With Kevin's help, Harry managed to get back to Gryffindor Tower even before Percy had sent one of the other Prefects to find him. While Percy preened about his 'good directions' and let it go at that, Harry chose not to mention Kevin to anyone just yet. Nobody else mentioned talking to animals as something normal, and Kevin had suggested en route that the ability to talk to snakes was something that Salazar had been quite proud of, and might be associated with him. Given Harry had made the choice of "Not Slytherin", not making it public was probably a good idea. Falling asleep with Kevin around his arm was actually easier than Harry had anticipated, likely because of just how exhausted he was after that little adventure on top of the rest of the first night. When he woke up, he had a minor itch on the inside of his wrist, but Kevin told him it was just a bit of dry skin from rubbing against his scales and would pass before he even got to the breakfast table...which it did, even if his appetite proved larger than he'd anticipated.
That repeated for the next several days, and while he was concerned about his increased appetite, Kevin pointed out that he was in a place with magical medicine where he was allowed to eat as much as he wanted for the first time in his life, so of course he's craving more food. Something about that felt off, but too much else was going on for Harry to really think about it. Besides, Kevin made classes quite enthralling.
As Harry looked through his telescope at the stars, Kevin sighed nostalgically. "Humans talk about the stars being constants in their lives...but they're far from that. They change with time and the seasons. I still remember when those two constellations were still one and went by another name...I wonder if they still give extra credit for historical astronomy information..."
"Be careful around that one," Kevin warned as Harry reached for one of the plants. "While not dangerous in and of itself, it has an unusual sort of pollen meant to act as both a bait for others and a repellent for those that would cause it harm. If you get any of it on your gloves before reaching for other plants, the more mobile ones will perceive you as a threat and attack. I know Professor Sprout said to grasp by the leaves, but if you want to avoid that I'd recommend stroking the stem a bit first to put the plant at ease..."
"Emetic and Uric weren't actually as bad or odd as people say," Kevin observed idly as Professor Binns droned on and on and on. "Emetic mostly went with 'the Evil' for his title because he liked alliteration, and Uric was actually known as 'the Unusual' at first, but he overplayed the role and got the title changed to 'the Oddball'. Emetic never let him hear the end of it..."
"Careful!" Kevin warned as Harry moved his wand in the motion Professor Flitwick demonstrated for the first Charm they were working on. "You're putting too much force into that swing, it'll make the spell too angry. Start with gentle sweeps until you get the distance and angles down, then work on speed. Besides, once you've mastered the spell you can practice point casting and silent casting so the size of the movements and the length of the chant become moot..."
"How do you know so much about this?" Harry asked in a hissing whisper in response. While Kevin's History and Astronomy knowledge made sense since he'd lived through it, and his Herbology knowledge made sense since he lived it in nature, he couldn't think why Kevin would know so much about wand based magic.
"I've lived in this castle for more than 900 years," Kevin pointed out dryly, "with nothing better to do than explore the secret passages, ride the plumbing, and audit the various classes from just out of sight. If I could actually hold a wand, I could pass the NEWTs ten times over or more with flying colors. No, shift your wand grip slightly, you want your thumb a little further away from your index to get the angle right..."
"You really know that much?" Harry asked as he followed the advice, getting the spell right and praise from Professor Flitwick. "That'll help a lot-"
"I'll help you learn and study, but I'm keeping my mouth shut during tests," Kevin pointed out flatly, though with an amused lilt to his tone as that left Harry flustered.
"You're overthinking it," Kevin observed thoughtfully as Harry struggled with turning his matchstick into a needle in Transfiguration. After the warning Professor McGonagall had given at the start of the class, Harry had tried to dive full force into everything McGonagall had gone into, trying to keep the entirety of his notes in his head while practicing the magic. "Yes, it's important to know all of that, but trying to keep it all in your head while casting the spell is just going to confuse your magic. It's more about getting you to think a certain way."
"Any suggestions?" Harry grumbled as he put his head in his hands, rubbing his temples.
"Close your eyes and clear your mind," Kevin hissed sibilantly. "Visualize the matchstick. Know its composition, its presence, its feeling. Visualize the needle you want it to become. Find the similarities. Find the differences. Focus on them."
Harry did as Kevin suggested, holding the matchstick and the needle in his mind. Wood, flat base, ignitable bulb...sturdy, but flammable. Silver, point, eye...sturdy, not flammable. Similar shapes, he could easily see them superimposed on each other as he sorted through what needed to be changed...
"That's it..." Kevin purred gently. "Now, place the tip of your wand to the matchstick in the flesh and in your mind, will the change...and speak the spell."
Harry let the spell out on the breath he didn't know he was holding, smiling widely as the matchstick in his mind completed the transformation.
"Well done, Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall spoke up, startling him out of his reverie as she picked up his perfectly formed needle. "I genuinely didn't expect anyone to accomplish a perfect transfiguration in the first lesson, you have a talent. Ten points for Gryffindor."
Harry sat back with a smile while Kevin hissed his own congratulations. It felt...good to have a teacher praise him for his efforts. It was a new experience...
"That was disappointing..." Kevin murmured as they left Defense Against the Dark Arts class. "That man was stammering so much that I couldn't understand him. It's hard enough understanding a language I can't speak when it's spoken clearly. Did anything he taught make any sense to you?"
"Some," Harry allowed uncertainly, rubbing his forehead. "Got a bad headache just being there, though. Not sure I even caught most of what he said..."
Kevin hissed something under his breath, something Harry couldn't understand. "I'd suggest keeping your distance from that teacher if you can," he advised finally. "Something about him makes my fangs itch. Either way, I'll be able to cover whatever he can't teach you. I'm part of this castle's Defenses, Defense Against the Dark Arts is something I know. We'll just have to see how Potions goes..."