Chapter 20: 20: First classes, part 1.

The first days of school were always the strangest for any student, they had to adjust to a new schedule, new classes, and new content, and for the first years, it was a whole different experience.

No wonder it was once said that the first year was when you made the friends with whom you would spend the rest of your seven years at Hogwarts. For a child who may not have seen many other children his or her age, it was a new world.

Of course, you quickly realized that you weren't at home to get up whenever you wanted or dress however you wanted. Not only that but if you didn't want to be ridiculed, you had to take care of your hygiene.

Gone were the 3 days without bathing or eating sloppily. This created a subtle atmosphere among all the freshmen. Everyone looked at each other, not only to learn the faces of their future classmates but to see who 'stood out'.

Harry Potter was the one who attracted the most attention. Not only because of his status as the heir to the Potter family but because he was known as the boy who defeated the night terror of many children raised since 1981.

Another child who attracted attention was Draco Malfoy. Not only was he the heir to the Malfoy family, but his family was said to be one of the wealthiest, and wealth will always attract attention from anyone.

So did Astreo. How could he not? It was exactly what he was looking for, not only to demonstrate his special ability but to create an image that would command respect. It might not win him many new friends, but it would win him connections.

Astreo knew that this world was much bigger than the story of 'Harry Potter' and his seven books. Especially when he read about other prominent contemporary wizards who were on the same level as Dumbledore.

Every country had its 'protector', some were not so prominent, but some stood out quite a bit. Besides, if the fairy tales in this world had any relation to events in the past, well, a certain story about Merlin with three apprentices made our protagonist feel a bit scared.

But we are not going to talk about that now, we are going to talk about the first weeks of these young wizards. For many of them, it was the first time they were exposed to truly "magical" content, which made every first lesson they received memorable.

For example...

Astreo rested his hands on his desk and stared down at the tabby cat, who gazed with interest at every new student who entered the classroom. Even without using his Sensitivity or Aura Vision, he already knew who it was.

Minerva McGonagall, one of the seven registered Animagi in the English wizarding world, the teacher of Transformation and, above all, an outstanding wizard. The amount of magic the woman possessed was by no means negligible.

It might not have been Dumbledore's absurd amount, but it was far beyond the normal teachers, and that included Astreo's mother. Minerva deserved to be not only Dean of Gryffindor but also Deputy Headmistress.

Even Snape, for all his talent and youth, lagged behind the now older woman, though only by one notch, which wasn't very relevant when it came to fighting, but showed that Minerva was a milestone of her generation.

The woman seemed to enjoy being transformed into a cat, nonchalantly watching her students until she felt the curious gaze of one of them. With a gentle gesture, she turned her head and saw that it was Astreo who was looking at her, smiling at her.

'I don't know if he knew what I looked like or if he found me out with his special magic,' Minerva thought, deciding to ignore the boy when she realized that he wouldn't reveal her game.

Ravenclaw's class was with Slytherin this time, but perhaps because of their mutual affinity for each other, the atmosphere in the classroom was quite calm, with sporadic conversations between the two houses showing the brotherhood they already had.

Which, to be honest, is a bit ironic, because in nature, birds usually eat snakes, but in the magical world, both birds and snakes have abilities beyond their non-magical counterparts, so it depends on the creature itself.

But this situation allowed Astreo and Harry to sit together, and even Draco joined them with his two followers, monopolizing the seats in the front rows, only those who knew the implications of this showed some reluctance to see such a situation.

Many think that the best or coolest students sit in the back, but in a world where learning is power, the best seats will always be in the front.

Sure, Crabbe and Goyle are usually portrayed as fools, but one of them was casting spells that an adult could not normally cast, so Astreo never thought to treat them as fools.

No wizard should ever be treated as a fool, even if he wore a jellyfish hat; every wizard was a being blessed with magic. They could be ignorant, mad, and even stubborn, but never stupid.

Astreo was even a little afraid of Gilderoy Lockhart; any wizard who could locate and then erase the memory of an unknown wizard, but whose feat was worth telling, was not a wizard to be underestimated.

"Looks like we left a clear message, don't you think?" whispered Draco to Harry and Astreo.

The two boys looked around for a moment before nodding.

"It looks like we'll be able to sit up front in other classrooms as well if they refuse..." Astreo didn't finish, but Harry and Draco nodded.

"They may complain, but who made me your friend?" Harry didn't care much about this situation, because he knew that what Astreo meant wasn't very serious, although he was thankful that he was 'famous' at the moment.

He wanted to learn magic, he wanted to be not only powerful but the best healer ever, and only then he could help his younger sister. Don't be afraid of Harry Potter, be afraid of an obsessed Potter.

