The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 126 Truly Unfettered Imagination

The small classroom of the Transformation Club.

Perhaps because everyone was the same age, or perhaps because the professor wasn't present, the atmosphere here was very harmonious.

"By the way! Is it just the two of you here? I thought there would be quite a few people." Sitting on the single sofa that had turned into ice, Ino asked softly.

Yes, there are no seats in the classroom; everything depends on the students' abilities. If you can't sit, sit on the floor, or conjure up a small stool; if you can, you can even conjure up a bed.

Of course, no one would be foolish enough to lie in bed in front of Professor McGonagall.

"There were five people last year, but three of them graduated this year!" Qiu sat on a semi-circular hanging chair, gently rocking the chair as she spoke, which made her look rather cute.

"Well! It seems this place is really strict." Ino sighed casually. "At first, I thought there would be a Weasley prefect here. I heard he always gets perfect scores."

"You mean Percy?" Cedric picked up the conversation, smiling slightly.

"Percy's grades are good, you could even say he's very versatile. But Professor McGonagall values ​​Transfiguration talent, or rather, flashes of inspiration. A perfect score in Transfiguration is just the bare minimum; talent is the most important thing."

Just as the group was chatting, they heard footsteps coming from outside the corridor.

"Click!" The wooden door was pushed open, and Professor McGonagall walked in carrying three parchment rolls.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's set aside the small talk for now and begin today's discussion, and the author of this argument is someone you are all very familiar with..."

At this point, Professor McGonagall paused deliberately for a moment, as if keeping someone in suspense.

"Albus Percival, winner of the 1897 Transformers of the Day Best Newcomer Award and head of the Hogwarts Student Council...Dumbledore's paper, 'Is it possible to cast spells in Animagus form?'"

Seeing the stunned expressions on the three people's faces, Professor McGonagall's eyes flashed with a smile; this was exactly the effect she wanted.

"You can look at the papers first! But before that, I want to make one thing clear. If you want to study Animagus, just tell me, I won't stop you. Don't be like some students from a few years ago, secretly doing everything on their own, only to find out they'd already drunk a potion!"

Ino subtly shifted his gaze. Although Professor McGonagall had used the phrase "a few years ago" to confuse the issue, he knew perfectly well who she was referring to.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will likely become one of the "some students" Professor McGonagall mentioned in the next few years, which can be considered as leaving a legacy at Hogwarts.

He shook his head slightly, then turned his attention to the old parchment scroll in his hand.

As the group read, the entire small classroom fell into absolute silence.

Time slips away quietly.

About half an hour has passed.

Professor McGonagall clapped her hands gently: "Now tell me your opinions. No theoretical basis is needed, no common sense is required. Be as imaginative as you like, as absurd as you want, whatever you want."

After a while, seeing the three silent young wizards, Professor McGonagall had no choice but to call out their names: "Ino! It'll start with you. You're the only newcomer to win an award in recent years, so set an example."

"Alright, then I'll briefly share my thoughts." Without the slightest stage fright, Ino cleared her throat and said:

"Professor Dumbledore's paper seems plausible to me! Where does magic originate? It's not something learned later in life, otherwise there would be no Muggles in this world. Therefore, I believe magic originates from blood, it's an innate talent."

"But when it comes to talents, there are so many: the Prophet's vision, Slytherin's Parseltongue, even those born with closed minds. This makes me wonder, what if wizards could still use these talents in Animagus form?"

At this point, Ino deliberately softened his tone.

"If, I mean if, there is a prophet who sees the future in the state of Animagus, then Professor Dumbledore's argument stands."

"Since we can use innate magic, why don't we integrate magic into ourselves and make it our talent? Just like how the Thunderbird brings lightning when it flies, or how the Venomous Leopard breathes out poisonous mist..."

"Magic becomes a talent, and Animagus will no longer be ordinary, nor will ordinary animals be ordinary; it will leap into becoming a new kind of magical creature..."

Ino became more and more inspired as he spoke, like a river gushing through a clogged channel; after the initial difficulties, all that remained was a torrent of words.

Fifteen minutes later.

As the last syllable faded, the small classroom fell silent once more.

Looking at the bewildered Cho and Cedric beside her, Ino suddenly felt that she might have been a bit too far-fetched, and subconsciously turned to look at Professor McGonagall.

"Clap! Clap clap!" Professor McGonagall didn't hold back her applause, clapping as she spoke:

"That's it! Speak freely and boldly. Don't let existing knowledge limit your thinking. The development of things and the emergence of new spells don't depend on exam scores, but on the wizards' boundless imagination."

"Thank you for your recognition, Professor! Sometimes when inspiration strikes, I don't even know what I'm saying," Ino said modestly.

"Relax! This isn't a classroom, it's my private club!"

Professor McGonagall smiled and waved her hand, but then her smile faded, and she said somewhat seriously:

"But I have a piece of advice for you, the first rule of Adebbe Wölfflin's 'Basic Rules of Magic': To arbitrarily alter the deepest secrets—the source of life, the essence of the self—must be prepared to bear the most extreme and dangerous consequences."

Upon hearing this, Ino nodded solemnly: "Professor, I will remember this!"

"That's good!" Professor McGonagall replied, then looked at Cho and Cedric beside her.

"You two? Who wants to go first? We're short on time. If we can't finish this discussion today, it'll have to drag on until next week."

……

Nine o'clock in the evening.

There is one hour left before the castle's curfew.

On the third floor, several figures suddenly appeared in the quiet corridor.

"That's great! I look forward to seeing you next week." As she spoke, Qiu stretched lazily.

"Me too! I learned a lot today," Cedric said with a look of agreement.

"Sometimes learning involves thinking and exchanging ideas, and I look forward to seeing you again!" Ino sighed softly.

At the end of the corridor, the three parted ways, each heading towards the common lounge.

The difference is that Ino and Cedric went down, while Qiu slowly approached the moving staircase going up.

Go down to the third floor, the second floor, and so on, floor by floor.

Glancing at Cedric, who had seemed hesitant to speak the whole way, Ino chuckled and said, "I have to head in the other direction. Goodnight!"

He probably guessed Cedric's dilemma, after all, Qiu had been very active for the past two hours.

But he's not like old Diego, worrying himself sick over his son! Since the other party is willing to talk, I'll listen for the sake of the club.

If the other party is unwilling to talk, there is no need to rush to ask. Even though Cedric's behavior was very obvious all along, he just pretended not to see it.

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(End of this chapter)