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Hogwarts, 1971
"Hey, there's a cat on the teacher's desk!"
Eleven-year-old Sirius and James looked around the room. And, sure enough—there was.
The tabby cat peered discerningly from her perch as the first years filed into the stone classroom. Light spilling in from a tall window bathed her in a warm, ethereal glow. Several large cages scattered the room that housed various birds and other small animals, and there was a board in the corner with complicated looking formulas written in white chalk.
It was their first ever Transfiguration lesson at Hogwarts.
Murmuring new students were excited to learn how to turn something into something else with a mere wave and flick of their wands. James and Sirius eagerly took a seat in the front row, nearly bouncing on the edge of their chairs with the prospect of this class.
The cat continued to sit very still on the desk, almost as though she were a statue.
Upon closer inspection, Sirius realized he had never seen a cat quite like this tabby. She had thin, symmetrical square markings around her stern eyes, and appeared to be judging the room quite fiercely.
"I'm surprised that cat hasn't knocked anything on the floor yet," James whispered, fixing his gaze on the tabby. "It looks mean."
The large, mahogany teacher's desk before them was clean and organized, but had a large delicate looking gas lamp in the corner with a long dangling string and several other things James reckoned most felines would have great difficulty resisting.
"I heard McGonagall's really strict," Sirius whispered back. "Can't imagine she'd fancy a cat laying about her desk."
"Well, we'd better get on her good side then." James agreed.
"Right," Sirius nodded. "What should we do?"
"Here—take my copy of the Daily Prophet," James suggested as he withdrew a rolled up newspaper from his bag. "Y'know, in case it swipes at you."
Sirius stood, newspaper in hand, and approached the desk. The rest of the class watched on in curiosity.
"Hello there," Sirius said calmly as he approached the tabby.
The cat pierced him with startlingly blue eyes. Sirius wasn't sure he'd ever seen a cat with eyes so light before.
Sirius liked cats, and he had never met one that wasn't fond of him in return. This particular one, however, appeared rather snobby.
Probably a kneasle, Sirius thought.
"Go on then," he urged gently. "You're lucky McGonagall's not here yet."
The cat did not budge. She continued to stare severely at him, her almost human-like eyes unblinking.
Sirius furrowed his brow.
Was this actually a cat? They were in the Transfiguration classroom, it couldn't possibly be...a person? No, Andromeda would surely have told him—
But at that moment—to resounding gasps from the class—the cat had leapt off the desk and suddenly transformed into a woman with dark hair, long emerald green robes, and square spectacles.
"Professor–!" Sirius gaped, eyes popping out of his head.
Professor McGonagall looked at him, quite the way she had been as a cat just a moment ago, and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Mr. Black?"
"Er—" he breathed, quickly shoving the rolled up newspaper behind his back.
"That was bloody brilliant!" James ogled.
The corners of McGonagall's mouth twitched. "Please sit, Mr. Black."
Sirius scrambled for his seat, sitting on the newspaper to hide it, and folding his hands properly on the surface of his desk.
Professor McGonagall continued to eye James and Sirius for a moment, than gazed around at the rest of the class.
“Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,” she said. “Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back."
At this, she fixed her eyes sternly on Sirius and James again, now seated ever so angelically in the front row.
"You have been warned.”
Then McGonagall stepped back, changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn’t wait to get started, but soon realized they weren’t going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time.
After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only James and Sirius had made any difference to their matches.
Professor McGonagall came over to closely inspect their work and both boys held a collective breath, desperately desiring the approval from their head of House. Of course, the fact that she could transform into an animal at will was a meagre, secondary reverence.
She pursed her lips, then showed the class how each match had gone all silver and pointy. James' even had a tiny thread hole in the center.
"Well done—Mr. Potter, Mr. Black." McGonagall said, giving them each a rare smile.
They absolutely beamed.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆
At the end of class, McGonagall watched Sirius and James high-five as they bounced proudly from the room.
She shook her head, sighing. Another small smile escaped her lips.
Those two boys were bound to be trouble.