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The girl had long, flowing silver hair, and her eyes shone like the brightest stars in the midnight sky. Her skin was crystal-clear, as if sculpted from moonlight and morning dew.
"Merlin's underpants! A corporeal human Patronus! Now I understand why you kept stammering every time I asked about it! This is truly a marvel beyond belief!"
Professor Flitwick stared, wide-eyed, at the figure floating before him. He had long harbored vague suspicions, but never imagined Ian's condition would be even more extraordinary, no, utterly unprecedented, than any of the many theories he had entertained.
A Patronus of this nature could rewrite fundamental principles within the wizarding world!
"Can she speak and communicate? Is she a living witch somewhere? No, this feels more like a ghost! Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
"Perhaps through your Patronus, we may reshape our entire understanding of magic and its limits!" Professor Flitwick's knowledge was formidable. He paced around Ariana more than ten times, only stopping when he became dizzy.
"I believe she can communicate… her name is Ariana, she's my…" Ian began hesitantly.
He still hadn't found the right words to explain Ariana properly.
"Oh! Good gracious! A dwarf from a fairy tale!" Ariana, who had just opened her eyes, suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Ian's carefully arranged explanation. The girl wore a gown woven from silver threads, its hem fluttering like feathers caught in a gentle breeze, delicate yet dignified.
Her outburst was at odds with her graceful appearance.
"I'm not a dwarf; I merely have some goblin ancestry," Professor Flitwick corrected her gently, clearly unoffended.
"I'm sorry, sir. I mistook you," Ariana bowed quickly, clearly embarrassed, mostly from her limited experience in the living world.
"Oh, no harm done. I understand the confusion. After all, you thought I was a figure from a story, hahaha, perhaps I do possess a bit of dwarfish charm."
Then, Flitwick resumed his dizzying circles around Ariana.
After becoming dizzy once more,
He approached her cheerfully, reached out to touch her gown, then turned to Ian with evident awe:
"She possesses a sentient soul! This is a form of Patronus unseen throughout all of wizarding history! Little Ian, you are making history, and I am privileged to witness it!"
Though his voice retained its usual shrillness, the excitement was unmistakable. From just a brief observation, Flitwick had already made several profound deductions.
"I can't maintain her form for long, Professor."
Ian stepped forward and discreetly slipped a few sweets into Ariana's hand, whispering that this was part of his exam. Ariana nodded slightly, as if she roughly understood.
"All right, all right, no problem. That's more than enough. I didn't expect such magic to endure for long, even with your remarkable talent."
With that,
Without hesitation,
Professor Flitwick hurried to his desk and inscribed a large "O" on Ian's exam parchment. Just as Ian and Ariana prepared to end the magic, Ariana glanced toward the wall behind Flitwick. She seemed to smile at a portrait hanging there before fading gently back into Ian's wand.
"Whew~"
Ian exhaled deeply in relief.
"You must possess an extraordinary bloodline! This bond transcends life and death itself! You will be the first wizard to explore this path through the Patronus Charm!"
"This holds far more promise than those dangerous magics you stubbornly pursue!" Flitwick clearly wanted to discuss further, but many students still awaited their exams, including those from other years.
So, even as Ian finished and prepared to leave, Professor Flitwick reminded him once more. It was clear the professor had not yet abandoned the idea of Ian inventing a new branch of magic, one perhaps less perilous.
He even suggested a fresh line of inquiry he believed safer. After Ian left, Flitwick did not immediately admit the next student.
"Thank you."
A voice spoke quietly from behind Professor Flitwick.
"You're welcome. In fact, you solved a dilemma I'd been wrestling with, what exam question to set for little Ian. It had kept me awake for several nights."
He turned his gaze toward the mural on the wall, where the figure was gradually becoming clearer from its once ghostly transparency.
"Albus, there must be some history between you and that little girl of Ian's," said Professor Flitwick, glancing at the old headmaster in his customary purple robes, who appeared unusually composed.
"What makes you think that?" Albus Dumbledore did not answer directly.
"Of course, I used my eyes to see it," Flitwick replied with a wink, indicating he was no fool. He could plainly read the complex expression on Dumbledore's face, and the tears quietly shimmering in his eyes.
