Secret Revealed

"Hey, did you really curse Ron's mouth away?" asked Seamus curiously.

"Well, I won't deny or confirm any suspicions you may have..." Atlas eyed Hermione meaningfully before turning to Seamus, but maybe Karma just worked in a mysterious way! Where is Ron now, anyway?" he asked.

"He's in the infirmary. When he woke up, he panicked and fell out of bed, and he woke up the whole Gryffindor tower looking for help!" said Seamus. "But no one wanted to help him because no one knew what caused his mouth to vanish." Percy sent him to the infirmary and wanted to interrogate everyone in the dorm, but since you were absent, you became the prime suspect. "Explain yourself," Seamus said with excitement. "Did you do it? If so, teach me how—that spell is amazing! You should've seen his face when he looked in the mirror!"

"That's not something to be proud of, Seamus. I hope you weren't the one responsible, Atlas—you'd get into a lot of trouble if they found out it was you," Hermione worriedly replied.

Atlas realized he should not have cursed Ron and left before providing any help, but now it was too late to fix his mistake. He had to face the consequences when people knew that he was the one responsible for this. From what he read in books and saw in movies, he knew that at worst he would get a few house points deducted and be sent to detention. "Don't worry about it, Hermione, I'm sure the punishment won't be too harsh if it turns out I did it, which I naturally didn't."

"You did it! I knew it! Teach me the spell, please." Seamus implored.

"I told you, I didn't do it, and if I showed you that spell, the infirmary wouldn't be enough anymore since you would cause people's heads to explode, Seamus." Atlas chided him, knowing that it wasn't a secret he could keep.

"Atlas, I truly hope you won't get in trouble for this. I know you were just trying to help, but using a curse like that is not okay," Hermione said sternly, but with a hint of sympathy in her voice, as she thought that Atlas cursed Ron because of her.

"I know, Hermione. I messed up. I'll have to face the consequences if they find out it was me, but i actually didn't do this only for you. "I did it because Ron rather snitched me out to Percy than apologize to you, and then his snoring pushed me over the edge." Atlas replied, feeling a bit stupid for his actions. He had always prided himself on being a rational person, but his emotions had gotten the best of him in this case.

Hermione had mixed feelings about Atlas' curse on Ron, as she wasn't a big fan of breaking rules, and she was mostly worried about the trouble he might get into. Atlas could sense the tension and thought it was time to change the subject. "So, what's everyone got planned for the first weekend?" he asked.

Seamus was quick to respond, sharing his weekend agenda of finishing his homework, writing a letter to his mother, and exploring the castle with Dean. He extended an invitation for the rest of the group to join. Neville was already on board and muttered something about needing to write to his grandma.

Atlas considered the offer for a moment before agreeing to join. "Getting to know the castle isn't a bad idea," he thought. He also planned to use his free time to train and gather intel on any standout students in Quirrell's class.

"All right, let's hit the books then!" Atlas exclaimed, eager to get started on their homework. The group nodded in agreement and started to make their way towards the library. However, their plans were interrupted when Professor McGonagall walked down the stairs to the dungeons, making her way directly towards them.

Atlas couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as the stern professor called out to him, requesting his time. "Uh oh, there it is, trouble's brewing," he thought to himself.

"Mr. Graf, may I have a moment of your time?" Professor McGonagall asked, her tone making it clear that it wasn't really a question.

Atlas swallowed nervously, knowing that whatever was coming his way wasn't going to be good. "Uh, yes, Professor. How can I help you?" he replied, trying his best to appear confident despite his growing apprehension.

"Follow me, Mr. Graf. The rest of you are free to go," said Professor McGonagall, beckoning Atlas to follow her. He signaled the others to continue without him and reluctantly followed the stern professor. The journey to Professor McGonagall's office was tense, with neither of them exchanging a word. As they walked, Atlas's mind raced, trying to come up with an alibi that would exonerate him from whatever trouble he was in. Finally, he decided to play it cool and act dumb instead of concocting a flimsy excuse that would only make things worse.

