Chapter 118: Flying Test

"Mr. Green, excellently done!"

Madam Hooch strode agilely toward Wizard Sean, hands on her hips, her smile retaining a sharp edge even as she grinned.

"You have mastered many flying techniques, but hovering, turning, and circling are merely basic maneuvers; today, we shall practice something different—"

A gentle breeze swept past, bending the grass of the Quidditch pitch in one direction.

Wizard Sean stumbled slightly as he dismounted his broom, steadied firmly by Madam Hooch's hand.

"Good. Rest a moment, for next you must face 'it'."

With a wave of Madam Hooch's wand, a wooden frame appeared from the broom shed, filled with golf balls.

Wizard Sean watched as Madam Hooch tossed one upward; the ball seemed enchanted, thrown with incredible speed and height, hovering momentarily in mid-air.

The tall witch who had just stood beside Madam Hooch had already vanished, leaving Wizard Sean to silently retrieve a potion from his bag and gulp it down—he had seen nothing.

Wizard Sean placed the empty bottle back in his bag; Professor Snape's potion tasted like some kind of fruit juice, vastly different from the sticky, bitter flavor of the Enhancing Potion described in textbooks.

A formula Wizard Sean dared not violate in the slightest became, in Professor Snape's hands, like a Boggart tailored specifically for him.

Wizard Sean would see terrifying potion explosions.

And Professor Snape would merely sneer, "Riddikulus."

Madam Hooch naturally noticed this scene; she raised an eyebrow, looking at the young wizard a few extra times as if she had discovered something extraordinary.

At this moment, Wizard Sean's flying proficiency had reached:

[Flying Technique: Novice (190/270)]

[Advancement: Skilled Flying Technique. Unlocking the Skilled Flying Title.]

Wizard Sean thought,

It seems the new title will be unlocked within the next few days.

In the air.

The characteristics of the golf ball resembled a weakened version of the Quaffle.

A charm had been cast upon the wizarding golf ball; if not caught, it would slowly descend to the ground as if sinking through water.

Wizard Sean's task was to catch it while still mid-air.

This was undoubtedly difficult.

Yet, it was not overly difficult.

Wind whistled past Wizard Sean's ears; his figure sliced through the blue sky like a falcon.

His speed now approached the broom's limit; the broom seemed on the verge of collapsing multiple times, yet Wizard Sean remained utterly unperturbed.

For it was not only the old broom that had reached its limit.

"Astonishing talent!"

Madam Hooch watched the young wizard snatch the golf ball, embracing the clouds as he slid down from the azure horizon.

In merely three attempts, he had transformed from being somewhat at a loss to catching it steadily.

"Mr. Green, you are destined to become a Seeker star."

Madam Hooch gazed at Wizard Sean for a long time, her expression somewhat complex.

Such a fine young lad; why did he not like Quidditch?

[Nearly seventy percent of early fouls were committed by Seekers, with various despicable methods emerging endlessly.

For instance: "Burning the opponent's broom tail," "Striking the opponent's broom with a bat," and "Axe attacks on opponents" were merely appetizers.]

Content from "Quidditch Through the Ages" surfaced in Wizard Sean's mind; if there were a rattle drum here, it would surely be Wizard Sean's little head shaking.

"Next week, I will conduct your flying test,"

Madam Hooch said helplessly, hands on her hips as she prepared to leave.

"First-year wizards may apply for the test opportunity only once, so remember to bring a new broom.

As for the Comet 160... it should be in the broom shed."

Having spoken, Madam Hooch departed, leaving Wizard Sean somewhat confused and worried.

Where was he to find a Nimbus 1500?

Not a single Ravenclaw dared to speak in the afternoon classroom,

for this lesson was Transfiguration.

Professor Minerva McGonagall involuntarily cast her gaze upon Wizard Sean for the third time.

He was completely undistracted, waving his wand; the mouse transformed into a snuffbox one moment, then reverted the next.

This continued until Wizard Sean's face turned pale, and he began flipping through "Intermediate Transfiguration."

Borrowed from the Hogwarts library, this book cost two Jin Jin Jialong; its difference from "A Beginner's Making Guide to Transfiguration" was that the central bead within the gold pattern had changed from red to green.

It detailed many transfiguration spells: for instance, how to transform a teapot into a turtle.

The key to this transformation lay in whether the turtle's tail emitted steam, or if the resulting turtle still possessed a shell composed of willow patterns.

Or transforming a slipper into a Bai Tu, where the focus was on whether the Bai Tu's ears were complete.

These transformations all seemed to emphasize turning an "inanimate object" into a "living creature."

Professor McGonagall's answer after class confirmed Wizard Sean's hypothesis.

"Elementary transfiguration allows the mutual transformation of things that cannot move independently;

Intermediate transfiguration involves converting movable items into immovable ones, or vice versa;

As for Advanced transfiguration, that is the mutual transformation between two movable items, such as turning a turtle into a rabbit..."

Professor McGonagall seemed quite satisfied with Wizard Sean's question; an interest in probing the essence of magic always helped wizards go further.

"Mr. Green, remember—the more advanced the transfiguration, the greater the power required; therefore, do not attempt it casually."

She looked at Wizard Sean and handed him a set of notes.

After reading them carefully, Wizard Sean naturally took out his wand to begin practicing.

His eyes burned intensely as he stared at the teapot, following the professor's notes to imagine the attributes a turtle should possess.

Transfiguration was a dangerous branch of magic; performing it before the professor was obviously safer.

This way, even if Wizard Sean turned himself into a badger, the professor could assist him quickly.

In fact, the original story once featured a young wizard who accidentally transformed his friend into a badger.

According to Professor McGonagall, if the Reversal Spell was not cast quickly, that young wizard might remain a badger for the rest of his life.

The fireplace in the office crackled and popped; outside, noisy sounds drifted from the Quidditch pitch, and even in the corridors, young wizards played Wizard Chess, with pieces occasionally shouting "Aha!" or "Get lost!"

Inside the office, Wizard Sean had practiced until exhausted; in his hand, a dark green little turtle was crawling, emitting steam from the base of its tail.

The panel's voice sounded multiple times:

[You practiced an in-depth Intermediate Transfiguration to the Apprentice standard. Proficiency +50.]

Wizard Sean thought,

An in-depth Intermediate Transfiguration must refer to transforming an "inanimate object" into a "living creature."

At this level of transfiguration, merely meeting the Apprentice standard granted 50 proficiency points...

Hmm, very good.

After reverting the turtle, Wizard Sean looked at Professor McGonagall with anticipation, disregarding the fact that his face had lost all color.

"Very good, Mr. Green, significant progress."

Professor McGonagall's voice carried satisfaction, yet her brows dipped imperceptibly with a hint of sorrow.

Wizard Sean did not notice; he silently tidied the items in the office, gently closed the door, and walked out.

The panel had already changed:

[Transfiguration: Novice (800/900)]

Pondering the knowledge of transfiguration, he remained detached from the clamor of the surrounding young wizards.

Professor McGonagall stood by the door, gazing long at his retreating figure, as if she had watched him leave countless times late at night.

"Minerva, you think highly of that child?"

At this moment, a steady voice rang out; an old wizard with a long, white beard had appeared beside Professor McGonagall without anyone noticing.

"There are no accidents in this world, Albus,"

Professor McGonagall's eyes softened completely, yet carried an imperceptible mix of pride and heartache.