Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 149: I Guarantee
The Weasley twins were punished for casting a spell on several snowballs, causing them to chase Quirrell around and eventually land on the back of his turban.

Sheen was stunned by what he saw.

It seems that Hogwarts' persecution of Voldemort wasn't just due to Penelope's flames, but also the snowball effect of the Weasleys.

No wonder Voldemort was determined to attack Hogwarts.

There is a grudge between them.

Just as the Weasley brothers were being dragged away by a somewhat angry Professor Sprout, Sheehan also headed towards the castle. He had made all the preparations, and now all that was left was to put them into practice.

A cold wind swept through the corridor, and the stove in the Transfiguration office burned dimly.

Professor McGonagall stood by the window, a letter clutched between her knuckles, and she seemed to see the previous winter.

The firelight from the fireplace danced on her square glasses, reflecting a deep darkness in her eyes that she had never shown to anyone.

She put down the letter, her movements deliberately slow, as if she were merely tidying up documents. And so, the snowy landscape of Hogwarts stretched out before her window.

until--

"Dong dong dong."

Sheen gently knocked on the door of the Transfiguration office.

"Come in, child."

Professor McGonagall sat down at the wooden table.

Advanced Transfiguration is more dangerous and complex, and must be practiced under safe conditions.

Sheen kept the professor's words in mind and began today's Transfiguration practice.

He waved his wand, and the beetle gradually began to grow feathers...

[A clear and specific intention, a firm belief, and sufficient willpower]

Transfiguration can never escape these three rules, so the beetle gradually grew bigger, but after less than two seconds, it turned back into its original form.

Sheen was panting as he stared at the beetle, puzzled.

"child,"

Professor McGonagall had rarely seen the young wizard look so puzzled; only at this moment did she feel that he was like an eleven-year-old wizard.

"Try to think about it, why a beetle?"

The professor narrowed his eyes, but then seemed to remember something and returned to a deep silence.

"Why... a beetle?"

Sheen muttered to himself, then his eyes lit up, and he quickly found the professor's notes:
When using advanced transfiguration, there is always a way to strengthen one's belief: find the corresponding part.

Below this line, some examples are listed:
For example, it is relatively easy for a frog to transform into a toad, or for a canary to transform into a cuckoo.

They are also "living things" transformed into "living things" in advanced transfiguration, but it is easier for them than for other transfiguration, precisely because they have extremely similar parts.

Sheen suddenly thought of something: the little wizard who transformed his companion into a badger—could he really think his companion was a badger?

So when Sheen waved his wand again, the beetle quickly transformed into a large, feathered bird, still retaining some tentacles and a shell, but already at the apprentice level:
[You have practiced an advanced Transfiguration spell to the standards of an apprentice. Proficiency +30]

"You are an undeniable genius, Mr. Green!"

Professor McGonagall exclaimed in admiration, and then she saw Sheehan enthusiastically taking his wand and beginning to practice.

As he said, once progress is displayed on the panel, success is only a matter of time.

After practicing for a while, Sheen has mastered the basics.

Once he becomes proficient, he can start making "owl cookies".

Just before leaving his office, he saw Professor McGonagall slowly approach. She took his hand, her face softened by the warm firelight, and whispered:
"You will receive a letter this Christmas, I promise."

Sheen could understand the various obscure knowledge within the branches of magic, but he was somewhat at a loss amidst these inexplicable feelings.

...Thanks to the increasingly thick snow, Professor Sprout's smile grew even warmer:

"By the following spring, life buried by snow will flourish even more."

She often said this while holding a hoe.

Outside the castle, Sheehan, Justin, and Neville were trudging towards the greenhouse.

Not far from them, Harry had just returned from training.

“I really feel sorry for those people,”

Draco Malfoy, standing in the snow, said,

"They had to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because their families didn't want them."

He was looking at Harry as he spoke.

Crabbe and Gore chuckled to themselves.

Harry ignored them and looked at Ron, who had just come to pick him up. Behind him was Hagrid, who was wrapped in a coat. Ron was holding a steaming cup of honey lemon tea—given to him by Justin.

Since the Quidditch match, Malfoy has become even more gloomy than before.

He was outraged by the Slytherin team's defeat and said that in the next match, a big-mouthed tree frog would replace Harry as the Seeker.

He had intended to make everyone laugh, but found that no one found his words funny, because everyone admired Harry for being able to stay firmly on his wildly flying broomstick.

Malfoy was both jealous and angry, so he turned around and mocked Harry for not having a proper family.

"And you, can you move aside and stop blocking the way?"

At this moment, Malfoy coldly and deliberately opened fire on Ron.
"Trying to please Hagrid, Weasley? I suppose you probably hope to be a gamekeeper after graduating from Hogwarts?"

"Hagrid's cabin must be like a palace compared to your old house!"

Ron charged toward Malfoy, just as Professor Snape appeared.

"Weasley!"

Ron loosened Malfoy's shirt.

"Someone provoked them first, Professor Snape."

Hagrid said,

"Malfoy just insulted both of their families."

Hagrid and Harry didn't have much hope; they both knew that Professor Snape was unreasonable.

Ron suppressed his anger, knowing that what awaited him was Snape's prejudice—Snape had done this more than once before.

To their surprise, Professor Snape didn't speak for a moment. Instead, he looked at them with a gloomy expression, then glanced at the fleeting emerald eyes that were heading towards the greenhouse in the distance.

"What...did he say?"

Snape felt an unnamed rage tearing and surging within his chest.

"Ah—I was just saying, some people are ridiculously poor and have no parents..."

Malfoy was somewhat smug, but he didn't notice the body rising and falling beneath his black robe.

"Get out of my way—you lot!"

Snape roared at Harry, Ron, and the others first.

They had never seen Professor Snape so angry, and they all ran away in fear.

"That's strange, Harry, we've dodged a bullet?"

Ron asked, puzzled.

(End of this chapter)