Parts of this are word for word from the first book which I own a copy of but nothing more in case you thought I did.
Nobody's guessed what the object in the chapter before the last one is yet so here is my final clue: the object is hidden in the first letter of 19 objects with chairs between them.
"Potter!" Says the man suddenly, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Harry thinks for a moment- he knows Rowena had covered this at some point.
"A strong sleeping potion." He says, picking the most commonly made potion from those ingredients and watching Hermione wave frantically. The Professor sneers. Maybe he should have chosen one of the more obscure ones?
"The actual name Potter?" Harry stares at him- did it actually have name? They always brewed a sleeping potion with it but Rowena had never given it a name.
"I don't know, sir. I don't usually name potions with anything except what they do." The Professor arches an eyebrow.
"Clearly fame isn't everything- let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Hermione is almost standing up but Snape takes no notice of her. He glances over to the Slytherins who seem to be laughing.
"In a goat's stomach." His Auntie had been rather insistent on him remembering this fact because of her lack of trust in people, "It saves people from most poisons." The Professor seems disappointed by his answer.
"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Hermione is standing up now, people's eyes split equally between himself, the Professor and her.
"There is none. It's very poisonous- isn't it called aconite too?" Snape frowns.
"Correct." He doesn't seem too pleased by that fact, "For you information, Potter, the sleeping potion asphodel and wormwood make is known as the Draught of Living Death." He turns around, cloak spinning dramatically behind him.
"Sit down." Hermione thumps down into her seat, "Why aren't you all writing that down?" Harry doesn't bother- there's not much point in writing it down as already knows it- well, most of it. There is a loud rustle as everyone searches for their parchment and quills and ink pots.
"And a point will be taken from Gryffindor house for your cheek, Potter." Then he had set them to the task of making boil curing potions.
Harry had been paired with Ron and the only thing which had prevented Neville's cauldron from melting had been Harry complete focus on his own potion. Their potion had been nearing completion when he noticed the change of smell from the one beside them.
He remembers making a similar mistake when he first brewed it and Rowena throwing in a cup of water to cool everything down to slow down the reactions. There isn't any water he could get into it in time so he wraps his magic around it and pulls the temperature down enough to compensate for the heat of the flame.
Aside from Snape's lecture on following instructions and further point deductions for something Harry doesn't quite understand but doesn't think is worth contesting the lesson ends rather calmly.
"I can't believe Snape took two points from you in your first lesson! Fred and George always lose points in his classes but they try to!" Ron grumbles about the point loss all the way to Gryffindor table.
"It's okay- Harry and Hermione will earn them back in other lessons." Neville smiles and Hermione frowns.
"I knew all the answers- why didn't he ask me?" Harry shrugs.
"Beats me. I don't think he likes me." Ron nods, taking a break from eating.
"Just ignore him- he doesn't like anyone in Gryffindor." The rest of the day is spent in the common room and in part in the library at Hermione's prompting. Ron is rather displeased but tags along rather than be left alone.
So passes the first week of lessons.
Harry attends his first Transfiguration lesson in Professor McGonagall's office on Monday morning. He feels a bit silly waiting alone outside her door and wonders how the Professor is planning to go to her office and be in the lesson with everyone else at the same time.
Sure enough she opens the door on time, ushering him in and closing it behind them.
"I trust that you have the homework Mr Potter." Harry nods, pulling the parchment out of his bag and passing it over. The Professor files it in a drawer on the other side of her desk and sits down. The boy takes a seat opposite and the lesson begins.
"Your transfigurations were all surprisingly insightful had you been an ordinary first year. I expect this comes from our shared knowledge and a large amount of practise. The first few were complete transfigurations- the quality of which would be expected from an average third year at most.
The further you went down the list the more you struggled as you obviously had not practised them and although the physical form was indiscernible from the real object the magical form was poor and unlikely to be maintained for very long. As soon as sentient to non-sentient object transfiguration came up you became completely unable to perform any changes which is expected from any student of your age as without the theory it is almost impossible to grasp the complexities of that kind of transfiguration.
Your performance was admirable and for that you may have one point for Gryffindor. Today I will teach you the theory of sentient to non-sentient transfiguration and at the end of the lesson you will attempt one." Harry nods, pleased with his feedback and eager to learn more. The Professor promptly begins her lecture and Harry takes as many notes as he can, forgetting the time until McGonagall places a snail in front of him.
"Using what you have learned this lesson please attempt to transfigure this snail into a teapot." The snail crawls sluggishly across the wooden desk, eyes stretching out as it moves. Harry lets his magic loop and curl over the shell and under the snail's foot. Slowly the snail becomes a rough brown teapot. The shell's pattern showing still on the body of the teapot, dull and quite unlike what Harry had hoped for. The Professor cancels the transfiguration after a second.
"I notice you have forgone your wand for the transfiguration- is there a reason for this Mr Potter?" Harry nods.
"My wand is harder to use because I'm not used to it." Professor McGongall frowns.
"Please try again using your wand." He does. The snail remains unchanged except the shell growing slightly and the snail freezing completely. The Professor requests his wand and he passes it over curiously. She inspects it with a grave expression.
"It is the wand which chose you, correct?" Harry nods, "No wizard has ever had issues with their wand unless they have had a great change of heart. I would like to have your wand analysed as soon as possible because such a reaction is unheard of. Even though you are clearly proficient in wandless magic- something again which is hard for even the most competent of students to learn during their entire time at Hogwarts- your wand should always be easier to use to focus your magic than yourself. If I were able to make an appointment with Mr Ollivander would you mind letting him analyse your wand?" The boy nods, unsure what else to say. Rowena had told him he outclassed most people here and he knows now that this is true but it doesn't bring him the satisfaction is always seemed to give her.
It is only when he is halfway to his next lesson that Harry remembers he still doesn't know how McGonagall made it to both his and everyone else's lesson.
The rest of the day is simple enough but Harry can't concentrate properly, wondering about how the Professor was in two places at once and about his Auntie. He resolves that tonight he will talk to her rather than focus on magic when he was already so far ahead.