Chapter 154: Mastery, Testing, and the Strongest Hufflepuff

In the little greenhouse, shadows on the ground churned like whirlpools. The next moment, Ciel's figure emerged from the shadow vortex. At this moment, his body surface was covered with a thick layer of shadow magic power, constantly corroding his flesh and blood. However, under the effect of his Legendary Vitality ability, the corroded flesh would immediately regenerate perfectly. The entire process alternated repeatedly. Pain and itching cycled endlessly. At first, he had felt quite tormented by this. But over time, he gradually grew accustomed to it. Now, he was even somewhat numb to it. His attention was entirely focused on Transfiguration on the system panel. The bronze luster of Transfiguration had intensified significantly compared to two days ago. However, his brow furrowed slightly. He noticed that after this shadow traversal, his Transfiguration progress had stopped improving. "It's been nearly ten times. Clearly I've only just begun to grasp Switching Spells. There are countless mysteries in the shadow traversal process that I still don't understand. But in these recent shadow traversals, no matter how intently I focus on sensing changes in magic power nature, Transfiguration still hasn't improved. Not even a trace. It seems the problem lies elsewhere." Regarding this, his gaze turned to the [Magical Perception Enhancement] ability. It still gleamed with brilliant golden luster. However, it was still some distance from the Platinum tier. He sighed softly. "It seems magical perception is still stuck, preventing Transfiguration from advancing further. It's like someone with naturally uncoordinated limbs trying to swim. At first, flailing around in a pool can help grasp swimming techniques, barely managing to swim. They might even swim faster and better than untrained ordinary people. But once pursuing higher improvement, such serious defects become insurmountable." His gaze swept across the system panel. Most spells had stagnated for a long time after reaching the Platinum tier. Only through Transfiguration's advancement had their mastery improved somewhat. But now, if Transfiguration was also stuck due to magical perception bottlenecks, his magical mastery would probably stagnate completely for some time. To break through, he'd probably have to wait until [Magical Perception Enhancement] underwent qualitative change and reached the Platinum tier. Only then could he make substantial progress! But looking at the current situation, even with five trolls continuously producing Mimbulus mimbletonia, it would take at least until the end of the school year. Still a long period of accumulation is needed. This made him frown. But after a moment, his expression returned to calm. "These two days' Transfiguration improvement has been very obvious. Relying on self-comprehension, who knows how long such progress would take? Even among the most outstanding second- or third-year students at Hogwarts, my Transfiguration mastery would probably be exceptional. For the short term, it's sufficient. "Moreover, the double agent's threat is temporarily resolved. The only possible crisis in Hogwarts in the near future would be the Philosopher's Stone matter, which I absolutely won't participate in. As for whether Voldemort can obtain the Philosopher's Stone... if he fails like in the original plot, that's best. If variables arise and the sky falls, Dumbledore will hold it up anyway. "The current Dumbledore hasn't worn the Resurrection Stone ring or been cursed by its dark magic... he's at full strength. Plus the Elder Wand and home field advantage, never mind half-dead Voldemort... even peak Voldemort would have to kneel and sing surrender. I just need to keep the blood toxin trump card as insurance." Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. His plans for the upcoming period became much clearer. "I won't interfere with the Philosopher's Stone. During this time, I'll focus on farming and accumulating rewards. Also, though magical mastery improvement is temporarily blocked by magical perception limits, that doesn't mean studying is useless. My magical theory knowledge is still quite poor. Using this time to accumulate more theoretical knowledge and read more books benefits me. When magical perception breaks through, these will all become my foundation for substantial progress." His expression was resolute. A gentleman keeps his talents hidden and acts when the time is right! Then he stopped having Shadow take him through shadow traversals. Instead, he took a deep breath. Blood flowed through his body. Life-filled blood cleansed his entire body. The shadow magic power corroding his flesh was gradually worn