Cedric's Question

After Scott and Eddie walked down from Ravenclaw Tower, they went their separate ways.

Eddie set off on his ambitious journey to sell his wares as an underground merchant, while Scott carried his books to the second floor of Hogwarts Castle's main building.

Professor McGonagall's office was beside the second-floor corridor, so the Transfiguration Club she ran met in a small classroom across the hall.

"Scott!"

Scott was walking along the corridor when he heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw Cedric coming up the stairs.

"Good evening, Cedric."

Scott stopped.

"Good evening."

Cedric hurried over.

"I was wondering if I could ask you for some advice." He looked a little hesitant. "Ever since the first Charms lesson of the school year, I've tried many times to do what you and Professor Flitwick said—to sense magic—but unfortunately, I haven't made much progress."

Sense magic?

Scott looked at him in surprise.

Cedric smiled at him a little shyly, his face turning red.

"Of course, if you're not comfortable talking about it, that's all right too." As if worried about putting Scott on the spot, he quickly added that.

"I don't mind." Scott shook his head. "Can I ask how far you've gotten?"

"Of course." Cedric brightened. "Right now, I can only sense other people's magical auras at close range, especially when they're casting a spell."

He frowned slightly. "But I can't tell how one person's magic differs from another's."

Scott thought about it for a while. He didn't know how to explain it to Cedric. The fact that he himself could sense magic so clearly was largely thanks to his natural talent.

After considering it, he decided to be honest with Cedric. "Sorry, Cedric. I can't clearly explain how to sense magic. It's not like a spell, with a set incantation and wand movements. This kind of perception is like our sight and hearing. We gradually learn to use it naturally from birth, almost like following an instinct."

"That's all right, Scott. Maybe I just haven't studied magic deeply enough yet."

Though Cedric was a little disappointed, he still remembered to thank him. "Thank you for telling me about it anyway. It gave me some ideas."

Seeing Cedric thank him so sincerely, Scott couldn't help thinking that he was such an earnest boy. No wonder the Sorting Hat had put him in Hufflepuff.

"You don't need to thank me, Cedric."

Scott felt a little embarrassed, so he decided to say more.

"Although I can't clearly describe this ability, I can tell you some ways to improve your perception. They might help."

"Really?" Cedric was delighted. "I don't know how to thank you, Scott!"

Scott smiled. "Don't mention it. It might help, though. I discovered this method by chance, and I'm not sure whether it'll work for you."

"The fact that you're willing to share what you discovered is already a huge help," Cedric said gratefully.

"All right. I actually discovered it while studying Transfiguration in depth," Scott said.

Cedric hurriedly listened, paying close attention.

"You know that truly advanced Transfiguration isn't just about changing an object's appearance. After achieving that first step, we hope to change its actual material too."

Scott told him how he had discovered the method.

"So last school year, I collected lots of things made from different materials: different kinds of wood, different metals, more complicated objects, and even some animals. I kept trying to sense them with magic."

"Is that the training method you mentioned?" Cedric understood what Scott meant. He was also a wizard with a talent for Transfiguration, and he had done similar exercises.

"That's where I started, yes."

At that point, Scott couldn't help complaining.

"Speaking of which, I wasted a lot of effort at first. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that magic and Muggle science are completely different."

"Later, I finally realized that magic is rooted in magic itself."

"I didn't need to memorize what elements made up each material or think about complicated things like molecules and atoms."

Seeing the confusion in Cedric's eyes, Scott continued, "I only needed to use my own magic to remember how each one felt. Different objects felt different when sensed through magic. When using Transfiguration, I could change their material by following the sensations I had memorized."

Cedric understood that part and quickly nodded.

Scott suddenly felt a little amused and stopped talking.

He seemed to have forgotten that Cedric, who knew nothing about science, wouldn't understand any of that. There was no point in explaining it to him.

When he had first started learning magic, Scott's way of thinking hadn't changed yet, so he had instinctively approached magic scientifically. Naturally, that had led him in entirely the wrong direction.

It was a little like when he had studied English in his previous life: whenever he saw an English word, he had always felt he needed to translate it into Chinese in his head first.

Putting the past behind him, Scott finally got to the point. "I'm sure you've done similar exercises, but perhaps you could start with the simplest materials, like I did."

"For example, a piece of willow wood or a chunk of refined iron. I collected lots of different materials. I kept picking them up and touching them with my magic, sensing how they differed."

"Also, keep trying to change them with Transfiguration. Sense how the materials you transform differ from natural ones, then adjust them little by little."

"That's about how I started. After that, you can gradually increase the difficulty at your own pace." Scott thought it over and realized there was nothing else to add. "In short, throughout the process, my perception of magic naturally became clearer."

"I see." Cedric looked thoughtful. He gazed at Scott with admiration. "It seems you really worked harder than I did, Scott."

"I only did it because I was interested," Scott said indifferently. "But the process might be pretty tedious for someone who isn't."

"That's all right. I'm interested too." Cedric smiled. "Looks like I should start collecting different materials."

He thanked Scott earnestly again. "Anyway, I'm really grateful you told me all this, Scott."

"Don't mention it. It might not even help you."

Scott patted him on the shoulder.

"Once you've tried it, don't blame me if it doesn't work."

"Of course I won't!" Cedric said seriously. "Even if it doesn't help me sense magic, it should at least help me improve my Transfiguration, shouldn't it?"

That was true.

Scott nodded.

Just then, the door of the classroom beside them opened, and Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway.

"Gentlemen."

"I believe our Transfiguration Club meeting has already begun." She pursed her lips sternly. "May I ask why the two gentlemen everyone has been waiting for are still standing outside the clubroom instead of coming in?"