Chapter 46: Eyes in the Shadows
Hogwarts offered a curious array of magical subjects. There was Herbology, where students wrestled with mischievous Leaping Toadstools; History of Magic, taught by a ghost; and Potions, where a moment's inattention could cost you dearly in house points.
But the most captivating, and arguably the most difficult, was Transfiguration. It was a class where raw magical power met precise control, where students could attempt to reshape reality itself. There were no complex steps to memorize, no intricate wand movements – just pure will focused through a wand. Professor McGonagall might have been intimidating, but the wonders she performed – turning teapots into tortoises, making feather quills dance jigs – held the students spellbound.
Yet, despite their enthusiasm, few made rapid progress. Even Hermione, the brightest in their year, had only managed to round the end of her matchstick into a pinhead.
So, when Sean not only transformed the running rat into a snuffbox but then reversed the transfiguration, sending the rat scurrying again, most of the class gathered around, letting out a collective gasp of "Whoa—!"
[You have practiced an intermediate Transfiguration to the Adept standard. Proficiency +100]
Sean realized he had underestimated his own talent for the subject. Just two weeks of practice, and he was already performing intermediate Transfiguration at an 'Adept' level.
He wasn't the only one surprised. Professor McGonagall's usual stern expression softened, the lines around her eyes smoothing out, and a look of profound satisfaction shone behind her square spectacles.
"Excellent, Mr. Green! Truly outstanding work. Five points to Ravenclaw!" She strode quickly to his desk, ignoring the murmurs of astonishment from the other students, her eyes fixed solely on Sean, who looked up with a focused, slightly shy expression.
"Stay behind after class," she murmured, her voice barely audible above the classroom chatter.
Sean blinked, then nodded mutely.
The lesson soon ended, and the students streamed out, leaving Sean alone with the professor. McGonagall regarded him silently for a moment, the usual severity in her gaze tempered with something gentler. Whispers had already reached her – tales of a certain Ravenclaw first-year earning house points at an unprecedented rate, supposedly outscoring the runner-up two to one.
She had plucked a seed from barren ground, and now, she was watching it sprout.
"Come with me, Mr. Green," she said, her voice regaining some of its usual briskness as she led him out of the classroom.
Her office was nearby, a small study off the second-floor corridor with a roaring fire and a window overlooking the Quidditch pitch. A crowd of students was already gathering there; the Gryffindors and Slytherins had their first flying lesson soon.
"Show me the transfiguration again," Professor McGonagall instructed, her tone softened almost imperceptibly.
Sean understood immediately. This was extra tuition, a private lesson.
When he left her office sometime later, his understanding of intermediate Transfiguration had deepened considerably. He also carried a thin notebook filled with McGonagall's own concise, insightful notes. She had clarified several points that had puzzled him and reinforced the core principle of Transfiguration: the wizard's will. Like all magic, she explained, Transfiguration was susceptible to the caster's emotional state. Intense emotions like grief or shock could disrupt even the most skilled practitioner's control, affecting Animagi and Metamorphmagi alike. She cited the example of Nymphadora Tonks, whose metamorphic abilities had become erratic after the death of Sirius Black, her hair turning mousy brown, her usual vibrant self dimming.
Sean hurried through the corridors towards the dungeons. Unlike most of the other Ravenclaws, he wasn't heading to the Quidditch pitch to watch the flying lesson. Though curious, he knew what he needed to do took precedence over what he wanted to do.
The late afternoon sun cast long, dancing shadows from the torches sconced along the walls. The snores of sleeping portraits echoed softly in the quiet passages. As he turned down the west corridor, the sunlight vanished behind the thick castle walls, and the air grew suddenly damp and heavy. He pulled aside a tapestry, revealing the hidden spiral staircase, a chill drifting up from below.
He descended the familiar steps, his mind racing. If Professor Snape catches me, what excuse can I possibly give?
But the dungeon classroom was empty. Sean's green eyes lit up.
He hurried to a cauldron, lighting the flame, laying out his ingredients, opening his notebook – all in one smooth, practiced motion. He had brewed the Boil-Cure Potion at least ten times now, and mentally rehearsed it a hundred more. He knew every step intimately, so well, in fact, that he felt confident enough to introduce subtle variations.
The potion began to bubble, a sound that now felt strangely comforting. The thick, dark green liquid roiled, bubbles forming and bursting on the surface. The dried nettle and venomous snake fang powders had been ground to a fine, jade-green dust. He carefully added them to the cauldron in increments, each addition causing the boiling to intensify violently. The standard instruction was to immediately stir three times clockwise, but Sean didn't.
He understood a fundamental truth about magic: it was an esoteric art, a miracle born of will, yet it was not entirely divorced from reason. His experience with Charms had taught him that while mental focus was crucial, precise pronunciation and gestures made casting easier. Yet, this principle seemed largely unacknowledged, even by professors. If they truly understood it, the instructions for the Levitation Charm wouldn't be a vague "swish and flick," but a detailed breakdown of wand arc, speed, and wrist rotation.
But the wizarding world seemed to operate on a principle of natural selection. The talented intuitively grasped the nuances and succeeded. The less talented were left to flail through endless repetitions, hoping for a stroke of luck or a moment of accidental insight. He'd seen Michael in Transfiguration class, repeating the same incorrect wand movement dozens of times without analysis or correction.
Sean's approach was different. He meticulously recorded his successes and failures, analyzing the differences, sometimes even conducting controlled experiments until exhaustion overtook him. Combined with his own developing intuition, his progress in Transfiguration had been rapid.
He applied the same rigor to Potions. Intuition was rare, but when it struck, he seized it. Now, instead of blindly following the three clockwise stirs, he altered the motion slightly, following a subtle feeling, even increasing the heat just a fraction.
The candlelight flickered, casting dancing shadows. Unseen by Sean, in the darkest corner of the dungeon, a pair of cold, black eyes emerged from the gloom, watching his every move.