The Knocker's New Problem

Professor McGonagall's eyes were already filled with amazement.

As the world's most renowned Transfiguration Master and a professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts for many years, she only needed to recall briefly to realize that she had only ever seen one student like Sean.

Coincidentally, that genius had recently possessed Sean's body...

Transfiguration is very different from other magic. Professor McGonagall has been on this path for a long time, but it is precisely because she has gone further and longer than most people that she has a deeper understanding—that she is still far from the true essence of Transfiguration.

However, she saw limitless potential in the boy in front of her who was only in the third grade.

The transformation from ferret to crocodile, though flawed, could be considered a successful Transfiguration. However, this Cross-Species Transfiguration Transfiguration was far more difficult than the Sean fowl-to-guinea pig transformation in fourth grade.

It wasn't just the size and species of the creature; it was also because the ferret was summoned by Sean himself using Summoning Charm. The difficulty of Transfiguration a summoned creature is far greater than that of a normal Transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall believed that if she provided Sean with a teaching creature, his Transfiguration would be a perfect success.

Looking down at Sean, who was still pondering why the crocodile teeth hadn't transformed successfully, Professor McGonagall involuntarily adopted a stern tone. "Firstly, the image construction is not perfect enough. When you were constructing the Transfiguration image in your mind, you must have focused too much on the appearance. Touch the crocodile's paw; if I'm not mistaken, the bottom should still have the softness of a ferret's paw."

Upon hearing this, Sean touched the crocodile's paw and, just as Professor McGonagall had said, the bottom of the crocodile's paw, which should have been rough and had some toughness and hardness, was too soft.

Professor McGonagall continued, "Secondly, the magic output was too strong. You were in a hurry to make the ferret Transfiguration quickly, and you should have slowed down the magic output in the details. You ignored this point."

Sean recalled the magical fluctuations within his body just now, and then was surprised to find that Professor McGonagall was absolutely right. He had exerted too much force in the parts where there should have been a sense of emphasis and timing. He was so immersed in the output and fluctuations of his magical power that he had unconsciously overlooked these details.

Sean, who had been quite confident, lowered his head in shame and said sincerely, "Professor, you are right. I realized my mistake after thinking about it carefully. I am very sorry. I just told you that I had a general understanding, but I made this mistake. If you hadn't reminded me, I might have gone down the wrong path for a long time."

I just pointed it out, and you've already figured it out so quickly...?

Professor McGonagall's eye twitched slightly, then she smiled, but she still spoke in an encouraging tone, "It's good that you noticed it in time. Remember, Revere Transfiguration. Even the simplest Transfiguration requires sufficient concentration."

"I understand, Professor." Sean nodded solemnly.

Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and the crocodile, which hadn't fully Transfiguration, turned back into a ferret and vanished into thin air. "Come to my office in two weeks for the assessment."

"Okay... uh?" Sean was a little surprised. "You mean, if I pass the assessment, I can start the fifth-grade curriculum?"

The middle-aged witch remained stern, but a hint of relief flashed in her eyes. "Sean, sometimes you're overly modest, or, to use Professor Dumbledore's words, overly cautious. I'm always strict with my students, especially with 'skip-grade' students like you and Miss Granger, but I must say—"

"You did a great job."

It's so satisfying to be praised by such a strict teacher as Professor McGonagall... Sean gave a big smile, "Thank you, Professor."

"The assessment will be conducted in two weeks. Also, Mr. Wallop, although it's a bit early, I must ask for your opinion in advance—can you spare some time on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings during the second semester?"

Sean was a little puzzled, but after thinking about it carefully, he replied, "After all, the time span is too long. It would be irresponsible of me to agree to this now, Professor. I must say that although I don't have any classes during those two periods at the moment, I can't guarantee that I will be free in my personal schedule six months from now. Of course, as long as I don't have anything very urgent to do, please tell me if you have any requests, and I will definitely do my best."

Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction at the answer, "Thank you for your sincerity, and as a Ravenclaw student, your thinking is very mature, which is excellent."

