"Originally, we were just exercising. Iris taught me how to cast the magic in the textbooks, and Luna made sure I memorized the basics of Potions."
After Cypher finished speaking, he paused. He did not mention the Awakening Draught.
"Now, I should learn the Patronus Charm and Occlumency first."
Huh? Cypher's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Professor, could I master Occlumency quickly with outside help?"
"Outside help?" Professor Dumbledore asked in surprise.
"For example, taking Veritaserum. I could write down a number, then have someone question me and train my will to resist."
When Professor Dumbledore first heard Cypher's words, his heart skipped a beat.
But after hearing him out, the clouds in his heart vanished. He laughed bitterly to himself. Cypher was far too unpredictable; sometimes, even he could not keep up.
"Cypher, Veritaserum is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic. Even its ingredients are difficult to buy on the market. Have you bribed Horace?"
"No, no, no, Professor, don't get worked up." Cypher scratched his head sheepishly. "We can brew Veritaserum ourselves, and we have our own channels for the ingredients. Over the years, Luna has supported quite a few people by selling the potions she brewed. We promise we won't obtain it through any other means, and we won't use it for anything else. That means the Ministry's laws can't touch us, right?"
Only then did Professor Dumbledore's expression ease slightly.
"If people find out, your lives will face serious problems. You might even be forced by the Ministry to leave school. I cannot agree to this."
Seeing that Professor Dumbledore seemed to be relenting, Cypher quickly said,
"We want to brew it in a magical room on the Seventh Floor, not in my dormitory. Even if someone finds the potion inside, they won't know whose it is."
"The Seventh Floor?" Professor Dumbledore asked in astonishment.
"Yes. By the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being beaten by trolls, walk back and forth three times while thinking about the kind of room you want, and it will appear across from the tapestry. We usually practice magic in there. We call it the Room of Requirement. It's the secret of the three of us."
There was even a trace of grievance on Cypher's face.
If he still refused, Cypher, so eager to practice, might cause trouble behind his back—and then he would not be able to contain it.
Helplessly, Professor Dumbledore nodded. At least he knew where the three of them were causing trouble, right?
"If I have the time, I will go in and have a look myself."
"It would be best in the middle of the night, Professor. We might be in there during the day, and the tapestry won't respond to people with different requests then."
Cypher said this with a smile.
Professor Dumbledore glanced at the clock on the wall.
"It's getting late, Cypher. You should go eat. I also need to visit an old friend. I'll be eating there, so I won't join you."
As the three of them packed up and reached the door,
Professor Dumbledore called out to Cypher.
"Cypher, geniuses always feel lonely. But they also need to make more friends. Take your friends and spend more time with people your own age. Perhaps you'll master the Patronus Charm faster that way."
With that, Professor Dumbledore indicated that they could leave.
Cypher, meanwhile, fell into thought.
It was another new week. The three of them plucked a single Mandrake leaf each from Herbology class and decided to put them in their mouths on the night of the full moon.
"First. For an entire month—from one full moon to the next," Luna added quietly, "you must keep a single Mandrake leaf in your mouth at all times. You must never swallow the leaf or remove it from your mouth. If the leaf leaves your mouth, the entire process must begin again.
"Second. On the full moon, remove the leaf and place it in a small crystal vial filled with saliva. Soak the leaf in it and let it receive pure moonlight. If the sky is covered in clouds that night, you will need to find a new Mandrake leaf and start over," Luna added quietly again. Iris's expression gradually turned strange. "Add a strand of your hair and a silver teaspoon of dew to the crystal vial under the moonlight. The dew must be collected from a place that has gone a full seven days without sunlight or human contact. Finally, add a Death's-head Hawkmoth chrysalis. Place this mixture somewhere quiet and dark. Do not look at it or disturb it again until the next thunderstorm arrives.
"Third. While waiting for the storm, do the following at every sunrise and sunset: point the tip of your wand at your heart and recite the incantation, 'Amato, Animo, Animato, Animagus.'
"Fourth. The wait for a storm may last weeks, months, or even years. During that time, the crystal vial must remain completely undisturbed and never be exposed to sunlight. Sunlight contamination will cause the most terrible mutations. If you continue repeating the incantation at sunrise and sunset, there will come a moment when, as your wand tip touches your chest, you feel a second heartbeat—sometimes stronger than your original heartbeat, sometimes weaker. Everything must remain unchanged. The incantation must be recited the correct number of times, without missing a single one.
