Chapter 257: Profound Transfiguration
"How interesting!"
Marcus exclaimed loudly, a joyous smile spreading across his face.
He had just heard a certain young wizard's evaluation of his cooking skills. Nothing makes a chef happier than praise for the deliciousness of their food.
"Try this..."
Bursting with confidence, Marcus handed Sean a peculiarly shaped object resembling a soft roll.
Sean took a bite, then immediately switched off his brooch. An eerie silence fell over the dining table.
Sean stared silently at Marcus, and the old wizard blushed furiously.
"Ah, the timing must have been off. Next time, next time it will be perfect."
The appearance of the Blunt Translator allowed Sean to regain his ability to communicate, but this wasn't always a good thing.
Completely exposing one's inner thoughts made it very easy to hurt others or be hurt oneself.
The Blunt Translator was like Veritaserum; although the wizard had to consent to use it, once words were spoken, they couldn't be taken back. Therefore, one had to think even more carefully before speaking.
Sean usually kept it switched off, using it only occasionally.
While he held the Mandrake leaf in his mouth, Professor McGonagall often came to explain the precautions for the Animagus transformation to him.
For example, while waiting for the electrical storm, one must perform the following actions at every sunrise and sunset: point the wand tip at the heart and chant the incantation:
"Amato Animo Animato Animagus."
There could be no error in the incantation, or unpredictable changes would occur.
For instance, if one recited the incantation repeatedly at sunrise and sunset, a moment would come when, upon touching the wand tip to the chest, a second heartbeat would be felt. This was a normal phenomenon, indicating that the wizard's previous actions were correct.
At this time, one must not panic or be afraid. Everything must proceed as usual without change. The incantation must be recited the correct number of times, without missing a single instance.
The Professor was almost always with him. Most of the time, Sean was browsing through notes on Transfiguration relating to Ancient Runes, while Professor McGonagall was writing articles for Transfiguration Today.
Sparse patches of sunlight scattered across the living room, and the beech trees outside cast blurred silhouettes in the slanting warmth of the sun.
Marcus was struggling with baking, something he just couldn't seem to master. Occasionally, he would lock eyes with Sean—who remained silent after tasting the results—and blush deeper and deeper red.
The three little McGonagalls ran back and forth, sometimes not even in human form.
Their parents—Minerva McGonagall's nieces and nephews—always centered their conversations around a certain young wizard or that special report in the Daily Prophet.
Minerva McGonagall hadn't felt this at peace in a long time. This was only her second time returning to the McGonagall villa in many years.
Although some people were missing, the noise and bustle remained.
In those dark days, she thought only Hogwarts had accepted her, but now she felt a sudden realization... a part of her had remained here, and there were always people here waiting for her.
Stung by her scars, she hadn't realized this for a long time.
Her gentle gaze fell on Sean. The young wizard was immersed in knowledge, meeting her eyes with a slightly dazed look as if he had just emerged from a world of study.
"Top-tier Transfiguration involves certain incantations. You can start by looking at the section on Uagadou," she said.
"Uagadou? I understand, Professor."
Sean's brooch emitted a mature voice, forming a distinct contrast with his youthful face. Minerva McGonagall noticed that the sunlight outside the house seemed even brighter.
Sean quickly found the section on Uagadou wizards in the notes.
[Students at Uagadou are skilled in Transfiguration. The wand is a European invention, and African witches and wizards did not adopt it as a useful tool until the 20th century. Therefore, at Uagadou, many spells are cast simply by pointing a finger or through hand gestures.
[At Uagadou, even fourteen-year-olds can transform into elephants and cheetahs at will.
[This leads us to ponder where the secret of Transfiguration truly lies.
[Incantations? Gestures? Wand movements? Or the will and mental level of the wizard themselves?]
This passage successfully caught Sean's attention, and he read on with curiosity.
[The secret of Transfiguration comes from a deeper power within the wizard. The so-called incantations, wands, and gestures are merely auxiliary tools.
[But tools also play their intended role.
[On the road to exploring the true secrets of Transfiguration, relying on tools is not shameful; on the contrary, it is extremely clever.
[It is rumored that Uagadou wizards have mastered the secrets of Transfiguration incantations and gestures, which is what allows them to cast wandless magic.]
Incantations and gestures?
Hogwarts didn't teach Transfiguration incantations, and even gestures were only briefly mentioned.
Sean quickly thought of Charms, which also possessed incantations and gestures, and was much simpler than Transfiguration.
The most obvious example was that young wizards could cast Lumos in their first lesson, but in the first Transfiguration lesson, aside from Sean, only Hermione managed to turn a matchstick into a needle.
Uagadou was truly a magical place.
The magic there is very pure, Sean thought.
This made Sean start looking forward to the next opening of the Fairy Tale Workshop.
One month later.
Professor Terra would still find time to appear, and moreover, some Uagadou wizards would come to purchase items.
Sean would have plenty of opportunities to learn about their amazing Transfiguration.
Uagadou wizards were skilled in Astronomy, Alchemy, and Transfiguration. It seemed they dabbled in every profound field of magic... Was this just a coincidence?
Time passed as Sean waited, and in the blink of an eye, half of July was gone.
The passage of time was imperceptible on the farm; the lazy atmosphere made one want to sleep in again and again.
The little McGonagalls did exactly that. Sometimes they would transform into cats, run out to play wildly in the fields for a while, and then fall asleep.
In the end, Marcus would find them in the rice paddies and gently carry them back.
The old wizard never scolded them; instead, he would take photos with great interest.
When they woke up and saw their unflattering photos, they would climb all over the old wizard, claws and all, pitifully begging him to delete them.
During this time, Sean received a letter from afar.
"Hedwig"—well, she should be called Snowy now—stood on the window ledge, watching as Sean opened the letter:
Dear Sean:
Have you been able to contact Harry? I've sent him many letters, but he hasn't replied to a single one.
Ron and Hermione told me the same thing happened to them. I suspect something might have happened that we don't know about.
Sean, if you have any information or thoughts, please let us know.
—Yours faithfully: Justin
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you