15. First Lesson

After leaving the Slytherin common room, Dante made his way through the stone corridors and reached his dormitory. When he opened the door, he was greeted by a spacious and very luxurious room. He had heard a lot about Hogwarts before, but he hadn't expected the rooms to be so comfortable.

Slytherin House was certainly a large building. Whereas in other Houses, students usually lived in dormitories of four or six, in Slytherin many students had single rooms. It was a sign of Slytherin's elite air.

Dante's room was large and very comfortable. The bed was perfectly arranged, surrounded by large, dark green curtains. On the headboard, the finely carved Slytherin crest shone. In the corner, right next to the window, was a dark oak desk and a high-backed, leather-covered chair. The most striking detail of the room was the window that looked out onto the lake. Behind the glass, the dark green ripples of the water and the occasional shadowy creature could be seen.

Dante closed the door and went inside and began to unpack his things. He opened his trunk, which he had carefully packed before boarding the Hogwarts Express. He hung his black school robes with silver details on them on his locker. He arranged his books at the bottom of his trunk next to the table.

Her first class was Transfiguration - Transformation Spells. She had heard that Professor McGonagall was strict about it. She was strict and disciplined, but her mastery of transformation spells was legendary.

Dante sat down at his desk and opened the book "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration". Transformation spells were some of the most complex and dangerous spells that allowed magicians to transform objects into different forms. The introduction to the book said that mastering transformation spells required great mental discipline and magical power.

He reviewed the basic rules for a while:

The size of the object being transformed was directly proportional to the power of the caster, Focus was the most critical factor for the transformation to succeed, and transformations done incorrectly could be irreversible.

Dante closed the book after committing a few basic concepts to memory. However, it was not the transformation spells that really needed to work, but the Mind Protection Spell.

Mind Protection - Occlumency

Dante had been studying Occlumency - the Mind Protection Charm - for over a year before coming to Hogwarts.

No one had ever taught him. Not a teacher, not a family member, not a friend... Dante had had to learn it on his own.

He never knew his father. When Evan Rosier died, Dante hadn't even been born. There were many rumors about who he was: A powerful Death Eater, a master of dark magic, a loyal follower of Lord Voldemort... But none of that really meant anything to Dante. He was just a ghost with a name.

He had almost no connection to his mother. Before he even had a chance to get to know her, she had disappeared. There was no proof that she was dead, no trace that she was alive... That's why Dante had always been alone.

And after a while he realized: To stay safe in this world, the mind must be the ultimate refuge.

The less that was known about it, the less that was understood, the less of a target it was.

If someone tried to enter his mind, what would he see?

Nothing.

This was not easy to learn. Before coming to Hogwarts, in his solitary moments, he had searched through old books. He had found a few old documents written about Occlumency, but most of them were either incomplete or deliberately withheld information.

However, at some point he found his own method.

Occlumency was not closing a mind. It was not building a wall of the mind.

Occlumency was wearing a mask.

If anyone tried to enter his mind, he would show them only what they wanted to see. Vague, insignificant memories... Faint thoughts... A surface devoid of feelings.

Dante took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair. He closed his eyes and began the most basic mental exercise he knew: Clearing his mind.

At first, a lot of thoughts ran through her mind. His first day at Hogwarts, the new students he had just met, what the Sorting Hat had said, Charlie's strange look... Gradually, however, hemanaged to push his thoughts aside.

He went deep into his own mind and created a mask.

If someone tried to look into his mind, what would they see?

An ordinary boy.

Thoughtless. Unimportant.

No danger.

Dante exhaled slowly and opened his eyes.

He realized something:

Would he really be safe at Hogwarts?

He wasn't going to let anyone into his mind. He would not let anyone know what he really thought about him.

_________________

Dante woke up with the first light of the morning. He opened the dark green curtains on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds in the dim light of his room. He had completed his first day and now he had to get ready for his first class at Hogwarts.

His spacious single room reflected Slytherin's privileged status. While most students shared spacious dormitories, Slytherin was sparsely populated, so some students had their own private rooms. This gave Dante the opportunity to be alone, which was an advantage for him.

He dressed quickly and took a quick look at himself in the mirror. Today was Transformation Charms and from what he had heard about Professor McGonagall, she was a disciplined and strict teacher. It was rumored that she would not tolerate even the slightest mistake.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she left her room and made her way down to the Slytherin common room. Gothic columns and a huge fireplace gave it a somber but dignified air. In a few corners of the common room, students were still sleepily gathering.

"It would not be wise to go to class without breakfast," Dante thought, and made his way to the Great Hall.

As he entered the Great Hall, the enchanting atmosphere of Hogwarts was once again revealed to him. The clear blue sky reflected in the ceiling indicated that the weather outside was bright and slightly cloudy. The long tables were overflowing with students.

Slytherin sat down at the table and picked up a plate. Cereal, toast, eggs and scones smeared with honey and clotted cream were laid out on the table. As he set himself a simple breakfast plate, a fourth year Slytherin sitting next to him looked over at him.

"How was the first day, Rosier?" he asked.

Dante looked at the boy out of the corner of his eye. His blond hair was combed back and he had a slightly mocking look in his eyes. He remembered his name was Henry Travers.

"Not bad," Dante replied, focusing on his breakfast.

Henry smiled. "You have a lesson with McGonagall today, don't you? Be warned, she won't forgive the slightest carelessness. I hope you get off to a good start."

Dante figured he already knew that and just nodded. As soon as he finished his breakfast, he put his bag on his back and headed towards the Transformation Spells classroom.

Introduction to the Class and The Secret of the Cat

Dante was one of the first to enter the classroom. The neat desks surrounded by stone walls and the light filtering through the windows gave the classroom a very disciplined air. But what really caught his attention was a dark gray, striped cat sitting in front of the teacher's desk.

It was sitting there, staring at the students, as if studying each one of them.

Dante's eyes narrowed slightly. This cat... this was no ordinary cat.

They were in Transmutation Spells, Professor McGonagall had the Animagus ability, and this cat seemed very aware and attentive.

"That's Professor McGonagall," Dante thought, but his face showed no sign of reaction.

He sat quietly in one of the front rows and continued to observe the cat. The other students didn't even notice. A few minutes later, the classroom was half full and a few late students rushed through the door.

"Good thing the professor isn't here yet!" someone said, taking a deep breath.

Dante looked down with a slight smile on his face. After a few seconds, the cat's tail wiggled and suddenly it turned into a figure spinning in the air. In its place was now Professor McGonagall, with stern features and a tight bun.

Suddenly there was a deep silence in the classroom. Late students held their breath.

The professor looked sternly at the class over her glasses. "Don't feel lucky to be late for my class, Mr. Hopkins. Not realizing I was here is a sign of your carelessness.

There was a slight chuckle from the class, but no one dared to laugh.

The lesson began and McGonagall wrote a few basic transformation principles on the blackboard. Her goals for the first lesson were simple: To turn a matchstick into a needle.

Dante had read about it in books but had never tried it. On his first try, the matchstick changed color, but its form remained the same. "Almost right," he thought.

McGonagall walked around the classroom, watching the students. When she came to Dante's desk, he was on his third try. She moved her wand carefully and the matchstick completely transformed into a thin, shiny needle.

The professor nodded. "Very good, Mr. Rosier. Five points to Slytherin."

Dante bowed his head in silence. A few Slytherin students sitting on the other side of the table gave him appreciative glances.

The first lesson of the day was almost over and Dante had tasted his first academic success at Hogwarts.

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