Saturday, Scenery in the Morning Mist

That night, Scott never put brush to canvas.

The feeling of knowing there was a better way to express his vision but being unable to recall it at that moment made him feel restless.

So, he woke up very early the next day.

After he finished washing up and getting dressed, he sat in front of the blank canvas for a long time, staring at nothing.

Unknowingly, the morning light pierced through the mist and shone upon his face through the glass window.

Scott snapped back to his senses, and seeing his roommates were still fast asleep, he left the dormitory alone.

He decided to go for a walk to clear his head.

When he arrived at the common room, he saw Luna in her nightgown, sitting on the windowsill with her knees pulled up, staring blankly out the window.

Scott walked over to greet her.

"Good morning, Luna."

Luna turned her head slowly, and upon seeing Scott, she smiled with a dazed expression.

"Good morning, Scott." She waved her hand slightly.

"Every time I see you in the common room, you're sitting right here," Scott said.

He walked to the window and looked toward the direction Luna had been staring at: the Forbidden Forest.

He asked curiously, "Is there some scenery there worth admiring for so long?"

"I'm watching the Thestrals that live in the Forbidden Forest; they often take flight," Luna said, quite willing to share her discovery.

"Is that so? It's a pity I can't see Thestrals," Scott said.

Thestrals were magical creatures that could only be seen by those who had witnessed death.

And Scott did not fall into that category for the time being.

"What a shame," Luna said regretfully, "I think they are quite cute."

If anyone else had expressed regret that Scott couldn't see Thestrals, he would have assumed they were lamenting the fact that he hadn't seen death.

But this eccentric little witch before him?

Scott felt she probably didn't think that way.

Moreover, he had seen pictures of Thestrals in books, and he didn't find those skeletal, gaunt magical creatures cute in the slightest.

However, he just smiled, not intending to comment on it.

"I was thinking of going to the Forbidden Forest to look for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, but unfortunately, my father said you have to go to Sweden to find that kind of magical creature," Luna's voice grew increasingly airy. "I wonder if there are any Nargles in the Forbidden Forest."

"You could try looking for them."

Although he had never heard of these two magical creatures, Scott didn't want to shatter the little girl's fairytale-like fantasies.

He simply reminded her, "But you're only in your first year; going to the Forbidden Forest might be a bit dangerous."

"Thank you, I will be prepared before I go."

Luna accepted his advice, and then she suddenly let out a big sneeze.

"Oh! It's a bit cold, I should go change my clothes!"

She rubbed her nose, her bare feet peeking out from under her long nightgown.

"Goodbye, Scott."

After saying that, she jumped straight down from the windowsill, her bare feet hitting the carpet as she skipped away.

Scott shook his head and stood by the window, stretching his arms in a big yawn.

Just then, a patch of morning mist drifted past outside the window, and under the rendering of the warm sunlight, the mist churned with magnificent colors.

The distant Forbidden Forest and the nearby castle faintly revealed their outlines within the colors, hazy and layered, just like a freehand splash-ink painting.

That's it!

Scott's eyes lit up.

Splash-ink!

He immediately abandoned his plan to go for a walk and turned back to his dormitory.

He thinned more paint with linseed oil and used Transfiguration to conjure several small buckets to hold them.

To make the paint more fluid, he even added some water to it.

Scott picked up the largest oil painting brush and dipped it into the paint until it was full.

When it came time to paint, however, he tossed the brush aside and gripped his wand instead.

He decided to use Transfiguration to complete this painting, to make it feel more magical.

He turned and leaned back into his armchair, repeatedly simulating the visual effect he wanted in his mind until the image of the painting became increasingly clear.

Then, without hesitation, he waved his wand.

The paint in the small buckets on the floor immediately began to move; different colors of paint flew out of the buckets, gathered in the air, and blended together.

Then, these pigments pounced onto the canvas, filling the blank space.

As the pigments flowed, the image gradually took shape, overlapping with the scene Scott had imagined in his mind.

It was finished.

Scott stood up and looked at this painting, which had been completed in an instant, nodding with satisfaction.

That was until the sound of applause from behind interrupted his thoughts.

It turned out that he had been so immersed in his painting that he had woken up his roommates.

"That's amazing, Scott!"

Milton was so excited he was practically jumping; he hadn't even had time to put on his slippers, running over barefoot.

"It's brilliant!" He looked at Scott's work with glowing eyes. "I'm so lucky! I witnessed the birth of such a painting the moment I opened my eyes today! Oh! I don't know what words to use to describe it, but you finished it much better than I imagined! Congratulations!"

Roger and Eddie walked over as well.

Roger praised him, saying, "Oh! Scott! You've given us another shocking experience."

Unlike last time, he could actually understand this painting, so his praise this time was sincere.

Eddie also immediately shared his opinion, "I didn't expect a portrait could be painted like this; it's truly magical, isn't it?"

He took two steps closer and continued, "I saw the painting you gave Professor Flitwick, but to be honest, I couldn't make anything out of it at all."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"But when I see this painting, perhaps because it contains the specific image of Professor McGonagall, I suddenly feel that sense of 'this is the magic of Professor McGonagall'!"

"Thank you, everyone!"

Scott said happily, "This might be the painting I'm most satisfied with so far, not just because of the unique form of expression, but also because I've found a new painting technique!"

With genuine joy on his face, he spread his arms and exclaimed loudly, "We are wizards! It really is more exciting to accomplish all of this using magic!"

"You're absolutely right, Scott!"

Milton nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Using magic doesn't make your painting lose its artistry! For example, even if I possessed Transfiguration skills like yours, I still couldn't paint a picture like this."

He looked at the painting again, his eyes full of admiration.

"Because I wouldn't be able to imagine such a scene in my own head."

Scott first accepted his compliment, then said to him with a smile, "You should save that clever brain of yours for music, Milton."

"Music!"

Milton's green eyes grew even brighter.

"I've got it!"

He rushed hurriedly to the desk by his bed, swiftly pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment, and began writing at top speed.

"It seems Milton has found new inspiration as well," Roger said to Eddie.

"Isn't that common?"

Eddie, already used to it, gave him a puzzled look.

"Haven't you realized it yet, Eddie?" Roger patted his shoulder with a serious expression. "In this dormitory, the two of us are a bit out of place."

Seeking recommendation tickets.