Hogwarts: Hermione and I switched identities!

"My child, my good child." Hagrid's beard trembled with excitement.

"Hagrid, actually, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with..."

Tom coughed twice and, while Hagrid was eating, said, "I'm actually quite interested in magical creatures, whether it's the griffins or something else."

“Kid, I understand you.” Hagrid gave a thumbs up. “Every young wizard should be interested in these adorable creatures.”

“So…” Tom looked up and stared directly into Hagrid’s eyes, “Hagrid, I’ve heard you’re very skilled in the field of magical creatures. Could you teach me?”

Hagrid paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Of course, no problem."

“What I want to learn is not the kind of identification of magical creatures, but something deeper, such as breeding. I want to raise a magical creature myself, like Professor Dumbledore’s Fawkes.”

Fox is Dumbledore's phoenix.

Hagrid suddenly laughed out loud: "Kid, that thing isn't a common animal. Maybe you should start with the simplest thing. Let me think... Hmm, I remember there are no classes in the afternoon at Ravenclaw. You come with me, we have two hours, plenty of time, but you have to wait until I finish this hamburger."

Two hours is a short time for Tom.

He knew where Hagrid was taking him—the Leaky Cauldron.

Hagrid was a regular here. As soon as he sat down, two strangers dressed in black cloaks approached him, wanting to sell him eggs of magical creatures.

Later, Hagrid taught Tom how to take care of magical creatures.

What he bought was a giant, colorful-scaled chicken—a magical creature said to have been brought back from Spain, with the bloodline of an ancient fire dragon, which could grow to 2 meters tall when fully grown.

Hagrid got excited when he heard that and immediately took out Galonnaise and bought the egg back.

The eggshell was covered in colorful scales. Hagrid wiped the eggshell as he told Tom, "I read about this kind of creature in an old book. They need to eat a lot of food every day and grow very fast. If they reach adulthood, they can become part of the wizard's fighting force—but that takes a long time."

Tom, you give it a try. The success rate of hatching the Giant Rainbow Chicken is very low, but it's okay if you fail. First, you need to prepare..."

Tom wrote down every word Hagrid said, and by the time it was over, it was already afternoon, and Tom smelled of poultry on him.

Looking back at Hogwarts, everyone had just finished their lunch break, and some students who had chosen classes in the afternoon were rushing to their classrooms.

Tom, on the other hand, needed to go back and take a good bath to wash off the animal stench, and then see if Professor Sprout was available.

……

“Professor McGonagall…” Hermione knocked cautiously on the door and peeked into the office.

Even in her office, Professor McGonagall still wore her wizard hat, which was wider than her shoulders, and her expression remained serious.

"Hermione?" McGonagall relaxed a bit when she saw Hermione.

She liked this hardworking child. She heard that Hermione had taken 15 courses in the first semester—Hermione had a total of 20 courses, 5 of which were compulsory and the remaining 15 were electives.

“Child, what brings you here?” McGonagall put down her pen. “Come in, perhaps you should find a place to sit down. Hermione, I see the expectation in your eyes, you want to…”

Hermione clenched her fist, thought it over carefully, and gritted her teeth: "Professor McGonagall, I want to improve!"

"Progress?" Professor McGonagall frowned. "Child, perhaps you are too tired. You should drink a glass of milk and rest for a while before attending your afternoon classes."

“No, Professor McGonagall, I am perfectly lucid.”

Hermione blushed slightly.

This was the first time she had ever been so direct in asking a professor to give her extra tutoring.

But there was nothing he could do; Tom was just too awful!

It seems that Tom has truly learned from Professor Snape, and he will definitely use this to suppress me in the future!

Hermione was unwilling; she thought about it for a long time before deciding to go to Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall is the head of Gryffindor, and they have a good relationship. Professor McGonagall has a very good reputation among the students.

But that's not the main reason.

Most importantly... Hermione wants to master Transfiguration, to be better than everyone else—including Professor McGonagall.

When that day comes, if that bastard Tom dares to bully her again, she will immediately pull out her magic wand and turn Tom into an otter!

