Rainy Night Lion's Roar

Hermione exhaled a long breath, seemingly releasing all the negative emotions within her, and pressed the tip of her wand against her left chest, near her heart, and said in a low voice:

"Amado, Animo, Amado, Animagus".

After reciting the incantation, he tossed the wand to Loren, unscrewed the cap of the Crystal Vial, and drank the blood- Potions in one gulp.

thump thump...

thump thump...

A heartbeat like tiny drumbeats emanated from the girl's body. Hermione hiccuped, her face flushed, her pupils dilated slightly, and her gaze became somewhat unfocused.

"Ermine, it's a Ermine..."

Before Loren could say anything, he heard another intense heartbeat slowly fade away, and Hermione's Transfiguration began!

This was the first time Loren had witnessed Animagus Transformation, which differed from the overall Transfiguration of the Human Transfiguration and from the innate Transfiguration inherited from the Fairy Morgan:

The Transfiguration of Animagus begins with the heart, as if a second heart has sprung up out of thin air, pumping out a blood-red liquid containing Secret Potion, which spreads with the blood to every part of the body, and even some of the Magic Power seeps out of the skin.

Based on Loren's knowledge of Potions Master, this property comes from the Death's-head Hawkmoth Chrysalis.

Hermione's magical robes began to shrink under the Magic Power transformation until they clung to her skin, becoming a single, viscous substance. The pendant, hair tie, and buttons on the robe's belt all melted into it, slowly revealing the outline of fur.

The muscles squeezed inward, the bones rubbed together making a faint sound, and the tendons and bones cracked and popped all at once.

The pain made Hermione lower her head unconsciously, but it was still within her tolerance. Her arms, legs, back, and entire body shrank rapidly. A few seconds later, a Ermine lying on the ground appeared in front of Loren.

"It looks like it was a success..."

A smile appeared on Loren's lips as he crouched down to examine Hermione's Animagus form closely. It resembled a weasel, with a slender body and short limbs. Its snow-white fur held up small water droplets, giving it a somewhat hydrophobic appearance. There was a small tuft of brown fur on its head.

Its entire body is only the size of a forearm, clearly indicating that it is a small animal.

Hermione's Magic Power was concentrated in the Ermine's heart, and Loren guessed that was probably the point where the two forms switched.

The Ermine blinked, barely recognizing the enormous creature before it as Loren. Relieved, it looked down at its tiny paws, feeling slightly dizzy. A strange impulse compelled it to leap away from the crowd and into the safe forest.

"Well done, Miss Granger. Remember to stay focused and rational!"

Professor McGonagall's voice came from ahead, her gaze sweeping over the group of young wizards, also keeping an eye on this area.

As Hermione sorted through the jumbled thoughts in her mind, Loren rubbed the back of her neck, then scratched the Ermine's chin, paused for a moment, and fell into thought, "It doesn't feel as nice to the touch as Cat Hair..."

"Squeak!"

A soft, delicate cry rang out, Ermine angrily bit his index finger. Although it didn't break the skin, it still hurt a little.

Hermione wanted to experience the Animagus perspective and state again, but considering there would be plenty of time later, the most important thing now was to complete the ritual thoroughly.

Having likely had experience with Transfiguration, the Ermine shook off Loren's hand, spun around a few times, and Hermione quickly transformed back into her original form. Aside from her clothes being a little wrinkled and her hair slightly disheveled, she appeared to be in good condition.

Hermione snatched her wand back from Loren, glared at Loren angrily, and ran off to report to Professor McGonagall.

She was in so much pain that she couldn't even think straight, and this person was still trying to play with her like a kitten. It's absolutely despicable!

"Professor, Professor!" Hermione, her face flushed with excitement and her breath coming in short gasps. "Professor, I did it!"

Professor McGonagall looked at the sparkling light in the girl's eyes, gave a soft "hmm," patted her back on the shoulder, and smoothed out her wrinkled magic robe. "I'll watch over Lomberton here. You keep an eye on the others for me, and remember to let me know if anything unusual happens."

Hermione nodded emphatically. Loren slowly walked over from behind and found the Weasley family brothers standing beside her, seemingly having already completed the ceremony.

Percy's brows were furrowed, and he was sighing heavily, probably because he had failed.