away. An unprecedented sense of relief instantly enveloped his body and mind. These two days of constantly fighting pain and itching had kept his nerves taut. Relaxing now, even he wouldn't masochistically torment himself further. "No more overthinking. Let's go enjoy a class. Today happens to be Transfiguration class... I can both relax and gain knowledge. Double happiness!" Thinking this, he felt energetic and quickened his pace toward the Transfiguration classroom. In front of the classroom, he encountered the trio. Due to their previous misconception that he was threatened by Snape and even tortured daily, plus him telling them about Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone, their wariness had turned to sympathy and pity. Seeing him, the trio greeted him quite warmly. He paused slightly, looking at their faces. They all looked sleep-deprived and haggard. Seeing this, he clicked his tongue, remembering what Hagrid had said. During his three weeks of detention, the trio had been constantly guarding against Snape stealing the Philosopher's Stone, even taking shifts for night watches. They didn't have his Legendary Vitality yet persisted for three weeks. Quite impressive. Among the trio, Hermione looked particularly haggard with dark circles under her eyes, like she was wearing smoky makeup. He couldn't help asking, "Hermione, what's..." Seeing this, Hermione looked resentful, silently hugging her textbooks and walking into the Transfiguration classroom. As he wondered what was happening, Harry yawned and said with some amazement, "Ciel, you wouldn't have forgotten, would you? Today is essentially the last real Transfiguration class of the term. After this class, it'll all be self-study and Q&A sessions. Professor McGonagall will also teach us essay writing in class. Supposedly to ensure our regular grades are high enough to avoid failing final exams. So this class is Hermione's last chance to reclaim first place in Transfiguration. Recently, even while monitoring Snape, she's been thinking about Transfiguration late into the night!" Speaking of this, Harry looked at him somewhat resentfully. "It must be the pressure you put on her before. She often mutters about this principle and that principle in our ears... for several days I've had nightmares about Transfiguration exams. Merlin above, thank heaven it'll finally end after today." Hearing this, he felt both amused and exasperated. After briefly explaining Hermione's situation, Harry turned the topic to Snape, his face full of excitement. "Ciel, since you were in detention, you might not know. We've completely confirmed Snape is the mastermind trying to seize the Philosopher's Stone. We have solid evidence." He blinked in confusion. "Evidence?" Harry nodded repeatedly. "That's right. The evidence is that during the academic review, all professors were incredibly busy; even Headmaster Dumbledore was constantly in meetings. Only Snape had the least work. And almost every night when free, he'd lurk around the fourth-floor corridor. Doesn't this prove the academic review was likely orchestrated by Snape to create opportunities to approach the Philosopher's Stone?" He paused, unsure how to respond. Harry continued enthusiastically, "But fortunately Snape's plot didn't succeed. Because we're not fighting alone. Professor Quirrell also often passes by the fourth-floor corridor. He must have kept Snape in check, preventing his scheme from succeeding. Makes sense... he's the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, naturally skilled against dark magic. Who would have thought Professor Quirrell, usually so timid, would be so brave at crucial moments." Harry's face was full of admiration. He remained speechless for a long time. After a while, he said, "Harry. How many years have you worn those glasses? Is the prescription too weak? Should you get new ones?" Harry asked curiously, "How did you know? I did feel the glasses weren't quite clear anymore." His mouth twitched. "Because your eyesight is poor... this matter is too obvious." Before the confused Harry could inquire further, the class bell rang. Thinking of Professor McGonagall's strictness, Harry and Ron had no time to continue talking and quickly rushed into the classroom, sitting in their seats before the bell finished. He also sat among the little Hufflepuffs. When the bell rang, Professor McGonagall on the platform looked with satisfaction at the fully present classroom. "Very good. I think you know this is the last real Transfiguration class of the school year. From here on, it'll all be self-study and Q&A sessions. So in this class, to assess your Transfiguration mastery, everyone will demonstrate once in front of the class, and