Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil.

After all, he was the one who gave him the hat. If he were to say it out loud, it would sound like he was complaining that Hagrid was unclean, or that the gift he gave him was easy to get dirty, which would be inappropriate.

Pu Ni snapped out of his thoughts, looked at the biting cold wind outside the window, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

When they returned from the holidays, they no longer had to take a small boat across the Black Lake to Hogwarts in the biting cold, just like when they first enrolled.

It's January now, the coldest time of year in Britain. The wind is howling and the temperature is so low it's freezing. If we were to take a small boat, we'd probably be frozen solid by the time we got to school.

At this moment, Hagrid had already turned around and was busy. His main task was to guide the first-year wizards who had just entered the school and were not yet familiar with the route, to tell them where to go, and to let them follow the group of senior students to Hogwarts Castle.

Hagrid loudly guided the young wizards while patiently answering their questions.

Puni looked in the direction Hagrid pointed and saw a row of huge carriages parked on an open space not far away. The carriages were old-fashioned and spacious, obviously used to transport young wizards to Hogwarts Castle.

From now on, these first-year wizards will take this route and ride in these carriages to the magical castle every time they come to school.

On the open ground next to the station, the old and spacious carriages were parked quietly. Most of the young wizards were gathered around them. All they could see were empty carriages, without any horses pulling them, as if they were floating in mid-air, which was really eerie.

Few people know that what pulls these carriages forward is not some powerful magic, but a magical creature called Thestrals.

These magical creatures have extremely unique characteristics. They are born invisible, and ordinary wizards cannot see their true appearance at all. Only those who have witnessed the moment of someone's death can clearly see their appearance. This is why most students can only see horse-drawn carriages without horses pulling them.

Each carriage has a limited capacity, accommodating a maximum of four people.

Puni and Cho Chang walked side by side, and just as they were about to get into the carriage, Marcos suddenly pulled Katie over and said with a smile, "Puni, Cho, wait for us! There are four of us, let's ride in one carriage together!"

The group exchanged smiles and boarded the carriage together.

The four of them were classmates who had crossed Black Lake together in the same small boat when they enrolled. Having spent so much time together, they were already familiar with each other and felt quite comfortable sitting together.

As for Eddie and Roger, Marcos had long since forgotten about them.

With a female classmate like Katie around, who would still have designs on those two guys?

Anyway, he can find companions on his own, so there's no need to worry about taking care of him.

Once everyone was seated, the carriage slowly started moving and smoothly headed towards Hogwarts Castle.

The carriage instantly became lively. Qiu Zhang spoke first, his eyes curiously scanning the surroundings: "Don't you guys find it strange? This carriage doesn't have horses pulling it, so how can it move by itself? How many kinds of magic did they use to make it so smooth and stable?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Marcos immediately chimed in, "I think they must have used the Unseen Stretch Charm and the Levitation Charm, and maybe even the Directional Movement Charm. Otherwise, how could they have moved towards the castle without any traction? And so steadily, without the slightest bump!"

Katie nodded in agreement, her face full of curiosity: "I think so too. Hogwarts magic is amazing. It can make such a big carriage move without being pulled. Maybe they use other ancient magic that we don't know about."

The three of them argued animatedly, each trying to guess the secret behind the carriage's movement.

Sitting to the side, Puni watched the three arguing and slowly said with a smile, "You don't need to guess anymore. This carriage didn't use much magic at all. In fact, you could say it barely relied on any magical power."

Chapter 93 The Night Steed

The carriage fell silent instantly upon hearing this, with Qiu Zhang, Marcos, and Katie all looking at Puni in astonishment.

Qiu Zhang was the first to ask, "Puni, are you telling the truth? But it's not being pulled by horses, so how can it move on its own?"

Puni pointed ahead of the carriage: "Because there are invisible magical creatures pulling the carriage forward where you can't see them, it's not the carriage moving on its own. These magical creatures are called Thestrals, and only those who have witnessed someone's death can see them."

Cho Chang and Katie clicked their tongues in amazement upon hearing this.

They weren't disbelieving; rather, they were shocked because they believed.

After all, Puni has demonstrated a far greater amount of knowledge than they have during this period.

