Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 169: Intermediate Alchemy

Chapter 169: Intermediate Alchemy
"You should write that down..."

Snape had said a lot more than he should have.

“Severus. Sheen Green, that’s enough. He’s not anyone’s vassal, he shouldn’t be Sheen McGonagall.”

Minerva McGonagall was somewhat annoyed as they walked down the corridor away from the fifth floor.

"That's fine then. Tomorrow, he will be Sheen Snape."

A cold smile curved Snape's lips.

"Don't even think about it."

Minerva McGonagall glanced at him expressionlessly, clutching a beautifully packaged cookie in her hand, and hurriedly left.

In the corridor.

Sheen felt he was becoming more and more adept at transforming his "self" into a "living thing".

Since he started using the transforming cookies, his understanding of cats and his belief in the need for transformation have both increased significantly.

This made him even more excited for the Animagus metamorphosis that would be taught by Headmaster Dumbledore himself over the Christmas weekend.

If things go smoothly, the transformation of Animagus can be completed in a few months, or even a little over a month.

But he still didn't understand what the principal meant by "luck, a little bit of luck".

Sheen reverted his cat paws back to normal, and he can now apply partial transformations to himself, but only to the cat.

[You have practiced an advanced Transfiguration spell to a proficient standard. Proficiency +30]

Looking at his pitifully low proficiency level, he wondered how much proficiency Animagus transformation would increase.

Before we knew it, it was time for the Christmas dinner.

The rumors were all false. There were no eight hundred barrels of flavored mead, no strange sisters' songs, only more and more abundant food.

This time, even Sheen felt a bit strained.

On the way out of the Great Hall, Harry seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Sheen didn't pay attention to these details and went on to work on improving his proficiency with the last batch of Transformers cookies.

At the same time, he also tried making a Mrs. Lorice cookie, and in one fell swoop reached the practice standard of "expert".

Snowflakes fell softly outside the Gothic stained-glass windows in the corridor, and the light rain turned into gentle snow by evening.

The corridor was silent, and the only person present, Sheen, could hardly be called a novice wizard.

The "Expert" level cookie granted him ten minutes of transformation time, allowing him to further deepen his understanding through the insights gained during transformations. The more he understood, the higher his proficiency became, and the higher his proficiency, the more he understood... a closed loop.

Sheen had another nagging guess in his mind: although his transforming cookies were called Mrs. Lorris Cookies, Sheen had always wanted to add the prefix "Fantastic Beasts," making the full name "Fantastic Beasts Mrs. Lorris Cookies."

The lady has the blood of the cat Lizi, but Sheen only made cookies based on its physical characteristics, without any of the cat Lizi's great talents.

The raccoon cat possesses an incredible ability to detect those who are morally corrupt. If someone gets lost, it can even guide them safely home.

It's almost equivalent to the ability to recognize people and automatic pathfinding; either one would be significant enough.

To achieve this, Sheen's alchemy and transmutation skills would need to be further improved.

As to what level it needed to be upgraded, Sheen guessed it would at least reach the "Expert" level. Another thing he was certain of was that the Transformers' expansion into the realm of magical creatures was the second essential path in the pursuit of quality.

With that thought in mind, Sheen arrived at the third-floor corridor, where bright candles were suddenly lit and little wizards were gathered around.

The black cat curiously climbed onto the top of the armor, listening to the whispers of the young wizards.

"The lucky statue has been remade; I heard it's a special change to celebrate this Christmas."

Hannah Abbott whispered to her friend.

“Look, Hannah, this statue—doesn’t it look like the cat on the armor?”

Sallyan Boske also spoke softly.

The two looked together at the black cat sitting on the armor. It was somewhat small, entirely black, and its bright green eyes were now fixed on the statue that was identical to itself.

Sheen was stunned. He wasn't even dead yet, so how did he end up on a statue?
He suddenly had a strange urge to scratch the statue, but he managed to suppress it and quickly fled the scene.

"Am I seeing things, Sarian?"

Hannah murmured to herself, “We’re going to be lucky, Hannah. The lucky black cat has been here.”

Sallyan Boske said excitedly.

In the shadows of the corridor, before Sheen could even transform back, he was picked up by a pair of hands.

"Sheen?"

He saw a pair of light blue eyes that looked both curious and amused.

Although he didn't know how Professor McGonagall recognized him, Sheen leaped into the air and transformed into a little wizard with his head down.

"Good evening, Professor."

Sheen said.

"Amazing alchemy, a masterful combination... You even have self-awareness... Child, it seems you know your Animagus, don't you?"

Professor McGonagall took out the beautifully packaged cookies, her tone calm, but she was trembling with excitement.

"So, do you want to learn?"

She tried her best to control her voice and maintain her elegance.

"Professor, I'm sorry, Headmaster Dumbledore wants me to study under him this Christmas."

Sheen explained.

“Child—you don’t need to worry about that.”

Professor McGonagall finished speaking with a smile.

He turned around with a blank expression.

Recalling the so-called black cat statue and Albus's meaningful gaze, she quickened her pace toward the principal's office.

……

In the cellar.

The intense cold was somewhat dispelled by the heat from the crucible.

Snape stared at the deer-shaped biscuit in his hand, waved his wand, and the cellar door closed automatically.

So he ate a piece with disdain.

He had just finished eating when the cellar door opened.

“Oh, Severus, I’ve come here to avoid you…”

The old wizard with a long, white beard pushed open the door; only he could push open the door sealed by magic without making a sound.

"This is--"

Not long after, a tremendous roar echoed from the cellar:

"I don't think our relationship has reached the point where I can just walk in without knocking—Dumbledore—!"

……

Unaware of the extent of the damage his transforming cookies had caused, Shin was still making a final push. He was just six points away from unlocking a new alchemy title.

[You practiced making rooster cookies to a beginner level, proficiency +3]

[Title: Advanced Alchemy]

[Significantly increases sensitivity to alchemical magic and slightly enhances alchemical talent]

With his perception slightly enhanced, Sheen felt that the complex magic he had been using to examine the cookies had become clearer.

He eagerly checked the advancement requirements:
[Three intermediate-level alchemical creations at the expert level, and six beginner-level alchemical creations, can unlock the expert-level title in the field of alchemy]

What does "intermediate-level alchemical creation" mean?
　Lu will take a day to adjust and will resume five updates tomorrow night at 10:30 PM.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)