Chapter 130: Witcher and Collective Cheating

After discovering the cause of the problem, Wade was eager to rush off and improve the other Vanishing Cabinet. However, knowing he had classes the next day, he reluctantly returned to his dorm to get some sleep. The first class in the morning was Transfiguration. Transfiguration was a form of magic that Wade could quickly master without needing to rely on his enhanced eyesight. Perhaps because he had been diligently practicing Occlumency, Wade's thoughts were much clearer than in his previous life. His mental imagery was more specific and vivid, and his magical energy flowed smoothly and steadily. This allowed him to succeed in basic Transfiguration in just one or two tries, even as a beginner. Additionally, Lupin was an exceptional Transfiguration teacher. Having been friends with three individuals who all successfully became Animagi, Lupin's understanding and mastery of Transfiguration theory could easily be called that of a master. His guidance for Wade was always straightforward, cutting to the heart of the principles, and as a result, Wade's progress in Transfiguration was rapid. It was also Lupin who judged that Wade was now ready to begin preparing to become an Animagus. The first step involved holding a fresh mandrake leaf in one's mouth continuously for an entire month—without swallowing it or removing it. This process was undoubtedly difficult because people have to eat and drink every day, and during sleep, there is the unconscious urge to chew or swallow. So, while the requirement was for a month, it was not unusual for people to have to repeat the process several times, or even more than a dozen times. Those who couldn't endure naturally gave up. However, at the moment, the mandrakes were still seedlings. Professor Sprout said that it would take at least another month before the leaves could be harvested and used. For now, all Wade could do was continue practicing and improving his Transfiguration skills. Since Wade's progress far surpassed the course content, Professor McGonagall gave him special permission to practice independently during class. She would occasionally check on him and offer guidance. Transfiguration class ended early, and after that, Wade headed to the Astronomy Tower to continue learning life alchemy with Professor Murray. Near the end of his tutoring session, something finally happened on the chessboard. A white knight moved across the board, circling a few times before drawing its sword and making a few sweeping motions, as if battling an invisible foe. Then, while standing firmly with both hands on the sword, the knight spoke in a deep voice: "Evil is evil. Lesser, Greater, Middling, It's all the same!" Professor Murray chuckled and said, "It seems like quite the character... What kind of thoughts did you give it?" Upon hearing this, the white knight suddenly raised its head. "Based on my first impression of you, I don't like your attitude, but I'll listen to what you have to say." Wade explained, "I once read a short story in a magazine where the main character was a witcher. I found it interesting, so I gave it a similar mindset." "Interesting... Most people only tell their chess pieces what to do, and their personalities are shaped unintentionally." As Professor Murray spoke, he asked the piece curiously, "Are you a knight of the Eight Virtues?" The white knight was silent for a moment before replying seriously, "No, I'm not a knight. I'm a witcher!" "A witcher?" Professor Murray almost laughed. "Are you going to hunt demons and vampires?" "Mock me if you must, but I understand how difficult it is for people to truly understand one another." The white knight spoke solemnly, "You may find it hard to believe, but even in places where the sun shines brightly, there are shadows it cannot reach." "What if I asked you to fight the pieces on the other side?" Professor Murray inquired. The white knight looked at the mindless black chess pieces and shook its head. "I will not harm the innocent!" "But you are a chess piece. This is your purpose." Professor Murray actually began debating with it. The white knight disagreed, saying, "I reject the mission you've imposed on me. I know what I must do... even if my path is destined to be lonely." Seeing how much fun Professor Murray was having, Wade decided to leave the knight behind. After bidding farewell, he left. In the afternoon, it was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts class. "According to Ryan and Harry, their Defense Against the Dark Arts class yesterday was an absolute disaster." During lunch time, Michael shared news he'd overheard from the Umbrella Room. "Professor Lockhart brought in a cage of Cornish pixies, made a mess of the classroom, and then ran away." "It wasn't just that," Padma chimed in. "Several students got bitten or scratched, and Madam Pomfrey was furious." Lisa said in disbelief, "I heard they had to take a quiz before class! And it was all about Lockhart's favorite color and his so-called achievements." Anthony Goldstein quietly gathered all the second-year Ravenclaw students in a small room behind the Great Hall and handed each of them a piece of paper. He said, "Honestly, I think the questions Professor Lockhart is asking are completely pointless, and it's not worth studying for them." "Here are the questions and answers I managed to get. Just glance over them so you can handle it during class." "Oh, and don't pull out any cheat sheets during the test. After all, he is a professor, and he might have some way of detecting cheating." "Got it," Terry said as he unfolded the paper and glanced at it. "I really don't want to go along with this just to impress him." "It's still important to make a good first impression," Anthony advised. "He's a professor, and sometimes we might need permission slips from him. Plus, if your grades are too bad, he might give you detention." Terry said nothing more. The group of students looked at the notes, muttering the answers to themselves as they quickly memorized them. Although the Ravenclaws weren't photographic memory geniuses, few of them had poor memories either. Some students, after going through the answers once, had memorized most of them. Since they weren't aiming for perfect scores, they set the notes aside. Others—especially most of the girls—went over the notes two or three times. Wade was also quietly memorizing the answers. He wasn't particularly interested in Lockhart, but he knew it would be easy to get a permission slip to the Restricted Section of the library from him. So, Anthony was right—making a good first impression was important. However, getting a perfect score wouldn't be ideal either. If his score was too high, the professor might think Wade was some sort of overzealous fan and drag him up to perform ridiculous scenes in every class. That would be unbearable. Once they finished memorizing, the students quickly destroyed the notes to avoid being caught cheating by the professor. When they arrived at the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the Slytherin students were already inside. As the Ravenclaws settled into their seats, Lockhart entered the room, beaming, carrying a stack of papers. "Excellent, children! It seems like you're all eager to start today's class. And you've all bought my complete set of books. I'm sure you've learned all about my glorious accomplishments from them." Lockhart's voice was bright and cheerful as he spoke. "Perhaps some of you are thinking—" He imitated a high-pitched, girly voice and said, "Oh, when will I ever be as great as the amazing Professor Lockhart—recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class, honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award—" He flashed what he called his "most charming smile" and said, "—as great as that?" "Don't worry, children. All I can say is, don't rush." Lockhart encouraged them. "As long as you study as hard as I did, one day you too can become a remarkable wizard." "Now... let's see how much you've learned so far..." He began handing out the quizzes. Wade glanced at it. It was exactly the same as the questions Anthony had gathered. Lockhart hadn't even bothered to change a single one. The Ravenclaws exchanged knowing smiles before quickly getting to work. Meanwhile, the Slytherins' reactions varied. Some looked disdainful, others frowned, and a few appeared impressed. Some, like the Ravenclaws, had apparently gotten the answers ahead of time and immediately started writing. The sound of quills scratching against parchment filled the room. Today, Lockhart was destined to receive a set of results that would greatly please him. -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! Available on my P@treon page for just $4!! Early access to the following translations:- ⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +115 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day ⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460 ⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters ⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450 [email protected]/Lightreaper457 --------------------------------