Chapter 65: The Charm of Transformation
Chapter 65: The Charm of Transformation
As he surreptitiously popped a butterscotch candy into his mouth, Albert spotted a familiar face in the distance—Miss Field, whom he had met at the Transfiguration Club.
She noticed his gaze and turned to look at him. Catching him in the act of unwrapping the candy, she winked at him, clearly wanting to laugh but refraining due to their presence in the library. Neither of them spoke.
Popping the candy into his mouth, Albert picked up his parchment and walked over to sit beside Miss Field. He greeted her softly before whispering, "Be careful not to get kicked out by Madam Pince."
Mouthing her words, Miss Field replied, "Just don't get caught!" Albert nonchalantly offered her some candies, saying, "They're butterscotch. Suck on them, and no one will notice. Want one?"
"Cut to the chase," she said, seeing right through him. "What do you want?"
As he finished speaking, Albert noticed Miss Field giving him a strange look as she unwrapped a candy.
"How lazy does one have to be to want to invent such magic?" she muttered.
"Laziness breeds creativity, doesn't it?" Albert winked at her. "Charms are invented to make life easier, after all."
"You're something else!" Miss Field stared at him intently, curious as to how he could so shamelessly defend himself.
"Unfortunately, I can't help you with that idea. But, in exchange for these candies..." She trailed off, shaking the candy wrapper. "...I can tell you how to modify text. It's quite simple, actually. Do you know the Charm of Transformation?"
"The Charm of Transformation?" Albert racked his brains for any knowledge he had on the subject and suddenly realized that these people were even better at acting cool than he was.
The Charm of Transformation was an advanced piece of knowledge from the later stages of Transfiguration, and it was N.E.W.T.-level difficulty. While it wasn't as challenging as human transfiguration, mastering the Charm of Transformation was no easy feat. Yet, this senior student made it sound simple?
Bullshit! At least, with his current abilities, Albert knew he couldn't learn it without directly upgrading through the panel.
Although he had been saving up his experience for situations like this, Albert intended to try learning some things on his own instead of solely relying on the panel.
If he became too dependent on the panel and exhausted his experience pool, what then? He might be a slacker, but he had dreams—however ridiculous they may seem.
To live comfortably in the future, he needed to plan his life carefully.
"Like this..." Miss Field demonstrated by gently tapping her wand on the errors in the parchment, transforming them into other words. "...this is a simple application of the Charm of Transformation. Professor McGonagall taught us this trick last semester."
"I'll practice this after I master Summoning Charms," Albert said.
"Professor McGonagall will probably teach it this semester, so you'll have a chance to learn it," Miss Field said, after briefly scanning Albert's charm essay. She was suddenly struck by how impressive this junior student was. Was this really the work of a first-year student?
Recalling her first attempt at writing an essay, she felt an urge to crumple up her own parchment in comparison. What had she even written?
"You're not thinking of joining the Charm Club, are you?" Miss Field asked, her head tilted and her expression strange.
"There's a Charm Club?" Albert asked in return.
"Of course," she said, her smile turning a little mischievous. "But be careful, it might overlap with the Transfiguration Club."
"What's that expression for?"
"Nothing."
"By the way, Professor Flitwick must be disappointed that you weren't sorted into Ravenclaw," Miss Field said suddenly.
"Does it matter where I was sorted? We all learn the same things, don't we?" Albert replied without hesitation.
"True," Miss Field said, pointing to the parchment. "Remember to give me one when you've invented this. I won't be able to afford it if it's too expensive."
"Don't worry, I'll give you one when I invent it!" Albert's lips twitched as he muttered, "Assuming I can invent it in the first place!"
"I suggest you take a look at alchemy books. You might just succeed!" Miss Field said thoughtfully. "I'm a little excited about the magic lamp now!"
"Alchemy?" Albert murmured, thinking of Nicolas Flamel as the topic came up.
Ancient alchemy probably referred to chemistry, but what about wizarding alchemy? Was it the same, or was it something else?
Was it a type of magic, like potion-making?
After some more small talk with Miss Field, Albert gathered his things and left. He planned to take a nap in the dormitory before organizing the items he would send to his family.
As for alchemy, he'd look into it after finishing the 'Charms of the 19th Century'! You have to take one bite at a time, or you'll choke.
"Who was that?" Hannah asked curiously as she followed Albert. She had overheard parts of their conversation.
"Miss Field. She's from the same club as me, and she's great at the Charm of Transformation," Albert explained, choosing his words carefully. "I just asked her how to correct mistakes on parchment."
"The Charm of Transformation?" Hannah's eyebrows shot up. "But that's N.E.W.T.-level difficulty!"
"You know what N.E.W.T.s are?"
Hannah paused, taken aback by her own question. Yes, what was N.E.W.T.-level difficulty?
She really didn't know.
"You have to dream big if you want to achieve something. Otherwise, you'll never get there," Albert said.
"I just want to know what N.E.W.T.-level difficulty is," Hannah said.
Sighing softly, Albert explained, "It's the final exam for seventh-year students—the pinnacle of wizarding exams."
Hannah's expression turned wooden, and she sighed wistfully. "Both the final wizarding exam and the Charm of Transformation are far beyond me. Too far, in fact!"
"I haven't even mastered a single Transfiguration spell yet, and here I am hoping to learn the Charm of Transformation?" Hannah chastised herself. "I need to wake up and focus on mastering Transfiguration first. That's the most important thing right now."
Noticing Hannah's dejected expression, Albert felt awkward and tried to change the subject. "I'm heading back to the common room. Want to come?"
"Do you have time to teach me Transfiguration sometime?" Hannah asked, realizing something. "The classes at Hogwarts are relaxed, but if we want to complete homework or learn magic, we have to be self-disciplined. If I just coast along like this until graduation, I probably won't learn any useful skills."
(End of Chapter)
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