I'll provide targeted feedback. Of course, this is also your last chance to earn house points in Transfiguration class. Those particularly outstanding can be directly exempted from final exams." With Professor McGonagall's announcement, everyone was caught off guard. They'd heard from upperclassmen about later self-study sessions but nothing about demonstrating Transfiguration in this class! They'd thought the painful Transfiguration lessons were over, with relaxed self-study sessions ahead. How was there a pop quiz waiting here? Professor McGonagall said meaningfully, "I suppose your upperclassmen didn't tell you about this." She rarely showed such playfulness, offering a knowing wink. "You see, this is Hogwarts tradition. Those who've been rained on won't hold umbrellas for the next students. You must endure the same suffering." Instantly, everyone understood. Those upperclassmen had deliberately not mentioned it. Just like how everyone in the wizarding world stayed silent about Sorting Ceremony details to give young wizards a "surprise." In Transfiguration class, upperclassmen had given them another surprise! Harry and Ron exchanged glances, both looking somewhat bitter and mentally groaning. These past weeks, they'd been taking shifts monitoring Snape. Unlike Hermione, who was determined to catch up to him in Transfiguration, where did they have time to practice Transfiguration? "We're doomed. Absolutely doomed! Professor McGonagall will definitely be furious." The two harbored some desperate hope, quickly flipping through textbooks while waving wands, trying to cram at the last minute. At this time, Professor McGonagall had begun calling names alphabetically. Undoubtedly, the first name rang out. "Hannah Abbott!" Hannah stood up again, face flushed red and flustered. Everyone cast sympathetic looks her way. Even he felt both amused and exasperated. How great must the Abbott family's resentment be for attending Hogwarts? Fortunately, Hufflepuff students immediately gave Hannah enthusiastic applause. Hannah turned to glance at him, seeing his encouraging look, immediately blushed, and turned back, her small hands gripping the wand relaxing somewhat. Hannah took several deep breaths while murmuring to herself. "I can do this. I can do it. Transfiguration isn't hard, I can do it." Then Hannah pointed her wand at the matchstick before her. He, observing from the side, suddenly showed some surprise. Professor McGonagall on the platform was also somewhat astonished. "This is really unexpected." The matchstick before Hannah had actually become a simple, gleaming silver needle. Though the details were still somewhat rough, this Transfiguration could be considered successful. Seeing the silver needle before her, Hannah couldn't help but jump. Her twin pigtails bounced as her face turned as red as an apple. "I really did it!" She excitedly turned to her fellow Hufflepuffs. "Did you see? I knew what Ciel told us was true. Transfiguration really isn't hard... as long as we're not afraid, we can all succeed. Before going up, you must repeat it several times." The little Hufflepuffs also got excited. He was somewhat stunned. Only now did he realize that what Hannah had done was exactly the "trick" he'd taught them in previous Transfiguration classes. Mentally repeating "I can do this" and "Transfiguration isn't hard"? Then his gaze swept and caught sight of calluses on Hannah's palm where she gripped her wand from friction. His eyes immediately showed understanding. Not only that, Hannah's usual practice had probably been considerable. Previously, the little Hufflepuffs might have had psychological barriers about Transfiguration, being timid and doubting whether they could actually perform transformations. But magic in the Harry Potter world was very idealistic power. Mental determination played a decisive role. Once doubting oneself, Transfiguration would absolutely fail. But after he shared this "trick," students like Hannah gave themselves more positive psychological suggestions. In practice, they naturally achieved more obvious feedback, building confidence. Through such positive cycles, improving a little each day, achieving such progress over several weeks was natural. The subsequent little Hufflepuffs called by Professor McGonagall, having Hannah's successful example, had even fewer doubts. Their daily practice displayed more smoothly at this moment. Nearly half the little Hufflepuffs could successfully transform matchsticks into needles! Though some hadn't completely succeeded, they were already very close. Such performance left even Professor McGonagall somewhat unexpected. In her years teaching Transfiguration at Hogwarts, even Ravenclaw students hadn't shown