…
Compared to Professor Flitwick's examination, Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration test was far more straightforward, even though Transfiguration was typically the most challenging subject each year.
But that did not apply to the young wizard before her, who possessed not only advanced Transfiguration mastery but also the extraordinary gift known as [Shaping All Things].
Before the exam began,
Professor McGonagall decided to put a little pressure on Ian.
"Mr. Prince, I hope by next year you'll have matured enough to stop causing us professors such embarrassment," said the stern Deputy Headmistress, whose reputation alone made every student sit up straight.
Ian was no exception.
He immediately adopted his most respectful posture.
"I apologise for the trouble I've caused. I promise to govern my behaviour with stricter discipline next year," he said quietly, thinking that the next year should be calm, no noseless troublemakers stirring up chaos.
His promise was sincere and confident enough to soften McGonagall's usual sternness just a touch.
"Good. Remember, fairness is paramount!" She said, raising her voice slightly. It was clear she was exasperated by the current House points predicament.
"Yes, Professor."
Ian didn't waste time wondering exactly what she meant, he stuck to his strategy of humility and respect. From the moment he entered the exam room, his back remained straight and his demeanour composed.
"Let us begin the exam, then."
McGonagall did not intend to make things unduly difficult for the young wizard. She glanced down at a small button resting on her desk. "For the other students, the task is to transfigure this button into a mouse. Of course, that's already a step up from previous years, thanks in no small part to your influence. The first-years are showing far greater overall skill than before."
"But for you, naturally, I have a different request. Your exam must be somewhat… unique. After all, we all know how exceptional you are."
She tapped the desk lightly.
"What would you like me to transfigure it into?" Ian blinked, silently accepting the challenge.
After a brief pause, McGonagall's gaze softened as she spoke quietly, "A flying broomstick. And remember, I want a broom that truly flies, not just any old broom."
It was clearly a pointed test.
This was not merely an exam.
It was a challenge to the very foundations of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. As a professor often disturbed late at night by restless students, McGonagall had already sensed something unusual about Ian's Transfiguration talents. Now, she intended to confirm her suspicions.
Much like Professor Flitwick's approach earlier.
"Very well, Professor."
Ian had long awaited this moment to "reveal his marvels before the cat." Without hesitation, he cast his Protean Charm, his intent clear: to show, not hide, his remarkable gifts.
What followed,
As Ian spoke a simple, unadorned Transfiguration incantation, an unseen, formless force radiated quietly from his wand, spreading like a gentle tide.
The button began to change.
Its once-smooth surface began to ripple like water disturbed by a gentle breeze, the waves converging into slender streams that traced the button's edge before flowing outward. The colour shifted from silvery-white to a radiant gold, glowing softly as if a gentle fire burned within, though no heat was given off.
As the enchantment unfolded, the button's shape changed rapidly. No longer round, it lengthened and twisted, as though countless invisible hands were reshaping it from the inside. Its texture transformed completely, from firm and solid to supple and springy.
"As I expected…"
Professor McGonagall observed the metamorphosis with a mixture of awe and contemplation.
Within the golden shimmer, the outline of a broomstick took form, first a slender handle, then the broad sweeping bristles. Each individual "strand" gleamed distinctly, shimmering with latent magic.
There it hovered, suspended quietly in midair. The once humble button had become a delicate broomstick, etched with faintly glowing runes pulsing with magical energy. The bristles at the tail were soft and lustrous, as if ready at any moment to carry its rider through the skies.
"You possess extraordinary talent, Mr Prince. This will lead you down a path every Transfiguration scholar dreams of, toward becoming a truly unparalleled Master of Transfiguration."
"Your name is destined to be etched into the annals of Transfiguration history."
Professor McGonagall's hand traced every inch of the broomstick, attuned to the powerful magic flowing within. Her voice carried genuine admiration and high hopes for Ian's future.
"Truly, I find no flaw in this kind of magic."
She then awarded Ian a large 'O' for Outstanding and handed him a somewhat yellowed notebook.
"I've recently revised these notes on Animagus transformation. I trust you'll find time during the holidays to study them."
Under ordinary circumstances, Professor McGonagall would not offer such personal instruction, but clearly, Ian was an exceptional case. Hogwarts' philosophy of "teaching according to aptitude" fit perfectly here.
(To Be Continued…)