After praising you, she continued, "I expect you will be able to complete the fifth-grade curriculum by then. Your basic skills have always been excellent, so I hope you can become my teaching assistant and teach a class for the first and second graders every week."

Sean nodded in realization. With the reduction of Voldemort's killing activities, the number of wizards in the world had already increased significantly. In addition, due to the incident in Newmontgard last school year, more and more young wizards chose Hogwarts.

It seems the increased number of students has kept the professors quite busy.

That's normal. Hogwarts has thousands of students, but only a handful of professors, and each professor is responsible for teaching seven or five years of students. Their workload is unimaginable—I wonder if Dumbledore gave the professors a raise...

Sean thought for a moment and nodded, "Professor, I would be happy to share some of your simple teaching tasks while learning from you. If I can meet your requirements and I don't have anything else to do, of course I can."

Professor McGonagall smiled. "Thank you, Sean. I look forward to working with you in six months. Don't worry, the school will pay you according to the teaching assistant's salary level. And I personally promise that you can come to me if you have any questions about Transfiguration."

"That would be perfect," Sean replied with a smile.

Salary was a minor matter; he had plenty of Galleon. The key was Professor McGonagall's extra instruction in Transfiguration. He had benefited greatly from just the professor's old notebooks from his youth.

After saying goodnight to Professor McGonagall, Sean left. Of course, his original goal for this trip—to find Dumbledore —was ruined again, and Sean felt that Dumbledore would probably have to avoid him for a while longer.

He circled back to the Great Hall and went outside again, where he saw Hermione and Daisy discussing the semester's courses at the corner of the corridor.

"Hey, didn't you say you didn't need to wait for me?" Sean walked over.

Hermione put away her timetable and glanced at him. "I knew you were going to see Dumbledore."

"It seems easy to guess." Sean shrugged helplessly.

Daisy added, "Hermione said that Dumbledore left in a hurry after the dinner party, he definitely didn't want to see you, you'll probably be back in a while—she guessed right, yay!"

"The prediction was very accurate, but I have other things to take care of. I'll be going to your Divination with you tomorrow, Miss Granger."

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "At the end of last semester, someone said that there was no need to study Divination, a course that relies purely on talent, in depth. And you changed your mind after just one summer vacation?"

"Okay, I admit it—it was mainly for the sake of attending classes with you. Shouldn't you be touched, Miss Granger?"

Hermione proudly raised her head. "My gratitude is not so cheap, Mr. Wallop who doesn't tell the truth."

"You've really hurt my feelings by saying that," Sean said, deliberately feigning sadness.

Before Hermione could retort, Daisy interjected, "Hermione said you're so annoying when you're putting on an act, it makes me want to punch you—I must add, I don't think you're that annoying, but you're definitely not very likable."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her. "Thank you for your addition, Miss Potter."

You're welcome~

Sean nodded with satisfaction. "Daisy, you've finally learned to resist Hermione's 'tyranny.' I'm so glad you're on my side."

Hermione snorted, "Daisy, give me back my second-year notes."

The Little White Flower immediately hugged Hermione's arm, then raised her eyebrows at Sean with a harmless smirk. "Hermione's right, you rascal!"

"You betrayed us way too quickly!"

"You were way more obsequious than me when you wanted to copy Hermione's History of Magic notes for the final exam!"

"Ahem... Hermione is right!"

"Too late!"

Amidst their playful banter, the group returned to the tower of the Ravenclaw Common Room. As they climbed the spiral staircase, they saw a large group of students standing in front of the wooden door, their faces contorted in frustration.

Sean raised an eyebrow. The small open space in front of the wooden door was crowded with students, not only the young students who had just finished their college selection, but also many senior students who were deep in thought. Even the steps leading up to the door were full of people.

Was he stumped by the door knocker? Sean was a little curious.

This situation rarely occurs in Ravenclaw. The door knocker questions are mostly subjective, and there is no single correct answer. Ravenclaw students can pass as long as they can provide an answer that represents their own thoughts.