George and Fred grinned as they watched the others on the field, but since they didn't transform into any animals and run around, they had probably already failed.

Harry and Ron clutched their respective Potions, their expressions tense, their bodies trembling slightly, whether from the cold or from excitement, it was hard to tell.

"Why haven't you two started yet?" Hermione asked curiously, and Loren's gaze also fell on the two of them.

"Ron, Ron said we should wait until Professor McGonagall can focus on taking care of him alone before we start..." Harry said in a trembling voice, "Seeing that he hasn't started the ritual, I don't want to start right away either."

"Don't worry, my dear little Ronnie, I don't think you'll have any reaction after drinking the Potions."

"Just like us, there was no reaction at all!"

George and Fred each put their arms around Ron's shoulders, trying to force him to drink the Potions. Ron trembled, clutching the Potions tightly, looking ahead in terror. "But, but Neville— "

Before he could finish speaking, everyone's eyes were already on Neville.

Neville, who had lost weight, curled up on the ground, breathing heavily from the pain in his throat. His hair was soaked, and his pale face was wet, whether from sweat or rain, it was hard to tell. His magic robes were also soaked and covered in damp mud.

Loren and the others saw that Neville seemed to have gained weight again, no, he had swelled up. His skin cracked, and what flowed from the cracks was not blood, but clumps of brownish-yellow hair, which then shrank back in the next moment.

"Ah..."

Neville gritted his teeth and howled softly; the change seemed to bring him intense pain.

This process repeated several times until the heavy, drum-like heartbeat became clearer. Neville suddenly arched his back and curled up into a ball. His robes began to tighten, merging into his skin and becoming fur, while other parts of his body began to enlarge. His mouth and nose protruded, and his sharp teeth gleamed coldly in the forest.

A magnificent lion appeared before the crowd. The lion looked very weak, its eyes gleaming with a blurry light. It lay on the ground, its front paws limp, and struggled several times before barely managing to stand up.

Shaking the mane on its neck, it let out a deep, powerful Lion's Roar. The sound was neither loud nor long, but it seemed to be brewing some kind of Magic Power. The sound drowned out the voices of everyone else, and even the thunder seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Large raindrops fell, pattering on the leaves of the bushes and grass, and the world fell silent.

There were many people on the ground at the Edge of the Forbidden Forest. Apart from the four professors, the others were all from the Animagus class. Some of them still had Mandrake Leaf in their mouths and were just there to observe.

Some people, although they had planted the Secret Potion, had not been able to persist in chanting the incantation to their hearts at sunrise and sunset over the past month, so they were just bystanders.

Some people, although they drank the Secret Potion and completed the ritual, did not experience any changes, did not feel a second heartbeat, or any strange changes. Their ritual failed inexplicably.

Upon witnessing Neville's agonizing cries, an uncontrollable thought arose in their minds—to give up.

Animagus isn't a must-learn spell. Its power is limited, it has many limitations, is difficult to learn, time-consuming, and its final outcome is uncertain. You might become a snail, a moth, or even an earthworm.

But the Lion's Roar made the young wizards dizzy, shattering the thunder and all hesitation and retreat.

The young wizards' eager eyes blazed with fire, a fiery fire!

Under everyone's gaze, Professor McGonagall slowly walked a few steps to Neville, looking at him with a serious expression. "Can you hear me, Neville Lomberton?"

The lion nodded.

The two men's actions brought some of the younger wizards back to their senses, and they couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"Neville, listen, now recall your human form, concentrate, and slowly transform back!" Professor McGonagall said softly.

The lion's gaze dazed for a moment, its body gradually shrinking until it slowly transformed back into the boy who had become thinner, but whose expression still held a hint of timidity.

Neville slowly stood up, his eyes looking at Professor McGonagall, which gradually shone with joy.

Professor McGonagall, as she would with any other student, walked up to him, returned his wand, and patted his rumpled robes. "Mr. Longbottom, you did it, I'm so proud of you..."

Neville was too excited to speak, standing frozen in place as Professor McGonagall adjusted his magic robes.

