Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 46: Eyes in the Dark
Hogwarts' magic courses are incredibly diverse and unusual.

There are herbalism classes where young wizards need to outwit and outmaneuver the mischievous jumping bulbs.
There's a history of magic taught by ghosts, and a potions class where anyone who dares to get distracted will get a lot of points deducted.

But if we're talking about the most beloved, and also the most difficult, course for young wizards, it's undoubtedly Transfiguration.

In this lesson, the young wizards can unleash their magic to alter the matches in front of them.

It requires almost no strict steps or complicated gestures or incantations.

Professor McGonagall may seem intimidating, but her magical shapeshifting abilities have captivated the young wizards.

No one would dislike turning a teapot into an elephant spouting water from its trunk, and no one could resist making a quill stand up and dance.

Contrary to the young wizards' enthusiasm, few were able to achieve quick success in Transfiguration class.
Even Hermione, who made the most progress, could only turn a match into a needle-shaped head.

So when Sheen turned the running mouse into a snuff bottle and then made it run again...
Most of the young wizards gathered together and exclaimed in unison, "Wow!"

[You have practiced an intermediate Transfiguration spell to a proficient standard. Proficiency +100]

Sheen underestimated his talent for Transfiguration. After just two weeks of practice, he was able to reach the [Expert] level in intermediate Transfiguration.

Sheehan wasn't the only one surprised; Professor McGonagall was too.
The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out, and a look of satisfaction flashed behind her square glasses.

“Very good, Mr. Green—an excellent transformation! I’ll add five points to Ravenclaw!”

She strode up to Sheehan, ignoring the gasps of the young wizards around her.

His eyes were only on Sheen, who looked slightly shy due to his focus.

"Come with me after class."

she said softly.

Sheen paused for a moment, then answered in a low voice.

The transformation lesson passed quickly.
The young wizards all rushed out of the classroom, leaving only Sheen and Professor McGonagall behind.

Professor McGonagall stared at Sheehan, the whispers of the young wizards ringing in her ears:

—There's a rumor about a Ravenclaw player who earned the most House points, supposedly more than double that of the second-place player.

The usual sternness in her eyes softened gradually.

She brought a seed from a barren land.
Now, she is watching the seed grow and sprout.

“Come with me, Mr. Green.”

She then quickly walked out of the Transfiguration classroom.

Professor McGonagall's office wasn't far from here. Sheen pushed open the wooden door and glanced around for a few seconds.

This is a small study located on the second-floor corridor, with a roaring fireplace inside and a view of the Quidditch pitch from the window.

Many young wizards arrived one after another, because it would soon be time for Gryffindor and Slytherin to take their flying lessons.

"Demonstrate the Transfiguration once more."

Professor McGonagall's stern voice had softened somewhat without her noticing.

Sheehan quickly realized that this was a special treat, a special treat from Professor McGonagall.

...When he left the professor's office, his intermediate Transfiguration skills had improved considerably, and he now had a Transfiguration notebook in his hand.

Professor McGonagall answered many of his questions and pointed him in the right direction for Transfiguration: the will of a wizard.
Like other forms of magic, Transfiguration is also influenced by the wizard's emotions.
Strong emotions, such as sadness or shock, can affect this ability, even for Animagus and Disguise Magus.

For example, after Sirius's death, Tonks found it difficult to control his shapeshifting ability.

Her physical changes included her hair turning grayish-brown and becoming thinner, and her body becoming thinner.

in the corridor.

Sheehan was in a hurry to the cellar; unlike the other Ravenclaws, he didn't go to the Quidditch pitch to watch Gryffindor and the others take their flying lessons.

Although he was also very interested in it,
But he always knew what he needed to do, not what he wanted to do.

The corridors of Hogwarts seemed to be under some kind of slowing spell at dusk.

The torches leaped on the iron frame, casting long, swaying shadows, while the dozing portraits on the stone wall emitted even snores.

As the footsteps echoed through the arcades and extended westward, the sunlight vanished completely behind the glass windows, and the air suddenly became damp and heavy.

A spiraling stone staircase appeared in the recessed area hidden by the tapestry, and icy cold air climbed up the steps.

Sheen climbed the stairs with practiced ease, silently thinking to himself,

If I were to encounter Professor Snape, how could I explain myself in order to leave safely?

Fortunately, Sheen saw nothing, and his emerald green eyes instantly brightened.

He quickly walked to the crucible, lit it, processed the materials, and took out his notebook—all in one smooth motion.

He had already brewed at least ten pots of scabies medicine, and in his simulation, that number would be multiplied by ten.
Therefore, he was extremely familiar with every step of the process, and could even make some improvements.

The liquid in the crucible was making a reassuring gurgling sound, its thick, dark green surface constantly bubbling and bursting with bubbles.
The powder from dried nettles and snake fangs was ground into a fine, bright green powder.

Sheen carefully poured them into the crucible in batches, each addition causing the liquid to boil even more violently.
At this point, he must immediately stir three times to the right—stirring too much or too little could ruin everything.
But he didn't do that.

He always understood one principle regarding magic.
This is a miracle of idealism, yet it can also be compatible with reason.

His study of spells taught him that while a wizard's mental state was important, proper pronunciation and gestures could also make casting spells easier.

The young wizards, or even the professors, were not fully aware of this.
If they were aware of this, then the text of the levitation spell in the textbooks shouldn't be pronounced clearly and with a distinct pause.

But what constitutes a clear pronunciation, and how to specifically wave the hand—left or right, large or small amplitude?
Unfortunately, the magical world adheres to a survival-of-the-fittest mentality.

Those gifted wizards will practice according to their instincts until they succeed;
As for those wizards who weren't particularly talented, they could only repeat the same practice until Merlin blessed them and this intuition appeared.

During Transfiguration class, Sheehan noticed more than once that Michael was just waving his wand haphazardly, sometimes even waving it ten times in the same wrong way.

Sheen, on the other hand, not only recorded his posture and pronunciation errors and correctness during his transformations,
He would also delve into the differences, sometimes even conducting comparative experiments until he was exhausted.

Coupled with some ancient intuition, his progress in Transfiguration can be described as rapid.

The same goes for potions; this intuition doesn't come often, but whenever it does, Sheen is never willing to let it slip away.

Just like now, Sheen changed the amount of stirring he was doing, instead following some kind of intuition and even slightly increasing the heat.

The candlelight flickered in the cellar, and where Sheen couldn't see, a pair of gloomy eyes emerged in the shadows.

(End of this chapter)