The morning sun streamed through the window into the Hufflepuff dormitory, and Charlie was dragged out of bed by Ernie and Justin.
"Get up! We're going to be late for Transfiguration Class!" Ernie stamped his foot in a panic.
"This is the first class of the term."
"Professor McGonagall is not to be trifled with; I hear she's especially strict."
Charlie opened his groggy eyes, his head still spinning.
His adventure with the Weasley Twins last night meant he'd barely slept, and now he was terribly sleepy.
"Just five more minutes..."
Charlie buried his face in his pillow, his voice muffled.
"No way!" Ernie snatched Charlie's blanket away.
"Do you know? I heard an upperclassman say that a student who was late on the first day of class was turned into a frog by Professor McGonagall and couldn't change back for a whole week!"
Justin added from the side:
"I heard it was a skunk."
"Whatever it was, it was terrifying!" Ernie said firmly.
Charlie reluctantly sat up, rubbing his eyes:
"Alright, alright, I'm up."
The three of them quickly washed up, grabbed their school bags, and ran to the classroom.
Along the way, Ernie kept prattling on about the importance of Transfiguration and how strict Professor McGonagall was.
"She's the Dean of Gryffindor, and they say her Transfiguration skills are exceptionally high."
The Transfiguration Class classroom was on the second floor of the Castle, and the three of them arrived just before the class bell rang.
Many students were already seated in the classroom; first-year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students had this class together.
Ernie pulled Charlie straight to the empty seats in the front row, with Justin following closely behind.
"Why do we have to sit in the front row?" Charlie complained.
"Isn't sitting in the back better?"
"Of course, we sit in the front row!" Ernie said with a serious expression.
"This way, we can listen better and see the content on the blackboard clearly."
Charlie rolled his eyes but sat down obediently.
"Why isn't the Professor here yet?"
Justin looked around, only to see the podium empty.
Charlie lay on the desk, his eyelids already drooping:
"Perfect, I'll just sleep a bit more..."
No sooner had he spoken than he buried his head in his arms, his breathing quickly becoming even.
Ernie nudged him from the side, and seeing that he couldn't wake him up, he let him sleep a bit longer.
Anyway, Professor McGonagall hadn't arrived yet; he could wake Charlie up when the Professor came.
Justin twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking, "You're such a good friend, bringing him to the front row to sleep."
Just then, a tabby cat quietly slipped in through the door and gracefully jumped onto the podium.
It had peculiar markings on its back and spectacle-like markings around its eyes, making it look particularly stern.
"Wow, what a cute cat!" a Ravenclaw girl whispered in admiration.
The tabby cat scanned the classroom, its gaze finally resting on Charlie, who was sound asleep in the front row.
It narrowed its eyes, its tail gently swaying, then jumped off the podium and elegantly walked to Charlie's desk.
Ernie and Justin watched the cat, wondering where it came from.
"Is it Professor McGonagall's pet?" Ernie whispered.
Justin shrugged: "Maybe, it looks very intelligent."
The tabby cat jumped onto Charlie's desk, sat up straight, its tail neatly wrapped around its body.
It stared at Charlie for a while, then extended a paw and gently patted Charlie's head.
Charlie showed no reaction, continuing to be immersed in his dreamland.
The tabby cat seemed a bit puzzled, thinking, "This is class time, isn't it? Her timetable isn't wrong."
It patted Charlie's head again, this time with a little more force.
Charlie still showed no sign of waking up, only muttering a few indistinct words in his sleep.
The tabby cat's tail began to sway, and a strict glint flashed in its eyes.
It was about to strike again when Charlie suddenly stirred in his sleep.
His arm reached out, and in the instant the cat was stunned, he embraced the tabby cat, as if holding a plush toy.
He adjusted his posture, rested his head on the cat's soft body, and continued to sleep soundly.
The system's voice, "Your Majesty abuses your teacher, humiliates your Grand Tutor, tyrant points + 5," also failed to wake Charlie; he only mumbled twice.
The tabby cat went rigid, its eyes wide, clearly startled by the sudden action.
It tried to struggle free, but Charlie held it too tightly, and it didn't want to use its claws to harm a student, so for a moment, it couldn't move.
Ernie and Justin watched in stunned silence, unsure whether they should go and rescue the cat.
"This cat is so well-behaved," Justin whispered in admiration.
