Straight A's in all seven subjects?
Sean mulled over the impossible problem while dragging his suitcase.
He had arrived quite early, and the first few carriages were still mostly empty.
Finding an unoccupied compartment in the second carriage, he tried to heave his suitcase onto the luggage rack. Twice he struggled, and twice it crashed back to the floor.
Sean paused, then flicked his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
You practiced the Levitation Charm once at Apprentice level, proficiency +3.
As both the spell and the system prompt chimed, the brick-like suitcase rose smoothly into the air.
This really is useful.
Sean tucked away his wand with satisfaction and slid the suitcase neatly into the compartment.
He failed to notice the young wizard outside, peeking curiously at him through the window.
Beyond the glass, steam from the scarlet locomotive curled into the sky above the chattering crowds. Cats of various colours wove between people's legs, while owls hooted and cooed inside their cages. The sound of heavy trunks clattering blended with the buzz of conversations.
Sean opened Hogwarts: A History, a tome nearly the size of a tabletop. One page listed the seven compulsory subjects taught at Hogwarts:
Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, and Astronomy.
How could a student achieve an Outstanding in every one?
Sean looked to the reference standard: Hermione Granger, top student of the Golden Trio.
If memory served, she had earned nine Os (Outstanding) and one E (Exceeds Expectations) in her O.W.L.s.
Her record was consistent throughout school. By comparing himself to her, Sean could estimate what level he needed to reach.
Was it difficult?
Of course it was. His magic talent was wretched. Aside from history-heavy subjects like History of Magic, everything else demanded natural ability.
But could he give up?
If he couldn't do it even with his system, he might as well find a block of stone and smash his head against it.
"Just grind it out!"
As he stowed his wand, Sean thought for a few seconds.
Let's start with Transfiguration then…
He sank into the velvet seat, put away Hogwarts: A History, and drew out A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Its reddish-brown cover gleamed with gold-edged patterns. Inside, it laid out the principles and techniques of Transfiguration, serving as the official textbook for first and second-years.
The classic example it offered was turning a match into a needle. If Sean could manage that within a month, he believed an Outstanding grade was within reach.
*When performing Transfiguration, it is very important to wave your wand firmly and decisively.
Do not wave or twirl your wand unnecessarily, or the Transfiguration will surely fail.
Before casting, fix a clear image of the desired result in your mind.
Beginners should enunciate clearly; advanced witches and wizards may not need the incantation at all…*
Sean read each line carefully. He resolved to memorize the book, all two hundred pages of it, before even attempting a spell.
Why? Because Hermione Granger had memorized all her textbooks at the start of term and gone on to excel.
If that method worked for her, it would work for him.
And since his natural talent was so poor, he had to compensate with sheer effort.
Another reason was more practical those books had cost him eleven Galleons. The price still made his heart ache, so he devoured their contents with the desperate determination of someone at an all-you-can-eat buffet, intent on getting his money's worth.
Without realising it, he had already memorised nearly every book he'd bought.
The one in his hands was no exception: he had finished over one hundred and eighty pages, and would complete the rest today before moving on to practice Transfiguration.
For a boy with unremarkable grades in his previous life, the transformation was striking.
Poverty truly makes one capable of anything.
Steam whistled across the platform. Sean, lost in his studies, didn't notice when another young wizard slid open the compartment door.
"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?"
A young witch with bushy brown hair pushed open the compartment door, her chin slightly raised.
"No."
Sean didn't even glance up from his book. If his half-year in the orphanage had given him any gift, it was the ability to focus. For those like him whose lives were not their own if they didn't learn to grow on their own, they would be blown away in an instant.
After that curt reply, Sean said nothing further. Even when the train jolted to life and the number of passengers in the compartment grew from two to three, he remained still, absorbed in his reading.
The scenery beyond the window unfurled like a painted canvas.
Winding rivers traced silver lines across the land, fields of wheat rippled in golden waves, and now and then a farmhouse, or a cluster of cattle and sheep, appeared only to vanish behind the folds of dark green hills.
Hermione bent over her book, occasionally glancing out the window, but her gaze kept drifting back to the quiet boy opposite her.
His hair fluffed up slightly at the sides, his long lashes flickered against his cheeks, and his whole being radiated a peculiar tranquility. More importantly
"He really looks like my cat. Of course I know a wizard can't be a cat, but he does look like one…"
The black-haired boy sitting beside her scratched his head awkwardly after whispering this. To his surprise, the girl beside him nodded at once, her brown eyes sparkling.
Hermione leaned toward him eagerly. "Justin, your description is so… apt!"
Justin's eyes lit up. The two launched into an excited whisper, chattering in hushed tones.
Sean, lost in his book, remained completely unaware that he had become the subject of their conversation.
The train swayed rhythmically, the window painting endless moving scenes. Inside the compartment, besides Hermione and Justin's whispers, the only sound was the steady rustle of pages turning.
At last, Sean reached the final paragraph. He exhaled deeply, rubbing his tired eyes.
"I lack nothing now."
His large eyes gleamed with determination. Setting aside the book, he drew a matchstick from his robe pocket. In his mind, the shape, grain, and structure of the match appeared vividly.
The rules of Transfiguration from this life, and his half-remembered lessons from his past one, blended together.
"Trans figura tion!"
Buoyed by confidence, Sean softly cast the spell.
Nothing much happened to the match.
But Sean smiled anyway.
You practiced a low-level Transfiguration once at Apprentice level, proficiency +3.
"Did he just say something? What's he doing?" Justin whispered, his voice full of bewilderment.
"It looks like… Transfiguration. Oh no! The book said it's dangerous if you mispronounce it, terrible things can happen!" Hermione clutched her robes, brows furrowing as she prepared to intervene.
You practiced a low-level Transfiguration once at Skilled level, proficiency +10.
You practiced a low-level Transfiguration once at Skilled level, proficiency +10.
Sean kept at it, each attempt smoother than the last. For the first time, he felt as though magic itself were bending closer to him, becoming simpler.
Could it be that I'm a Transfiguration genius?!
You practiced a low-level Transfiguration once at Skilled level, proficiency +10.
Junior Transfiguration has been unlocked.
New Transfiguration domain title unlocked, please check.
A Wizard talent has been unlocked, please check.
As the system's prompts echoed, Sean's eyes flashed.
Scholarship fragment: +1.
Just then, a stern voice cut through the air.
"You can't use dangerous Transfiguration here! You can't control it!" Hermione's tone was sharp with alarm.
But even as her words rang out, the match trembled in Sean's hand. Before their astonished eyes, it lengthened and thinned, gleaming silver as it became a perfect needle.
The air froze, Hermione's final syllable caught in her throat.
"Merlin… I've read about this in books. Did he did he really succeed?" she whispered.
Justin's jaw dropped. "That's impossible…"
Sean lifted his head at last, meeting Hermione's wide brown eyes her ears tinged faintly pink and Justin's stunned stare.
"Sorry, could you repeat that? I didn't hear you."
He had been too absorbed to notice a single word.