Huh?
Hermione?
what is she doing her?
On the train, Sean's voice mixed with the sound of the rushing wind.
Outside the window, the vast open fields had, at some point, receded into the distance. The scattered sunlight became dappled as the train had entered a forest of yew trees.
The tips of Hermione's ears slowly turned a faint red. She opened her mouth to say something, but her mind seemed to go blank, which only made Sean more puzzled.
"Oh! She just said, 'You can actually do Transfiguration? That's incredible!'"
A voice piped up. It was Justin who quickly stepped in to answer for Hermione. He pointed to the silver needle on the table, drawing Sean and Hermione's attention back to it.
"How did you do it? I heard from Hermione that it's a very difficult spell."
After speaking, he felt a bit apprehensive himself, silently praying that the young wizard opposite him hadn't heard the offending remark.
"The incantation is 'Transfiguration'. The break in pronunciation is between 'Trans' and 'figura', with the stress on 'fi'... More importantly, the wand movement from left to right must be quick, without any pause."
Sean reviewed his practice process, identifying the key points. This was his usual learning method.
"Mm, and of course, you need to have a clear mental image of what you want the object to become. You can read about that on page five of *A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration*."
Soon, the train emerged from the yew forest, and the compartment brightened again, the light making Sean's emerald-green eyes shine like jade.
"So my failure was because of the pause... I mean, it's nice to meet you. You probably didn't hear my introduction earlier. I'd be happy to say it again. I'm Justin, Justin Finch-Fletchley."
After hearing Sean's words, Justin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hermione Granger."
The blush still lingered on Hermione's cheeks, but her voice was firm and clear.
"Sean Green."
Sean found Hermione a bit strange. Though confused, he decided not to dwell on it.
There were more important things to attend to.
In the compartment, Sean appeared to be continuing to flip through *A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration*, but in reality, his gaze had already fallen upon the proficiency panel.
*Let me see, what grade of Transfiguration genius am I?*
His eyes slowly scanned downward. Sean admitted he was nervous, more nervous than when he used to do gacha pulls in his previous life... a hundred times more! Power in a game was fake, but this was real talent, crucial for his future.
[Title: Apprentice Transfigurist]
[Slightly increases perception of Transfiguration magic. Slightly enhances Transfiguration talent.]
*As expected.* Sean held his breath and continued reading.
[Wizard: Sean
Transfiguration Talent: Light Purple (Enhanced by Apprentice Transfigurist Title).
Note: The average wizard's talent is Green.]
[Evaluation: You are a true genius in this branch of magic. With proper instruction, you will become a master of significant importance on the path of Transfiguration.]
Purple! Epic quality?!
I really *am* a Transfiguration genius?!
Sean felt as if someone was beating gongs and drums beside his ears, singing some song about good fortune.
Someone who has experienced the pain of 'white' [common] trash knows how to cherish a 'purple' [epic] all the more.
'With proper instruction, I can become a Transfiguration Master...'
Suppressing his inner excitement, Sean decided then and there that he absolutely had to stick close to Hogwarts for these seven years.
Simultaneously, to achieve this goal, he began to think carefully:
The difference between his Transfiguration talent and his Charms talent confirmed one thing – in the world of Harry Potter, magical aptitude wasn't uniform. Different wizards had different strengths.
Like Neville, who was average in other subjects but excelled at Herbology.
Like Hermione, who was top-notch in most branches of magic, but her Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't as good as Harry's, and she completely bombed Divination.
For Sean to achieve an 'Outstanding' in all seven core subjects, he would have to put in much more effort in his weaker areas.
At Hogwarts, the difficulty of different subjects also varied.
This wasn't just due to the subjects themselves, but more importantly, the professors, who played a crucial role in the courses.
It was just like university; the knowledge is all there, but whether you learn happily and pass easily often depends on the professor.
Following this logic, the most difficult core subject should be Potions. Not only was there Professor Snape, but the knowledge was detailed and extensive. It also involved highly risky practical components, requiring the submission of the day's potion at the end of each lesson, and the essays were notoriously long.
The mere thought of Professor Snape's gloomy face made Sean's heart sink. Earning an 'Outstanding' in Potions under Professor Snape's tutelage would be no easy task.
He could only hope he had at least some talent in Potions. Just a little bit would be enough.
As for the second most difficult, Sean believed it was Defense Against the Dark Arts.
[High-risk, and the teachers are... a complicated bunch.]
[Two-headed individuals aren't exactly common.]
Yet another challenging subject...
Sean rubbed the space between his brows, his gaze growing sharper.
Nothing was going to stop him from learning, not even Voldemort!
With a rough plan starting to form in his mind, Sean continued his analysis.
Next, considering all factors, the third tier of difficulty should include Herbology, Transfiguration, and Charms.
All of these subjects require a certain degree of innate talent.
And in the final tier should be History of Magic and Astronomy, which mainly require memorization of specific knowledge points.
However, these subjects weren't particularly troublesome for Sean.
"Transfiguration and Charms... my current level should be sufficient. Astronomy and History of Magic... just rote memorization, don't need special attention."
"So, looking at it this way, the difficult ones are Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology."
With his targets identified, just as Sean was pondering how to execute his plan, the noise outside their compartment, which had been going on for a while, grew louder.
He could intermittently hear exclamations like "Harry," "Harry Potter," and "Merlin's beard!"
This was followed by a loud *BANG*.
Disturbed, Sean slowly looked up, his eyes meeting Justin and Hermione's once again.
Justin quickly looked down, pretending nothing had happened, and said, "Sean, look! It's the Levitation Charm! It's truly marvelous!"
Sean followed his gaze. Above Hermione's wand, a feather was floating in the air.
The young girl lifted her chin, a note of pride in her voice:
"Actually, it's quite a simple spell. I learned it from 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1'. It's not very difficult; I managed it after just a few tries."
Sean, who had practiced it five hundred times: 'Well, that's one way to put it.'
"Justin, you should give it a try. It's just a small charm. 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1' says it's often one of the first spells young wizards learn."
Hermione looked at the eager Justin and spoke earnestly.
"You'll have to guide me."
Justin didn't hesitate. With a look of yearning, he waved his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather didn't move.
"You need to flick your wrist."
Hermione corrected him.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather wobbled slightly.
"You've got it wrong again! You must speak decisively! Hesitation leads to failure!"
Hermione instructed rather sternly. Justin became even more focused.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
...
"I did it! Brilliant, Hermione, you're a fantastic teacher!"
The successful Justin was very excited. He thanked her sincerely:
"You were right! It doesn't seem that difficult after all!"