He knew everything about the secrets of the wizarding world and the characteristics of magical creatures.

Over time, they developed a subconscious habit of believing in Puni.

They believe everything he says is correct.

But Marcos was different; he was a stickler for details: "Do these magical creatures really exist? You're not just lying to us, are you? I can't see or feel anything pulling the carriage at all."

Seeing Marcos's disbelieving look, Puni wasn't angry. He grabbed Marcos's arm and said jokingly, "Since you don't believe me, I'll let you experience it for yourself, so you won't keep doubting me."

As he spoke, Puni gently extended Marcos's hand toward the front of the carriage.

Marcos's first reaction was to pull his hand back, but Puni held it firmly down.

The next second, his fingertips touched a strand of cold hair.

The hair was rough and stiff, and the chill instantly spread from his fingertips to his entire body, as if a force was rapidly absorbing all the heat from his body.

Marcos froze, shivering involuntarily. His teeth chattered slightly, and a look of terror instantly appeared on his face. All his previous doubts vanished. He forcefully pulled his hand back and clenched it tightly in his arms.

"Y-it's true..." Marcos's face turned pale. "What was that just now? It was so cold, it felt like all the heat in my body was sucked away, it was terrifying!"

He finally believed Puni's words and understood that the carriage was able to move because it was pulled by an invisible magical creature, not by magic.

Seeing his terrified expression, Puni couldn't help but smile and sat back down. "These are the fur of the Thestrals. They carry an icy chill, which is why few people are willing to touch them."

Seeing Marcos's pale face, Qiu Zhang and Katie couldn't help but show their concern and quickly asked him if he was alright.

Marcos shook his head and became obedient.

The group returned to Hogwarts Castle.

Regular classes resumed soon.

Of all the courses, the one that Puni dared not slack off on the most was the Transformation course.

Professor McGonagall's demands on him are now extremely strict. In every class, she will call on him individually to ask questions, and she will never let him off the hook, no matter how basic the knowledge is.

The high frequency of questions left Puni with no chance to dawdle. Even if he occasionally lost focus, he would immediately concentrate as soon as Professor McGonagall's gaze swept over him, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

What frustrated him even more was that Professor McGonagall's questioning rules were particularly unique.

If he answers correctly, he will not receive any bonus points.

However, if you answer incorrectly, you will not be penalized with points. Instead, you will have to carefully copy the corresponding knowledge point dozens of times until Professor McGonagall is satisfied.

Puni was certain that no one in the entire first year of Hogwarts had used more parchment than him.

After finishing his daily transformation class, he would spend extra time copying down the key points. Sometimes his fingers would ache from copying, but he could only grit his teeth and persevere.

Of course, he also had to admit that Professor McGonagall's strict methods were indeed remarkably effective.

After repeatedly copying and consolidating his skills over this period, his foundation in Transfiguration spells became increasingly solid, and he became much more proficient at casting Transfiguration spells than before.

He couldn't help but recall the look of surprise on Regulus's face when he saw the progress in his Transfiguration during their duel during the holidays.

Regulus repeatedly asked him how he had managed to improve his Transfiguration skills to such an extent in such a short time.

Puni knew that without Professor McGonagall's strict demands day after day, and without the knowledge points he had repeatedly copied as a foundation, he wouldn't be able to skillfully turn inanimate objects into birds. He might even make mistakes when casting the most basic Transfiguration spell, or accidentally turn himself into a clumsy cow and make a huge fool of himself.

Therefore, even during each Transfiguration class, he would not complain privately about Professor McGonagall's strictness, and was even full of gratitude towards her.

In this wizarding world, such dedicated and responsible teachers who are willing to devote themselves to teaching students are extremely rare, and he cherishes this learning opportunity all the more.

That morning, Puni arrived at the Great Hall of Hogwarts early.

Marcos didn't sleep in either; he moved closer to Puni and yawned.

Suddenly, Puni pulled a colorful candy from his pocket and, before Marcos could react, popped it into his mouth.

This candy is completely different from the gummy bear I gave Marcos on the train last time. It's harder and has a hint of mint flavor.

