Albus Dumbledore entered the transfiguration classroom and was surprised to see one of his first students already there. She was sitting at the very front, quill and parchment on her desk, completely focussed on the transfiguration book she was reading.
"Miss McGonagall?" he said gently.
No response.
He walked over and stood in front of her desk, "Miss McGonagall?" he repeated.
She looked up from the book, "Professor, I'm sorry, were you speaking to me?"
He was surprised by the confidence in her voice. She was sitting waiting for the first class of her first year and yet she did not seem at all nervous.
"I was just going to commend you on your early arrival and apparent enthusiasm," he answered, smiling and indicating the book.
Her deep dark eyes stared at him for a moment, "Thank you," she said, with the same calm confidence, "And thank you for…" her voice trailed off.
"What, Miss McGonagall?"
"Yesterday," she paused, "In the Great Hall, for – well, it was awkward."
He realised she was referring to his applause which had broken the uncomfortable silence following her sorting.
"My pleasure, Miss McGonagall. I am honoured to have you in Gryffindor house, I'm sure you will be an asset to us."
She smiled slightly, "Thank you, Professor," and then returned to her book.
Shortly afterwards the rest of the class arrived. It was a first year class comprised of Gryffindors and Slytherins, and this would be their first transfiguration lesson.
As they entered the room, the students glanced at the girl sitting at the front, before taking their seats, carefully avoiding her.
Dumbledore watched the girl quietly reading her book without even glancing up as the students entered and avoided her. He thought maybe she hadn't noticed them, or perhaps she just didn't care.
He welcomed the students with a short speech on the nature of transfiguration, before beginning the lesson. He always made the first lesson a practical one, despite the students' lack of knowledge and experience. He knew they were all excited and wanted to do magic as quickly as possible, not learn the theory behind it.
"Today," he said, reaching for a box, "We will attempt to transfigure matches into needles." He placed the match box in front of Minerva. "Take a match each and follow the instructions on the board, you may work together."
Dumbledore waved his wand and a series of complex instructions appeared. Minerva took her match and passed the box to students behind her. Soon, everyone had a match and the room was filled with the sounds of people muttering spells and discussing the task with their friends.
Dumbledore walked around, listening to students and offering advice. He felt some sympathy for the girl at the front of his class, sitting alone with nobody to talk with. From behind, he watched her wave her wand and mutter something a couple of times. She then laid her wand down on the desk and returned her attention to the transfiguration textbook.
"Given up, Miss McGonagall?" he inquired, concerned.
She looked up at him and held out the needle in response. He took it and inspected it with a smile.
"Perfect," he told her, "Five points to Gryffindor."
A small smile played with her face and, to Dumbledore's relief, she remained focussed on him and did not turn to see the scowls behind her.
"Would you like to try something else?" he asked her gently.
She nodded eagerly and he gave her a few more challenging tasks, most of which she achieved easily, but he eventually found something more difficult. He left her working with a very furry goblet and went to check on the rest of the room, some of whom were now achieving slightly less wooden needles.