"Your parents give you any pointers on transfiguration?" Ron asked as the first year Gryffindors followed Harry to their first Transfiguration class.
Harry knocked twice on a section of wall and the bricks fell away to reveal another hallway. "Yeah, it's a combination of three things," he said as they walked through the hole in the corridor, "power, confidence, and visualization."
"Visualization?" Hermione asked curiously, making a mental note to write it down later.
"The better you picture it in your head, the easier it is to do," Harry explained as they reached the classroom. "Of course, there are a couple of different ways you can picture it and no one way is better than another, since it's your magic doing it."
"Kitty!" half a dozen of the kids chorused as they entered McGonagall's class and saw a tabby cat sitting on her desk, with markings around its eyes looking like glasses.
Harry decided not to ruin the surprise as nearly everyone took a chance to pet the kitty. "Some people find it easy to picture the target melting like wax into the new form. It's the way my Mom does it and it works rather well, while my Da pictures each change one at a time like knocking over dominoes."
"Where should we sit?" Hermione asked looking around the empty room and wondering where the professor was and if it was common for the professors to arrive after the students at Hogwarts.
"Let's take the side near the wall," Neville suggested, "so no one bumps into us coming in." He took a seat in the back corner with a good view of the room and the door.
"Looks like we're early," Dean noted, taking a seat next to Neville.
"I didn't do a lot of picturing when we turned a broken quill into shower shoes," Seamus pointed out.
"That was a targeted transfiguration," Harry said, "the spell does all the work, it's more like a charm than transfiguration. Did you notice how Lavender and Parvati's shower shoes were better than the ones the rest of us did?"
"I did wonder about that," Hermione said. "They were more colorful and thicker while the rest of ours were simple flip flops. I just assumed it was because they'd cast it before, since hygiene is something they take seriously."
"Partial credit Miss Granger," Harry said pompously getting a few grins. "The fact that they consider it important plays a role as does the fact that they know a thing or two about shower shoes. The more you know, the easier a spell is to cast, that's why the strongest wizards and witches are usually the smartest as well."
"So, Snape doesn't hate us, he was making us memorize muggle names for things for our own good," Dean said.
"No, I'm pretty sure he hates us," Harry said. "Well, me and Neville anyway. But yeah, there is a reason for him telling us all the little details we'll probably never need to know, it'll make your potions stronger."
Ron groaned. "So, I actually have to learn all the fiddly bits?"
"You think he'd waste his time telling us everything if we didn't?" Harry replied.
"I barely took any notes," Ron complained, "I thought he was just having a go at us for being 'dunderheaded Gryffindors."
"You can copy mine," Hermione offered.
"Thanks," Ron said with a relieved sigh, "that'll help a lot."
"You're welcome," Hermione said with a smile, her compulsive note taking finally paying off and confirming her world view. She turned to Harry. "So, transfiguration needs four things, power, confidence, visualization and knowledge."
"Everything needs knowledge," Harry said, "so I didn't include it."
A half dozen Slytherins arrived. They eyed the Gryffindors as they took their seats, quietly talking among themselves… after several stroked the kitty.
"What do you think the professor is going to start with?" Hermione asked Harry.
"Same as Snape," Harry replied.
"Insulting us and giving you detention?" Neville asked making Harry chuckle and getting some laughter, even among the Slytherins.
"No, safety," Harry said. "Most of our classes should start off with a lecture on what not to do, otherwise some berk will do it."
Malfoy swaggered in with his bodyguards Crabbe and Goyle. On seeing the group of Gryffindors he looked like he wanted to say something, but upon spotting Harry he instead quickly chose a seat in the back and got ready for class.
"I wonder when the professor is going to arrive," Hermione said as a clock on the wall dinged and the classroom door shut on its own.
"She's already here," Harry said as the cat on the desk meowed loudly drawing everyone's attention before transforming into Professor McGonagall.
"Greetings class," she said primly before turning to Harry. "I assume your parents mentioned I was an animagus?"
"Not that I remember," Harry replied, "though it would make some of the stories they told make more sense. My Da and his friends are all animagi, so I tend to assume any animal not behaving normally is one, plus you are a master of transfiguration, so naturally you'd be an animagus."
"Actually, it's a fairly rare skill," Professor McGonagall explained to the class, "not everyone can become an animagus even if they complete their mastery in transfiguration."
"Really?" Harry asked in disbelief. "But what are the odds that my Da and his friends would all have that gift?"
McGonagall smiled. "The fact that there is a chance means it was bound to happen eventually, regardless of the odds against it."
Hermione raised her hand.
"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall called upon her with a nod.
