Mastered!

Five hours later, at midnight, Sean finally left Grindelwald's office with droopy eyelids.

Grindelwald followed behind, then stopped at the door. He smiled at Sean, whose eyes were vacant, and said in a relaxed and comfortable tone, "Let me think, based on your performance today, this kind of learning should only need to last for a week—provided, of course, that you can maintain this pace."

Sean's lips twitched.

Before coming here, he had considered what kind of teaching methods Grindelwald might use, but it turned out he was too naive...

Even with the most humble and cautious description, no one would deny Sean's talent and learning ability, and with the mutual encouragement of Hermione, Sean's initiative is also outstanding.

He also considered himself a studious person.

But it took Sean only half an hour to realize that Newmontgard's high-pressure learning environment was simply a weakened and modified version of Grindelwald's own teaching methods...

He relentlessly pushes you forward, feeding you a wealth of information every minute and every second, and then sets goals for each time period based on your performance.

"Sean, you have one minute to describe this person's physical characteristics in detail."

"Sean, you have three minutes. Tell me how the Transfiguration I just demonstrated worked its magic?"

"Sean, you have ten minutes to memorize the casting posture for this spell. There can be no deviation whatsoever."

In this way, he would constantly set goals for Sean —if Sean performed well, he would increase the difficulty of the learning and further reduce the study time.

If Sean fails to meet his requirements, then Grindelwald's unique curse will fall upon Sean.

It's a kind of magic that makes your scalp tingle but doesn't cause you much pain. You'll just feel your previously drowsy head suddenly clear up, and that kind of pain, which isn't exactly excruciating but is very uncomfortable, will spread throughout your body.

Then, Mr. Grindelwald. Gellert Grindelwald, who is "merciful," "friendly," and "gentle" (these are words that Grindelwald forced Sean to say), will cast another healing spell to completely erase the negative effects of the curse.

Yes, unlike Dumbledore, every action Grindelwald took and every word he uttered was aimed at squeezing out Sean's learning potential.

The learning process was physically and mentally painful, and the pressure was immense, but the results were obvious—in just five hours, Sean had already begun to grasp the basics.

According to Grindelwald, Sean needs to learn how to quickly construct human figures because it's impossible to spend half a day copying Transfiguration object before each Transfiguration.

Exhausted, Sean nodded listlessly. "I tried my best, sir."

Grindelwald looked displeased. He casually waved his branch wand, and the curse that Sean knew so well fell on him once again.

"Hiss—" Sean gasped, instantly snapping back to reality.

Grindelwald put his hands behind his back and raised his head with a hint of disdain. "Try your best? That's your job. My dear Mr. Wallop, haven't five hours today made you understand? With me—you need to risk your life."

Unable to see the spell's glow or even sense its flow, Sean still didn't know how to resist Grindelwald's curse. He could only nod helplessly, "Yes, sir, I will fight with all my might."

Sean wasn't just going through the motions; he would never let such a precious learning opportunity slip by. He would do everything in his power to absorb knowledge from the most talented wizard in the world—of course, there was nothing wrong with relaxing after the learning was over.

Grindelwald continued, "Sean, you're at that age where you're full of youthful enthusiasm and ignorance. Why don't you act a little more passionate and excited?"

"But the lessons are over, sir..."

"You need to show your teacher your enthusiasm. Don't you understand such a simple principle?"

"What kind of recognition do you, a great wizard over a hundred years old, seek from a second-year student like me?" Sean muttered to himself, but in the end, he still weakly raised his fist.

"I will fight with all my might! I will work hard! I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

"Very good, very energetic." Grindelwald nodded in satisfaction, then slammed the office door shut.

"Go back to sleep. Oh, and tomorrow, same time, same place, double the punishment—sweet dreams, goodnight, kid."

Grindelwald's nonchalant voice came from behind the wooden door, Sean stood frozen in the empty corridor.

Double... double it?!

This old man is poisonous!