This tranquil joy didn't last long; after George and Fred tossed Neville into the air, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Loren and Hermione didn't join in the fun. They slipped out of the crowd, avoiding the young wizards rushing to hug Neville, and found Professor McGonagall in front of the empty boulder, along with Harry and Ron, who had been planning for a long time before deciding to start the ceremony.

Ron stared at Loren seriously and said in a deep voice, "If I turn into a lion and go berserk, you must control me. Even if it hurts me, don't hurt anyone else!"

Hermione: "..."

No need to be so serious. In fact, judging from most people's situations, the two of you will most likely fail and won't even react.

Even Professor McGonagall looked speechless.

Loren nodded solemnly, his voice sounding somewhat impassioned. "I know, this is what you should do as Gryffindor!"

"Um!"

A resolute look flashed in Ron's eyes. After reciting the spell to his heart, he threw down his wand, drank the Potions without hesitation, and closed his eyes to await the change.

"..."

The cheers from not far away were particularly jarring.

After waiting a few seconds, Ron quietly opened one eye and peeked inside.

Hermione and Harry looked blank, Professor McGonagall had a faint smile on her face, only Loren looked serious and focused, but they were all staring at him.

Ron quickly closed his eyes, his brows furrowed tightly, and he let out a suppressed hissing sound of pain.

"..."

Harry felt a slight toothache and reluctantly stepped forward, saying, "Professor McGonagall, I'll begin too."

After realizing he would most likely fail, Harry was no longer nervous, completed the ritual smoothly, and drank the Potions.

Just a few seconds later, as he was about to report the situation to the professor, an unusual heartbeat rang in his ears, followed by a sharp pain in his heart.

Caught off guard, Harry felt a rush of blood to his brain, his vision went black, and he instantly collapsed to his knees, letting out a series of cries of pain.

"Harry!"

Loren and Hermione rushed over, but Professor McGonagall stopped them.

Ron couldn't help but open his eyes, staring in disbelief at Harry was clutching his heart and wailing on the ground.

His muscles were twitching erratically, his twisted blood vessels looked like swaying snakes, and his bones seemed to be dislocated, making the viewer's heart ache and giving them goosebumps.

Fortunately, the whole process only lasted less than a minute before it ended. Harry collapsed on the grass, panting heavily with exhaustion.

Professor McGonagall crouched down to check on Harry's condition, then gently helped him up and handed him over to Loren and Ron: "A riot during the first Transfiguration is normal. It means you're very close to success... Go back and ask Neville for advice. Maybe you'll succeed in Transfiguration next time."

Harry forced a smile.

Watching Professor McGonagall leave to count heads and prepare for the return trip, Ron looked at Loren with a complicated expression. "You successfully Transfiguration too, right?"

Loren for a few seconds, then finally nodded.

Ron glanced sadly at his three friends, his expression sorrowful.

He had created another sad, thick barrier between himself and them.

The Explosion Charm raindrops were blocked by the transparent air membrane. The young wizards excitedly discussed the events of the evening, and apart from a few Prefect, almost no one noticed that the professors had fallen behind the group.

Loren and his companions walked at the back of the group, eavesdropping on the professors' conversation.

"Of all these students, three have completed the Animagus Transformation, and thirteen have undergone Transfiguration to varying degrees..." Professor Flitwick said in a high-pitched voice, "Minerva, you will be recorded in history!"

Professor McGonagall smiled, seemingly pleased with the evening's results.

Professor Sprout asked, puzzled, "If Lomberton is experienced and well-rounded, what about Miss Granger? I mean, she is indeed very talented, but Cedric and Percy are also good, so why is there such a big difference?"

Professor Flitwick was also somewhat puzzled. Although Miss Granger had a remarkable memory, in terms of magical talent, she had not yet far surpassed the other young wizards.

Snape glanced at the little black-haired guy in front of him. Don't think he didn't notice that although Minerva included Loren Morgan in the list of successful Transfiguration, he came out of the Forbidden Forest empty-handed and didn't go through any rituals.

As for Granger's unusual behavior, it is most likely related to him.

Professor McGonagall's expression was complicated; she didn't know how to answer the question, but she vaguely knew the answer.

During the short period after returning to school from the Christmas holidays, Miss Granger frequently inquired about Human Transfiguration, specifically how to turn a person into an animal.

If it's the same as what she thinks...

The Animagus class has new teaching content.