Both of them used Transfiguration, yet there was a fundamental difference between the two approaches. One merely altered the shape of an object. During the battle with Alexia the night before, Lucien had transformed splinters of wood into birds and buttons into snakes. On the surface, it looked remarkably similar to Professor McGonagall's magic, but he understood the truth better than anyone.
The essence of the object had never truly changed. Wood remained wood, and buttons remained buttons. In Professor McGonagall's hands, however, the pig transformed from the lectern seemed genuinely alive. Its eyes carried emotion, its movements were natural, and every tiny detail made it indistinguishable from a real pig.
Lucien's thoughtful expression quickly caught Professor McGonagall's attention. Compared to the astonished reactions of the other first-years, she valued students who could notice subtle flaws and think critically about magic itself. Unfortunately for Lucien, she was not simply an observer admiring talent. She was the professor responsible for an entire classroom of children.
"Alright, little wizards," Professor McGonagall announced crisply. "Transfiguration is far more mysterious and complex than you can possibly imagine."
She swept her gaze across the room before continuing. "Now open your textbooks. Today, we'll be learning how to turn a matchstick into a silver needle."
One by one, she distributed matchsticks to the students before demonstrating the spell according to the instructions in the book. Every movement was precise, from the angle of her wand to the force behind each flick of her wrist. She even corrected the positioning of several students' hands before allowing anyone to begin.
Only after she was satisfied that the class understood the basics did she finally step aside.
"Your task," she said, "is to transform the matchstick in front of you into a silver needle. Don't rush. Think carefully about the process and the order of each step."
The moment she finished speaking, the classroom exploded into motion. Excited first-years eagerly grabbed their wands and began waving them wildly over their desks. Unfortunately, enthusiasm alone did little to help.
Nothing happened.
No matter how dramatically they swished their wands or how loudly they recited the incantation, the matchsticks remained exactly as they were.
"Lucien, can you help me?" Draco whispered desperately after several failed attempts. "Why isn't anything happening no matter what I do?"
"Merlin's flowery shorts—what in the world are you doing?!"
Draco's voice suddenly rose in horror. Instead of focusing on his own desk, he stared at Lucien's table with wide eyes.
The silver needle there was constantly shifting forms. One second it was a perfect needle, and the next it twisted into the shape of a pig. The horrifying part was that the transformation wasn't complete. The pig's body remained partly metallic, its four legs still thin silver needles sticking awkwardly beneath it.
"Lucien!"
Professor McGonagall's sharp voice rang through the room. With a swift flick of her wand, she instantly cancelled every Transfiguration spell on his desk. The malformed pig vanished, returning to an ordinary matchstick.
Lucien let out a small breath of relief and prepared to explain, but Professor McGonagall cut him off immediately.
"Mr. Grindelwald," she said sternly, "have you already forgotten what I told you at the beginning of class?"
"No misbehaviour is allowed during my lessons."
"I'm sorry, Professor," Lucien replied obediently, lowering his head slightly. "I completed the assignment already. I was only trying to practise turning the desk into a real pig… the way you did."
"A real pig?"
Professor McGonagall immediately caught the deeper meaning behind his words. A flicker of surprise appeared in her eyes.
"That's right," Lucien continued honestly. "I've transformed wood into birds before, but later I realised they were only shape changes. The wood itself never truly changed. I can't give it life the way you can."
Professor McGonagall stared at him silently for several seconds.
"Mr. Grindelwald," she finally said, "your talent for Transfiguration is even more impressive than I imagined."
Originally, she would have been satisfied if his ability in Transfiguration was only seventy or eighty percent as strong as his gift for spellcasting. After all, no witch or wizard could excel perfectly in every field. Yet Lucien had already begun touching upon the very essence of Transfiguration as a first-year student.
That was something even many older students failed to grasp.
The irritation in her expression gradually faded. She slid her wand back into her sleeve before speaking again.
"The question you've raised concerns one of the core principles of advanced Transfiguration," she explained calmly. "The transformation of an object's essence."
