The Reason for Not Speaking is a Matter of Image

A month had passed in the blink of an eye since Harry moved into the small bedroom on the second floor. Harry felt this was his busiest holiday yet.

Yes, although in every previous holiday he had to expend a lot of effort and time playing "Chase Harry" with Dudley and his friends.

But compared to this holiday, the physical and time consumption of those past holidays seemed insignificant.

However, unlike before, he was now enjoying himself. Every day, he just needed to tidy up, learn some magic control, and read interesting magic books. Nothing was more fulfilling than this.

But unlike Harry's thoughts, Mu En felt that this past month had been incredibly long and agonizing.

The reason was that he had found some deeds of Merlin in "Modern Magical History," which introduced this "Jehovah of Wizards" as an Animagus.

Furthermore, he was an Animagus who could transform into multiple animals.

In other words, an Animal Wizard.

Undoubtedly, this spell immediately caught his attention.

It wasn't that he couldn't transform into animals, but those were either "Transformation Spells" used for deception, or achieved through the Human Transmutation Array on his own body to convert into animals.

The book's record of Merlin stated that when Madam Mim transformed into a fire dragon, Merlin seized the opportunity to become a germ and entered her body to attack her, thus achieving victory.

In other words, the upper limit of this spell... seemed excessively powerful.

Especially in Mu En's current situation, his head had turned into a cat's, which had even caused his strength to decline significantly, making him very distressed. This magic that altered the body offered him a glimmer of hope to break through.

Although the book recorded that each Animagus could only transform into one animal, Merlin was different... In the world of magic, nothing was absolute.

After all, magic was essentially about creating the impossible.

Of course, the prerequisite was not to play oneself to death.

Therefore, after he found the relevant operational methods and deduced them based on potion theory, he directly began his attempts.

The first step was to hold a Mandrake Root leaf in his mouth on a full moon day and continue until the next full moon.

During this period, under no circumstances could the leaf be swallowed or spat out. As soon as the leaf left his mouth, the entire process had to be restarted.

So, for the past month, he had basically not spoken much.

But tonight, he would finally be free.

Today was the full moon!

At this moment, the night was deep, but it was only eight o'clock in the evening, and the sky was already full of stars.

Under the moonlight, Harry continuously practiced his magic control. He no longer used dummies as targets to unleash his magic. With the aid of potions, he had initially mastered the technique of bursting forth magic.

What he was doing now was trying to ignite the paper scraps in the brazier before him.

With a target, a specific casting direction, and without the enhancement of emotions, relying solely on the desire to cast.

This was considerably more difficult than simply thinking about defeating a dummy.

"Burn!" Harry suddenly pointed his hand forward, his gaze fixed intently on the brazier.

Although saying this felt a bit awkward, it could indeed serve as a subjective guide to a certain extent.

In the brazier, a spark lit up on the paper scraps. Harry's face lit up with joy, but it was a pity that the spark extinguished in the blink of an eye.

"Hey—ignite for me!" Harry grunted again. He had been doing this training for some time, and this was the first time he had seen a spark.

He could feel that he was just one step away from success.

Veins bulged on his forehead, his muscles tensed, and he stared intently at the paper scraps.

With a whoosh, flames suddenly erupted from the paper scraps for no reason, much like the flames that suddenly burst from an overheated pot.

"Success!" Harry looked at the flames in the brazier in disbelief. Although they were very weak and flickered in the mountain breeze, he had indeed succeeded.

Click—

The door slowly opened. Harry turned his head and saw Uncle Mu En walking out. He quickly said, "Uncle Mu En, I succeeded."

Mu En glanced at the flame and praised, "Not bad."

Huh?

Harry was also stunned. When was the last time he heard Uncle Mu En speak?

It had been a very, very long time ago.

He still remembered that just the third day after he moved to the second floor, Uncle Mu En suddenly stopped talking.

When he asked why, Uncle Mu En just opened a book and showed him the first step of the Animagus cultivation method.

So that was why he couldn't speak, because he had to keep a Mandrake Root leaf in his mouth.

Since then, Harry had never heard Uncle Mu En's voice again.

Actually, Harry had secretly tried putting a leaf in his mouth to see if he could speak, and the answer he got was – yes.

But he would lisp.

So Harry guessed that Uncle Mu En felt that lisping would damage his dashing and suave image, and that's why he simply didn't speak.

If anyone says this kid is smart, they're right. If Mu En knew, he would surely scold him.

"Uncle Mu En, you can talk now?!" Harry exclaimed happily.

Mu En nodded, looking up at the moon in the sky. The summer evening breeze was pleasant, and the weather was clear. The bright full moon hung in the heavens, generously spreading its radiance upon the world.

Mu En took the Mandrake Root from his mouth and placed it into a small, transparent glass bottle. He then added a teaspoon of collected dew and the pupa of a Death's-head Hawkmoth.

Finally, he added a strand of his own hair—no, it was his beard.

He didn't have any hair at the moment.

He had initially intended to use fur, but his facial hair was thick and dense. Thus, he ultimately chose his beard, which was the equivalent of hair on a human body.

After completing all this, Mu En mentally reviewed the subsequent details. The potion needed to be hidden in a dark, secluded place, but not within his residence. It also had to be protected from any prying eyes and direct sunlight.

Mu En already had a plan for all of this. With a flip of his hand, he conjured a hole at the base of the Redwood tree next to the castle. A cracking sound of wood breaking echoed as a large cavity was revealed.

This was outdoors, allowing the potion to absorb natural energy. However, thanks to the Redwood tree and the hole, sunlight could not penetrate.

After placing the small bottle inside, he refilled the hole. Then, he took out his wand and began setting up defensive formations to prevent any accidents.

He certainly didn't want to go through that again; having a blade of grass in his mouth for an entire month was truly tormenting.

Mu En's actions did not go unnoticed by Harry, who walked over, his eyes shining. "Uncle Mu En, is this what an Animagus is? Why does it feel like I'm making a potion when it's clearly a type of magic?"

Mu En nodded and said, "An Animagus is evidently an advanced magic that integrates both potion-making and transformation spells.

There's no need to be surprised; magic can manifest in various forms. Do you remember what I said in Knockturn Alley a month ago?"

Harry recalled for a moment and then stated directly, "You said they were all trash."

Mu En opened his mouth, then shook his head. "No, not that. It was about magic."

Harry thought again, and then a memory surged forth. His eyes lit up, and he declared loudly, "You said they still express magic using 'waves.'

And then, Harry added, "All trash!"

Mu En nodded, ruffling Harry's hair. "That's right. So, you must remember that magic has diverse forms of expression. In the future, you must never become someone who only knows how to cast waves."