[Note: Read up to Chapter - 102 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Before long, Charms class came to an end, leaving both the young wizards and their professor in high spirits. If anything, the students were even more elated.
Spurred on by Aris's brilliant performance, the rest of the class worked twice as hard—each hoping to earn a word of praise from Professor Flitwick.
As for Aris, the lesson itself had been a breeze. The material was so basic that he spent nearly the entire second half of the class thumbing through Forgotten Ancient Magic and Spells. Professor Flitwick clearly noticed, but said nothing.
In fact, when Terry let out a loud cheer over making slight progress with the levitation charm, Flitwick simply raised a hand, quietly reminding him not to disturb Aris, who was "deep in study."
The rest of the class looked on with a mix of envy and admiration.
There they were, sweating through wand work just to make a feather twitch—and meanwhile, Aris was not only reading an advanced book in plain sight but being shielded by the professor while doing so!
He had quickly become a model student in their eyes—the one they all admired, and secretly wished to emulate.
"That's all for today," Professor Flitwick announced as the end of the lesson approached. "Make sure to practise your levitation spells when you return to your dormitories. I'll be checking your progress next time!"
The moment class was dismissed, the students began packing up their things, most of them groaning quietly. For all their efforts, few had managed anything noteworthy. At best, some feathers hovered an inch or two before flopping straight back down.
Aris glanced around and realised just how rare someone like Hermione truly was—someone who could cast a full spell on the very first try.
Even here at Ravenclaw, the so-called house of wisdom, most students hadn't managed it.
It brought home once again just how vital talent—and a genuine passion for learning—really were.
And, judging by today, not many of them had cracked a book before arriving at Hogwarts.
It all felt incredibly real—almost too real to believe.
"Professor, one moment if you please!"
Just as most of the young wizards had shuffled out of the classroom and Professor Flitwick was about to head back to his office, Aris stepped forward and called out to him.
"Mr. Shafiq, is there something else you'd like to discuss?" Flitwick asked, looking slightly pressed for time.
"Ah, yes. I was going to mention—I'll be informing the Headmaster about your progress shortly. If you're open to it, I may need to draw up a special timetable just for you. Your learning pace is far beyond that of your average first-year!"
"Of course!" Aris's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected such an added bonus.
If that went through, it'd be perfect—finally, he wouldn't have to keep studying alone.
Truth be told, he'd already noticed a month before term started, during his self-study sessions, that some of the more complex magical theories were difficult to grasp—even with his enhanced cognitive ability. Some concepts simply couldn't be mastered overnight.
What he needed now was a proper mentor. Someone seasoned and experienced. After all, knowledge was one thing, but experience was its own kind of magic—and it took time to build.
"Splendid!" Flitwick beamed, clearly delighted by Aris's enthusiasm. "So then, what was it you wanted to ask?"
"Ah, right, Professor," Aris replied after a brief pause. "I was wondering… is there a method to store spells?"
"Store spells?" Flitwick raised an eyebrow, genuinely puzzled. "Why would you want to do that?"
"Well," Aris began, carefully choosing his words, "I've been working on an idea for a magical item—one that could cast spells automatically."
"If there were a way to store spells in advance, it could really push my research forward. And since you're a master of Charms, I thought you might have a few ideas or insights that could help!"
"So that's what it is..." Flitwick paused, then began muttering to himself, "A method of storing spells… could it be some sort of curse? Or perhaps an enchantment?"
"No, that's probably not what you're after…" he murmured, frowning as he considered it.
"I might have to look into a few texts on the subject," he finally admitted, glancing back at Aris. "Can't give you a clear answer just yet, I'm afraid. But I'll see what I can find."
"That's alright, Professor. I really appreciate you taking the time!" Aris replied, nodding with genuine gratitude.
As Professor Flitwick turned and headed off, a familiar system prompt chimed in Aris's mind:
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully stumping a professor. You've earned 300 academic points.]
Brilliant. Absolutely perfect.
A grin crept across Aris's face.
Truthfully, he wasn't too concerned about when—or if—Flitwick came up with an answer. All he wanted was to trigger the double-points reward.
The Hogwarts professors were proper experts, and most questions, unless they were downright impossible, were a walk in the park for them. So Aris had no choice but to toss out something so obscure and complex that it couldn't possibly be solved on the spot.
If Flitwick did manage to answer it eventually? Well, that'd be a bonus.
Leaving the Charms classroom, Aris made his way towards the Transfiguration corridor. Next up was class with the Hufflepuffs again.
But just as he turned down one of the hallways, he spotted two familiar figures heading his way.
"Harry! Ron!" Aris called out. "What a stroke of luck—just coming from Transfiguration, are you?"
"Yeah, mate! Brilliant to see you!" Ron said, looking oddly excited, which caught Aris a bit off guard.
"His pet hasn't turned back yet, and Ron's panicking a bit," Harry explained, though there was definitely a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Aris was certain of it—Harry was enjoying this far more than he let on.
This little rascal looked like he was proper chuffed to see someone else in a spot of trouble.
Ron, however, was far too worked up to notice his best mate's betrayal. He grabbed Aris's hand with teary eyes and wailed,
"Aris, are you seriously saying you can't change Scabbers back? He hasn't eaten all day! If this goes on, he'll starve to death!"
"I even tried dropping food into the goblet, but he couldn't eat a thing…"
"Pfft—!" Aris couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Beside him, Harry turned beet red trying to hold it in, clearly picturing the scene of Ron dropping crumbs into the goblet like it was feeding time at the zoo.
"You're laughing?! Seriously, Aris?!" Ron huffed, visibly miffed.
