Chapter 26: After-School Tutoring
"Professor McGonagall, do you have time to answer a few questions for me?"
After class, Ethan ran toward Professor McGonagall.
Compared to spells, Ethan's progress in Transfiguration this summer had been much slower, and he was always stuck at the second step—transforming inanimate objects into animals.
"Of course!" Professor McGonagall nodded with a smile.
Before Ethan entered Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall had told him that if he ever had questions, he could always ask her. This was no joke, even though Ethan hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor.
"Come with me, let's talk in the office," she said, leading Ethan away. In her opinion, Ethan's level was far beyond that of the other young wizards, and the questions he was asking were certainly not typical for his age.
For these young wizards who hadn't even mastered the basics, delving into advanced knowledge would only confuse them further.
Cassandra's gaze followed Ethan as he approached Professor McGonagall. She hadn't expected him to seek extra lessons after completing his Transfiguration task in class.
"Such a hard worker!" she thought bitterly. "He doesn't give anyone a chance to catch up. People like him make life unbearable!"
From the first moment Cassandra had seen Ethan, she knew he was a workaholic. Who else would buy all the textbooks up to graduation before even starting school?
"I'll never be able to outdo him," she thought with a pang of frustration. "Does he even sleep?"
But soon, she regained her confidence and marched out of the classroom. There were no classes for the rest of the morning, so she headed to the library. Thanks to completing their Transfiguration task, she and Ethan had no homework. She was, after all, the pride of Slytherin, and she wasn't going to give up that easily.
Meanwhile, Hermione looked down at her match, which had only changed in material—it was now iron—and then glanced at Ethan, who was following Professor McGonagall out of the classroom. Resolute, she pocketed the iron match and hurried back to the Gryffindor dormitory. She was determined to succeed in Transfiguration today.
The other students weren't thinking so deeply. They were still caught up in discussing the homework Professor McGonagall had assigned—a one-foot-long Transfiguration paper due in their next class.
...
"Professor McGonagall, let me show you!" Ethan said once they were in her office.
He took out a button and, with a flick of his wand, transformed it into a small, delicate beetle.
From appearance alone, the beetle was indistinguishable from a real one. The eight legs, the patterns on the shell, even the antennae were all perfectly replicated. But the beetle didn't move. According to the theory in Intermediate Transfiguration, Ethan still hadn't fully succeeded.
The progression in Transfiguration, as Ethan understood it, was from inanimate object to inanimate object, then inanimate object to animal, animal to animal, Fantastic Beasts and Spells, and finally mythical creatures. These were the stages he thought about.
Knowing that the upper limits of Transfiguration were incredibly high, Ethan had initially focused most of his efforts on it, apart from Occlumency. But his progress had been limited to the first stage in Basic Transfiguration.
He had even asked the three experts in Knockturn Alley, but they didn't have any answers for him either. So, he had temporarily set Transfiguration aside and focused on his spellwork instead.
"Very good Transfiguration—better than I was at your age," Professor McGonagall said as she observed the beetle in her hand. She could tell that it was only a step away from being complete.
"You're just missing a little bit of understanding," she explained. "When performing Transfiguration, you're not simply creating a living creature that looks alive—you must imbue it with the essence of life. This requires..."
Although Professor McGonagall's explanation was somewhat vague, Ethan understood the gist.
It all boiled down to consciousness. Transfiguring an object by consciously thinking that you're giving it life often only resulted in the outward form. True success came when you subconsciously, deep down, recognized the creature as real.
But wouldn't that lead to some kind of mental breakdown?
Ethan then pulled out Intermediate Transfiguration and showed it to her. He had written down all the problems he had encountered, and even added his own thoughts and ideas in the margins.
Professor McGonagall glanced through it and smiled as she flipped the pages.
"You've written it well, with your own interpretations. There are still some issues, but that's to be expected at your stage."
She handed the book back to him. "Leave this with me. When I have time, I'll go over it and leave notes in the margins for you."
It would be impossible for her to answer all his questions at once, as she had to teach third-year students soon. But she would provide feedback as she could. And while Ethan had great talent, he was still too young for her advanced Transfiguration Club, which was reserved for wizards who had already taken their O.W.L.s and had a keen interest in Transfiguration.
Hogwarts hadn't had a master of Transfiguration since Professor McGonagall herself, and she had high hopes that Ethan could be the next one. She wasn't going to withhold her knowledge from him.
"Thank you, Professor!" Ethan said, beaming. He knew this would take up much of her personal time.
"I see some of your ideas are quite novel, even things I hadn't considered before," she said. "This is good for both of us. I also suggest subscribing to Transfiguration Today. It costs five gold galleons a year, but it will be helpful to you."
Without systematic learning, sudden inspiration often led to bold and creative ideas. Although many of them had flaws, Professor McGonagall appreciated Ethan's unique perspective.
After asking a few more questions, Ethan thanked Professor McGonagall again and excused himself just before her next class began.
As Ethan left the office, he felt satisfied. The answers Professor McGonagall had provided would help him move forward with his Transfiguration studies.
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