Oh no, otters are cute, Tom doesn't deserve them.

It should be that Tom becomes a hateful mouse, and then gets a white cat, and keeps Tom and the white cat together.

The thought of that scene gave Hermione motivation.

After hearing Hermione's request, Professor McGonagall was unusually moved.

"Hermione, perhaps you should tell me why you want to do this?"

You're already one of the best first-year students; everyone knows you won the tournament in Diagon Alley—I mean, you don't need to work that hard. You have plenty of time ahead of you; you should fully enjoy your Hogwarts learning experience.”

"Professor McGonagall, I have a reason to learn; I must become a master of the Transfiguration Charm!"

This is Hermione's answer.

Professor McGonagall remained silent for a long time. She picked up her pen, then put it down again, and only spoke after a long while.

"I'll be waiting for you in the office three hours before curfew, but you need to rest well over the weekend, or you'll wear yourself out. Okay, kid, you should go to your next class now."

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall!" Hermione bowed respectfully before leaving the office with a happy expression.

It worked!

That day will definitely come someday!

She will become the incredibly powerful Transfiguration wizard she imagines herself to be!

Then, turn Tom into a little mouse!

Hermione was already imagining Tom pleading and begging.

……

"Ah!"

Tom sneezed and blew his nose.

"Tom, you have a cold?" Professor Sprout looked very nervous—much more nervous than if she herself had a cold.

"No." Tom waved his hand.

He drinks Professor Snape's potions like milk every day, how could he possibly catch a cold for no reason?

Surely no one would secretly talk bad about me behind my back?

Hermione?

Next time I'm going to spank her hard!

Oh, or maybe I should wait until our roles are reversed and then slap myself in front of her!

I'm so excited just thinking about it.

"Professor Sprout, let's continue."

"Tom, wait for me." Professor Sprout, with her somewhat frail legs, hurried back to her office and soon came out with a thick coat, which she draped over Tom's shoulders.

"I hope you won't mind the smell of an old man like me on your clothes."

Tom smiled and shook his head: "How could that be, Professor Sprout? You are the most beautiful lady I have ever seen. Thank you."

Alright, it seems I've become Professor Sprout's top student!

In addition, Professor Snape's guidance to me...

I'll eventually max out my Herbalism and Potions skills!

Chapter 21 The scapegoat (3.5k long chapter, please read, vote, and recommend!)

This is a potions class.

Tom was naturally grouped with Li Su and Terry.

Li Su and Terry were very nervous before class.

In their minds, Professor Snape was a very strict man, as if every student was his father's killer.

That's what the legend says...

But once they actually attended the classes, Li Su and Terry felt that things were alright.

It's not as scary as the rumors say...

“Very good, Jones, since you know that the heat is extremely important for potion making, why did you wait until the fire had been heating for 32 seconds before you started stirring? Hufflepuff deduct 5 points!”

"Williams, tell me, when does this potion mention using dung stones? Tell me!"

Why did you add dung? Because of your cleverness, this potion is now ruined!

"Hufflepuff, deduct 5 points!"

"Brown! You should be in the pigsty, not Hogwarts! Put down what you're holding!!!"

"Hufflepuff, deduct 10 points!"

“Riddle!” Snape finally mentioned Tom. “Come to my office after class.”

Li Su and Terry breathed a sigh of relief.

They also wondered if something had gone wrong in the process—but that was impossible.

Tom could guarantee that he could brew the exact same potions as described in his notes in all the potions classes before fourth grade!

As for why it's notes instead of textbooks...

Because the textbook was written by Assani Giger, and the notes were written by Severus Snape.

Tom chose to believe the latter, rather than the former.

"You scared me." Li Su patted her chest. "By the way, Tom, you're so skilled. How did you manage to do that?"

"Yes, if I didn't know your background, I would have suspected that you were the child of a potions expert."

Tom grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

Half an hour later, Professor Snape assigned homework: they had to write a 12-inch report and hand it in before the next class.

Tom didn't go back to the dormitory with Li Su and the others, but followed behind Professor Snape.

A chubby bat led the way, and almost no one dared to stop the professor.