"Alright, alright!" Aris tried to pull himself together and replied earnestly, "Didn't you think to go to Professor McGonagall about it? Ask her to undo it?"
"Don't be daft!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "Like I'd dare! Who's going to believe a first-year actually pulled off a proper Transfiguration?"
"She'd think I'd gone completely round the twist!"
Aris and Harry both turned their heads away quickly, stifling another round of laughter.
Still, Aris tried to comfort him properly. "Look, it's not that I don't want to help you—I really don't know how to reverse it..."
"But don't panic! The curse'll wear off in three days at most. And for a mouse, going without food a bit won't do much harm."
"You sure?" Ron eyed him suspiciously.
"Absolutely. I swear."
(Well... that is Wormtail. Pretty sure three days without food won't kill him. Probably.)
Of course, Aris knew perfectly well how to lift the spell. But he wasn't about to do it—not yet. Let the rat suffer a bit.
There's no noble reason—I just can't stand that mouse.
"Well, I'll be waiting, then," Ron muttered, head hanging low in defeat.
You could tell he was genuinely starting to panic.
Still, if he knew who that mouse really was, he'd probably make the same call I did.
He might even chuck the goblet straight into the Black Lake.
Though... I wonder—is the mouse-turned-goblet waterproof?
"Oh—Aris!" Harry suddenly piped up like he'd remembered something important.
"You've got Transfiguration next, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Well, then just a heads-up—Professor McGonagall likes to transform into a cat before class. A proper cat, mind you!"
"So whatever you do, don't go messing about with the cat on the desk…"
Harry visibly shuddered, clearly recalling a scene where some unfortunate soul had teased the wrong cat and got a right scare when she morphed back into herself.
"Oh, and she didn't look too happy today either," Ron added, lowering his voice.
"Apparently, she was late to class—can you believe it? First time ever. Heard she got held up in the library."
"Wait—you mean you two weren't caught being late?" Aris asked, surprised.
"We were caught," Harry and Ron groaned in unison, wearing matching expressions of doom. The synchrony was oddly charming.
"Hermione reckons she walked in exactly one minute before us," Ron grumbled.
"Well, that's lucky," Aris said casually.
The Chosen One being late to his first class—that tracks. Right out of the original story and every fanfic ever written.
"Hold on—how'd you know we were late?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, just a guess. Those moving staircases are a right nightmare, aren't they?"
"Wait… did you get lost too?" Harry pressed, curious.
"Nope!" Aris replied smoothly.
After a bit more chit-chat, the two boys dashed off—apparently, they had Potions next.
Good luck to them. If Snape's in one of his moods, they're gonna need it.
Thinking about Snape's special fondness for young Harry, Aris couldn't help but spare the poor boy a moment of silence.
But something Harry had said left him puzzled.
Professor McGonagall was late?
That didn't sound like her at all.
He said she'd gone to the library and got held up—but what would she be doing there just before class?
A curious thought crossed Aris's mind, and he instinctively shook his head.
Sinful, he muttered to himself.
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Transfiguration Classroom
Sure enough, just like Harry and Ron had said, when Aris stepped inside, there was a sleek black cat perched neatly atop the teacher's desk, staring across the room with a piercing gaze.
Strangely enough, even in feline form, Professor McGonagall managed to look strict and intimidating.
Aris had no idea how she pulled that off—but she did.
Most of the other students had already arrived. Aris found a seat near the back and quietly sat down.
No sooner had he settled in than he overheard two classmates in front of him whispering.
"Where is Professor McGonagall? Is she late again?"
"Yeah, I heard she turned up late to the last class too!"
"Really? But I thought she was always bang on time—least, that's what the older students say."
"Maybe something's up. She does handle a lot of responsibilities around the school, doesn't she?"
More murmurs followed as the chatter grew louder, filling the classroom with speculation.
Just then, Aris felt a sharp stare land directly on him.
His eyes flicked to the source.
Yep—right from the black cat on the podium.
More precisely, right from Professor McGonagall.
"That's quite enough," said a stern voice from the front.
It came from the cat.
"Are you lot planning to keep nattering all lesson, or have you not realised class has already begun?"
The room fell silent at once.
Then, to everyone's amazement, the black cat perched on the desk suddenly leapt into the air—and mid-jump, transformed into a stern-faced Professor McGonagall.
The entire classroom fell dead silent.
"Mr. Shafiq, for your lateness—Ravenclaw, minus two points."
Aris blinked in confusion.
Late?
Come off it, Professor… you're just making things up now!
This was clearly payback—and she wasn't even trying to hide it.
Of course, he kept all that to himself.
He might've been fuming inside, but arguing with Professor McGonagall was a surefire way to dig himself into a deeper hole.
Besides, he had caused a bit of a stir recently. Maybe she just needed a little outlet to let off steam.
Just earlier in the corridor, he'd been feeling sorry for Harry over Snape's bias.
Now, it seemed he was the one on the receiving end of a professor's… "special attention."
"Right then, everyone—open your textbooks!"
As a few students gave Aris sympathetic glances, Professor McGonagall's sharp voice rang out again.
"In today's lesson, you'll be learning the basic theory of Transfiguration and attempting to turn the matchstick on your desk into a needle."
"This isn't an easy spell by any stretch, but I expect all of you to give it your best effort…"
She had just written Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration on the board and was preparing to dive into the explanation when a voice piped up from the back.
"Sorry, Professor, I've got a question…"
McGonagall's eyes immediately locked onto the speaker.
Aris had his hand raised, wearing the most innocent expression he could muster.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 102 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]