Upon arrival, Professor McGonagall took her seat and gestured for Atlas to take a chair. She began, "Is there something you'd like to tell me, Mr. Graf?" Her tone was disapproving, and Atlas was taken aback by her words, as they sounded more like something Dumbledore would say than McGonagall. He responded, pretending to be clueless, "If this is about the incident with Seamus in your lesson, I can only apologize sincerely, Professor. It won't happen again."

Professor McGonagall's next words made Atlas's blood run cold. "Ron Weasley was in the infirmary this morning with his mouth vanished, and he accused you of it as soon as he was able to speak again. I have reason to believe that you may have had a hand in it, as Percy reported an argument the day before, and that you were nowhere to be found this morning," she said.

Atlas wasn't sure whether he should be relieved that Professor McGonagall's direct style was more consistent with his personality, but he concentrated on averting the crisis first.

"Professor McGonagall, with all due respect, I don't think the victim's brother's account should be given much weight, but yes, Ron and I did argue, and I was upset with him. I glued the Transfiguration book into his hands and got scolded by Percy for it. However, that doesn't mean I'm to blame for his other mishap. When I left this morning for a walk and to practice a few spells, Ron was still snoring in his bed. So, when Ron accused me, did he say that he had seen me cast a spell on him? I don't think that is the case," defended Atlas himself.

"You are correct, but you were the only person missing this morning, and you also have a motive. So, I believe the suspicion is justified. Furthermore, I have seen your roommates' abilities in my class and have to say that it is unlikely that they were able to do it. You, on the other hand, are someone who is able to cast nonverbal spells in his first year and should be capable of it."

Atlas froze in shock, his eyes widening in surprise. He had no idea that Professor McGonagall had seen him use nonverbal casting in her class.

"What? Do you think I give out exemptions from homework for something that can be accomplished with luck? So, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Professor McGonagall in a stern voice and a small smirk.

Atlas felt flustered and was on the verge of apologizing, but then he realized that he had already missed his chance to confess, and the punishment couldn't get any worse.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I thought I was hiding it well, but I try to challenge myself in class, as I studied a bit at home beforehand. And yes, I have the capability to curse Ron, but that doesn't mean I did it. It could have been any of the older students. The spell itself isn't something students can't look up in the library, even if the books are a bit outdated. His brothers, the twins, would do something like that as a joke, and I don't think they're the only ones."

Professor McGonagall gave Atlas a disdainful look, as if she had smelled something foul. "You're right, Mr. Graf, it doesn't prove anything. You're lucky that I'm not willing to break several laws to get to the truth."

Atlas flushed as he realized McGonagall might be a legilimens as well. He was just glad she was someone who stuck to the rules until the end, but still tried to build up some mental barriers. "It's not luck if one is innocent, Professor McGonagall," he answered, almost cocky, but secretly panicking.

"Be careful not to push your luck too far, Mr. Graf. I'm not in the best of moods, and I'm beginning to think that the second reason I called you is slipping away," warned Professor McGonagall, but still sighed in defeat.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I thought it was only about Ron. "Are there more things I'm getting accused of?" Atlas asked, feeling confused. Atlas asked, feeling confused.

Professor McGonagall seemed to calm down a bit, at least as much as Atlas could tell from her expression. "No, it's something completely different. I originally wanted to talk to you after our next class, but with your confirmation, we can talk about it now. I wanted to talk to you about your future Transfiguration classes and confirm your progress. We don't have many students that are able to nonverbally cast spells in their first year, and I don't want to waste your time with the basics you probably already know. But to be sure how to help you advance, I need to know how far you already are," explained Professor McGonagall.

