"Animagus?"
Inside the Great Hall, Cassandra and the others were taken aback by Malfoy's sudden enthusiasm.
"You mean like Professor McGonagall?" Hermione recalled the tabby cat she had seen the Professor transform into at school. If Hogwarts had more cats, I might have never recognized Professor McGonagall. Clearly, the advanced shapeshifting technique was quite effective, at least in terms of concealment.
"What's the use?"
Like Tom Riddle, Cassandra wasn't particularly interested in learning the Animagus transformation. Once I become powerful enough, this shapeshifting feels rather pedestrian.
"Hey, Cassandra, you can't say that."
After so many years, Malfoy understood how Cassandra's mind worked. Still, the idea of transforming into an animal filled him with excitement.
He wanted to learn it so he could show off to the other Death Eaters. He was also curious about which animal form he would take. Learning such magic took time, however, and Malfoy felt that persevering alone would be lonely, so he recruited Harry and the others for company.
With this in mind, Malfoy began his persuasion. "Think about it, this is an application of advanced Transfiguration. Learning it will allow you to showcase your skills! Even if you don't use it much, there's no harm in learning it, right?"
A rare glint of cunning appeared in Malfoy's eyes. "Besides, Cassandra, if I recall correctly, even the Master does not know this Animagus magic. While it's because he's not interested in learning it, we can still say he doesn't know it, right?"
Seeing Cassandra waver, Malfoy pressed his advantage. "If you learn a spell that even the Master doesn't know, wouldn't that be better than him? At least when it comes to Animagus magic."
"..."
Cassandra looked thoughtful; she understood Malfoy's angle perfectly well.
Even a small step "beyond Tom" was, from her perspective, a giant leap! Even if the gains were primarily psychological, it still motivates me.
Cassandra had never forgotten her ultimate goal in learning magic—well, at least since she turned eleven. I'm Tom's obedient little apprentice. If I master advanced Transfiguration, Tom will be proud of me no matter what, and I don't want to disappoint him.
While Cassandra pondered this, the others entertained different thoughts.
"Advanced Transfiguration?"
Hermione's face lit up with excitement, her tone eager to begin. "I've wanted to try it for ages. Count me in!"
"But..." Luna was a little worried. "I remember learning Animagus is risky, isn't it?"
"That's why I plan to consult Professor McGonagall before I start, or Professor Tom Riddle if that fails." Clearly, Hermione had anticipated this.
"..."
Harry stroked his chin, remaining silent, an uncontrollable smile playing on his lips.
Even Malfoy, unusually disgusted, instinctively moved away from him. "Scarhead, your smile is disgusting."
Hearing Malfoy's words, the others turned their gaze to Harry.
"Harry… what's wrong with him?" Luna wondered.
"It's nothing, just an old habit." Hermione, a Death Eater who was also frequently dragged on "adventures" by Tom Riddle, seemed unfazed. "This guy just likes to daydream about random things."
"Ahem, what do you mean?" Snapping out of his reverie, Harry tried to hide his embarrassment. "I was just thinking about something."
"What were you thinking about?"
"..."
Harry flushed, noticing everyone's gaze on him. "Do you really want to know?"
"Say it!" x4
"Okay, I was just thinking, doesn't the Master keep pets? Especially the tall and mighty kind?"
Harry stroked his chin, a strange grin on his face. "Do you think if I became a tall and mighty Animagus, my status among the Death Eaters would rise even higher?"
"..."
What a bizarre idea! A terrible idea, so don't think about it again. What do you mean by "rise even higher"?
"You're second-in-command now, who in the Death Eaters could be higher than you… Oh~"
Everyone suddenly realized, glancing at Cassandra's displeased expression.
"Scarhead, are you serious? What kind of joke is this?" Malfoy mocked. "Really? Really? You don't even know that Animagi can only transform into ordinary animals? Even if we're both the toughest of the tough, our ordinary animal forms still couldn't compare to the Master's Zouwu and Fire Dragon."
"Ahem, Harry, that's a dangerous thought." Hermione tugged at him, bringing him to his senses.
Feeling Cassandra's "murderous" gaze, Harry nodded repeatedly in agreement with Malfoy's words, "Just kidding, just kidding."
Hearing this, Cassandra raised an eyebrow, saying nothing more. Harry was definitely going to pay for his thoughtless comments.
However, Harry's words had given her an idea.
That woman Nagini always takes advantage of being Tom's pet to act all affectionate. Cassandra's eyes turned icy again, almost making Malfoy and the others think Harry wouldn't survive the night.
One by one, they moved away from Harry, especially Malfoy, who called out for Harry to take care of himself, which infuriated Harry.
But that didn't matter now. The real problem was...
"Cassandra, I have only one question." Harry took a deep breath, his eyes hardening. "Will I see the sun rise tomorrow?"
"Get out of my way." Cassandra waved her hand impatiently. She was thinking about how to get rid of Nagini after mastering the Animagus transformation. Yes, I will learn Animagus.
Harry, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, then heard Cassandra's voice beside him.
"Have you all thought it through? Do you want to learn Animagus?" Cassandra rested her chin on her hand, looking up at Harry and the others.
"Learn! We have to!" Malfoy's face lit up. It was his suggestion; how could he refuse?
"Advanced Transfiguration... I'll ask Professor McGonagall about it later, just in case we miss anything."
"Then I'll... okay, I'll do the same as Malfoy." Harry and Hermione clearly wanted to learn as well.
Even Luna, after a moment of thought, agreed. Learning Animagus, although dangerous, was something that she, as a Ravenclaw, hungered to do, and she wasn't afraid of danger.
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