"In the peaceful mainstream Wizarding World, when you encounter danger, your opponents will include not only other Wizards but also the myriad of strange Dark creatures in the wild."
"But no matter how peculiar the abilities of these magical creatures are, they generally share one common trait: physiques far stronger than those of Wizards."
"So you must learn how to use the magic you've learned to deal with enemies whose speed and strength are far superior to yours."
"And such magical creatures generally cannot be tamed to become your sparring partners in class."
"But the reason Wizards are called Wizards is because we always have more ways to solve problems than ordinary people."
"Therefore, through Transfiguration, I have created a creature perfectly suited to be your sparring opponent."
Sherlock stood calmly to one side of the classroom, leaving ample space for the stronger, faster "beast" he had just transfigured to demonstrate itself.
However, the young wizards below all had strange expressions, staring at the creature Sherlock had transfigured, clearly trying to hold back laughter.
"Do you think Professor Cavendish made a mistake during the Transfiguration? No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like a beast?" Dean, who shared a dormitory with Harry, whispered with a chuckle.
Lavender, Hermione's roommate, curiously observed the four-legged creature standing on two feet and asked, "What is this? A tiger? Or a cat? It looks so cute!"
Hermione, with an academic gaze, looked at the blue-gray-furred animal Sherlock had transfigured and immediately recognized what it was.
"It has its own name. Perhaps we can call it... Tom?"
After Sherlock's Transfiguration was complete, Harry's eyes were wide.
As a teenager who had lived in a Muggle family for twelve years, he naturally recognized this famous cartoon character. Although the Dursley family usually wouldn't let him watch TV, Tom, as a top superstar in the cartoon world, was as well-known in the Muggle world as Harry Potter was in the Wizarding World.
"Professor Cavendish actually watched Tom and Jerry!"
Harry wasn't particularly concerned about what his opponent was; this was what truly surprised him.
Only Ron looked bewildered.
"Why is this cat called Tom?"
The large blue-gray cat, which Sherlock had transfigured from a desk, stood on two feet with its hands on its hips, a sly smile mixed with an honest expression on its face as it watched the students. It was Tom from Tom and Jerry.
The young wizards who didn't recognize it found the cat's appearance inexplicably funny, posing no threat, and even a bit comical.
And the young wizards who did recognize it felt even less nervous or scared.
Tom, everyone's old friend—a cartoon cat that couldn't even catch a mouse—what was there to be afraid of?
Sherlock saw the expressions on their faces.
He wasn't surprised by the students' current mindset; no one would think Tom Cat was very powerful after seeing him as their opponent.
But would the Transfiguration specifically designed by Sherlock for second-year practical training really be that simple?
"I know you find it ridiculous to have it as your opponent."
Sherlock's calm voice interrupted the students' discussions.
"I'm also introducing a reward system here: anyone who can defeat it in this class will earn twenty points for their house and be exempted from homework for the next month."
As soon as he said this, all the students immediately stirred.
Twenty points was no small score, not to mention being exempt from homework for the next month!
Soon, young wizards eagerly vied to be the first to step forward and take on the challenge.
Sherlock randomly selected a Hufflepuff boy from among them.
The boy stood opposite Tom, wand in hand, looking triumphant, as if he had already secured the reward Sherlock had promised before the battle even began.
"Are you ready?" Sherlock asked softly, looking at the eager boy.
"Of course, Professor."
"Then the challenge begins."
As Sherlock casually announced the start, all the students widened their eyes.
And as his voice faded, the Hufflepuff boy unhurriedly aimed his wand at Tom.
"Loco—"
However, before he could even utter the first syllable of his spell, a blue blur had already leaped in front of him!
The boy frantically stopped his spell, wanting to retreat and create distance.
But Tom gave him no chance to react, easily grabbing his collar, lifting him into the air, and simultaneously snatching his wand with the other hand.
The entire process lasted less than three seconds, and this Hufflepuff young wizard was easily subdued by Tom!
Victorious, Tom turned his comical cat face back to the watching students, letting out a silent, triumphant laugh.
The observing young wizards also burst into laughter.
Anyone could see that the Hufflepuff boy had underestimated his opponent too much, which was why Tom had won so easily.
The Hufflepuff boy, whose collar was clutched and whose feet were dangling off the ground, explained to Sherlock, his face flushed red.
"Professor, I wasn't ready. I request another try."
But Sherlock clearly wouldn't give him another chance.
"Underestimating your opponent is a major taboo in combat. If this were a real fight, without your wand, you would be completely helpless. And everyone only gets one chance to challenge."
At Sherlock's signal, Tom released the boy, allowing him to slink back among the students, accepting the teasing of his friends.
Among the second group of students who applied for the challenge, Sherlock chose Ron.
Ron confidently stood in the middle of the arena; he had borrowed Hermione's wand.
And he believed he had fully understood Tom's cat-like abilities and certainly wouldn't make the elementary mistake of underestimating his opponent like the previous Hufflepuff boy.
As Sherlock's voice faded, the second challenge began.
This time, Ron learned from the previous lesson. He didn't choose to cast a spell while standing still; instead, he swiftly rolled to the side, changing his position, and then aimed his wand at the spot where he had just been standing, where Tom's pouncing figure had just landed.
"Locomotor Mortis!"(TN: There is no way his wand works properly here. It is bloody broken.)
The spell shot from Ron's wand, a dazzling red beam streaking toward Tom at incredible speed, imperceptible to the naked eye, striking with deadly precision.
Just when all the students thought Ron's spell was sure to hit, and that Gryffindor had definitely secured those twenty points—
Tom's elongated body suddenly bent into an S-shape, easily dodging the spell!
And in the next second, it pounced on Ron, knocking him to the ground and snatching the wand from his hand!
Below, all the students watched this scene in stunned silence.
And Tom, victorious once again, proudly beat his chest and laughed aloud.
Sherlock, standing nearby, subtly curved his lips.
It was worth the long time he had spent meticulously perfecting the Transfiguration of Tom.
Although the Tom he transfigured was certainly not as powerful as the one in the cartoon, the strongest cartoon characters often came from comedic animations.
Even this highly imitative Tom wasn't something these second-year young wizards could easily defeat by simply casting spells head-on.
Only by flexibly utilizing all the magic they knew would they have even a slight chance.