Chapter 658: Exultation
Chapter 658: Exultation
Outside the Forbidden Forest, Felix, Professor Mcgonagall, and several students stood facing each other through a heavy curtain of rain. They held their wands, from which thin streams of air extended to form a hazy, umbrella-like barrier overhead, keeping the rain at bay.
The few present tried their best not to look at Professor Hup or show any odd expressions. The reason was that the wand wasn’t being held by the professor herself, but by a Niffler. Valen sat on Felix’s shoulder, his eyes darting between Draco, Hannah, and Hermione, as the Dark Lord had said they would soon transform into creatures.
Harry and Ron were also there, initially claiming they wanted to observe the Animagus transformation process, but Professor Mcgonagall sternly rejected their request.
"There’s no need for that."
However, the two played the emotional card, "We are Hermione’s best friends, and we’re really worried—" To their surprise, Professor Mcgonagall scrutinized them for a moment before nodding in agreement. Harry and Ron silently rejoiced.
"You can begin."
As the first lightning bolt split the sky, Professor Mcgonagall said. Above their heads, a massive Runic Script-transformed thunderbird flapped its wings and soared through the thick black clouds.
Hermione, Hannah, and Draco, upon hearing her words, stumbled into the Forbidden Forest, scattering in different directions and vanishing into the storm in the blink of an eye. They needed to retrieve the crystal vials they had hidden at the forest’s edge.
Professor Mcgonagall gripped her wand tightly with both hands, the rain soaking her hair and running down her pale cheeks, her knuckles white from the strain.
"They’ll be fine", she murmured.
Felix gazed into the depths of the Forbidden Forest. The rain and darkness did not obscure his vision. Against the grayish-white backdrop, three glowing silhouettes moved farther away. Suddenly, Felix turned his head, looking back towards the direction of the castle.
A lightning bolt illuminated the sky, and he seemed to see a vague silhouette standing on the castle’s balcony.
Felix squinted.
Harry also followed the direction of Professor Hup’s gaze and then gasped in surprise, "Neville?" In the darkness, a blurry figure sprinted towards them, appearing and disappearing in the chaotic lightning.
Professor Mcgonagall jumped in surprise.
"You—Longbottom, how—how did you—?" she stammered.
Neville panted heavily, his face and body drenched by the rain, his clothes caked with mud, as if he had tripped several times on the way. He gasped, "I—succeeded—today at sunset—I felt—"
"You felt the Animagus transformation pulse?" Professor Mcgonagall finished for him.
"Yes, that’s right", Neville said through the rain.
"Then hurry, there’s still time", Felix said.
Neville nodded vigorously, his excitement palpable, and turned to run towards the Forbidden Forest. Professor Mcgonagall watched his back, marveling, "Unbelievable. Including Longbottom, that makes four... They all mastered the Patronus Charm... This discovery will surely be one of the most groundbreaking transfiguration theories of the century."
She suddenly turned to Harry and Ron, speaking seriously, "Potter, Weasley, you must not give up. It’s absolutely worth a try... I need to discuss this with Virgil and Jamelyn. I’ll suggest they set aside time to learn the Patronus Charm..."
Virgil and Jamelyn were the two seventh-year students from the Transfiguration Club who still insisted on casting the spell at sunrise and sunset every day.
Harry and Ron nodded silently, feeling the Mandrake leaves in their mouths had become even more significant. They exchanged a look, resolving to continue eating in the special dining hall for the next few weeks.
Felix looked up at the sky, where the clouds had completely obscured the moon. Bright lightning occasionally pierced the black clouds, leaving streaks of light on the retina, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.
They waited in silence, and finally, the first person returned.
It was Hermione. Her bushy hair now clung to her face, her pant legs were splattered with mud, and she was shivering from the cold, but she clutched a small crystal vial in her hand. The mixture of various ingredients inside had turned into a blood-red potion.
"Professor, I did it—the potion—" she said excitedly.
Felix smiled and gently raised his hand. Walls sprang up around Hermione, forming a connected space on all sides.
"Hermione Granger, you are one step away from success."
"Cheer up!" Valen encouraged her.
Hermione took a deep breath, pointed the tip of her wand at her heart, and with a trembling voice, she recited the spell: "Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus." Then she drank the potion from the vial, closed her eyes, and waited.
Several pairs of eyes watched her intently.
"P-professor... it's a beaver—my Animagus form", Hermione stammered.
"Very well, this is what we expected", Felix said calmly, his voice carrying a reassuring authority. Hermione's teeth chattered as she strained to hear his words. "You should be feeling intense pain and two rapid heartbeats. You must fully embrace the other form without hesitation. There's nothing to fear. You've experienced dozens of transformations, each time on the brink of losing control. Compared to that, the wild surge of an Animagus is nothing."
