HOGWARTS - HARRY

ShareUnder Professor McGonagall's strict gaze, the young wizards hardly dared to breathe. Everyone sat up straight, obedient and focused.

Dylan carefully placed the book he had been reading into his backpack and pulled out A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, setting it in front of him.

His current proficiency level in Transfiguration, as given by the system, was Transfiguration Spell (3/10). This was the result of his long-term, painstaking research.

Unlike the Levitation Charm, which he had only experimented with briefly yet reached level three, Transfiguration was significantly more complex. This confirmed what Professor McGonagall had warned them about—Transfiguration was one of the most difficult and dangerous branches of magic taught at Hogwarts.

The discipline was divided into two categories: transfiguration of inanimate objects and transfiguration of living beings.

The first type, though challenging, was manageable—the worst that could happen was losing a few materials. However, living transfiguration was entirely different. Any mistake could have dire consequences, much like a botched surgery.

In a sense, Transfiguration was akin to a live experiment. If something went wrong, the subject of the transformation could suffer severe consequences.

A perfect example of this was the Animagus transformation. On the surface, it seemed simple—turning into an animal at will. But if a wizard lost their self-awareness in the animal form, they might never be able to return to human form. If they forgot they were ever human, how could they consciously reverse the transformation?

Beyond these dangers, Transfiguration had an incredibly broad scope, making it one of the most difficult magical disciplines to master.

Despite his moderate proficiency, Dylan found himself understanding Professor McGonagall's lecture quite well. However, the same couldn't be said for his classmates.

Many struggled to keep up, furiously scribbling down notes, trying to capture as much information as possible before the class ended.

End of Class

When the lesson was over, Dylan felt like he had gained a wealth of knowledge.

Many of the young wizards, on the other hand, sighed in relief.

"It's exactly as I thought," Dylan mused. "Even though books contain detailed explanations, without a teacher's guidance, self-study alone leads to countless mistakes."

He admired Professor McGonagall's exceptional teaching ability.

Even something as simple as transforming an inanimate object was not an easy feat. Mastery required rigorous practice.

"I can only transform basic, non-complex objects for a short period. I still need to improve."

During class, Dylan managed to perform a few transformations, even more complex than what Professor McGonagall had required. She rewarded him with extra house points.

Hermione also impressed the professor, earning five points for Gryffindor for her successful transformation.

However, many of their classmates weren't as fortunate.

Throughout the entire lesson, some students barely managed to move their objects, let alone transform them.

"Oh my god, this is impossible," Ron groaned.

Harry and Ron had tried for a long time but failed to turn their matchsticks into metal needles.

A Private Lesson with Professor McGonagall

After class, Dylan packed up his things and immediately approached Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, I have a few questions for you," he said as he handed over his notebook.

Professor McGonagall, always appreciative of diligent students, nodded. "Come with me to my office."

As they walked out of the classroom, she flipped through his notebook. The neat, dense handwriting filled with thorough observations caught her eye.

A pleased expression flickered across her face.

Once inside her office, Dylan wasted no time.

"Professor, I've noticed that different books sometimes provide conflicting theories about the same spell," he said. "I don't quite understand—when this happens, which one should I consider correct?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head.

"What you perceive as a conflict is actually just a matter of different perspectives," she explained.

"Every skilled wizard develops their own understanding of magic. That's why different sources might present slightly different theories. But that doesn't mean one of them is necessarily wrong."

"No matter which approach you follow, the spell's fundamental essence remains the same. The only differences lie in how quickly you cast it, how much magic you use, and how powerful or efficient the spell is."

"As you practice more, you'll naturally develop your own interpretation of spells," she concluded.

Dylan blinked.

It made sense now—magic was like mathematics.

The final answer remained unchanged, but different people might take different steps to solve the same problem.

Professor McGonagall's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Your notes contain many unique insights," she remarked, flipping through the pages.

Dylan felt slightly embarrassed. These were notes he had taken during the holidays, filled with his personal theories on various spells. To an experienced professor, they probably seemed childish.

"I'm sure there are plenty of mistakes in there," he admitted.

"Who said that?" Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow.

She glanced at him, then back at the notebook.

"Your ideas are unconventional, yes. But many of your thoughts are quite insightful," she said.

"You've already demonstrated a deep understanding of magic just through self-study. That is an outstanding achievement for a student your age."

Dylan was stunned. He hadn't expected such praise.

She could see traces of immaturity, yet also brilliance, in his notes.

With the right guidance, she believed Dylan could surpass even herself one day.

"You can take this notebook back," she told him. "You must have recorded your class notes in your textbook, correct?"

Dylan nodded.

"Then leave the textbook with me," she instructed. "I'll annotate your ideas on it. You can collect it during our next lesson."

Dylan's eyes widened in shock.

He hadn't expected Professor McGonagall to personally add notes to his book.

"Professor, are you sure?" he stammered. "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

"It's no trouble," she assured him.

"Actually, I find your ideas fascinating. Some of your thoughts and questions are worth a deeper look. I'd like to examine them more closely."

She carefully took his textbook.

"When a person first begins to explore magic, they often come up with imaginative ideas. Some may be naïve or incorrect, but that doesn't mean they lack value."

She smiled slightly.

"Once you've fully mastered the material in this book, revisiting your early notes may give you new insights."

Dylan slowly nodded, understanding her words.

"Thank you for your guidance, Professor McGonagall."

She gave him a firm nod.

"Now, do you have any other questions?"

"Yes," Dylan said, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "I'd like to know more about the structure of matter and how it affects Transfiguration…"

And with that, their private lesson continued.

FOR MORE CHAPTERS

patreon.com/STEPHENHART427