"What precisely is an animagus, professor?" the young muggleborn girl asked curiously.
"Animagi are witches and wizards who are able to transform into a singular animal that best represents certain aspects of their personality without any of the dangers normally associated with self-transfiguration," she explained. "And on that note, let's talk about the dangers of transfiguration…"
One hour later after a very thorough lecture on classroom safety and a threat of expulsion
"Now, I'm going to pass a box down each row, everyone grab a matchstick, we're going to attempt to turn it into a needle," McGonagall instructed.
Harry and Hermione removed a matchstick from the box and Hermione passed it behind them, she was practically vibrating in her seat as she held her wand, eager to begin.
Harry contemplated his matchstick. He could transfigure it easily, but that would make him stand out and could discourage students like Hermione who were just learning.
"Five points to Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said as she looked over Hermione's work. Very well done, Miss Granger. I can see you have a talent for transfiguration."
Harry looked at the perfectly formed silver needle that Hermione had created with a bit of surprise; from what he remembered Hermione had only managed to make her matchstick slightly pointy and metallic by the end of class in his first life.
"You've got the shape right, but not the material," the Professor said as she examined Neville's wooden needle. "A very nice first attempt. Keep trying."
Harry transfigured his matchstick into a needle while McGonagall was examining Ron's, which was a partial success matching Hermione's first attempt in his previous life.
The Slytherin's were getting a bit disgruntled as the class continued, with the Gryffindors making rapid progress while their efforts were all but futile.
Seeing that Greengrass was getting upset, Hermione quickly made a few notes on a piece of parchment and passed it to her.
Greengrass was a bit surprised to receive a note from a Gryffindor she didn't know and a muggleborn at that, but her eyes lit up as she read it. She set aside the note after she finished reading it and raised her wand. With a firm jab she transfigured her matchstick into a perfect needle.
"Three points to Slytherin," McGonagall said with approval, before going to assist Dean who set his match on fire before getting it to transform and was now trying to juggle a red-hot needle.
Greengrass passed the note to her best friend Tracey who managed her own transfiguration a minute later and passed it to the next pair of Slytherins who read it and passed it along before successfully managing their own transfiguration less than a minute later.
Crabbe and Goyle were the last Slytherins to complete the transformation, Draco doing his best to help them as he refused to let a Slytherin be the only one who failed to complete the assignment.
McGonagall smiled as the class ended. "You are the only group of students who have all successfully managed to transfigure your matchsticks into needles in their first class in all my years of teaching," she said.
The class full of first years beamed, proud of what they'd accomplished and Harry couldn't help but wonder how they'd done so well, his actions shouldn't have had that big an effect, he'd just given a little encouragement and simplified what he'd understood of the subject.
Everyone gathered their things after McGonagall dismissed the class, a rare smile on the normally strict woman's face.
"Man, I am wiped," Dean said. "Transfiguration really takes it out of you."
"You're telling me," Seamus agreed.
"Let's eat, I'm starved," Ron said, looking forward to lunch.
McGonagall had a word with Malfoy as he was collecting his things, "I noticed you assisting students who were having trouble. Two points to Slytherin Mr. Malfoy and keep up the good work."
"Umm… Thank you, professor," he said awkwardly, a bit surprised, as he'd been warned she was a very strict teacher who rarely gave points to Slytherin.
"Weren't we supposed to have homework?" Hermione asked Harry, the students around her shooting her horrified looks for essentially volunteering them for more work if the professor happened to hear her.
"Not when everyone succeeds," Harry replied, knowing that McGonagall only assigned homework to those that didn't complete the in-class assignment.
Nearby students from both houses, who had overheard what Harry had said, looked at one another and silently swore that they would do their best to make sure even the students in rival houses did a good job, so they could avoid the evils of schoolwork!
"If you want something to do, read through the next three chapters of the book and we can go through your notes on it to figure out the best explanation we can share with the rest of the class," Harry suggested. "The class books are a bit dry and it tends to make it hard for a lot of students to understand and remember."
Hermione beamed at Harry. "This will be so much fun! I know just what books to get too. I ran across a number of very useful supplements for our schoolwork in the library yesterday!" Her stomach growled loudly, causing her to blush. "After lunch," she said.
Harry grinned, no matter what changes there might be from home, Hermione was still Hermione. "See what you can find on animagi, please," he requested.
"Professor McGonagall said it was dangerous," Hermione reminded him. "They only let students attempt it in the sixth year."
"I know," Harry assured her. "I want to find out more about how they tell if you can become one and if there's any cases about people not having an animal form and gaining one later."