"We're here for you", Professor Mcgonagall said sharply.
Hermione nodded tremulously, and just then, the transformation began.
Harry and Ron had to struggle to keep from shouting out.
They had seen Animagus transformations before, but when it happened to a close friend, they realized how bizarre it truly was. Hermione's entire body underwent a complex transformation—far more intricate than what they had learned in class. Her wet hair shortened bit by bit, her head and body shrank as if under a Size-Altering Charm, her head's shape gradually shifting to that of a rodent. Her clothes tightened and merged into her skin, turning into a deep brown fur. Her hands and feet transformed into delicate paws... and a beaver stood before them.
"Thud!"
Hermione's wand fell to the wet ground and rolled twice.
"Remember, you should plan how to secure your wand before transforming", Professor Mcgonagall warned in the pouring rain. Harry and Ron nodded hastily.
Felix's eyes gleamed as he stared unblinkingly at the creature before him. It was about two feet long, larger than most rodents but small compared to other animals. Fortunately, no one present cared what form her Animagus took; the magic itself was what mattered most.
From a magical perspective, the creature showed almost no magical aura. All the magic was concentrated deep within, almost solidified, similar to a Squib.
The beaver's eyes flashed with confusion, and it let out two short squeaks. "Chirp!" The beaver shot a reproachful glance at Ron, who had chuckled. Ron solemnly apologized, "Sorry, Hermione. I was looking for your wizardly traits, maybe those big teeth."
Harry barely managed to hold back his laughter.
"Whoosh!"
Valen jumped from Felix's shoulder and stood in front of the beaver, excitedly gesturing.
The beaver squeaked twice, but the language barrier was clear.
The rain parted above Felix's head, and he leaned against the raised wall with a blank expression. Valen was already writing in the air with a specialized wand. The beaver sadly looked at its fallen wand, then at its small, short paws, its whiskers twitching, and revealed a pair of large front teeth.
A slender hand extended toward it.
The beaver stared dumbfounded at the pea in Felix's palm, looking utterly perplexed. Then, it angrily swatted the hand away, its squeaks filled with anger.
Felix casually retracted his hand.
"Great job, Granger. It seems you easily resisted the wildness within your body. That's excellent. You can try transforming back now."
"Professor, you prepared this specifically?" Harry asked, wide-eyed.
"To test, I made several preparations", Felix replied calmly. "Besides the pea, there are insects and pears that peacocks love, and seeds that squirrels enjoy. Of course, I didn't prepare anything for Neville, but his Patronus is a cat, and I happen to have some pickled fish."
By the time the conversation had ended, Hermione had finally managed to transform herself back. She smoothed her disheveled hair and, picking up her wand, she glared at Felix with lingering anger.
"Professor, you are certainly well-prepared", she said indignantly. She had almost succumbed to the temptation of the peas, and she marveled at how the professor had thought of it.
"Your tastes change after transformation", Felix said briefly, his gaze still fixed on her. Professor Mcgonagall, unable to bear the tension, cleared her throat.
"Hmm—Professor, what did you discover?" Hermione asked, her cheeks slightly flushed and her face warm.
"The soul node", Felix murmured.
"What?"
"I'm not entirely sure", Felix said, thinking for a moment. "A wizard's soul is clearly different from that of an ordinary person. I suspect magic plays a significant role. One piece of evidence is that even ghosts have magic, which allows them to slightly interfere with physical objects. So, what makes a wizard's soul so special, and what serves as the bond between the soul and the body?"
"You think it's magic?" Hermione asked softly, while Harry and Ron exchanged a surprised glance.
"Just a hypothesis", Felix shrugged. Raindrops pattered on the leaves. After a moment, he turned to look at the Forbidden Forest, where Draco Malfoy appeared at the edge, about ten minutes after Hermione.
Perhaps he had taken the time to tidy his appearance. His hair was neatly combed, and his clothes were dry. He walked toward them at a leisurely pace, holding a red crystal vial prominently in his hand.
Harry and Ron's mouths dropped.
"Showing off", Ron muttered under his breath. Harry thought he had a point.
Learning that Hermione had completed her Animagus transformation, Draco was slightly surprised but didn't mind the extra audience. After a moment, he proudly displayed his beautiful peacock feathers and even tasted a couple of pears provided by Professor Hup.
As soon as he transformed back, Ron wasted no time in mercilessly mocking his brief moment of loss of control. "This way, he won't show off in front of us", he said to Harry with foresight.
"I was just testing the peacock's sense of taste", Draco retorted, his face turning red. Harry and Ron crossed their arms and gave him a cold smile, determined not to acknowledge whatever Draco said.
