Chapter 242: The Real Challenge Is Yet to Come!
For the next few days, Wade trained under Sirius Black’s guidance in mastering the Animagus Transformation. The process was as frustrating as constipation—each transformation required careful plotting, and reverting back was no easier. But after repeated practice, Wade finally managed to complete the change in just a few seconds. Still, he couldn’t match Sirius Black’s effortless, almost instinctive speed, where the shift felt as natural as breathing.
“Back in Azkaban, that’s what kept my mind clear,” Sirius said. “I spent most of my days in animal form. Of course, my skill level is nothing like a beginner’s.”
Wade’s ability to maintain his human consciousness during the transformation grew stronger, but after testing, both adult wizards advised him not to exceed thirty minutes per transformation for now. Every month, he could attempt to extend that time by three minutes.
“Your animal form isn’t much different from other peregrine falcons,” Remus Lupin said, half-jokingly—but his tone carried absolute seriousness. “I’m just afraid we’ll accidentally lose you again.”
Wade readily agreed. He had no desire to spend the rest of his life as a confused bird, surviving on worms and rabbits.
With the Easter Holiday over, Wade said goodbye to Remus Lupin and Sirius Black and returned to school.
Now that he’d successfully completed his Animagus transformation, Transfiguration—the door course—became far more intuitive. Wade could manipulate objects with his will alone, without even uttering a spell.
He began experimenting with human Transfiguration. At first, he only changed the color of his fingernails, hair, and eyebrows, then gradually gained control over their length. Once confident, he advanced to shaping other parts of his body, inching toward the ultimate goal: transforming into any desired form without needing Polyjuice Potion.
Of course, that level of mastery was extremely advanced—only two known wizards had ever achieved it. One was Gellert Grindelwald, imprisoned for years. The other was Dumbledore, whose capability was never in doubt, though he’d never shown such power publicly.
The Maze Challenge had officially ended with the holiday, but upon returning to school, Wade noticed something odd. Most students seemed listless, even simmering with suppressed anger—except for the Slytherins, who were ecstatic.
“Slytherin won,” Michael groaned. “But they cheated! The Bletchley crowd brought powerful magical artifacts, and Professor Snape even handed them a whole stock of potions!”
“But…” Theo hesitated. “The rules never said you couldn’t bring magical artifacts or potions, did they? So they didn’t break any rules—just exploited a loophole.”
Michael looked devastated. “Theo, I’m trying to defend Hufflepuff here! Why are you undermining me like this?”
“Oh,” Theo paused, then lowered his head. “Sorry.”
Michael finally felt satisfied and resumed his rant about how Slytherin had been shamelessly ruthless—how they’d used giant enchanted puppets to crush their opponents.
“Magical puppets?” Wade caught the key detail. “Wait—your pet participated in the challenge?”
“Yeah,” Fred said quietly. “We had a real shot at winning. Then the outcome was wiped out early by some kind of ‘Beast Summoning Army.’”
To everyone’s surprise, the runners-up were Hufflepuff. Third place went to Gryffindor’s seeded team. Fourth was another Gryffindor team. Fifth, sixth, and seventh were all Slytherin. Eighth was yet another Gryffindor team. It wasn’t until ninth place that Ravenclaw’s team appeared.
It wasn’t that Ravenclaw had performed poorly—rather, teams weren’t limited to one house. As a result, several of Ravenclaw’s top students had been recruited by other teams, leaving their own entry underperforming. The Ravenclaw students were visibly disappointed.
“That’s nothing,” Wade said with a smile. “When the weather warms up, we’ll just organize another event. How about… Maze Challenge: Ball Python?”
“Ball python?” Everyone froze. Harry blurted out, “Isn’t that the ultimate boss? No one’s even made it past the inner layer yet!”
“Based on current progress,” Wade said, “Professor Flitwick estimates someone could reach the core layer by the end of May at the latest.”
As the event’s creator and architect, Wade’s message had reached every participant. Instantly, the mood shifted. The earlier disappointment gave way to eager discussion.
“I know some potions are specifically designed for cold-blooded creatures,” George said excitedly. “We’ll bring plenty in.”
The twins now sold various game-related merchandise—money was no longer a concern.
“It’s huge,” Fred added. “Its scales can block most spells. We’ll need to learn some precise needle-targeting spells—like the eye-stinging hex…”
Harry listened for a moment, then turned to Neville. “Does the ball python have any weaknesses?”
Neville actually knew. He was passionate about Herbology and had read extensively on magical creatures. After a thoughtful pause, he said, “I remember—it hates cold. If it gets too cold, it becomes sluggish.”
Harry immediately recalled a weather spell he’d been studying but abandoned due to its complexity. Quietly, he pulled his old notebook from the bookshelf.
Neville added, “It also doesn’t like extreme heat. Temperature matters a lot for its survival.”
Padma asked, “Could Fiendfyre work against it?”
Neville frowned, hesitating. His expression flickered with discomfort.
Wade tapped the table. “Just a reminder, everyone—this ball python is actually Professor Kettleburn’s pet. At the end of the term, it’ll leave the school with him.”
“So…” Fred blinked. “We’re not actually supposed to kill this boss?”
Wade shook his head. “No. In fact, Professor Kettleburn will ban all harmful spells and magical devices. The challenge will be to guide the creature safely—without injuring it, and without getting hurt ourselves.”
The Gryffindors exchanged confused glances, their confidence instantly plummeting. The difficulty had just skyrocketed.
Wade took a slow sip of his tea. “It’s tough, yes. But you’ll have nearly a month to prepare your tactics. So—still worried about losing to Slytherin?”
The truth was, they weren’t angry at unfairness itself. They were angry that the unfair advantage wasn’t on their side.
Once they learned they’d get to prepare first—before Slytherin—Hermione didn’t even protest. She immediately dove into the discussion with full energy.
Wade smiled to himself.
Facing a large, gentle ball python was just the warm-up. The real challenge was still ahead.
He twisted the pen box in his hand, thinking.
Let’s see if they’re still so excited when the real test comes.
(End of Chapter)
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