Huh?
Hermione?
What are the odds?
On the train, Sean's voice mingled with the rush of wind.
Outside, the wide open fields had slipped away at some point; the dappled sunlight told him the train had entered a grove of yews.
Hermione's ear tips slowly flushed pink. She opened her mouth to speak, but her mind went blank.
That only made Sean more puzzled.
"Oh! She was just saying it's incredible you can already do Transfiguration!"
A voice broke in—Justin—quickly stepping in for Hermione. He pointed to the silver needle on the table, pulling both their gazes to it.
"How did you manage it? Hermione says it's a really difficult branch of magic."
He finished with a bit of trepidation, praying the boy opposite wouldn't be offended.
"The incantation is 'Transfiguration,' with the break between 'Trans' and 'figura,' stress on fi… More importantly, when you sweep the wand from left to right, make it fast—no pauses."
Sean reviewed his practice and picked out the likely essentials; that was how he always learned.
"And obviously you need a clear image in your mind of what you're turning the object into. That's on page five of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration."
Moments later, the train left the yews behind and the compartment brightened again, lighting up Sean's green eyes like emeralds.
"So my mistake was the pause… I mean—nice to meet you. You probably didn't hear me introduce myself earlier; I don't mind saying it again. I'm Justin—Justin Finch-Fletchley."
Relieved by Sean's explanation, Justin finally exhaled.
"Hermione Granger."
Hermione still had a trace of blush, but her voice was full and steady.
"Sean Green."
Sean thought Hermione was acting a little odd. He was curious—but he didn't plan to dwell on it.
He had more important business.
In the compartment, he seemed to go back to turning pages in A Beginner's Guide, but his eyes were already on the proficiency panel.
Let's see what kind of Transfiguration prodigy I am.
His gaze slid down; he admitted he was nervous—ten times more than pulling a gacha in his last life. Power in games was fake; this talent was real, and it would shape his future.
[Title: Transfiguration Apprentice]
[Slightly increases sensitivity to Transfiguration; slightly improves Transfiguration talent]
As expected. He held his breath and kept reading.
[Wizard Sean — Transfiguration Talent: Light Purple (boosted by Transfiguration Apprentice title). Note: average wizard is Green]
[Assessment: You are a true prodigy in the branch of Transfiguration. With guidance, you will become a pivotal master in this field.]
Purple—Epic?!
I really am a Transfiguration prodigy?!
He could almost hear drums pounding by his ears and someone singing "good luck is here." Anyone who's lived with white-tier trash stats knows how to treasure a purple epic.
With guidance, I can become a Transfiguration master…
Stifling his excitement, Sean decided he'd glue himself to Hogwarts for all seven years. To make that happen, he started thinking carefully:
The difference between his Transfiguration talent and his Charms talent proved one thing: in the Harry Potter world, "magical talent" isn't one-size-fits-all. Different witches and wizards excel at different things.
Neville, for instance—mediocre elsewhere, but top-notch in Herbology. Hermione—strong in almost every branch, but weaker than Harry in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Divination was a disaster.
For Sean to get "Outstanding" in all seven subjects, he'd have to put in extra work where he was weak.
At Hogwarts, subjects don't all carry the same difficulty. It's not just the material; the professor matters—a lot. Like at university: the syllabus is set, but whether you enjoy the class or scrape through depends on who teaches it.
By that logic, the toughest core class should be Potions: Professor Snape, loads of fine-grained knowledge, hazardous lab work, turning in the potion brewed that period, and long essays to boot.
Just picturing Snape's gloomy face made Sean's heart sink. Earning an "Outstanding" in a Snape-taught Potions class would be no small feat.
Here's hoping he had at least a little talent for Potions.
A little would do.
Second hardest, he figured, was Defence Against the Dark Arts—high risk, and the teacher situation was… complicated.
Two-headed professors aren't exactly common.
Another tricky one…
Sean rubbed his brow, his eyes sharpening.
Nothing would stop him from studying—not even Voldemort.
With a rough plan in mind, he kept sorting the rest: next tier down should be Herbology, Transfiguration, and Charms—every one of them talent-hungry. The bottom rung would be History of Magic and Astronomy, both about memorizing specific facts—nothing he found daunting.
"Transfiguration and Charms… I should be fine for now. Astronomy and History—memorize more, no special attention needed. So the real pain points are Potions, Defence, and Herbology."
With the targets set, he was just deciding how to execute when the corridor outside, which had been noisy for a while, spiked again. He caught snatches of "Harry," "Harry Potter," and "Merlin!"—and then a loud bang.
Startled, Sean lifted his head, meeting Justin and Hermione's eyes yet again.
Justin ducked fast and said, as if nothing had happened, "Sean, look—the Levitation Charm. It's amazing!"
Sean followed his gaze. Above Hermione's wand, a feather hovered in the air. The girl tilted up her chin.
"It's really just a simple charm. I learned it from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. It isn't very hard; I mastered it after a few tries."
There was a hint of pride in her voice.
Sean, who'd needed five hundred tries: Actually… not quite.
"Justin, you try it too. It's only a little charm. The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 says it's often one of the first spells young witches and wizards learn."
Seeing Justin itching to try, Hermione spoke earnestly.
"You'll have to coach me."
He didn't refuse, and gave his wand an eager swish.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather didn't budge.
"You need to give your wrist a little flick," Hermione corrected.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather wobbled—just a bit.
"No, again! You have to speak decisively—hesitate and it'll fail!"
Hermione grew a touch stern; Justin got even more focused.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
…
"I did it! Hermione, that's brilliant—you're a great teacher!"
Justin was over the moon. He thanked her sincerely.
"You were right—it really isn't that hard!"