Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

Ron was always with Harry and was the first to notice the changes in Harry.

He and Harry were both studying advanced Transfiguration in their fourth year.

Yesterday they were at the same pace, but today, after the Transfiguration assessment, Ron looked at the score he got from the knowledge quiz game, and then turned to look at the score Harry got from the same game.

Upon seeing this, Ron was stunned.

Ron asked Harry in surprise, "You got a perfect score! You've never gotten such a high score on Transfiguration before!"

Ron's shout drew the attention of others around him.

The young wizards all came over to see, amazed that he had gotten a perfect score.

Harry's performance among the evaluators wasn't particularly outstanding, but it wasn't terrible either; he was somewhere in the middle.

They wouldn't be surprised if Mikel got a perfect score.

But when it happened to Harry, it was like someone who could only get passing grades suddenly getting a perfect score and becoming a top student!
"My goodness, Harry, did you get this score yourself?" some of the young wizards exclaimed in surprise.

This question was immediately refuted by the other young wizards: "We can't touch Harry's puzzle game, so Harry must have made it himself!"

The man guessed, "Could it be a transfiguration test for lower-grade students?"

"Wait a minute, this is advanced Transfiguration in fourth year! I remember that fourth year is a watershed moment for Transfiguration. Most wizards can't keep up and need to delve deeper to continue learning!"

Ron suddenly seemed to realize something and asked in a low voice, "Harry, did you suddenly awaken your talent for Transfiguration, just like Lin Xia said, and suddenly have an epiphany?"

Ron pressed for an answer, eager for a conclusion.

But he didn't notice that Harry looked even more dazed than he did.

They often tested students with knowledge-based quizzes. At first, they cared about the scores, but later on, they would take a break after each test and didn't even bother to look at the scores.

If they fail, the mini-game will remind them to retake the course.

So after completing the assessment, Harry didn't check the score at first.

He just felt that today's Transfiguration test was much simpler than usual. During the test, he even wondered if he had selected the wrong category and accidentally selected the lower-level Transfiguration test instead of the higher-level one.

Otherwise, why would the test have gone so smoothly today?

"I actually got a perfect score? Is there some mistake?" Harry looked even more confused than Ron.

Hearing Ron's question, it took him a while to come to his senses, and he shook his head and said:
"I don't know. When I was doing the test, I just thought the content was a bit simple and I thought it was a transformation spell for lower grades."

Mikel had just finished his fourth-grade Transfiguration assessment, and he got a score of 78, a score that he was not very satisfied with.

Hearing the commotion around him, he went over to take a look.

He was stunned when he saw Harry's perfect score.

He quickly realized what was going on and said, "Harry, the knowledge quiz test doesn't lie. You got a perfect score, so it thinks you've reached the level of Transfiguration that a fourth-year student can achieve. Why don't you conjure one up right now and show us?"

Harry's heart was pounding a little, and facing so many bright eyes, he said somewhat shyly:
"I can't do it. I don't know what happened. Maybe something went wrong with the test."

Ron said suspiciously, "It doesn't seem like an accident. Our two knowledge-based puzzle games are placed together. There's no reason why yours would have an accident but mine wouldn't."

He thought for a moment, then casually pointed and said, "Why don't you try transforming it however you like? Take this stool I'm pointing at, and you can turn it into whatever you want."

When Harry saw the wooden stool, an image of a lion flashed through his mind.

With a thought, he drew his wand, cast a Transfiguration spell on the stool, and placed the lion he had imagined on the stool.

The young wizards around them stared intently as the stool transformed, first expanding and growing larger, then twisting left and right, slowly taking shape, until the shape of a lion gradually appeared before them.

Some of the young wizards couldn't help but gasp.

This transformation spell looks quite elaborate; it doesn't seem like something a low-level transformation spell could produce.

Simply creating a rough outline wasn't enough; Harry's magic poured out, and the mass on the ground kept changing.

The professors around noticed the unusual quiet in the laboratory and looked in Harry's direction, noticing that he was using advanced transfiguration.

