Chapter 35: Chapter 35: George, the Point-Hoarding Fiend
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After History of Magic, George was no longer alone; he was surrounded by young wizards.
"Did you really memorize all those magic books?"
"Yes, my memory is pretty good."
"I heard you're going to win the House Cup for Slytherin?"
"That's only natural."
On the way back, facing questions from his fellow Slytherin first-years, George handled them with ease, always projecting a confident but not arrogant demeanor. He quickly integrated himself among them.
Even his three roommates, whom he had previously beaten, now looked at him with a hint of admiration.
Slytherin was like that: as long as you were a Slytherin, and as long as you were优秀 enough to earn honor and benefit for them, they would instinctively rally around you.
As a first-year, George had earned an impressive fifty points for Slytherin in his very first class. This was a source of pride for their entire first-year cohort.
Of course, if George truly wanted to become the leader of Slytherin, this accomplishment alone was far from enough.
But it was a good start, at least.
News of him earning fifty points for Slytherin from Professor Binns in History of Magic quickly spread among the young wizards, soon becoming known to most of the school's teachers and students.
Normally, it wouldn't have spread so fast, but Professor Binns was notoriously stingy with points, and George's controversial statement that morning hadn't died down yet, so the two events converged.
The benefit was that when he sat in the Slytherin common room reading that evening, older Slytherins would occasionally approach him to introduce themselves.
Even Malfoy's attempts to cause trouble for him were intercepted by the prefect.
The next day, both morning classes were Transfiguration, taken together with the Hufflepuff first-years.
As George walked into the classroom, he was met with the collective gaze of the Hufflepuff young wizards. Evidently, they had also heard about George earning fifty points for Slytherin yesterday.
However, they didn't provoke him. Most Hufflepuff young wizards had generally good temperaments and were simply curious.
"Meow!"
Just as the Transfiguration class was about to begin, a tabby cat walked in from the doorway, then, to the gasps of the young wizards, transformed into Professor McGonagall, dressed in deep green robes.
"Animagus transformation."
George's eyes lit up slightly when he saw McGonagall transform from a cat into a person.
This was a very advanced form of Transfiguration, allowing one to permanently transform into a specific animal. Although it couldn't be a magical creature, and only one form was possible, he still found it incredibly useful.
Because no matter what animal, as long as it wasn't too conspicuous, it served as an excellent disguise.
This kind of disguise was incredibly useful whether for gathering intelligence, escaping, or tracking.
Imagine being pursued by a large group of agents, monitored by satellites, with countless snipers in the distance, leaving no escape route.
But if you mastered Animagus transformation, you could simply find a house, transform into an ordinary creature, and hide or escape.
If it were a cat, there might still be some suspicion, but if it were something like a fly, a mosquito, or a ladybug, then it would truly be unobstructed.
"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone who plays tricks or misbehaves in my class will be asked to leave, and will never be allowed back in.
I have warned you!"
Professor McGonagall walked to the lectern, first giving a stern warning. Then, she waved her wand and effortlessly transformed the desk into a pig, and then back again.
The students were utterly captivated by the sight, wishing they could immediately start learning this marvelous magic.
Only after Professor McGonagall's theoretical lecture did they realize how incredibly difficult it was to transform such a large lectern into a pig.
"Indeed, a renowned teacher is different."
George, having listened to the entire theoretical class, was filled with emotion.
Transfiguration being singled out as a separate subject from all other spells indicated that this branch of magic was much more profound than others.
Although he himself had spent time studying it, and had even truly memorized the entire textbook (he cheated on History of Magic with the computer), there were still many, many things he didn't understand.
Even after asking Tonks several times, he still couldn't quite grasp it, despite her explanations.
It was like studying advanced calculus; even if you memorized the entire textbook, you might not score many points on the exam.
But Professor McGonagall, as a top Transfiguration Master with years of teaching experience, allowed George's understanding of Transfiguration to suddenly break through with her explanations.
"Slytherin, five points!"
Before the first class ended, there was naturally a questioning session, and George took the five points without hesitation.
It couldn't be helped; two brains naturally had strong memory, and his other brain was even taking notes on the computer. Not to mention actual knowledge points, even Professor McGonagall's reprimands were recorded verbatim.
Moreover, Professor McGonagall was unlike Professor Snape; she prioritized fairness above all else and treated all students equally. She wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for George or refuse to give him points just because he was a Slytherin.
On the contrary, seeing George's perfect answers and his own understanding of Transfiguration, a rare smile graced her lips.
The first class was theoretical, and the second was naturally practical.
Professor McGonagall handed each of them a matchstick and instructed them to transform it into a needle using a basic Transfiguration spell.
But this was clearly not easy for the young wizards. They chanted the spell again and again, waved their wands repeatedly, but the matchsticks remained matchsticks. Only a few talented young wizards saw some changes in their matchsticks, but they were still a long way from becoming needles.
"Don't give up. Practice more. Remember the key points I taught you last class: the speed and rhythm of the incantation, the angle of your wand movement, and most importantly, your heart. You must firmly believe you can turn it into a needle."
Professor McGonagall walked back and forth in the classroom, continuously correcting the young wizards' mistakes in spellcasting.
But when she reached George's position, her eyes couldn't help but light up:
"Slytherin, another five points!"
Because she saw a perfect needle. Not only was the tip incredibly sharp, but even the eye of the needle for threading was flawless.
Hearing Professor McGonagall award points, the young wizards all turned their gaze towards George. Seeing the perfect needle on his desk, they showed expressions of envy and admiration.
George, at this moment, wore a smile and didn't utter any more astonishing words.
In fact, after the first class, he had already grasped a key principle of Transfiguration, or rather, the key principle of most spells.
That was the power of the mind, the power of belief.
When learning a new spell, the incantation and wand were merely aids. Otherwise, no wizard would be able to cast spells non-verbally or wandlessly.
The most important thing was the mind, or psychic power. This was the fundamental factor in the success rate of magic.
It was often said that magic in the Harry Potter world was very idealistic, and there was indeed truth to that.
He happened to have a great advantage in this aspect, because besides being a wizard, he also possessed Level 2 mutant psychic powers.
So, after learning the theoretical knowledge from Professor McGonagall, he succeeded in transforming the matchstick into a needle after only a few attempts.
Crucially, he felt that with his psychic powers, he might be capable of more than just this.
Perhaps he couldn't transform the lectern into a pig, but transforming something slightly larger, similar to an object the size of a fist, should be achievable now.
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