Chapter 36: McGonagall

The next day, Chu Yang took his toiletries out of the dorm and headed for the bathroom; passing the common room, he saw his roommates fast asleep on the floor.

Goyle and Crabbe hadn’t woken yet—their snoring was so loud it nearly shook the ceiling loose—but even so, the others sleeping on the ground remained unconscious.

They were all sleeping soundly.

“Good luck to Itachi all—it’s the first day of term, don’t be late, hmm… that’ll probably be hard.”

Unfortunately, no one could hear Chu Yang’s sarcasm.

After a quick wash and dressing, he picked up his textbooks and left the dorm.

Not long after Chu Yang left, upperclassmen began trickling out of their dorms; some were yawning, but their eyes instantly locked onto the first-years sprawled in the common room.

They lay on the floor like knocked-over bowling pins, chaotic and disordered.

“Wow, the first-years must’ve had a wild night!”

“I envy these carefree first-years.”

“But didn’t they remember they have classes on the first day?”

“Looks like they’re still lost in their holiday bliss.”

“Does anyone know what their first class is?”

“Probably Professor McGonagall’s Transfiguration?”

“What about the second?”

“Professor Snape’s Potions class…”

“Get them up right now! Damn it, we’re going to lose points on the first day!”

The upperclassmen suddenly snapped to attention—especially the prefects—who, imagining the horror of facing Professor Snape if something went wrong, felt their hearts plummet.

What kind of nonsense was this on the first day?

Strong upperclassmen frantically used force to wake the first-years sprawled on the floor.

Poor Goyle was still dreaming of delicious food when a bulky upperclassman slapped him awake.

“Ow!” Goyle jolted from sleep, one hand clutching his reddened cheek, staring blankly ahead, drool dripping steadily from his mouth.

“Get your books and get to class right now!” the upperclassman roared, eyes bulging—how many points would Slytherin lose with all these first-years sleeping here?

But the upperclassmen soon sank into despair, because every first-year who’d slept in the common room last night—except Goyle and Crabbe—had caught a cold.

They couldn’t even stand up, let alone attend class.

The Slytherin common room erupted into chaos, but Chu Yang, the instigator, had already descended the stairs to the first-floor hall, eaten breakfast in the Great Hall, and then strolled calmly to class.

The classroom was empty; Chu Yang was the first student to arrive. He walked straight to the podium and greeted the tabby cat on the desk: “Good morning, Professor McGonagall.”

The tabby cat’s face showed a hint of human-like surprise, then leapt into the air and transformed back into a human.

Professor McGonagall, dressed in a dark green robe, stepped before Chu Yang and asked: “How did Itachi know it was me?”

Chu Yang smiled, holding up his textbook: “Today’s our Transfiguration class, isn’t it?”

“What a clever child—your observational skills and logical thinking are exceptional. A wizard who thinks deeply is a good wizard,” McGonagall praised without restraint; she had already received ample information about Chu Yang from Dumbledore.

And Dumbledore’s high expectations for him.

While waiting for the other students, McGonagall chatted with Chu Yang about the textbook content, then was astonished to discover he had memorized the entire *Elementary Transfiguration Guide*.

McGonagall was delighted by Chu Yang’s performance but still warned: “I’m glad Itachi’ve memorized this book, but before that, Itachi should first understand magical theory—dabbling in Transfiguration without foundation is extremely dangerous.”

Chu Yang knew well the importance of basics; as McGonagall said, he had memorized *Magical Theory* before even opening the *Elementary Transfiguration Guide*.

“Thank Itachi for your advice,” Chu Yang accepted her goodwill with a smile. “If Itachi mean Mr. Adalbert Wufflin’s book, then yes, I’ve thoroughly read it.”

McGonagall thought she’d misheard. “That book isn’t thin, Mr. Chu Yang—are Itachi certain Itachi ‘thoroughly read’ it? If Itachi say that, I’ll have to test Itachi properly!”

“Yes, Professor McGonagall,” Chu Yang seized every chance to demonstrate himself—this mattered for whether he could gain early access to the knowledge Dumbledore deemed “dangerous.”

That knowledge would greatly enhance Chu Yang’s abilities and aid his counterparts in other worlds.

With quiet anticipation, McGonagall began testing Chu Yang’s foundational knowledge.

In the empty classroom, they exchanged questions and answers.

Soon, Hermione, the other first-year prodigy, appeared at the classroom door—but she didn’t interrupt McGonagall’s test; she stood silently, listening.

Chu Yang moved like a high-speed machine, answering every question instantly, without a moment’s hesitation.

As time passed, voices of arriving students grew louder outside. McGonagall ended the test and praised: “Your memory is astonishing—more importantly, Itachi didn’t just memorize the knowledge; Itachi fully understood it.”

“Itachi fully deserve Dumbledore’s special attention—but remember, never become arrogant. Arrogance is the greatest sin of a wizard; humility will carry Itachi farther.”

“I heard Itachi asked Headmaster Dumbledore to open more library sections, seeking greater knowledge. Decades ago, there was another brilliant young man just like Itachi—he took a wrong path.”

Chu Yang replied calmly: “Professor McGonagall, thank Itachi for your advice—but no two flowers in the world are identical, nor are two people. Two seemingly similar individuals, shaped by different life paths, will end up with utterly different outcomes.”

“I hope so,” McGonagall said with a sigh, then waved her hand. “Class is starting—take your seat.”

Chu Yang returned to his seat. The next second, Hermione entered the classroom, her expression grim.

She had believed her gap with Chu Yang could be closed through time and effort.

But during the test, from the third question onward, her mind had turned to mush—let alone the later questions she couldn’t even comprehend.

Chu Yang greeted her warmly, but Hermione stared at her book, visibly glum.

Students trickled into the classroom; class was about to begin, yet many were still absent—mostly first-years from Slytherin.

(End of Chapter)