Time passed quickly. After Professor McGonagall saw that all the students had finished reading the paper, she waved her wand.
The wand gave off a brief crackling sound, drawing everyone's attention.
"I see that all the students have finished reading the paper."
Professor McGonagall lowered her right hand, which had been holding the wand aloft.
"Now let's begin an open discussion. Everyone can share their thoughts on the paper."
"That's a very imaginative idea, Professor."
Angelina spoke first, looking down at her notebook as she talked.
Scott saw that the page in her notebook was already filled with hastily scrawled words.
"It's a bold idea, and an interesting one," Angelina said. Then she shook her head. "But I have to say, Mr. Weasley's idea may be a little too far-fetched."
She drew a few circles on her notebook with the quill in her hand.
"Although I only tried to verify it in theory, I can't see any way this idea could actually be realized."
After hearing her out, Professor McGonagall merely nodded without offering an opinion.
"What about the rest of you? Does anyone have a different opinion from Miss Johnson?"
"I'd like to share my thoughts, Professor."
Scott looked toward the speaker and saw that Percy Weasley had stood up.
"Go ahead, Mr. Weasley." Professor McGonagall gestured for him to continue.
"I'm not saying this just because Bill is my brother, but I don't think the idea presented in this paper is entirely impossible to realize."
Percy went on to list several points of evidence from the paper.
"The mysterious Wizarding World of Egypt conceals many ancient magical secrets that are unfamiliar to us. I think that although the magic we've learned so far can't verify the paper's hypothesis, it's very possible the Egyptians managed to achieve it in ancient times."
Watching Percy, Scott was surprised once again.
He could tell that Percy, too, greatly admired his eldest brother. Considering Percy's personality, it was clear that Bill Weasley really was remarkable.
"Hmm."
Professor McGonagall nodded again, signaling for Percy to sit down.
"What about the rest of you?" She looked around at the other students in the classroom.
Then the other members of the Transfiguration Club stood up one by one to share their views.
Most of them said much the same thing as Angelina.
They thought the paper's hypothesis was certainly interesting and could give them some inspiration, but they believed it would ultimately remain nothing more than a hypothesis.
Even the few students who voiced a different opinion were only echoing Percy. They thought that this kind of magic might indeed have existed in ancient times, but they also believed that, in the modern age, after so much ancient magic had been lost, it was impossible to recreate.
"I think the hypothesis presented in this paper is essentially about using Transfiguration to take the place of Alchemy."
Cedric spoke at length.
"Combining Transfiguration with Ancient Runes and Charms to enhance its power isn't theoretically impossible, if we're being rigorous. But I think the difficulty involved would be beyond any wizard."
"We all know that, when it comes to using magic, even combining two simple spells can stump most wizards."
"Combining different branches of magic—Transfiguration, Charms, and Ancient Runes—would be even harder. I think the difficulty would be enough to make anyone despair."
He held up his notebook to show the densely packed writing.
"I'm only listing the magical knowledge one would need to realize this hypothesis, in theory. Of course, this is only what I can think of," he said helplessly. "I don't know how to achieve the rest, either."
He lowered his notebook.
"Honestly, even this much is already frightening." He looked up at Professor McGonagall again. "Even if, in theory, every problem could be solved, I don't think anyone could use it successfully in practice."
"Perhaps Merlin could?" he joked at last, then laughed at his own remark.
Professor McGonagall's lips curled at that. She nodded to Cedric, then looked at Scott.
"You're the last one. What are your thoughts, Mr. Trollope?"
"I'm very interested in both this paper and its author, Professor."
Scott stood up with a smile.
"I'll write to the paper's author, Mr. Weasley." He glanced back at Percy. "There are five Weasleys in Gryffindor now. Any one of them will do—I hope someone can introduce me."
Many people in the classroom laughed. Even Percy smiled and gave Scott an 'I can do that' gesture.
"I think what you need to do is share your thoughts on the paper, Mr. Trollope," Professor McGonagall said, "not tell us about your plans to pursue its author."
"Hahahahaha..."
At that, everyone else burst out laughing.
"Uh..."
Scott gave Professor McGonagall a reproachful look as she smiled at him. She had really left him at a loss for words.
Who knew Professor McGonagall could be like this!
Hmph! Typical England!
"All right."
When the laughter died down, Scott continued, "Honestly, I've had the same idea as the one in this paper before."
A few people in the classroom immediately booed.
Scott ignored them. "Of course, it was only a fantasy of mine. I had no actual evidence to support it."
"So when I saw this paper, I was extremely excited. After all, Mr. Weasley's paper was much better than my daydream. At the very least, he listed some supporting evidence."
Scott paused there.
"The magical artifacts left behind in the ancient Egyptian pyramids couldn't possibly have been made with Alchemy, at least not in theory. But a perfect Transfiguration spell could have produced such a seamless result."
As he spoke, intense emotion showed in his eyes: a hunger and longing for knowledge.
"I understand how excited you are by this, Mr. Trollope." The smile had disappeared from Professor McGonagall's face. "But I suggest you use other people's papers to broaden your horizons and find inspiration. I don't think it would be good for you to become obsessed with this."
She didn't want to hear Scott say any more, so she pressed a hand downward, signaling for him to sit.
"Yes, Professor."
Scott obediently shut his mouth and sat down.
And so the discussion of the paper came to an end.
Next, Professor McGonagall taught the members of the Transfiguration Club some useful tricks for performing Transfiguration.
Scott quickly put the paper aside and listened attentively.
When that day's club meeting ended, Professor McGonagall asked Scott to stay behind.
Before you continue