Chapter 15

**Albert still couldn't quite remember the way back to the upper floors, but fortunately, he encountered the ghost Nearly Headless Nick along the way, who guided him successfully back to Gryffindor Tower.**

The first challenge you face when studying at Hogwarts Castle is that most things within the castle are alive. For instance, the staircases can move, the suits of armor and portraits on the walls can shift, and doors might require special methods to open or might just disappear altogether.

Yes, when the descriptions from the novels and scenes from the films actually came to life before Albert's eyes, he was incredibly excited to see them for the first time.

But once the excitement faded, the difficulties caused by the constantly shifting elements within the castle became all too apparent. The complex interior structure caused Albert to spend a lot of time just trying to find his way.

It must be said that the pace of life at Hogwarts is relatively slow, likely due to these frustrating features.

The worst part was when, on Tuesday afternoon, Albert encountered Peeves on his way to class, which caused him and several of his classmates to be late for their first lesson with Professor McGonagall.

When they finally ran, out of breath, into the Transfiguration classroom, they found that the class hadn't officially started yet, but some students were already seated, busy with their own tasks.

The classroom wasn't much different from a typical one in an ordinary school, except for the peculiar sight of a cat sitting on the teacher's desk.

Clearly, Hermione, who had walked in with Albert, was a cat lover, as she immediately tried to scratch the cat's chin. Unfortunately, the cat dodged her hand with graceful ease. Albert glanced at Hermione in surprise before focusing on finding an empty seat in the classroom.

He hadn't expected that Hermione, who seemed so composed, would have such a playful side.

Albert gently pulled Hermione back as she reached out again to pet the cat, and then he greeted the cat himself.

Hermione looked at Albert with a puzzled expression. Once they were seated, she asked him, "Why did you greet the cat?"

"It seems you're not quite quick on the uptake," Albert replied calmly. "The cat on the desk—it's Professor McGonagall. She's one of the seven registered Animagi of this century, capable of transforming into a specific animal."

"Look at the markings around the cat's eyes. Doesn't the pattern resemble Professor McGonagall's glasses?" Albert added.

Hermione stared at the cat, and suddenly her face turned bright red. She buried her face in her arms and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me earlier if you knew?"

Albert wasn't sure how to respond. He thought to himself, "A cat standing on the platform isn't exactly normal. How was I supposed to guess you'd try to pet it directly?"

A few minutes later, as class was about to start, the classroom door swung open again, and Harry and Ron rushed in.

"Great, Professor McGonagall isn't here yet," Ron said to Harry, clearly relieved.

But just as Ron finished speaking, the cat on the desk leaped down and transformed into a human right before their eyes.

"Professor McGonagall!!" Ron's face suddenly went pale.

"I think I should turn you into an alarm clock so you won't be late," Professor McGonagall said, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"We were late because of Peeves, Professor," Ron explained.

"Then perhaps I should turn you into a map so you won't get lost next time. Now, take your seats."

The two boys hurried to their seats, looking thoroughly dejected.