Don't underestimate the intelligence of eaglets; they can easily handle brain teasers, logical reasoning, and philosophical ideas.

Moreover, clever Ravenclaw students always have their own ideas. It is very common for six students from the same dormitory to go back together, give six different answers, and pass the test at the same time. Such a "spectacle" is a rare occurrence, happening only once a year.

In addition, today is the freshman registration day, so the door knocker shouldn't ask any particularly difficult questions.

Hermione whispered behind him, "Is the door knocker giving out math problems again?"

"I guess it's..."

Yes, generally speaking, the reason for such a "grand occasion" is that the door knocker posed a math problem.

Whether they come from the Muggle Family or Wizarding Family, the England are "amazing" at math. They can answer difficult questions off the top of their heads, while they can spend a long time calculating simple math problems.

Sean couldn't understand why someone would be stuck outside a door for fifteen minutes because of a linear equation in two variables...

However, considering the math mastery standards for first graders in most England primary schools, it's not entirely incomprehensible—they only require students to understand numbers up to 20 and to accurately use and understand place value...

Unfortunately, most wizards, including Ravenclaw, hate learning mathematics.

That's Ravenclaw for you: pursuing the knowledge you want while never discriminating against classmates who think differently. In their eyes, liking to study Dark Arts and liking to study whether magic affects the length of a wizard's armpit hair are on the same level...

Knowledge is paramount (crossed out). Knowledge I enjoy is paramount to me! (√)

Of course, the maverick eaglets all share the same traits—intelligence, curiosity, and... a dislike for math.

However, the door knocker rarely poses math problems, and the eaglets unanimously agree that the door knocker disdains to pose math problems—except when it's in a bad mood and wants to make things difficult for the students.

As Sean squeezed through, the thoughtful crowd didn't even notice him. When he reached the wooden door, a tall, beautiful girl leaning against the wall saw him.

Percy's girlfriend is Penelope Clearwater, Prefect in Ravenclaw.

"Hey, Penelope," Sean greeted.

Penelope waved listlessly, clearly feeling embarrassed that the upperclassmen couldn't answer her questions in front of the new students.

"A math problem?" Sean asked.

"No... it's a weird problem... and the door knocker is weird too. I and other students have tried it many times, and some answers I think should pass, but the door knocker doesn't respond... Oh my god, it's so embarrassing! I've been stuck in the Ravenclaw Common Room for twenty minutes for the first time ever!"

She reluctantly gave up her seat, saying dejectedly, "Sean, you try it. You usually have so many clever ideas."

"Please allow me to correct you, that's called resourcefulness. I was the one who answered the question about Thestral Legs and the Eight-Legged Giant Spider last time."

"That's a math problem, it doesn't count."

Sean shrugged, then stepped forward and pulled the door knocker.

The Bronze Eagle Knocker opened its mouth, but, just as Penelope had said, its usually ethereal and emotionless voice sounded strangely today.

His speaking speed noticeably increased, and if you listened carefully, you could sense that Eagle Head was somewhat unhappy. He was no longer an emotionless questioning machine, but rather like a rebellious kid who was unwilling but still had to complete the task.

Is Eagle Head going through a rebellious phase of adolescence...? Sean muttered to himself, pondering the question he had just raised.

"What does it mean to have everything? And what does it mean to lose everything?"

Strange question...

Sean rested his chin on his hand and began to think. There was no definite answer to this kind of question. Everyone's mood, state of mind, and way of thinking were different, so the answers they gave would inevitably be very different.

Whether it counts as the correct answer depends entirely on whether the Eagle Head gives it the time of day.

The two girls following behind him were also thinking. After a while, Daisy softly replied, "Everything is the result of thought. You have what you think you have, and you lose what you think you lose."

The door knocker didn't move.

Hermione tried to answer, "Having and losing are both normal. Whether you have or lose depends on your current state?"

Still nothing.

The eaglets, hearing the sound and looking over, lowered their heads in disappointment.

"Is that the guy the senior students were talking about, the really cool and handsome Sean Wallerup?" a freshman suddenly whispered to his friend.

Sean: "..."