For some very sound reasons, before going back to McGonagall's cottage, Sean stopped by the joke shop to pick up some extra materials.
Manager Gert was overjoyed and was about to stuff half the shop into Sean's trunk when she realised the trunk was already full. Her hands froze mid-air, clutching the ingredients, and she looked like a plaster statue that had just cooled.
"Felix Felicis?! Where did you buy this? I haven't seen a Potions Master sell it in ages."
"My professor gave it to me."
Sean said.
Manager Gert imagined for a second the scene of Professor Snape blowing in like a storm and quickly shook her head to banish that terrifying image.
"You mean… you're also very good at Potions?"
Otherwise she couldn't imagine why Snape would do that.
"I only know a little."
Sean said, and then left the shop.
"Only a little…"
Manager Gert repeated helplessly.
Maybe this was just what genius was.
Apparently she didn't understand.
…
On a farm not far from London.
The sun was bright, the wheat fields were a lush green. Only from time to time did agonised animal cries rise from the pasture.
The little McGonagalls stared eagerly down the dusty lane; their parents watched them and chatted happily.
Sean had barely climbed down from the wagon when Marcus scooped him into a bear hug.
"Come on, tell me everything about your days at Hogwarts…"
Marcus said exuberantly.
In all the noise, night quietly fell.
By the still lakeshore, Sean raised his wand. A two-metre-tall fire dragon spat fireballs, sending up clouds of steam from the lake surface. If you looked closely, the dragon's scales still carried the patterns of fire salamanders.
Sean frowned. His advanced Transfiguration still had the same problems: casting took too long, and the fire dragon only lasted three seconds before vanishing.
For his future plans, that was undeniably bad news.
The main "plot" of second year would be the Chamber of Secrets.
If things didn't veer off the original trajectory, Harry would eventually resolve it.
But if they did deviate?
Without a reflected view, meeting the basilisk's eyes meant only one thing: death.
Sean had made many plans, but the one that tempted him most—and was also the riskiest—was still: a Basilisk Biscuit.
As long as he found a way to subdue the basilisk, he could obtain a biscuit of absolutely absurd power. In a situation of information asymmetry, anyone would suffer horribly from it.
The ripples on the lake slowly faded, and Sean heard the pleasing chime of the panel in his head:
[You have practised an Advanced Transfiguration at Master standard, Proficiency +3000]
[A new domain has been stepped into]
Sean focused. This was the first time he'd seen such a notification.
The panel underwent a massive change, drawing all his attention as it turned completely black.
One second, two, three… a wand appeared in the darkness. It was pitch-black, but as light slid across it, you could faintly see deep violet and dark red patterns beneath the surface.
Sean felt a vague, nervous tightness. He knew perfectly well this was his own wand, made of elder wood and phoenix tail feather.
Inside the wand's shadow, images flickered past—
The first time he turned a match into a silver needle; the first time he conjured a fire salamander; the first time he imbued a fire crab with the salamander's magic…
A line of heavy words, traced with mysterious sigils, appeared:
[Follow this hard road, and you will become a Master]
[Transfiguration has opened the great door; a hall forged of glory awaits the coming of legend—]
[Begin the Master-tier ascent]
[Once the ascent has begun, Master is no longer the limit]
[Panel upgraded]
Sean stood there, dazed. Heart pounding with excitement, he looked down at the new display.
[Title: Transfiguration Master]
[Greatly increases your unique perception across all branches of Transfiguration]
All?!
Sean's pulse jumped.
[Transfiguration categories:
Material Transfiguration: Novice (0/300);
Magical Transfiguration: Novice (0/300);
Soul Transfiguration: Locked]
[Evaluation: A wizard just entering Master rank in Transfiguration; among Masters, combat power less than 5/100]
[Advance requirement: One Legendary Transfiguration, plus two other Master-level Transfigurations, unlocks the Legendary Transfiguration Title]
A Legendary title…
Combat power less than five…
After the initial rush, Sean quietly closed the panel.
The Master-level breakthrough had drastically changed the panel.
"Material Transfiguration" he guessed meant all the combinations between "living" and "non-living" things.
"Magical Transfiguration" was easy to understand—his most recent spell, turning flame into a magical construct, counted as that.
But Soul?
What did that mean?
Sean had the odd feeling this might be the answer he'd been chasing all along.
In far-off Africa, wizards from Uagadou were famed for turning themselves into leopards or elephants—while keeping their own minds perfectly intact.
But Sean's biscuits couldn't do that; once transformed, most people lost consciousness. He suspected that this "soul" category was the missing piece.
If he could learn its secrets, it would mean he could transform into magical creatures while remaining fully lucid.
The very thought ignited his curiosity all over again.
Professor Tayra came from Uagadou. She might be able to guide him in that direction…
For now, though, Sean wanted to see what the upgraded panel could do.
He flicked his wand. A fire dragon rose up once more.
[You have practised a Magical Transfiguration at Novice standard in the Master domain, Master Proficiency +1]
He watched the Magical Transfiguration meter tick up by one. At the same time, his spellwork seemed to shift—he could feel his grasp on the magical energy of Transfiguration become even clearer.
Following that subtle intuition, the fire dragon held its form for a full five seconds.
And that was with him also stacking a multi-layered Transfiguration on it.
At this point, no upper-year student should be a match for him anymore.
Sean thought.
Most adult wizards probably wouldn't be, either.
As for professor level… his not-so-sturdy body, and the limited amount of magic it produced, remained his biggest weakness.
With preparation and a willingness to burn himself out, Sean figured he might exchange a few serious spells with a professor.
Even if it was only "a few rounds," it was still something to be proud of.
Above, the stars over the countryside gleamed as clearly as ever. The beech trees rose and fell in the dark, forming a deep, quiet silhouette against the sky.
Sean tapped his wand to his own head; his figure melted into the shadows like a moving patch of darkness.
He slipped silently back to McGonagall's cottage.
The panel upgrade had made his path in Transfiguration clearer than ever—both in direction and in pace.
This summer, both his Alchemy and his Transfiguration had taken a major stride forward.
At this rate, by the time he entered second year, the basilisk likely wouldn't be his match. And then… he could finally, properly study Basilisk Biscuits.
The night deepened, growing even darker and more profound.
~~~
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