"Fifth. The instant lightning splits the sky, immediately go to where you buried the crystal vial. If you have completed every step correctly, you will find a mouthful of blood-red potion inside.
"Sixth. You must immediately head to a vast and safe place, ensuring that the transformation will not draw attention or put your body in danger. Point your wand tip at your heart, recite the incantation, 'Amato, Animo, Animato, Animagus,' then drink the potion.
"Seventh. If all goes well, you will feel intense pain and two violently beating hearts. The creature you are about to transform into will appear in your mind. You must not show fear. By then, it will be too late to escape the transformation you have accepted.
"Eighth. The first transformation is usually extremely uncomfortable and frightening. Clothes, glasses, jewelry, and other items will merge into your skin, becoming fur, scales, or claws. Do not resist or panic, or the animal mind may take control and drive you to do foolish things, such as leaping out a window or charging into a wall.
"Ninth. Once the transformation is complete, you should find that you have adapted to your new body. It is strongly recommended that you immediately pick up your wand and hide it somewhere safe so that you can retrieve it once you return to human form.
"Tenth. To return to human form, you must imagine your human body as clearly as possible. Usually, that will be enough. But if the transformation does not happen immediately, do not panic. With practice, you will be able to switch freely between animal and human forms simply by imagining the creature's appearance.
"Advanced Animagi can transform without a wand."
"Those are all the steps to becoming an Animagus."
Luna finally stopped adding the major details she had overlooked, and Iris breathed a sigh of relief.
They were in the Room of Requirement, and the two girls were explaining the process of becoming an Animagus to Cypher.
"Learning Occlumency will help us maintain our sanity, while the Patronus Charm can let us learn in advance what animal we may become and prepare for losing control."
Iris clapped her hands hard, her eyes sparkling. She seemed to see herself successfully becoming an Animagus.
"All right, stop daydreaming. Let's complete the first stage properly first."
Today was the full moon.
Cypher placed a leaf in his mouth.
For the next month,
he would have to be careful with this leaf.
It felt as though a heavy stone were pressing down on his heart.
Following Murphy's Law, Cypher ended up chewing the leaf to pieces midway through.
While eating, he was filled with regret on the spot.
He could only wait for the next full moon. What a pity...
The two girls looked at him smugly. After all, neither of them had made such a mistake.
However, heaven seemed to be playing a joke on them.
After waiting for a month, the two girls encountered a sky full of dark clouds on the night of the full moon.
To comfort the crying girls, Cypher talked himself hoarse telling little stories all night.
Only after great difficulty did the two girls calm down.
But when Cypher looked at the two of them sleeping on his bed after taking it over, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Fortunately, his Transfiguration had improved greatly.
He conjured a single bed and made do for the night.
The three of them had returned to the same starting line.
However, Cypher, who had made his mistake early, gained more than the two girls.
Cypher did not need to worry about strenuous activity causing him to swallow or spit out the leaf.
He learned every spell in the textbooks.
Speaking of textbook magic, ever since changing to a new wand, Cypher had been unable to cast magic even when his incantations and wand movements were perfectly standard. It was only after Iris helped him analyze the spells and draw out their most fundamental magical patterns that Cypher regained the ability to cast.
Full Body-Bind Curse, Impediment Jinx, Pulverizing Curse, Shield Charm...
Fireball Charm, Freezing Charm, Air Cutter...
Cypher did not even spare House-elves' magic. He learned all of it.
Cypher believed that the most practical House-elves' magic was their teleportation magic.
As long as he could sense a location, even within Hogwarts, he could teleport there.
He recalled how he had gone to Professor Dumbledore and asked him to deal with the splitting effect caused by his failed teleportation attempts.
Yet in front of Professor Dumbledore, Cypher's first attempt succeeded.
The unprepared Professor Dumbledore was so startled that he pulled out a tuft of his beard.
The days passed one by one. The children in the castle had enough to eat and warm clothes to wear every day. Cypher and the two girls also gradually grew stronger amid their fulfilling days, absorbing new knowledge and using Veritaserum to temper their will.
But beyond Hogwarts, undercurrents had already begun to stir.
In the blink of an eye, Halloween arrived.
Before you continue