The time required for Transfiguration shows that Harry was not proficient enough in advanced Transfiguration; the initial shaping alone took up so much time and wasted a lot of magic.

However, watching the ongoing transformation, it was clear that Harry had some understanding of the highest level of Transfiguration.

If you don't grasp the essence of advanced transformation techniques, you will fail in the early shaping stage.

One of the professors said, "He has a thorough understanding of advanced transfiguration, but he lacks practice, which is why it's not smooth. He'll be able to do it skillfully once he practices it a few more times."

Some professors had heard of Harry's reputation, but didn't know much about his academic performance.

Harry hadn't made any particularly noteworthy contributions to the assessments these past few days, so the magician waved his wand to check Harry's assessment results.

The professor was surprised to find that Harry's scores on every test in recent days had been rising, and the tests were not for lower grades, but for upper grades.

The professor couldn't help but say, "No wonder he's a wizard capable of destroying evil gods. I knew he wasn't simple. Was he hiding his true abilities when he got such low scores before?"

"It's also possible that he's reached a certain age, his magical power has stabilized, and his understanding of magic has deepened."

"Not only did he score highly in Advanced Transfiguration, but he also achieved a high score in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and in Ancient Runes. Although he didn't get a perfect score in the first two subjects, he still scored over 90 points. He is undoubtedly a top student."

Just as the professors were discussing among themselves, several exclamations suddenly came from ahead, followed by a noisy discussion.

"It has transformed! It's a huge lion!"

"My goodness, this lion is so lifelike, it looks just like the real thing! It even circles around me! It's a big cat!"

"If I hadn't seen it transformed with my own eyes, I would have thought it was a real lion!"

Ron stared in shock at the scene, his lips twitching slightly, when a question suddenly occurred to him.

Now even Harry has awakened his talent for Transfiguration. Draco, Hermione, and Lin Xia are all extremely outstanding people, so what about him?

How come he has nothing?
Even more alarming, he also heard Mikel's murmurs.

"This level of Transfiguration skill doesn't seem like something a fourth-year Transfiguration student would achieve. Could Harry's Transfiguration talent have already reached the level of a fifth or sixth-year student?"

Ron:…

Suddenly I felt so tired.

Since Harry's Transfiguration test score shocked everyone that day, everyone has assumed that Harry possesses extremely high magical talent, which just had not been revealed before.

From that day on, Mikel was no longer the sole leader in the lab; instead, he and Harry took turns sharing the title of "excellent." In this silent contest, Mikel was mostly at a disadvantage.

His magical talent, after being modified by the system and nurtured, has indeed reached the level of eugenics.

That's why he can achieve scores of over 90 in more difficult subjects without needing tutors or guidance, simply by learning through knowledge-based puzzle games.

But that's all it's worth at this level.

Unlike Harry, who gets full marks in both easy and difficult subjects.

Aside from subjects like divination and prophecy, Harry almost always got full marks in other subjects. If he didn't get a full mark on a particular day, it was because he was careless and wrote down the wrong answer while doing practice questions.

As for divination and prophecy magic courses, even Mikel got low scores, while Ron often achieved excellent results in these courses.

Harry thought to himself that Hermione would probably be very upset if she knew her grades in these courses.

It turns out that some people can actually get very high scores just by studying casually; it all comes down to metaphysics.

Harry and Mikel's excellence ironically forced Ron, a poor student, to study harder.

In the past, as soon as the assessment was over, he would lie down on the bed to rest, wishing he could fall asleep immediately.

Now that the assessment is over, he has to use his strong will to pinch his thigh, pull himself together, and catch up on the lessons afterwards.

There were two top students in the dormitory, so Ron didn't need to ask other students for help. He could just ask Harry and Mikel if he didn't understand something.

Ron was eager to study, and Mikel and Harry wanted to help him, so they would stay up late with him every time.

That night, Ron yawned three times in a row.

It wasn't even bedtime yet, but he was already feeling quite exhausted.

These past few nights, he's been studying extra hard in his dorm, which has improved his scores on tests during the day.

