Fourth Year's Homework

What does a timid young wizard lack most?

The answer: confidence.

Neville Longbottom was probably the same way. His guardian grandmother was too domineering, and maybe combined with some innate shortcomings—he had heard other professors discussing Neville in the lounge before. Apparently, when he was little, he was almost mistaken for a Muggle-born with no magical ability.

Well, there was another point that chipped away at his confidence.

And to make someone confident, either you have money in your pocket.

Or you have knowledge in your head.

Neville's academic performance...

Potions was a bit abstract. Charms, since spellcasting was somewhat tied to willpower, a poor kid like Neville with hardly any confidence—honestly, how could he possibly do well?

Other subjects like Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts were just so-so. He had some talent in Herbology, but that didn't help either. His cheat ability didn't provide any blocks related to [Plant Magic], since he hadn't even gathered the original blocks yet, and whether this cheat had mods was anyone's guess.

"Neville... Neville..."

Just as Kayson was leaning against his desk, lost in thought, the office door suddenly knocked.

"It's unlocked, come in."

A small figure walked in, his chest bulging.

Kayson took a look—it was Neville, the very one he'd been pondering, carrying a big pile of snacks.

Too bad they were all sweets.

"Neville... can I call you that?" Kayson asked.

"Of course, Professor."

"Hmm, my office welcomes your visit."

Neville walked over and dumped the whole pile of snacks onto Kayson's desk.

Then the kid just stood in front of the desk, motionless, not saying a word...

"Uh... what's this?" Kayson pointed at the snacks on the desk. He'd already guessed they were a thank-you gift, but just in case—what if he really couldn't carry them anymore and was just resting his hands here?

"These are all my thanks to you, Professor Kayson." Neville said, blushing.

"Much appreciated, I'll take them." Kayson replied.

"Thank you, Professor." Neville bowed to Kayson again, then stood there thinking for about a second. He felt he had nothing else to say to Professor Kayson and was wondering if he should just leave.

But Kayson called him back.

"Neville, next time you run into something like this, would you choose to fight back?"

Neville's departing steps stopped abruptly. He ventured, "Fight back?"

"Yeah, would you choose to fight back?"

"Professor, I... I want to fight back, but how should I?" Neville looked at Kayson with longing, like he'd found a lifeline and was desperate to grab it.

"How to fight back? That's simple. I just need to know you want to fight back. What curses do you know?"

Neville was at a loss for words.

"It's okay if you don't know any curses. What spells do you know?"

Neville still stayed silent.

"That's fine too. You're just a bit slower than others at learning. Just promise me this: next time someone tries to hurt you, fight back. Even if you don't know any spells, use your fists. Can you do that?"

"I can!" Neville answered firmly.

"That's enough. Next time you successfully fight back, come to my office again."

"I will... Professor, actually, I did learn one spell."

Kayson broke into a smile.

"That's great. At least you won't need your fists. What spell?"

"The Levitation Charm. But it doesn't seem very useful."

"Everything in this world, everyone, has their use. Who says the Levitation Charm can't hit someone? You can make them float up, then drop them hard on the ground."

Neville thought it over and nodded. "I will, Professor."

"Good, go on. Remember, you have to fight back. Being weak isn't scary—being cowardly is."

As for that last line, Kayson wasn't sure if Neville heard it.

Because the kid ran off pretty fast.

[Neville's Favorability +10]

[Neville's Trust +10]

[Neville's Favorability +10]

[Neville's Trust +10]

After sending Neville off, Kayson found himself free once more. The earlier mental drain had long since vanished, now that he'd confirmed that foolish boy Neville actually had a rebellious streak in him.

His life had settled back into a routine of four points: the Great Hall, his office, the library, and the Professors' lounge.

Most of his time, however, was spent in the library.

A vast ocean of alchemical knowledge was being absorbed into his mind, and his classes no longer felt like the shady swindling they had before.

At the same time, he began attempting to analyze his MC abilities through the lens of alchemy.

His conclusion: absurd. Utterly absurd.

The Philosopher's Stone—also called the Sorcerer's Stone—was famed for its greatest property: matter transmutation. Yet this pearl of alchemy was, in Kayson's eyes, nothing more than a basic auto-attack.

As for the so-called life-extending magic, that was the domain of Potions next door. To an alchemist who studied the microscopic transformation of matter, extending life was merely a byproduct of alchemy, utterly lacking in charm compared to matter transmutation.

In short, his work ahead was simply to integrate the various properties of MC into alchemy to the fullest extent, teaching these young witches and wizards Alchemy 2.0.

Time flowed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the second Tuesday since the start of term. The homework he'd assigned to the fourth-year students the previous week had already been graded.

He'd graded it very carefully, since yesterday—Monday—had no classes.

Technically, there should have been a third-year class, but to give the young witches and wizards time to think about whether or not to choose their elective courses, Hogwarts had canceled all third-year elective classes for the second week. This allowed them to balance their personal time and academics, find a middle ground, and make a well-considered choice.

As a result, Kayson had a whole day off. Well, half a day—the other half he'd spent grading homework.

As for the homework itself, it had to be said: the fourth-year students were already quite skilled. They had conducted a meticulous examination of the Enchanting Table's emitted magic, surface patterns, and internal structure.

Not only were the submitted essays substantive, but they'd even turned in a replica of the Enchanting Table.

The entire class had participated. The Slytherin students, with their deep family pockets, were responsible for providing the raw materials: Obsidian and diamonds.

The Ravenclaw students handled the precise design and assembly.

The Gryffindor students processed the raw materials, while the Hufflepuff students provided round-the-clock logistical support.

And so, a simplified version—driven by densely packed Ancient Runic circuits—a truly functional Enchanting Table, sat before Kayson.