Chapter 2 - The Teachings of an Older Cat Girl

Because there were too many books, Lu En directly sought help from Madam Pince. His focus was, of course, on runes and Transfiguration, and Madam Pince easily recited the book titles and their shelf numbers. Lu En couldn't help but wonder if Madam Pince had memorized all the books in the Hogwarts Library and their locations.In the afternoon, after all classes ended, Lu En hurried to the small study on the second-floor corridor. That was Professor McGonagall's office, which had a roaring fireplace, and the Quidditch Pitch could be seen outside the window. Considering Professor McGonagall's interests as an "Old Men Cat Girl," Lu En felt that she must have specifically secured this location from Dumbledore."Are you... Lu En from Slytherin?" Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses, scrutinizing Lu En. "Did someone from Gryffindor bully you?""No, I have some questions about Transfiguration that I'd like to ask you," Lu En said, pointing to his hair. "While previewing the Transfiguration lessons, I found it very difficult to transform my hair and matches into needles..."Listening to Lu En's confusion, Professor McGonagall nodded with satisfaction and then carefully explained it to him. After listening, Lu En nodded repeatedly.It turned out that Transfiguration itself followed several principles, including: it's easier to transform inanimate objects into other inanimate objects than into living things when of the same volume; it's easier to transform non-magical items than magical items when the properties and size are similar; and it's easier to decrease than increase an item, and so on.Hair that had just been pulled out could serve as a symbol of the human body, and transforming hair into a needle was strictly speaking a form of human Transfiguration. At the same time, the hair was taken from a Young Wizard's head, containing magical power. Finally, Lu En wanted to transform a thin strand of hair into a slightly larger needle, which naturally increased the difficulty. These factors combined made Lu En's Transfiguration difficult to achieve.Finally, Professor McGonagall also asked about Lu En's progress in Transfiguration. Lu En demonstrated his results."Very impressive Transfiguration." Professor McGonagall moved the needle closer to her eyes, then transformed it back into a matchstick. "Did you preview Transfiguration during the holidays?""No."So, Professor McGonagall assigned Lu En an essay on the difficulty of different types of Transfiguration, along with corresponding reference books.So, if I had said I previewed it, I wouldn't have to write this essay? Lu En sighed, then returned to the Hogwarts Library, borrowed the relevant books, and began to try and complete the essay. To be honest, it wasn't difficult, especially for someone with an adult's mindset who had been through the baptism of university essays.The next morning, Lu En woke up from his sleep. As he prepared to pray, shocking news arrived: the Wayne couple had been shot and killed. Lu En's heart sank. In the New 52, Bruce Wayne's parents died when he was nine, he left Gotham at twelve, and would return to Gotham at twenty-five. Batman would be born from sixteen years of suffering, becoming a core figure of DC ever since.At the same time, various psychologically twisted criminals would also appear in Gotham, with the Joker, the most outstanding among them, being one of the central figures of countless villain alliances. He was chaos, entropy, the other side of Batman. His jokes almost destroyed Batman, and when he merged with Batman, he even destroyed multiple universes. Just thinking about it made Lu En feel heavy-hearted.Fortunately, he still had his system.Time flew by, and two years quickly passed. In DC, Lu En turned thirteen, which meant it was time for him to leave the monastery. At Hogwarts, he had become a "troublemaker."As he wished, his grades in both rune and Transfiguration were almost perfect, and Potions was also quite good, but other subjects generally hovered around the passing mark. Lu En did not participate in the Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets incidents, and because he spent a long time immersed in the Hogwarts Library, he had few friends. All of this was observed by Snape."Cockroach pile." Snape's voice was low, his face expressionless, and his lips were tightly pressed under his hooked nose. The enormous stone gargoyle at the Principal's office door turned, and Snape stepped onto the automatically rotating staircase, entering the office."I know why you're here," Dumbledore said with a smile, as if Snape's concerns were baseless."I don't believe you can't see it." Snape frowned, his already gloomy face deepening. "That student named Derek Lu En, his craving for power makes everyone tremble, as if Death itself is chasing him—no, he seems to be pursuing something he shouldn't at his age. Dumbledore, I don't believe you can't see it!""Especially since he's a Slytherin?" Dumbledore even managed a joke, but he quickly added, "Don't worry, I understand everything. He's a studious child; sometimes the questions he asks even give Professor McGonagall and Flitwick headaches. It's just that he has no friends, which is indeed a bit unusual.""Power often brings authority. He has no followers now, but when he demonstrates his power, people will worship him, revere him like fools, and then follow him!" Snape stared at Dumbledore, his face grim. Just looking at the scene, it was as if a gloomy middle-aged Men was pressuring a kind Old Men; on the street, someone might even call the police. "He might become the next Dark Lord!""..." Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then whispered, "They are different."Snape snorted and strode away, his large black robe billowing behind him in the wind.At this time, Lu En did not know that he had caused a quarrel between Snape and Dumbledore; he was merely reviewing fifth-year rune. Compared to Transfiguration, the philosophy of rune was more lenient. In the initial exercises, he needed to have strong emotions, accurate pronunciation, and precise wand movements. But after becoming familiar, these three could be blurred. After reaching the extreme, Lu En could even cast Expelliarmus and Shield Charm silently and without a wand.These two were the focus of Lu En's practice, one offense and one defense. Expelliarmus had controllable power, and what was even more terrifying was the definition of "weapon" in Expelliarmus. For example, when he cast it on a spider, the spider's fangs were forcibly pulled out. So, by extension, if Lu En cast it on a human...Professor Flitwick therefore severely restricted Lu En's spellcasting.While Lu En was reviewing, the Slytherins were discussing something."He should have been sorted into Ravenclaw!" a tall male Slytherin student said, full of indignation. "Perhaps he's already become a Gryffindor; I've seen him come out of the Hogwarts Library with that lioness several times.""Yeah, yeah, he never antagonizes Gryffindor, and he hangs out with Fred and George..."After an argument, the Slytherins gradually calmed down, but their gaze all turned to a pale-faced, pointy-chinned Pure-blood with light blonde hair and grey eyes. Everyone was waiting for him to make a decision."Then give him a small punishment," Draco Malfoy said, restraining his smugness, then added, "but don't go too far."If he were merely a half-blood with excellent grades, the Slytherins might have tolerated it. But in battles against Gryffindor, Lu En never intervened, like a transparent person. He should have been the Slytherins' trump card! This made the Slytherins even more dissatisfied. Finally, they found an opportunity—the school year had just begun, and the House points had not yet diverged significantly, so even if they were caught fighting, there would be no consequences other than detention.