Marcos chewed it subconsciously, and was about to ask what kind of candy it was when his body suddenly changed.

His body shrank rapidly, colorful feathers grew on his body, his beak became a sharp chicken beak, and his limbs became slender chicken claws. In the blink of an eye, he became a majestic rooster.

? ? ? ! ! !

Marcos, now transformed into a rooster, widened his eyes, raised his neck in fear, and let out a shriek.

"Woo woo woo~~~"

The loud voice echoed in the empty hall for a good ten seconds before slowly transforming back into human form under the influence of magic.

The whole process was witnessed by many students who were having breakfast in the hall. Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter, some even laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight. They pointed at Marcos and talked about it.

After Marcos transformed back into human form, his face turned red and white, filled with anger and embarrassment, yet he was helpless and could only glare fiercely at Puni.

But it was precisely because of this scene that the students in the hall became very interested in the candy in Puni's pocket. Many of them gathered around and asked Puni if ​​they could try it too, wanting to experience firsthand this magical candy that could transform people.

Chapter 94 Don't worry, how could we possibly bully Muggles?

Faced with the eager requests from the students around him, Puni simply shook his head: "Sorry, you can't try this candy."

He paused, then added, "These are finished products that I just had made. They're not for sale yet, and the quantity is extremely limited. There's not enough for everyone to try them out. I only let Marcos have a chance because he's a good friend of mine."

Marcos, standing to the side, secretly grumbled inwardly upon hearing Puni's words.

I think this is just something to scam your friends!

I just ate one and immediately turned into a rooster in front of everyone, losing all face. Who knows, my other friends might suffer the same fate next!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, the Weasley twins were pacing anxiously back and forth, their eyes fixed on the direction of the hall entrance, waiting nervously for the owl to arrive.

They knew in their hearts that the owl would be bringing them the brooms that Puni had promised to buy for them, so they were extremely eager and didn't pay much attention to the noise around them.

The twins didn't look over until they heard laughter coming from the center of the hall and the students talking about the transforming candy. When they saw the afterimage of Marcos transforming into a rooster and the colorful candy in Puni's hand, their eyes lit up instantly.

They could no longer contain themselves. Ignoring the crowd around them, they pushed aside the students watching and quickly ran towards Puni. Their steps were light, and their faces were full of urgency and anticipation, as if they were afraid of missing something if they were a step too late.

When they reached Puni, both of them were still panting heavily. George spoke first, his face full of anticipation: "Marcus, was your transformed appearance just now because of that idea we gave Puni before?"

Fred nodded quickly, his eyes fixed on the candy in Puni's hand, and added, "Yes, Puni, isn't this the transforming candy we mentioned to you before? We thought we'd have to wait a long time to see the finished product, but we didn't expect it to be made so quickly!"

The two looked on with trepidation, hoping for a positive answer while also fearing that their idea might not be successfully implemented.

Seeing the two men's tense yet expectant expressions, Puni couldn't help but straighten his back, a smug look on his face: "That's right, George, Fred, this is the fast-acting transforming candy developed based on your ideas. I've already found the most professional potion expert in the wizarding world to bring your ideas to life and make the finished product. You can rest assured."

He paused, then emphasized, "Moreover, I have already had human trials conducted, and it has been confirmed that there are absolutely no toxic side effects. You can use it with confidence; there will be no danger whatsoever."

At this point, Puni changed the subject, "Of course, if you use it to bully Muggles, the consequences are another matter. If the Ministry of Magic finds out, you might be sent straight to Azkaban. Don't come to me for help then."

Hearing this, the twins were not worried at all. Instead, they smiled at each other and shook their heads.

George laughed and said, "Puni, don't worry, how could we possibly bully Muggles? We hardly ever see any Muggles around us, so even if we wanted to, we wouldn't have the chance!"

Their usual pranks were always aimed at their wizard classmates; they never thought of harming Muggles.

Moreover, they were well aware of how serious the consequences of bullying Muggles could be.

Puni had anticipated their reaction and didn't say anything more.

Actually, when he saw the twins running towards him, he knew they were there for the quick-acting transformation candy. He had already prepared a jar of the finished product and was just waiting for the twins to come and get it.