such performance! What had this year's Hufflepuffs been taking?! After a moment, Professor McGonagall's gaze fell on him, her eyes showing emotion. Everything seemed to have started after this little Hufflepuff appeared. Surrounding him, his efforts unconsciously infected those who knew him. This year's young students really seemed different. Professor McGonagall's face couldn't help but show a gratified smile. But the next moment, when the first Gryffindor lion's performance was finally called upon, seeing the oddly shaped matchstick before him, Professor McGonagall's smile suddenly froze. She tried to convince herself this might just be coincidence. However, two consecutive Gryffindor lions performed similarly. This made Professor McGonagall's expression turn completely frosty. The Gryffindor young wizards suddenly shivered, having a very bad premonition. This time, Professor McGonagall probably wouldn't give them any good days. Until Professor McGonagall called a name, everyone turned their attention over. "Hermione Granger!" Professor McGonagall's expression was heavy. At this point, she could only hope Hermione's performance would be better. Otherwise, she'd truly have nowhere to put her face. After standing up, Hermione first glanced at him, then took a long breath. She gently caressed her wand, seemingly finding her rhythm. Then she waved her wand. The matchstick on her desk transformed without suspense into an extremely ornate silver needle with hollow carvings. This was natural... she'd been able to do this before. But this wasn't the end. Like he had demonstrated in class before, the silver needle began various dazzling transformations. Seeing this scene, he felt emotional. In three weeks, while staying up monitoring Snape and finding time to practice Transfiguration, Hermione had actually reached at least Black Iron-tier mastery in the system's evaluation. Hermione's mastery in the field of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration was quite profound. Professor McGonagall's expression also relaxed considerably. Clearly, she was quite satisfied with Hermione's performance. But the next moment, Hermione hadn't finished her demonstration. Her expression became even more focused. Waving her wand, the matchstick reappeared on the desk. The next second, suddenly, it became a flame. The color changed from blue to orange-yellow, then to brilliant white. Professor McGonagall's eyes immediately brightened, showing the same joy as when she'd watched him perform in the previous Transfiguration class. "Beautiful Switching Spell! Hermione, your Gamp's Law and Switching Spells were both excellent. In my years teaching Transfiguration, the number of times I've seen first-year students dabble in Switching Spell branches is truly rare. Fifteen points to Gryffindor!" Professor McGonagall's face thawed like melting ice and snow. This made the little Gryffindor lions breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately Hermione had performed well, preventing Professor McGonagall from continuing to be so angry. Otherwise they felt they'd face catastrophe. At this time, Hermione also sighed in relief. Clearly performing the Switching Spell just now hadn't been easy for her. She felt quite fortunate. Before Christmas, she'd found a spell in the library that could produce blue flames. She'd even put these blue flames in bottles to warm friends' hands in the bitter cold. At the time, Hermione hadn't realized this blue flame actually contained Switching Spell principles. These past three weeks, she'd been studying the blue flame spell, finally entering the gates of Switching Spells. Speaking of which, it was somewhat lucky. But after a moment, Hermione sat down, the corner of her mouth slightly curving upward. Before his detention, his questions had indicated he hadn't truly mastered Switching Spells yet. Only three weeks had passed. He also wasn't as lucky as her to find useful spells for mastering Switching Spells in the library. He probably couldn't have gotten started yet. This meant that today, she had won?! Hermione, accustomed to being first in every exam since childhood, had been nearly suffocated by his pressure. Now she finally felt she could breathe easily. Hermione's gaze unconsciously stole glances toward him. But what made her uncertain was that he was applauding her previous performance, with admiration and surprise visible in his expression. But beyond that, there didn't seem to be much fluctuation. This suddenly made Hermione's heart uneasy again. "No way..." At this time, since there were no Ravenclaw or Slytherin students, names jumped exceptionally quickly. In the blink of an eye, Professor McGonagall called out a name. "Ciel Sprout!"