"My mom used to have a cat that would scratch anyone who touched it."
Ernie nodded.
"Yeah, it's so gentle. I wonder whose pet it is; I'd like to have a cat like this too."
For some reason, Ernie felt that the tabby cat glared at them unhappily, and that look seemed to contain some kind of warning.
He couldn't help but shiver.
"Don't you think this cat's eyes look a bit human?"
Ernie whispered to Justin.
The tabby cat swept its tail across Charlie's nose, trying to wake him up.
Charlie's nose tickled by the fluffy tail, he frowned and finally woke up from his sleep.
He groggily opened his eyes and found himself holding a cat, and he was instantly stunned.
The tabby cat took the opportunity to break free, agilely jumped off the desk, and quickly ran out of the classroom.
Charlie stared blankly in the direction the cat disappeared, then turned to Ernie and Justin:
"What was that? Why was I holding a cat?"
Ernie sighed in relief: "Thank goodness you're finally awake. That cat came out of nowhere, and you hugged it yourself while you were asleep."
"Luckily Professor McGonagall hasn't arrived yet," Justin also breathed a sigh of relief.
"If she saw you sleeping in class, she would definitely deduct points."
They had all witnessed Professor McGonagall's strictness during the Sorting Hat ceremony yesterday.
A moment later, the classroom door opened, and Professor McGonagall strode in.
Ernie noticed her hurried steps and her slightly disheveled Wizard robes, as if she had just been manhandled.
Ernie was startled by his own thought; that was the Dean of Gryffindor, who could manhandle her? Dumbledore?
"Silence!"
Professor McGonagall tapped the podium with her wand, and the classroom immediately fell silent.
"Welcome to Transfiguration Class. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall." Her voice was stern and clear.
"Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous branches of magic taught at Hogwarts. Anyone who messes around in my class will be asked to leave and never return."
With that, she flicked her wand, turning the podium into a pig that grunted and squealed.
Everyone's expression became serious; no one questioned Professor McGonagall's words anymore.
"Let us turn to our textbooks, the Five Exceptions to Transfiguration."
Professor McGonagall's voice echoed in the classroom, but she was feeling quite annoyed.
She had originally transformed into a tabby cat to scare the new students and make them pay attention in class, but Charlie had interrupted her.
Having lost face in front of so many students, she was too embarrassed to transform back in public and had to run out to change back into her human form.
At this moment, Charlie sat upright, but his mind was wandering.
As soon as Professor McGonagall began teaching, a strong wave of sleepiness washed over him.
His adventure last night meant he'd barely slept, and now his eyelids were fighting to stay open.
Professor McGonagall looked in Charlie's direction and saw him sitting properly in his seat, looking down at his textbook, his legs constantly shaking; she thought he was paying close attention to the class and continued her lecture.
Little did she know, Charlie had been gone for quite a while.
Even when he was asleep, he sat perfectly straight, his legs shaking rhythmically—a unique skill he had mastered after many years of schooling.
The system's prompt, "Your Majesty neglects state affairs, is sleepy and muddle-headed, tyrant points + 2," occasionally rang in Charlie's mind, but he was already deep in slumber and heard nothing at all.
As the class progressed, the theoretical knowledge was almost covered.
"Now, we will have our first practical exercise." Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and a match appeared in front of each student.
"Today's task is to transform this match into a silver needle. Please remember the incantation and wand movement I just explained."
The students excitedly picked up their wands and began attempting the Transfiguration spell.
The classroom was soon filled with the sounds of incantations and sighs of failure.
Ernie gently nudged Charlie: "Wake up! Professor McGonagall wants us to turn the match into a silver needle!"
Charlie still didn't react.
Ernie was sweating anxiously, shaking Charlie's shoulder repeatedly.
Professor McGonagall noticed the unusual activity and put down her lesson plan, walking towards Charlie.
"Mr. White, how is your progress?"
Professor McGonagall stood in front of Charlie, asking in a stern tone.
Ernie's face turned pale with fright, and Justin next to him was too nervous to speak.
However, to their surprise, upon hearing Professor McGonagall's voice, Charlie immediately opened his eyes, as if he had never been asleep.
"Good morning, Professor." Charlie offered a polite smile, his voice incredibly clear.
Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow: "What was the task I just assigned, Mr. White?"