Rose Potter's situation had matured this version of the protagonist of the famous book series a lot, in addition to growing up with outstanding friends, he was much more focused and less chaotic than his "canonical" counterpart, though that didn't matter.

"You should have come to Slytherin," Draco commented with a bit of fun in his voice.

He just wanted to brag a bit about getting the first seats, he never expected Astreo to subtly threaten to kick people out of their seats. He didn't doubt that the boy next to him could do what he said.

One thing he had learned as a Malfoy was to sense the qualities of others and see if a person was worthy of being a partner. Even if Crabbe and Goyle seemed slow in the eyes of many, how could Malfoy not know how capable they were? He would never hang out with useless people.

In a way, his attitude towards Harry and Astreo was utilitarian, they both knew that, but it didn't matter much. But now Draco learned that it was better to be on Astreo's good side.

Others might fear his wealth, but he knew that people like Astreo, people who liked to be respected and used the power in their hands to make a strong impression, were people who wouldn't stop for the galleons he had in his vault.

"I'm fine in Ravenclaw, I have to protect my future wife next term," Astreo said with a smile of joy in his tone, but Harry knew that.

For Astreo, protection would mean breaking legs or cursing someone with bad luck. Although the boy could not manipulate the concept of luck by any stretch of the imagination, it was never a good idea to have an Astrologer wish you ill, was it?

"Oh? Right, you're engaged to the Lovegood girl," Draco knew that family had a reputation for being a bunch of eccentric types, but the noble upbringing he had received from an early age demanded that he not offend verbally, and even less so when he had a little monster in front of him.

"They're already acting like an old couple," Harry wasted no time in deciding to gossip with Draco about the things Luna and Astreo did, like arguing over pudding, something the boy always lost.

"You seem to have a weakness, dark boy," Draco joked, giving Astreo a nickname just like that.

It was only because of his boyish advantage that he could do that, to close the gap between him and the others. Harry, by the way, was also given Scarhead, while he earned the nickname White Snow, although he didn't understand the reference.

"When is the teacher coming? I'm hungry," whispered a child, but everyone could hear him.

Just then, the cat on the teacher's desk twisted and turned into the ever-stern Minerva McGonagall. The woman looked at the starving Ravenclaw before focusing on the three outstanding boys at the front of the class.

"Soon this class will be over, and you may eat before your next class if you wish. On the other hand, I will not tolerate lateness, unkemptness, or inappropriate clothing.

For certain children with somewhat dangerous thoughts, I urge you that any behavior against your classmates is forbidden. In this class, we will be learning one of the most complicated but wonderful branches of magic in existence.

Be careful with your wands while doing the exercises in class, do not point them at anyone, and most of all, watch your hands. For this..." Minerva fell silent before waving her wand in the direction of her desk.

The desk deformed under a seemingly visible force, but Astreo and Harry, who were sensitive to magical power, could sense that it was the power of Professor McGonagall that was transforming the object into something else.

Transformation is truly fascinating," Astreo thought as he watched such a large object being 'kneaded' into a small pink pig.

The transformed creature began to make sounds and movements typical of a pig, even approaching Astreo with its constant sniffing. Out of curiosity, he touched it and felt the texture of the animal's skin, which was surprisingly realistic and even warm to the touch.

"Magic is a miracle, but transformation is the miracle of miracles. It allows wizards and witches to warp reality locally, as long as one has practice and knowledge.

Although there are certain rules and limits that we will explore over the years, transformation is undoubtedly one of the most far-reaching branches of magic that exists and therefore carries very serious risks.

Any troublemaker or person who does not take my class seriously will be removed from the class and will receive the lowest grade from me for the entire semester.

A wizard who does not know transformation is deficient in my eyes, and while I do not expect you to have the fluency of a teacher, I do expect you to have certain skills.

If you have read the book I asked you to bring, you will know that..." Minerva then slowly began to explain the basics of Transformation to the young people.

This branch of magic was not only associated with alchemy but also with potions. One had to know the intricacies of the matter, but one also had to use the strongest factor that wizards possessed, their faith.

Without faith, you cannot do anything. The wizards had not left worldly knowledge either, but they were just far away. When the Greeks were talking about the atom, wizards had already mastered the concepts of the electron cloud and even some ideas about the quantum.

Yes, for Astreo, the faith in transformation was like the observer effect in quantum physics. You forced something to collapse the way you imagined it because you 'saw' it.

Though temporary, it showed the awesome power of wizards and how interesting the first classes were, but that wasn't the only one, no, there were more to come, even the ones people normally think of as boring had something remarkable about them.