Sean staggered toward the Common Room, then gritted his teeth.

I'll teach you all your unique skills!

A week later, on the highest tower in Newmontgard, the entrance to the terrace was open, and an old man and a young boy were standing outside.

The Austria night was still cold, but there was no wind, and the stars shone brightly.

Grindelwald waved one hand gently, and suddenly, a strong wind arose.

"Let me think," he began, "Oh, that idiot professor at your school, what was his name again?"

Sean, caught in the raging wind, could barely open his eyes. Instead of answering the question, he raised his wand, uttered a low incantation, and his body became blurry and ethereal before rapidly twisting.

Sean's height increased dramatically, his hair grew longer and curlier, and his hair color turned light gold. His originally understated and elegant Ravenclaw uniform was transformed into a gorgeous forget-me-not-wearing robe.

A moment later, a living Gilderoy Lockhart stood in the raging wind.

As the gale gradually subsided, Lockhart gave Grindelwald a flawless, classic smile.

"Mr. Grindelwald, please allow me to offer a few reliable opinions on the Newmontgard tutorials, haha, they come from some of my books. If you like, I can send you a set, a complete, signed limited edition—oh, by the way, sir, I wonder if you would be interested in my entire line of hair care products?"

Grindelwald crossed his arms and circled him once, then slowly said, "The appearance details are fine, but, Sean, your idiot professor wouldn't dare talk to me like that."

Lockhart shrugged, revealing a youthful expression. "But Professor Lockhart is always like this in front of others, including Professor Dumbledore."

"I was wondering why he looked so annoying. Okay, let's talk about how you feel." Grindelwald waved his hand.

Lockhart twisted and turned back into Sean's appearance.

"I feel good, there's nothing that's difficult," he said after thinking for a moment.

Tonight was Grindelwald's test night for him. The goal that Sean needed to achieve was to be able to Transfiguration smoothly in various environments. Just now, whether it was raining or windy, whether it was scorching sun or freezing cold, or even in extremely noisy conditions, Sean's transformation did not encounter any obstacles.

Grindelwald nodded thoughtfully, then said slowly, "First, speed. Your ability to manipulate magic is still not fast enough. Several meaningless magic operations wasted a lot of time. Second, your eyes. I have to say, apart from imitating Riddle's perverted nature, your eyes are Sean's. That won't fool those sharp-eyed Auror. Finally, your understanding of the person you've Transfiguration is far too lacking. For example, the stupid professor you just transformed into. He has a habit of making various hand gestures when he speaks. You remembered that, but you didn't show the orchid finger gesture with your right hand at the end of the gesture. Also, he has a habit of raising his head and raising his voice when he speaks. Your voice was too low just now."

Grindelwald tapped Sean on the head with his twig wand, pointing out his shortcomings.

Sean completely ignored the stick above his head and memorized everything the other person said.

"... Have you remembered these points?"

"Yes, sir." Sean nodded seriously, then asked doubtfully, "Anything else, sir?"

In previous lessons, Grindelwald would always find dozens of loopholes in the summary section, most of which were important details that Sean himself hadn't even noticed. Today's summary is a bit short.

Grindelwald stepped in front of him, staring blankly at Sean.

The other person's appearance made Sean nervous, and the night breeze seemed to be starting to blow in.

In the increasingly tense atmosphere, Grindelwald slowly began to speak, his voice devoid of emotion, indifferent and cold.

"Sean Wallerup, do you know what you just did?"

The terrifying aura he had once witnessed gradually emanated from the old man. Looking at the increasingly cold Grindelwald before him, Sean involuntarily swallowed.

Grindelwald slowly took a step forward, bringing his face closer. "Because Albus's skill in Transfiguration far surpasses mine, I spent my energy starting with Human Transfiguration to create my own unique Transfiguration. And you, Sean Wallerup— "

He paused.

What do you think you've done this week?

Sean was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly saw a smile appear on Grindelwald's face.