Professor Mcgonagall ignored their childish behavior and approached Felix, her eyes filled with concern as she looked at the dark Forbidden Forest.
"Felix... Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom haven't returned."
"That's odd", Felix said, puzzled. "I know the general location where they hid the crystal vial. It's not far from here. Even with the heavy rain making the path difficult, they should have returned by now."
"Did they get lost?" Professor Mcgonagall raised an eyebrow.
They exchanged a glance, both seeing the same disbelief in each other's eyes. Two students lost together? But it was a possibility. Professor Mcgonagall told Harry and the others to stay put while she and Felix went to search the Forbidden Forest.
"Stay here. I don't want to find Longbottom and Abbott only to have you disappear again", Professor Mcgonagall said. Felix left Valen behind and pulled out two broomsticks from his ring. Professor Mcgonagall eagerly took off into the sky, and the two of them glided through the rain.
"There."
After a few minutes of searching, Felix's magical vision proved useful. They found Neville and Hannah about two kilometers from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the two students together.
Professor Mcgonagall landed angrily from the sky, then opened her mouth in surprise, not even noticing the rainwater pouring into it.
The two students—more accurately, one student—Neville was struggling through the mud, holding a red squirrel. Rainwater streamed down his hair, and when he saw Felix and Professor Mcgonagall, he seemed to relax visibly.
"Oh—thank heavens—Professors, you're finally here. Hannah, Hannah is right here." He showed the two professors the red squirrel quietly lying in his arms.
"Longbottom, what on earth is going on here?" Professor Mcgonagall shouted, staring at the red squirrel. "Is this Hannah Abbott? Did she take the potion early? Didn't I tell you all to bring the potion back and take it under a professor's supervision?"
The red squirrel shivered.
"Alright." Professor Mcgonagall sighed, gently taking the red squirrel from Neville and walking aside to comfort Hannah.
Neville then stammered to explain what had just happened.
"I got the potion and was on my way back when I saw Hannah passing by from a distance, heading deeper into the Forbidden Forest. I thought I must have been mistaken..." "So you decided to follow her to confirm", Felix said. "Yes, Professor", Neville said softly. "Hannah was running very fast, and the rain made it hard to see. I almost lost her a few times, but I guessed she was lost."
"We figured that much, but why did she take the potion without permission?"
"Oh, Professor..." At that moment, Hannah, guided by Professor Mcgonagall, successfully transformed back into her human form. She sniffled and said, "I'm so sorry, I, I got lost... I was worried I wouldn't make it, so I decided, decided..."
"To transform in a secluded corner", Professor Mcgonagall said sternly.
"Yes, yes, that's right", Hannah cried. "I'm sorry, I was so scared. I was worried that all my months of hard work would be for nothing, so in a moment of panic, I, I have been doing well in controlling my wild nature..."
"Miss Abbott, the course Professor Hup and I prepared is not meant for you to use as an excuse for adventure", Professor Mcgonagall said sternly.
"Professor Mcgonagall", Neville mustered the courage to say, "Hannah actually regained her senses on her own. I thought it would be best to return to the grounds—"
"You two certainly have ideas", Professor Mcgonagall huffed. She looked up at the sky; about an hour had passed, and the clouds were starting to thin, with the silhouette of a thunderbird faintly visible.
"You've wasted too much time, Mr. Longbottom. I suggest you transform here, with Professor Hup and me watching... You still have your potion, right?"
Neville nodded quickly.
A few minutes later, he transformed into a tortoiseshell cat, identical to his Patronus. The tortoiseshell cat meowed twice, and Professor Mcgonagall's tense face briefly softened into a smile, though it quickly disappeared.
When Felix and Professor Mcgonagall returned from the Forbidden Forest, all four students had completed their Animagus transformations. Professor Mcgonagall didn't mention Hannah's mistake to Harry and the others; she simply told them that, due to the time constraints, Hannah and Neville had completed their transformations in the Forbidden Forest.
"Really cool!" Ron said enviously.
The journey back was light-hearted, with Ron constantly asking Neville and Hermione about their transformation experiences. "How was it different from regular Transfiguration?" By the time they returned to the castle, Hannah was already laughing and chatting.
"Get a good night's rest tonight and don't try to transform privately", Professor Mcgonagall said. "Come to my office tomorrow morning. I'll use the weekend to help you get familiar with your transformations. And—there are a lot of forms you need to fill out."
She used her wand to conjure hot cocoa, supervised them as they drank it, and then let them go.
"Minerva, don't be too harsh. At least the outcome is good", Felix stammered. He saw Professor Mcgonagall's face suddenly light up, and she exulted, "What a memorable day, Felix! I must go back and have a drink."
(End of Chapter)
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