"Essence?" Lucien repeated thoughtfully.
"That's correct. To turn wood into flesh and blood, you must understand the fundamental relationship between those substances. Advanced Transfiguration requires more than appearance alone. It requires altering the very nature of the object itself."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"That level of magic is far beyond first-year study. For now, you should focus on simpler transitions. Try transforming wood into stone or iron first. Those forms are much closer in nature and far easier to manage."
"I understand, Professor McGonagall," Lucien replied immediately. "Thank you for the guidance."
At that moment, Professor McGonagall looked at him the way a master craftsman might stare at an extraordinary piece of uncut jade. The desire to shape and polish such talent was almost impossible to resist.
"If you're interested," she said after a moment, "you may attend the Transfiguration Club every Sunday morning. We discuss the nature of magical transformation there in greater detail."
Lucien's eyes brightened slightly.
"Of course I'd like to. Thank you very much, Professor."
"There is one more thing, Mr. Grindelwald."
Her tone suddenly sharpened again, returning to the strict authority expected of a Hogwarts professor.
"Because you disrupted classroom discipline, I must deduct five points from Slytherin as a warning."
Several Slytherins groaned immediately, but Professor McGonagall raised a hand before anyone could complain.
"However," she added, the faintest smile touching her lips, "for demonstrating exceptionally advanced Transfiguration ability… Slytherin will also receive five points."
Lucien smiled faintly in response.
A fair judgement. Merit was merit, and mistakes were mistakes. Rewards and punishments should always remain separate.
No wonder Professor McGonagall would one day become one of the finest headmistresses Hogwarts had ever seen.
"Mr. Grindelwald," she continued, "if you don't mind, perhaps you could assist some of the other students with today's exercise."
"It would be my pleasure, Professor."
A wave of excitement instantly spread through the Slytherin students. Draco practically dragged Lucien toward his desk.
"Lucien, help me already! Why won't my matchstick cooperate?"
"Try the spell again," Lucien said calmly. "Let me see exactly what you're doing."
Under his watchful gaze, Draco nervously raised his wand and attempted the spell once more.
"Stop," Lucien said halfway through the motion. "I know the problem."
"What is it?"
"You don't truly believe it's becoming a silver needle." Lucien tapped the desk lightly with his wand. "Magic doesn't only come from technique. Most of its power comes from your intent and conviction. If you still think of it as a matchstick, your magic will too."
He demonstrated the spell several times while patiently explaining each movement and thought process. Before long, the surrounding Slytherin students crowded around him, eagerly asking questions about their own attempts.
With Lucien guiding them, their progress improved rapidly.
Pansy Parkinson's matchstick began developing a metallic shine. Daphne Greengrass managed to sharpen one end into a thin point. Theodore Nott's transformation was even steadier, with nearly half the stick turning silver.
Even several Gryffindor students hesitated for a while before finally gathering enough courage to approach him for help. Their own matchsticks remained completely unchanged, and desperation eventually outweighed house rivalry.
Lucien treated them no differently from the Slytherins. He answered each question patiently and demonstrated the spell whenever necessary.
As a result, he not only earned the gratitude of several Gryffindors, but also another approving glance from Professor McGonagall herself.
Harry clearly wanted to ask Lucien for help as well, but Ron reacted with immediate hostility the moment the idea was mentioned.
"Harry, you can't seriously trust anything a Slytherin says," Ron muttered angrily. "They're all hypocrites. They pretend to help you while secretly laughing behind your back."
He lowered his voice even further.
"His father was a dark wizard. That means he probably is too."
Ron nudged Seamus beside him. "Right, Seamus?"
"Huh? Oh—yeah, sure."
Seamus barely listened to a word Ron said. Having just returned from asking Lucien for advice himself, he was far more interested in practising the spell correctly than arguing about house politics.
By the end of the lesson, most students had made visible progress thanks to Lucien's guidance. At the very least, nearly everyone had managed to sharpen one end of their matchstick into a crude metallic point.
Only Harry and Ron's matchsticks remained completely unchanged.
....
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