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Hofa headed back. No Quidditch class meant plenty of time. He'd hit the library, maybe find something on the Disillusionment Charm.
To truly win in this magical worldâto pursue freedom and happinessâhe needed strength. Developing the system was the fastest route. But Hogwarts was his only explorable realm right now. So priority one: learn the Disillusionment Charm.
Getting to the library meant crossing the school grounds firstâthe zone between Forbidden Forest and castle. A massive green lawn spanning kilometers, like an emerald carpet. Grass rustled in the breeze.
Halfway there, Hofa spotted magical runes on the ground. Neatly arranged. Glowing faint blue.
Some kind of functional array.
Magic array on the lawn?
Curious, he walked while observing.
Ahead, a dozen figures clustered together. Upperclassmen, from their dress. Arguing about something loudly. Hofa's shortcut passed right by them. Getting closer, he stopped to watch.
The argument grew louder.
...
"How are we supposed to survive?"
"Who did this?"
"Several days now..."
"Why hasn't the Ministry sent anyone?"
"Headmaster Dippet said he'll handle it."
...
Hofa walked behind them and craned his neck. Behind the students, a runic array was blasted apart. Grass flew everywhere. Craters and scratches covered the ground.
Transportation array! Hofa was shocked. He remembered.
Headmaster Armando said at the feast: The Ministry established a transportation point on the grounds. Sixth-years and above can go to Ministry venues for Auror training after approval.
The upperclassmen kept arguing. Worried expressions. Most concerned about incomplete studies and assignments.
...
"I don't have enough credits. What do I do?"
"I'm worse off. Can't complete this, might not graduate!"
"Can't we use other ways to reach the Ministry? Why the array?"
"No. Didn't you hear Dippet? Follow school arrangements."
...
Hofa listened. Found a quiet upperclassman with folded arms. Asked softly, "What's going on?"
The student looked down at Hofa, only rib-height.
He bent down, whispered, "What year? What are you doing here?"
"First year. Passing by." Hofa said. "Isn't this the Ministry's transportation point?"
"Yeah," the student said worriedly. "Some unknown person destroyed it. Now we can't transport to internships."
Destroy the transportation point?
Someone's got guts.
He wanted to ask more. Suddenly, figures strode over.
The upperclassman pushed Hofa.
"Go. Professor Goshawk's coming. Don't let him see you!"
Hofa looked. Bronze robes. Thinking of Goshawk's severity, he shivered. Without looking back, he circled around to Hogwarts.
...
Just a small episode. Whoever destroyed the array didn't concern him.
Back at Hogwarts, Hofa headed straight for the library. His system exploration sat at 0.5%. Not even one percent of Hogwarts explored. He had to learn invisibility or stealth fast.
The library held tens of thousands of books. Hundreds of narrow passages. Towering shelves. Some students needed ladders.
No first-years here. Just upperclassmen writing papers. Wizards like Hermione were rare. First-years had light coursework. Young and playful. Few came to libraries.
Hofa always searched the Charms section for the Disillusionment Charm. But he'd flipped through most of the beginner area already.
Another round. His heart sank.
Not a single book with "invisibility" in the contents.
His luck had turned bad. By karma conservation, maybe his Transfiguration talent used up all his luck.
Hofa thought. He had to explore the school. Couldn't follow all rules. Couldn't get caught.
So besides invisibilityâother methods?
After thinking, he remembered the MaraudersâHarry's dad and Sirius's group.
Rule-breaking maniacs. But their capital wasn't just the Invisibility Cloak. They were Animagi.
Hofa saw hope.
Right. Animagus. If he couldn't turn invisible, becoming a small animal would work. He had Transfiguration talent.
Once the thought arose, it stuck. Plus he was interested in Transfiguration now. He left Charms and went to Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration section was next to Potions. Large area. Not many first-year books though.
Hofa pulled several. Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, Conversion of Matter and Magic, Rapid Transfiguration Basics...
After several, Hofa felt bored. These books just repeated the textbook. Explained worse than Dumbledore. Only people like Filch would read them.
Unwilling to give up, he kept flipping. Some taught him things. Others didn't.
Immersed, he didn't notice his position. He walked deeper into the library.
Suddenly, faint whispers.
"Look at me."
"No."
"Look at me instead."
"I have the most knowledge."
"No, I have more."
"But mine's more useful."
...
Hofa looked up. Nobody around. Books lay obediently on shelves.
But the whispers continued arguing.
"Don't listen to him."
"Don't listen to him."
"Come, child."
"I can make you glorious."
"Glorious?"
"Reading for glory? Idiot."
"Tsk."
"Short-sighted."
"Knowledge itself is desire."
"Oh!"
"Damn!"
"Shut up."
"Let him choose."
...
They kept whispering. Hofa's eyes widened.
Books... arguing?
Why could he hear them? Would every wizard?
He didn't understand. Curious, he moved closer.
The chattering grew denser. They belittled each other, elevated themselves. Like trying to sell themselves.
