practical exercise," she continued, "you will attempt to transfigure a matchstick into a pin. Do not rush. Precision matters more than speed."
The room erupted into murmured incantations and frantic wand movements. Matchsticks bent, twitched, melted, and exploded into splinters. One pin squealed.
Leo observed quietly, listening carefully to McGonagall's instructions. Then, with a calm swish of his wand and a clear incantation, the matchstick shimmered.
It transformed smoothly into a pin—slender, sharp, and gleaming. But Leo hadn't stopped there. Fine floral engravings spiralled delicately along the metal, each petal perfectly etched.
Professor McGonagall paused mid-step.
Her lips curved—just slightly.
"Excellent work, Mr. Lee. Ten points to Hufflepuff."
Leo beamed.
Of course, he thought smugly. If I'm a Metamorphmagus and bad at Transfiguration, that's like a duck that can't swim.
Cedric noticed Leo's nose extending just a fraction of an inch.
He chuckled.
Cedric's own pin, while close, still retained the wooden texture of the matchstick. Leo leaned over and quietly corrected his wand movement.
Cedric tried again.
This time, the transformation was clean.
"Well done, Mr. Diggory. Five points," Professor McGonagall said approvingly.
She looked genuinely pleased until a distant memory of last year's upperclassmen crossed her mind, and the smile vanished just as quickly.
"Practice this transformation," she said. "And for homework, a six-inch essay on the principles involved."
The room groaned in unison.
The Letter from Home
By the time lunch rolled around, the tension of Transfiguration had finally loosened its grip on them.
The six of them spilled out of the classroom together, sunlight flooding the corridor as though Hogwarts itself were congratulating them for surviving their first real lesson. Leo walked backward for a moment, arms flung wide and extend comically in exaggerated triumph.
"I lived," he announced solemnly. "Professor McGonagall did not transfigure me into a footstool."
"You say that but you were the first to complete it with flair, some of us didn't even get a success," Maribel replied while making a playful fist motion to try and beat Leo for gloating.
Cedric laughed, nearly bumping into Rowan, who was reenacting his own failure with a dramatically bent matchstick. Tobias attempted to imitate Professor McGonagall's stern voice and immediately lost his balance on a moving stair.
All of them continue talk about transfiguration until they reach the great hall
In there a tide of laughter and noise settling at the Hufflepuff table with the relief of a students who finally had nothing pressing to do. Free study meant freedom—real freedom—and plates quickly filled themselves with roast chicken, potatoes, and warm bread. The senior who overheard them was jealous because after this he have to go to history of magic class taught by professor Binn.
Mid-conversation, a sudden flutter of wings cut through the air.
A small, scrappy barn owl swooped down, circling clumsily before landing directly in front of Leo and his siblings, the barn owl landed three times to give them the letter and each time, the barn owl make mistake in landing, one of the landing went into one of the senior head. The barn owl feathers stuck out in every direction because of it effort to land ,
its legs was tied to a parchment that looked like it had been attacked by every crayon in London as well as one letter that look like an official letter that comes from the ministry.
"Thank you Pippy ". Leo was stroking the owl while giving it's a treat, afterward the owl fly away, assume it went back to London.
Leo open the first letter, and immedietly know this comes from Carina not only is it rainbow it also fill with glitter.
From Carina:
Dear Leo,
Sorry, I know Dad said you needed to experience Hogwarts without interruption, but I couldn't wait. The house is too quiet without you. I'm doing my duty as Guardian.
I found Dad's glasses in the fridge this morning. Again.
Also, guess what? I met Greselda Smith in London yesterday they did a movie scene around our area. she smiled at me. Just saying.
Hogwarts better be amazing, or I'm replacing you with the owl.
Love,
Carina 💖
Leo was laughing but then when he look down further a beautiful writing was there Leo guess it was his father writing
—Intercepted carina letter
In there JI-ho wrote
Leo, I am proud of you. Truly.
Also, do not fall in love too quickly. I remember during your elementary school year "you have a crush phases."
Especially the one where the girl—
(Here the ink smudged as if someone tried to stop writing.)
Leo's face went scarlet.
No. No. Not this memory.
Ji-ho had continued anyway.
—had an unfortunate trouser incident, and you offered to "help" her clean it because you thought it was romantic.
Please do not repeat this behaviour at Hogwarts.
—Dad
Cedric squinted.
"…Are you okay?"
Leo slammed the parchment shut. His hair turn bright red, his ears glowing like embers.
"I'm fine," he squeaked, he immediately changed back.
Orion had already burned his letter with a silent incantation
Lyra swallowed hers.
Vela calmly flicked her wand. "Evanesco."
I guess all of them got embarrassing letter as well.
Problem solved.
Then Leo noticed the second letter, its seal stamped neatly with the Ministry insignia.
His hands slowed as he opened it.
From His Mother:
My dear Leo,
The news reached me faster than expected Hogwarts never does keep secrets.
I heard about your Hatstall for seven minute!!. Turning into Helga Hufflepuff herself caused quite the stir in the office. I may have bragged, repeatedly.
Hufflepuff suits you. Loyalty, patience, kindness… though I am laughing that your name should be fit with the Gryffindor but I guess we have to find your new name that resemble a Hufflepuff…. hahahah anyway
I am very proud of you.
Love,
Mother.
Leo swallowed.
He hadn't expected her to know so quickly and was embarrass, the taught that her mother boast about him to her colleague that he meet before makes him blush.
Afterward, The rest of the day passed in a blur of exploration—hidden corridors, talking portraits, nearly getting lost twice, and arguing over which staircase was definitely mocking them. Rowan and Tobias swore the kitchens smelled better at night. Maribel argued Hogwarts needed a map. Elowen insisted mystery was part of the charm.
That evening, the Hufflepuff common room glowed with lamplight and laughter. They sprawled across sofas, retelling the day in exaggerated detail.