In an instant, the terrifying aura dissipated, and Grindelwald laughed as he stretched out his arms, "Very good! You did very well! My child!"

Is this old man funny...? Sean sighed in relief, and then for some reason, he couldn't help but laugh along.

"Hahaha--"

Two different, cheerful laughs echoed through the Austria mountains.

Grindelwald suddenly reached out and pinched the air, instantly silencing Sean's laughter.

After Grindelwald laughed heartily and patted Sean on the shoulder with satisfaction, the curse was broken.

He ignored Sean's resentful gaze and said contentedly, "I prefer to enjoy these pleasant moments alone. Don't look at me like that. You got a brand new Transfiguration, and I got happiness. We each get the same thing, that's fair."

Sean rolled his eyes. "Doesn't sharing bring double the happiness?"

"I'm incredibly selfish, what's the point of sharing?"

The old man and the young man exchanged a glance, and then the corners of their mouths turned up in a triumphant smile.

Grindelwald led the way into the house, his hands behind his back, and said with a smile, "You see, at least I've beaten Albus again."

"Better than Dumbledore?" Sean looked at him curiously. "Why do you say that, sir?"

"That's easy. Think about it, if you wanted to master Transfiguration at Albus's level, it would take at least five years, and that would require Albus's careful instruction. But look, under the guidance of the genius Grindelwald, a profound, difficult, and obscure Transfiguration was mastered in just one week!"

He straightened his collar smugly. "When it comes to teaching, I am indeed better than him."

"These two are almost three hundred years old combined and they're still arguing about this. How childish... "Sean muttered to himself.

In a good mood, Grindelwald returned to his office and casually leaned back in his chair. "That's all I can teach you. From now on, it's all about proficiency and magical power. Hmm, I haven't even asked how long you can maintain that level yet."

Sean didn't sit down in the chair. He leaned against the desk and thought for a moment before saying, "From what I can tell, it should last all day without any problems. Transfiguration only consumes energy when casting the spell, and the amount of magic needed to maintain the spell is not much. Although your Transfiguration consumes a lot of energy, it is still within your tolerance."

Grindelwald nodded. "It's barely enough, I guess. Hmm, I'll come back to you in six months. Double the duration, and solve all the problems I just mentioned—if you don't, you'll bear the consequences."

Sean shrugged. "It's a deal."

Grindelwald made no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes. He clapped his hands in satisfaction, then stood up and walked to the other shelf.

After casually flipping through the books, he handed over a thick book and a key.

"It contains some spells that schools don't teach. I don't have the time to teach you these little gadgets. Take them home and learn how to play with them yourself."

Sean licked his lips excitedly and took it. The 'little thing' Grindelwald was talking about was no ordinary item; it was such a thick book, he'd have plenty to read before graduation...

He then examined the brass key hanging on the keychain; it was only the size of a thumb and had a faint luster.

Sean asked in confusion, "Sir, what is this?"

"This is a little toy I borrowed from an alchemist a while ago. This key has a lock-picking charm fixed on it, which can open most locks and also break many anti-charm and alarm charms. It can be quite useful in certain situations. Here, you can play with it."

"I can't accept this..." Sean quickly put the things away.

Grindelwald casually sat back down and said easily, "What's given to you is given to you... Oh, by the way, after you go back to Hogwarts, you can use the Vanishing Cabinet. Come find me when you have time, or you can find your members— Golden Dawn, your taste in naming things is so-so."

Sean scratched his head sheepishly, admitting that he was indeed terrible at naming things, a fact he couldn't deny.

After a few casual words, the two ended their practice session. The next day, when Sean was having breakfast, his attention had shifted from his newly mastered magic to the news reports.

The Wizarding United Guard is Formed!

This will be the last chapter of the Year of the Ox. The Year of the Tiger is just around the corner, so I wish everyone a Happy New Year in advance.

Wishing everyone a prosperous and successful new year, full of vigor and fortune!