Hofa walked along the shelf. On the third shelf, a thick old book wedged horizontally.
He instinctively felt it suited him.
While other books argued, this one stayed quiet. Radiated confidence.
He pulled out the chest-sized thick book.
"Oh, damn."
"Good luck."
"Hmph, another one."
"I'm out."
The moment Hofa chose, the muttering books quieted.
Hofa examined the confident book. Cover made from unknown creature skin. Strange texture. Faint burnt smell.
Seemed burned. Faded silver characters scrawled on the cover.
Dissecting All Things, Structure is King
AuthorâMorgan le Fay.
Arrogant. Hofa pursed his lips.
He opened it. One glanceâdrawn in.
Inside, a lion's anatomical diagram in standard detail. Every angle. Fur to nerves to magic flow.
Below: [Transfiguration's foundation is understanding. Transfiguring a cat versus a lion has no magical difference. The only difference is whether you understand your target enough. Want to transfigure a cat? Understand cats. Want to transfigure a lion? Understand lions. Animagus is the same...]
Hofa's breathing quickened. This book saw through his thoughts. Got straight to the point. Completely different from those coy books outside.
He turned the page without hesitation.
Second pageâmassive eagle. Every bone, every feather in extreme detail.
[Through magic, shuttling between subject and objectâthe hardest part isn't understanding the target, but deeply understanding yourself. Those who cannot deeply dissect themselves cannot become true Transfiguration masters...]
Hofa was shocked. These words were like bells. Deafening.
He wanted to keep reading.
Suddenly, a gray-bearded library administrator popped out. Snatched the book away. "Hey! Kid, got a professor's signature?"
Hofa's anger surged. But seeing the bright red overheadâRestricted Sectionâhe realized he'd broken rules. Entering the Restricted Section required a professor's signature.
Seeing Hofa silent, the administrator put hands on hips.
"No signature in the upperclassman areaâwhat if the magic backfires? Who's responsible? Me or you! Go!"
He waved a feather duster, chasing Hofa out.
Standing at the entrance, Hofa irritably kicked the Roman column. Full of unwillingness. Bad luck. Nothing works.
Getting interrupted while reading at the best part was the worst. If that old guy came later, maybe he'd have found Animagus secrets.
After being annoyed, Hofa thought of countermeasures.
He had to get this book. But with so many rules, where could he get a signature?
He thought of the original story. Harry and Hermione got the Polyjuice recipe in second year, entered the Restricted Section. But they met idiot Lockhart. Who should he find now? Dumbledore wouldn't workâtoo smart. Goshawk even lessâstrict even with his granddaughter.
Worried, Hofa left the library. The sky had darkened. He'd stayed too long.
Hunger hit. He ran to the Great Hall. Already missed mealtime. Hoped some food remained.
Unfortunately, when he arrived, people were sparse. Only leftover desserts on tables.
Really unlucky today.
After eating dessert, empty-handed and empty-stomached, Hofa returned to Ravenclaw common room.
...
The common room was unusually noisy. Kids eagerly discussed Quidditch.
Center of the crowdâsilver-haired Aglaia. Her flying talent earned worship. They surrounded her like stars. Many asked about flying techniques.
Seeing Hofa enter, Aglaia amplified her voice. Like a proud swan, she guided admirers.
"Galen, you bend too much. Center of gravity too forward. No wonder you can't fly."
"William, your grip's wrong. Habitual movement is left hand controls direction, right swings bat. Keep using right hand, you'll lose badly."
"Taylor, you did well today. But you still seem afraid of flying. Don't fear it. You're not a Muggle. Unlike certain people..."
"Certain people"âshe raised her volume. Obvious innuendo.
Hofa ignored her. Treated her like she was farting. Since he couldn't meditate in the common room, he'd meditate in bed.
But as he headed upstairs, Miranda emerged and grabbed him.
"Where'd you go? I looked forever."
"What's wrong?"
Hofa asked flatly.
"You didn't eat dinner, right?"
Miranda pulled out a paper package. Insideâfood. Just chicken legs and bread, but Hofa's heart warmed.
He took the cold food and ate. Miranda comforted him:
"Not flying isn't a big deal. I can't fly well either. In two weeks, our house plays Gryffindor. Will you watch?"
Hofa was speechless. After today, he had zero interest in Quidditch. Miranda came to comfort himâafraid he'd be upset? Really kind.
But right now, Hofa's mind was full of Transfiguration. He didn't care about this nonsense.
But since Miranda asked, he couldn't refuse directly. He nodded. "Sure, why not?"
Miranda leaned close, whispered:
"Aglaia was selected as reserve Seeker. Next week, the official Seeker goes to the Ministry for Auror training. If you cheered for her once, I think it's a good chance to let go of differences."
Reserve Seeker. Aglaia! Let go of differences and cheer for her?
Ha. Hofa felt his guts twist. Like he'd eaten shit. Extremely unpleasant.
Miranda was scheming. First food, then making him show support. If she'd said the second part directly, he'd never agree even if beaten to death. This girlâdid she see through his personality?
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