"I thought it was a rare talent you were either born with the capacity to learn or simply couldn't," Hermione said.
"That's what they say," Harry agreed, "but that would mean you were also born with the personality traits that matched the animal you could turn into, and that doesn't sound right at all," he explained. He was sure the wizarding world was wrong but could privately admit it might just be his distaste for Fate speaking.
"Or it could be that they only learn they have the talent after their animal is set by the personality they've developed," Hermione said. "Maybe someone could learn their animal, go through a huge life change and then discover the animal is different."
"That's also possible," Harry agreed. "Anyway, that's what I want to look into."
"I'll keep an eye out for any references," Hermione promised.
"Lunch awaits," Ron said encouraging them to hurry up.
0o0o0oo0o
The Weasley twins grinned as they saw the first years enter. They'd recently received a package from James Potter and were in high spirits.
"Greetings young Harold," Fred began.
"We've just received a certain item from your father," George continued.
"So, feel free to stop by our dorm room if you need to borrow it," Fred finished.
Harry paused and it took a moment to figure out what his Da would have sent. "I'd almost forgotten about that. Between homework and detention, I've been kinda busy."
"We heard," the twins chorused.
"And we're rather impressed," Fred said.
"It took us two days to get our first detention," George reminisced. "Of course, that could be because we didn't have potions until our second day."
"Indeed, brother mine," Fred agreed, "it gave him an unfair advantage."
Harry grinned. "Scheduling is up to the luck of the draw I'm afraid and an unfair win is still a win."
"Speaking of scheduling," George said.
"Must we?" Fred asked.
"I'm afraid so," George replied. "Buck up!"
"If I must," Fred said with a sigh. "Keep a close eye on your class schedule because even though we don't have any proof we're pretty sure it changes on its own and has a spell on it to make sure you don't notice."
"It's part of a school wide conspiracy to make us pay attention and be more responsible," George whispered.
"Or it could be that they're really forgetful when it comes to anything like responsibility," Hermione told Harry.
The twins looked at each other and shrugged.
"Also possible," George agreed.
"But why take chances?" Fred added.
"I'll keep that in mind," Harry promised, with a grin while wondering if there was any truth to what they were saying. Their class schedule always did catch half of them by surprise most days.
Harry went upstairs to drop his books off and figure out what to do with the rest of his day. He couldn't go flying until after their first flying lesson because while they'd ignore a first year 'borrowing' a broom, the professors were much stricter on students flying before they'd gone through the safety course.
He didn't need to study, because he was in first year, couldn't hang out with Ron, because he was hanging out with Neville at the moment, and couldn't get the stone or mirror until after Neville had his shot at the end of the term.
He tried to think of what he did in school that didn't involve schoolwork, flying, or fighting for his life. After a few minutes all he could come up with was snogging Ginny, something that he wasn't planning on continuing and wasn't possible with her not at the castle anyway.
"At the castle," he said thoughtfully and glanced at his vanishing cabinet. He had just planned to use it to sleep at home, because he wasn't sure what his parents would say about him dropping in when he should be at school, but… he really missed them.
He'd spent nearly two decades wishing for his parents back and then for a large family, and now he had both, so spending the majority of the next seven years separated from them wasn't something that seemed at all reasonable.
It was a bit of a risk to let his parents know about the cabinets, but unless he used a fidelius on them they were probably going to find out about them anyway, and he already had one fidelius up so that was out. Harry decided he might as well take the chance now, rather than wait on pins and needles until they discovered him one morning. There was a reason he was in Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw after all.
His mind made up, he opened the cabinet and stepped inside. There was a brief moment of disorientation after he closed the door before he opened it again and stepped out into his room at home.
Harry smiled, happy to be home and slightly surprised to find his room empty, as he'd half expected to find the girls there for some reason. He crossed the room and opened the door into the hall. As he started down the stairs, he heard his parents talking.
"...maybe his memory of when the box arrived would help," Lily said.
"I believe he found the box in his room and probably wasn't there when it arrived," Snape offered.
"I'm just having a hard time wrapping my mind around..." James' voice trailed off.
"I don't know…" Snape said thoughtfully, "I mean you are an attractive man."
"Thanks, I… No, what?!" James sputtered as Snape and Lily burst out laughing.
"I'll have a talk with him and see what he recalls," Snape offered.
Hearing his cue, Harry immediately entered the living room. "You wanted to speak with me, professor?" he asked as innocently as possible.
Typing by: fyrewolf5
TN: And Harry continues to accidentally and intentionally change everything.
AN: Go big or go home. I hate time travel stories where everything ends up following canon despite changes.