Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Regulus nodded; he understood the logic.

Just as it is easy for a painter to paint real objects but difficult to paint abstract concepts, real objects have references, while abstract concepts require one to construct their own framework of understanding.

He was still immersed in the scene from earlier. Now he could confirm that his spatial magic hadn't been hidden either, but he wasn't surprised.

This only strengthened his conviction that Dumbledore was behind it all.

Professor McGonagall was demonstrating to him the power of Transfiguration to control space.

Then Professor McGonagall continued.

"Truly advanced transfiguration does not rely entirely on understanding, because there are some things that you can never fully understand."

For example, the flow of time, the trajectory of fate, and the essence of the soul—yet a skilled transfiguration wizard can still influence them.

Regulus snapped out of his daze and frowned, asking, "I don't understand, how do I transform?"

"Rely on intuition, on faith, on the mystery of magic itself." Professor McGonagall's tone remained unchanged, but as she spoke, a resolute light flashed in her eyes.

"In the end, Transfiguration touches upon the essence of magic, the part that cannot be fully analyzed by logic or fully summarized by knowledge."

She looked at Regulus with a serious expression.

"But this doesn't mean you can skip the basics. On the contrary, the more solid your foundation, the greater the chance you'll reach that point."

Regulus nodded. He understood this principle. There are no high-level abilities that come out of thin air; all breakthroughs are built on a large amount of accumulation.

Professor McGonagall took out another notebook from the drawer. This one was older than the last one, and the cover was made of dark brown leather.

"This book doesn't contain any specific spells or techniques," she said, pushing the notebook in front of Regulus. "It's all about thinking. Some of the content might be beyond your current comprehension, but it won't hurt to take a look."

Regulus took the notebook; it felt heavy in his hand.

"From the very first lesson, I emphasized that Transfiguration is both rigorous and dangerous," Professor McGonagall continued. "The content taught at the school is safe, screened, and verified."

But transformation itself has infinite possibilities, but also infinite risks.

With a wave of her wand, a transparent crystal ball appeared on the table.

Inside the sphere is a small mass of constantly changing matter, sometimes flowing like water, sometimes burning like fire, and sometimes solidifying like metal.

"This is the product of a failed transfiguration experiment," Professor McGonagall said gravely.

Fourteen years ago, a Ravenclaw sixth-year student attempted to incorporate life magic into Transfiguration, hoping to create a truly soulful Transfiguration creature.

He failed. The deformed product lost stability and began to change erratically, unstoppable and unreversible, ultimately destined to be sealed inside the crystal.

The substance inside the crystal ball was still changing, from a clump of cotton to a clump of mud, and then to a cloud of smoke.

"That student was seriously injured, his magic was permanently damaged, and he had to drop out of school." Professor McGonagall put away the crystal ball.

"Transfiguration can help you better understand the world, but there are some areas you shouldn't easily venture into. When you understand the world, the world will respond, but the response won't always be the way you want it to be."

Regulus looked at Professor McGonagall and said solemnly, "Thank you, Professor, you've helped me a lot."

Professor McGonagall nodded without saying anything polite, but her gaze towards him was somewhat complicated.

As Regulus left the office, the owl on his shoulder took flight, circled once in the corridor, and landed back on his arm.

It has remained in its deformed state for more than half an hour, and the magical structure remains stable.

On his way back to his Slytherin dorm, Regulus was still thinking about what he had just witnessed: spatial distortion.

Transfiguration can alter the structure of space.

This opened a new door for him.

His previous research on spatial magic focused more on perceiving, utilizing, and traversing space.

For example, spatial warp is to bring two points together, while spatial anchoring spells are to stabilize local spatial structures.

But Transfiguration offers another approach: it can not only utilize existing spatial structures, but also change the spatial structures themselves.

For example, compressing the space of an area to shorten the actual distance.

Or stretch the space so that the enemy can never get in front of you.

Or warp space to change the path of the spell.

Alternatively, stretch and distort the space, and then place it on the target.

Or fold the space so that the wand is aimed at the wrong place.

These applications, combined with his spatial awareness, are highly feasible.

Unlike Professor McGonagall, he doesn't need to rely solely on Transfiguration to alter space. Instead, he can combine existing spatial magic foundations and use Transfiguration to fine-tune, enhance, or create special effects.