Atlas was surprised but realized this may be an opportunity. He quickly explained that he would probably be able to effortfully cast spells by the third year but should be able to solve transfiguration puzzles up to the fourth year easily. He explained that his mother taught him a bit, but she forbade him from learning on his own, and as she wasn't confident in teaching transfiguration any further than the third year, he could only study the book of the fourth year after he bought it in Diagon Alley. He also added that calculating transformation formulas is quite easy for him and that he should probably be able to learn the advanced formulas quite quickly if he gets the books and a bit of practice.

With her trusty feather in hand, Professor McGonagall scribbled some notes and asked Atlas to demonstrate a few spells. To his delight, he was able to cast them effortlessly, but when asked to do so nonverbally, he stumbled a bit. However, the professor didn't seem too fazed by his failure.

"Well, Mr. Graf, it seems like we have a lot of work to do, but your mother taught you well, and I am glad that she didn't teach beyond her limits, as transfiguration can be quite dangerous. I'll be sure to recommend some advanced textbooks for you to study over the next week to fill the gaps in your education," said Professor McGonagall with a small smile. Atlas felt a rush of excitement at the prospect of advancing his skills and eagerly thanked the professor for her time.

Professor McGonagall leaned forward in her chair, a spark of enthusiasm in her eyes. "You know, Atlas, most students don't have the drive or passion to truly excel in Transfiguration. But every once in a while, we come across a talented student who possesses a rare gift. And when that happens, it's my duty to nurture that talent and help it grow, just like Dumbledore did when I was a student."

Atlas couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. He already knew that he had a talent for transfiguration, as the difficulty stemmed from the calculations, and he had a massive advantage in that, because he had learned really advanced math in his old world. Despite his talent for it, he put it aside as it wasn't that useful in combat, but with additional lessons in it, that may change fast.

But then, Professor McGonagall's expression turned stern. "However, let me be clear, Mr. Graf. I have no tolerance for students who cause trouble or who are not serious about their studies. I will not tolerate any more "accidents" like Mr. Weasley's. If anything like that happens again, our lessons will come to an immediate end."

"Of course, Professor," he said, his voice filled with determination but without confirming anything regarding the accusation. "I'm ready and willing to put in the work. I want to learn everything I can about transfiguration. If I may ask, you said there are other students who received these classes; can I ask who they are?"

Professor McGonagall nodded, a small smile on her lips. "I won't reveal the academic progress of specific students to you, Mr. Graf, but there were a few in the last few years. The last one was a Hufflepuff, and maybe you will see him in one of our sessions, but he reached a level where he only consults me if his progress slows down. There are also a few other promising candidates in Ravenclaw and even in Slytherin, but they haven't shown enough progress compared to their peers that it is necessary to give them extra lessons. Anyway, I propose we meet every Saturday at 11 o'clock for some additional lessons. We'll start with a more extensive assessment of your current abilities and go from there."

Atlas beamed with excitement at the prospect of extra classes, eager to improve his abilities and learn from a skilled teacher. "Thank you, Professor; I'll make sure to not disappoint you," he said with a confident grin, feeling energized and happy. What might have resulted in a punishment ended up being a blessing. However, he had to take extra care to avoid getting into trouble again because he was certain that Professor McGonagall would quickly stop the classes if there were any more questionable "accidents."

Atlas smiled to himself as he walked towards the Great Hall. The extra Transfiguration classes were definitely going to give him an edge against his competitors. Hunger pangs gnawed at his stomach, as he skipped breakfast and went directly to potion class. As he entered the hall, he noticed his group, including Ron, already back from the library. However, something was amiss. Hermione was nowhere to be found.

He searched the Gryffindor table, but she wasn't there. His eyes scanned the other tables, and finally, he spotted her sitting with the Ravenclaws. Ethan's group, to be exact. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise, but on second thought, it wasn't all that surprising. When Ron was present, Hermione would have avoided him right away because she wasn't the kind to look for unnecessary trouble. He was torn between the two groups but assumed another confrontation with Ron would endanger his extracurricular transfiguration lessons.