Although the improvement was very limited, at least there was progress.

Just as Ron felt his eyes were about to be blurred with tears, he suddenly saw a flash of red light in the corner of his eye.

Ron looked closer and noticed that the liquid ruby ​​ring on Harry's finger was sparkling.

"Harry, is there something wrong with your ring? There's almost no red liquid left inside, but it's still glowing!"

Harry was reminded and quickly looked down, his heart skipping a beat.

Professor McGonagall said that this ring could protect him from the evil ravings in his nightmares.

Although he has been having dreams these days, he feels great when he wakes up, believing that he has fully accepted the concept of "reincarnation" and the magical experiences brought by the memories of his previous life in his dreams.

He didn't notice the ring was wearing out.

But now that so much of the ruby ​​liquid in the ring has been consumed, does it mean that his dreams have always been disturbed by the whispers of evil gods, and that his peace of mind is entirely protected by the ruby ​​ring?
Harry was momentarily stunned, but after a moment, he suddenly looked up and said, "Ron, I need to go to Professor McGonagall's office. I have something urgent to discuss with her."

"No, Harry, you can't go out now!" Mikel was the first to react and reached out to stop him.

“It’s very late now. If you go out, people will think you’re out for a night stroll. Even if you have the identity of the savior, you will be locked up and interrogated. Do you want the patrol officers to know what you went to see Professor McGonagall for?”

Ron jumped up and joined the line of people blocking the way.

"Yes, Harry, you can't go out. It's too dangerous outside, and the Fat Lady won't open the door."

"But……"

Harry stared at the ruby ​​ring on his hand and murmured, "This ring is a talisman the professor gave me to protect me from the ravings of evil spirits during my nightmares. Once the red liquid inside the gem disappears, it will lose its protective effect."

Mikel seemed to realize something and asked, "Without the protection of this ring, if you have nightmares again, will your expression be as horrified as when you had your first nightmare?"

Harry looked extremely haggard at that time, as if he had been staying up all night for several days.

Ron also thought of Harry's situation at the time and became somewhat nervous.

"Why don't we go to the infirmary, go there openly and honestly, and go to Professor McGonagall through Mrs. Pomfrey?"

Mikel's expression turned serious. "I just remembered that Professor McGonagall wasn't at school today. I went to her office to ask for permission to read banned books, but the office was empty."

Other professors told me that Professor McGonagall was out of town for the past few days and not at the university.

Ron had an idea and said, "How about we light the Radiant Candles tonight? Maybe that will ward off the evil god's babbling?"

Harry said worriedly, "The Radiant Candles resist overtly perceptible babbling, while my babbling in my sleep is on a spiritual level. I don't know if it will work."

Mikel asked, puzzled, "Isn't this ring being used up too quickly? Even if you have nightmares every day, there's no reason why it should run out of energy in just a few days. Or is it that, besides your dreams, you're being disturbed by the whispers of other evil gods?"

Harry shook his head: "I don't know."

Ron said dejectedly, "If Lin Xia were here right now, she would definitely be able to come up with a solution."

Mikel: "Now we need to get through tonight first. Use every method you can."

Harry wasn't lying in bed; instead, he sat on it wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by many glowing candles.

Ron and Mikel stayed by his side, ready to see if they could wake him up if anything happened to Harry.

As for Harry's injured ruby ​​ring, its last vibrant red faded as night deepened.

Meanwhile, in a dark forest somewhere.

A venomous snake darts among the plants, hunting for food.

It doesn't hunt ordinary food, but rather vulnerable unicorns!

"Harry, Harry, Harry..."

"I have passed on my memories to you, and you will eventually replace me and become the new me."

“Harry, you can’t escape. You are me, I am in your soul…”

On the Hogwarts side...

As the night deepened, Harry's eyelids grew heavier and heavier until he was enveloped in darkness.

Mikel and Ron, who were initially in good spirits, suddenly closed their eyes at a certain moment.

The candle suddenly burst into brilliant rays of light, crackling and popping as if it were burning out its last breath. (End of Chapter)