Chapter 61: The Dark Arts Professor Discovers His Star Pupil?

A Successful Magical Experiment!

A Perfectly Verified Hypothesis!

At this moment—

Ian had finally confirmed his theory.

The essence of Transfiguration was indeed different from other branches of magic.

Professor McGonagall was right.

Among all forms of magic, Transfiguration held a special place.

If spells like Avada Kedavra, Incendio, and Fiendfyre were seen as distinct paths paved by brilliant wizards who had discovered them through personal insight—

Then the spells of Transfiguration were a collective achievement, a domain explored and refined by generations of both ancient and modern wizards.

And through this realization, Ian's perspective broadened significantly.

"The mist before my eyes has completely cleared. From now on, my path is unobstructed. All I need to do is work tirelessly and reach the vision I have seen."

His Transfiguration proficiency increased by six points, a testament to his talent, rivaling even the areas where he had a natural magical gift.

It wasn’t that Ian lacked aptitude in Transfiguration—it was simply that he had never found the right perspective before.

To truly master Transfiguration, one needed a wizard’s true vision—to understand that magic did not merely distort matter but rather bestowed it with new rules.

Most young wizards would never fully grasp this concept.

Yet, despite this lack of understanding, they could still perform Transfiguration spells simply by following their professor’s instructions, much like a rote-learning system.

They knew how to transform objects, but not why it worked.

This was precisely why most wizards’ Transfiguration skills were shallow, lacking the depth of true mastery.

"To transform an object into a living creature… that would be the ultimate test of Transfiguration skill."

Ian recalled the Transfiguration Club led by Professor McGonagall.

It was said that the entry requirement was to transfigure an object into a lifelike creature.

Feeling inspired, Ian raised his wand to attempt the challenge himself.

In the Owlery, the resident owls, known for their intelligence, immediately took flight the moment Ian pulled out his wand.

They knew better.

They had witnessed this firewood stick do strange things before.

A blur of feathers, and they were gone—

Well, they were birds, after all.

"Vera Verto!"

A bundle of straw twisted and wove itself together at an astonishing speed, its color shifting as the transformation took effect.

A moment later, a realistic-looking rat appeared before Ian.

At first glance, it looked convincing.

But something was missing.

It lacked the natural presence of a truly living creature—nothing like the majestic leopard Professor McGonagall had once conjured from her podium.

In short—

This rat had no real life force.

It moved, yes, but its movements were clumsy—unnatural, almost mechanical.

Even the owls, observing from a distance, tilted their heads in visible confusion.

What in Merlin’s name is that supposed to be?

A dozen owls sat huddled together, all staring at the odd rat.

Ian frowned but wasn’t discouraged.

This was only Level 3 Transfiguration.

If he could push it to Level 5, where his spells would gain extraordinary properties, the transformation would be fundamentally different.

"It’s getting late. If I don’t get to the Great Hall soon, I’ll be starving by afternoon."

Ian glanced at the tower clock outside the window and lifted his spell—

The rat unraveled instantly, morphing back into a pile of straw.

Its spiky fur collapsed, returning to its original form—an eerie pile of straw that now resembled the remains of a spiked demon rat from some dark tale.

"Well, that’s disturbing."

Ian turned to the owls.

"There you go—freshly un-transfigured. Eat up."

Without waiting for their response, he jogged off, heading for the castle’s spiral staircase.

Just as he turned a corner, he nearly bumped into someone.

A tall, cold-looking wizard stood in his path.

Professor Ronny Ehrlich.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts sacrificial lamb of the year.

"Professor Ehrlich."

Ian greeted him politely.

Regardless of whether Hogwarts would even remember this professor next year, at least for now, Ehrlich was going to provide a first-hand demonstration of Voldemort’s infamous curse on the position.

Truly, a lesson in Dark Arts Defense, just not in the way the Ministry would approve.

Ehrlich barely glanced at him, nodding curtly in response.

Cold. Distant.

Ian shrugged. "Must be the loner type."

With lunch still on his mind, he resumed his quick pace towards the Great Hall.

What Ian didn’t notice—

Was that after he had passed, Professor Ehrlich stopped walking.

He turned, gazing after Ian’s retreating figure, his expression unreadable.

He stood there for a long moment.

Then, with a final glance at the now-empty hallway, he changed direction—

And walked straight into the Owlery.

From his robe, he withdrew a letter.

The wax seal bore an elegant, arcane inscription, its edges pulsating with faint, unnatural energy.

"Austria. Singer’s Stationery Shop."

He whispered the destination to a waiting owl, then placed the letter in its beak.

The owl, eyeing the high-quality treat in his other hand, took off swiftly—

Vanishing into the sky, disappearing over the castle’s edge.

Ehrlich watched it go, his piercing gaze following it until it was nothing more than a speck in the distance.

Then, as he turned to leave, something caught his eye.

A dead rat in the corner.

Or rather—

A pile of straw shaped like a rat, its body pierced through as if the straw had erupted from inside it.

He knelt, picking it up between his fingers, inspecting it closely.

"Soft straw—yet sharp enough to pierce through flesh?"

He turned it over.

The strands hadn’t been placed—they had been woven from within, as if the rat had been reshaped from the inside out.

"Transfiguration…?"

A whisper of realization crossed his lips.

His mind, filled with an encyclopedic knowledge of magic, began reconstructing the event—

Piecing together the magic behind this unnatural creation.

And as understanding dawned, so did a flicker of something else.

Excitement.

Intrigue.

Anticipation.

With the dead rat still in hand, Ehrlich slowly turned his gaze back to the hallway where Ian had vanished.

His eyes gleamed with something between realization and revelation.

"Now, this… is interesting."

---

By the time Ian finished his late lunch, most students were either napping in their dorms or revising for afternoon classes.

But Ian had other priorities.

Hogwarts’ library was calling to him.

A treasure trove of magical knowledge, holding some of the most valuable texts in the wizarding world.

Even though Dumbledore had locked away most of the Restricted Section in his office, the remaining books alone could take a lifetime to study.

And Ian had no intention of wasting that opportunity.

He climbed a tall ladder, scanning through Transfiguration texts.

"From Cats to Eagles: A Practical Guide to Transfiguration."

"The Forbidden Secrets of Transfiguration."

"Transfiguration and Mental Projection."

A mountain of books formed in front of him.

But the more he read, the deeper his realization became.

Transfiguration wasn’t just shaping matter—

It was the closest thing to creation itself.

And if one could push it far enough—

True magic, true power, was within reach.

The power of a god.

The power to reshape reality itself.