Empower the old spell!

As Regulus approached the dormitory door, he had already sketched out several experimental plans in his mind.

He needs to test the extent of Polymorph's spatial effects, its duration, mana consumption, and compatibility with spells like Warp.

But the prerequisite is that he can perform spatial deformation.

Therefore, learning must never stop.

The power of knowledge is amplified infinitely in the world of magic.

Pushing open the dormitory door, Avery, Alex, and Hermes were all there.

Avery was writing a paper on potions, Alex was reading a book, and Hermes was sitting on the bed with an old book with a black cover in his hand.

The three of them looked up at the same time as he entered.

"Finished asking?" Avery asked, his quill pen resting on the parchment.

"I'm done asking." Regulus walked to his bedside and sat down.

Hermes closed the book and looked at him: "Professor McGonagall is giving you extra tutoring again?"

"Sort of," Regulus said without hiding anything, "I talked about some advanced applications of Transfiguration."

"For example?" Hermes pressed.

"Like how to turn your wand into a chopstick," Regulus said, looking at him.

Avery laughed out loud, and Hermes' lips twitched as he tucked his wand under the pillow.

Alex asked in a low voice, "Can it really change?"

"Theoretically, yes," Regulus nodded, "but it requires the other party not to resist, or a huge difference in strength."

He took off his robe and hung it up, then took out the notebook Professor McGonagall had given him from his pocket and opened to the first page.

There were no words on the paper, only a picture, a constantly changing geometric shape, from a triangle to a square, to a circle, to a polygon, and then back to a triangle.

The image slowly rotates on the paper, each change accompanied by a faint magical fluctuation.

This is the very concept of transformation, drawn with magic.

Regulus looked at the picture, his fingers lightly touching the paper, feeling the rhythm of the flowing magic.

The road to transformation is still long, but at least for now, he can see further.

Outside the window, the sky had completely darkened.

The deep call of a giant squid echoed from the depths of the Black Lake, the sound passing through the water and layers of the lake, becoming a faint vibration.

Regulus focused on his notes, occasionally glancing up to think, his fingers unconsciously tracing the gestures of a transfiguration in the air.

......

In early April, Hogwarts' Great Hall was decorated with colorful eggs, signaling the approaching Easter holidays.

Regulus, Avery, and Alex went to Slughorn's office to submit their applications to leave campus.

The professor sat in a large armchair, took three parchment forms, and glanced at the application reason section behind his glasses; all of them were about family matters.

He glanced at the three of them, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Have a great holiday, kids." Slughorn signed his name at the bottom of the form: "Remember to come back to school on time; there's plenty more to do."

He didn't ask any further questions. As the head of Slytherin, seeing three pure-blood family heirs taking leave to go home at the same time, he could guess what was going on.

Most of these involve the exchange of information, communication of positions, or the formation of some kind of tacit understanding between families.

In particular, they went through the Astronomy Tower incident together, which also involved two other pure-blood families.

Hermes did not apply to leave school. The Murseb family is currently in a delicate situation, and it is better to stay at school than to go back and face a bunch of trouble.

He knew what his three roommates would say when they got home; they had to report the Astronomical Tower incident to their families.

Regulus wrote a letter to Orion in advance, simply saying, "Come home for Easter."

The father's reply was even shorter, just one word: "Okay".

On the morning of the first day of the holiday, Regulus, Avery, and Alex walked together to Hogsmeade Station.

There were only a few students on the platform. With the holiday being short, not many chose to go home. Rather than spending nearly two days traveling by train, they preferred to stay at school.

Avery and Alex boarded the train with their luggage.

Regulus stood at the edge of the platform, watching the train slowly start moving, its wheels making a rhythmic clattering sound as they rolled over the rails.

Only after the train disappeared around the bend in the distant mountains and the platform became empty did he turn and walk towards a deserted corner.

Apparition.

The feeling of being cramped in space lasted less than a second before my feet touched the ground and I was already standing on the steps in front of Gate 12 in Place Grimmauld.

The mansion remained gloomy, with its black doors tightly shut and curtains drawn.

Cola Novels: This is where dreams begin, and where dreams come true.