Why was it Hermione?
What a coincidence.
On the train, Sean's voice mingled with the rushing wind. Outside the window, the vast plains had long since vanished. As the train entered a yew forest, scattered sunlight filtered through the branches, breaking into mottled patches of gold.
Hermione's ears slowly flushed a faint red. She opened her mouth to speak, but her mind went momentarily blank.
That only made Sean even more confused.
"Oh! What she meant is that you can actually perform Transfiguration, which is incredible!"
A voice suddenly cut in. It was Justin, who quickly stepped in to answer on Hermione's behalf. He pointed at the silver needle resting on the table, drawing both Sean's and Hermione's attention.
"How did you do it? Hermione said it's a very difficult spell."
After speaking, Justin grew a little nervous, silently praying that the young wizard across from him wouldn't take offense.
"The spell is Transfiguration," Sean explained calmly. "There's a slight pause between Trans and figura, with the emphasis on fi. More importantly, when you move your wand from left to right, the motion must be quick and continuous—no hesitation."
Sean reviewed his practice process as he spoke, identifying the possible key points. This was his usual way of learning.
"Of course, you also need to clearly visualize what you want the object to become," he added. "It's written on page five of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration."
As the train emerged from the yew forest, the compartment brightened again. Sunlight spilled in, making Sean's emerald-green eyes gleam like polished jade.
"So that's why I failed—I paused," Justin said, nodding to himself. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he straightened up. "Ah—right. It's nice to meet you. You might not have heard my introduction earlier, so I'll say it again. I'm Justin. Justin Finch-Fletchley."
After hearing Sean's explanation, Justin finally let out a breath of relief.
"Hermione Granger," Hermione said next. Though her cheeks were still slightly flushed, her voice was lively and confident.
"Sean Green."
Sean found Hermione's behavior a little strange. He didn't quite understand it, but he had no intention of dwelling on the matter.
There were more important things to focus on.
Inside the compartment, Sean appeared to be casually flipping through A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. In reality, his attention had already shifted to the proficiency panel.
Let me see… what level of Transfiguration genius am I?
His gaze slowly moved downward. Sean admitted that he was nervous—more nervous than he had ever been when drawing cards in his previous life. No, far more than that. At least a hundred times more.
Power in games had been fake. This, however, was real talent—something that would determine his future.
Title: Transfiguration Apprentice
Slightly increases perception of Transfiguration; slightly enhances Transfiguration talent.
As expected.
Sean held his breath and continued reading.
Wizard: Sean
Transfiguration Talent: Light Purple (Transfiguration Apprentice title already applied)
Note: A normal wizard is Green.
Evaluation: You are a true genius in the branch of Transfiguration magic. With proper guidance, you will become a pivotal master on the path of Transfiguration.
Purple. Epic.
Am I really a Transfiguration genius?
Sean felt as if gongs and drums were pounding inside his ears, accompanied by some celebratory tune shouting, "Good luck has arrived!"
Those who had once endured endless stretches of bad luck treasured purple epics more than anyone.
With guidance, I can even become a Transfiguration master…
Suppressing his inner excitement, Sean made a firm decision: he would stay at Hogwarts for all seven years—no matter what.
At the same time, he began to think more carefully about the road ahead.
The difference between Transfiguration talent and general spell talent confirmed something important.
In the world of Harry Potter, magical talent was not universal. It wasn't a single, all-encompassing attribute. Different wizards excelled in different branches of magic.
Take Neville, for example. His performance in most subjects was average at best, yet he shone brilliantly in Herbology.
Or Hermione herself—outstanding in nearly every field of magic, yet noticeably weaker than Harry in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while her Divination results were nothing short of disastrous.
If Sean wanted to achieve excellence across all seven subjects, he would have to invest significantly more effort into areas where his talent was lacking.
At Hogwarts, the difficulty of each subject varied widely.
This wasn't only because of the nature of the subjects themselves, but more importantly, because of the professors teaching them.
Just like in university, the knowledge was all there. Whether a course was enjoyable—or even survivable—depended largely on the instructor.
Following this logic, the most difficult core subject was undoubtedly Potions.
Not only was Professor Snape a factor, but the subject itself was packed with dense, meticulous knowledge. On top of that, there were dangerous experimental components. Every class required students to brew a potion on the spot, submit it for evaluation, and then complete lengthy essays afterward.
Just thinking about Professor Snape's perpetually gloomy expression made Sean's heart sink. Achieving an Outstanding in Potions under Snape's instruction would be no easy feat.
I can only hope I have at least a little talent in Potions, Sean thought. Just a little would be enough.
Second on the list was Defense Against the Dark Arts.
High risk. Complicated teaching staff.
After all, professors with two heads weren't exactly common.
Another difficult subject.
Sean rubbed his brow, his gaze sharpening.
Nothing would stop him from learning—not even Lord Voldemort.
With a rough plan forming, Sean continued his analysis.
Taking various factors into account, the third tier of difficulty consisted of Herbology, Transfiguration, and Charms.
All three required a certain degree of innate talent.
The final tier was History of Magic and Astronomy—subjects that relied heavily on memorization of fixed knowledge.
Fortunately, these posed little challenge for Sean.
"Transfiguration and Charms… my current level should be sufficient," he murmured to himself. "Astronomy and History of Magic—pure memorization, no special attention needed."
He reached a conclusion.
"So the truly difficult areas are Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology."
With his goals set, Sean began considering how to execute his plan.
That was when he realized the noise outside the compartment had been going on for quite some time.
Every now and then, he caught words like "Harry," "Harry Potter," and "Merlin."
Then came a loud bang.
Disturbed, Sean slowly looked up, meeting Justin's and Hermione's gazes once more.
Justin immediately lowered his head and spoke as though nothing had happened.
"Sean, look—it's the Levitation Charm. It's really amazing!"
Sean followed his gaze.
Above Hermione's wand, a feather floated steadily in the air.
The young girl lifted her chin slightly.
"Actually, this is just a simple spell," she said. "I learned it from Standard Spells: Grade One. It's not very difficult—I managed it after practicing a few times."
Her tone carried a hint of pride.
Sean, who had practiced it five hundred times, silently disagreed.
"Justin, you should try it too," Hermione said earnestly, turning to him. "It's one of the first spells young wizards usually learn."
"You'll have to guide me," Justin replied without hesitation, his eyes shining as he raised his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather didn't move.
"You need to flick your wrist," Hermione corrected.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather trembled slightly.
"That's still wrong," Hermione said seriously. "You have to speak decisively. Any hesitation will make the spell fail."
Justin grew even more focused.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather rose smoothly into the air.
"It worked!" Justin exclaimed. "That's amazing, Hermione—you're such a good teacher!"
Clearly thrilled by his success, Justin thanked her sincerely.
"You're right," he said with a grin. "It really doesn't seem that difficult after all."