Animagus

"I'm sorry, Professor Oren."

Kyle stood still. "Freshmen aren't allowed in the Forbidden Forest. I think we should go back to the castle first."

"Following the rules is a good thing, but sometimes you don't need to be too rigid, Kyle," Professor Oren said with a smile. "That would make you miss out on a lot of interesting things."

"That won't do," Kyle shook his head. "If Professor McGonagall finds out, we'll be expelled."

"It's not that serious. Minerva was just trying to scare you. Besides, I'm here."

Professor Oren placed one hand on his hip and extended the other towards the Forbidden Forest, saying, "Let's go. As the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, I grant you permission to come with me to the Forbidden Forest today to broaden your horizons."

... Okay, no need to guess anymore, Kyle felt he already knew who the person with the Swooping Evil was.

Come to think of it, how could someone possibly become Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts without some kind of hidden identity?

Kyle had his suspicions about Oren, or rather, he had begun to suspect the professor who only wore his phone every year when he first read about it in the newspaper a few months ago.

But he subtly inquired with Professor McGonagall and learned that Oren had taken office in July, while the group smuggling Fantastic Beasts had only entered the country at the end of August.

With nearly two months separating them, Professor Oren has a near-perfect alibi.

How did he manage to do that...?

Kyle mentally grumbled, but this time, he didn't say anything to refuse.

Because Professor Oren's hand, which was resting on his waist, was on his wand, and he could easily pull it out with a flick of his finger.

It was this action that convinced Kyle that he was the "You-Know-Who".

This is practically an open threat.

"Alright," Kyle shrugged. "Since the professor allows it, then there's no problem."

"A wise choice." Professor Oren raised an eyebrow.

Kyle took two steps forward, then seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to Kanna, saying, "Oh right, I just remembered I forgot the jerky I prepared for Fluffy. Could you please bring it to me? It's on the table in the common room; you'll see it as soon as you come in."

"Hmm... okay."

Although Kanna found Kyle's words a bit strange, she didn't think too much about it and turned to walk towards the castle.

Professor Oren remained silent, seemingly indicating that his target had always been Kyle alone.

Seeing this, Kyle breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least Kanna was safe...

Just then, an unexpected event occurred.

The mouse named Pochi suddenly jumped out of Kanna's pocket and started running quickly towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Pochi... come back!"

Kanna screamed and chased after him without thinking.

Because it happened so suddenly, Kyle didn't have time to stop her, Kanna had already chased after Pochi into the Forbidden Forest.

"I...!"

Kyle's eye twitched, but it was too late to say anything now. To prevent any accidents from happening to Kanna in the Forbidden Forest, he had no choice but to chase after her.

The Forbidden Forest is densely wooded; it's impossible for a person to catch a mouse here.

Soon, Pochi disappeared from their sight.

Kyle caught up with her and grabbed Kanna, preventing her from going any further.

"You go back first!"

"But Pochi..."

"There's no time for that rat now, you go back to the castle!" Kyle grabbed Kanna's arm, just about to forcibly pull her back, when he turned around and saw Professor Oren standing behind him.

"I must criticize you, Kyle, you can't be so rude to the little witch, it's so ungentlemanly."

Professor Oren said calmly, "Let's go, let's help Miss Prince find her pet."

Kyle frowned, and just as he was about to speak, Professor Oren walked over, bent down, and said with a smile, "Don't waste any more time. That's a magical mouse; it would be a real shame if it got lost."

From Kyle's perspective, it was clear that the tip of his wand was already aimed at Kanna.

"You're right." Kyle took a deep breath and forced a dry laugh. "I'll listen to you."

"Good boy/girl."

Led by Professor Oren, the three began to venture deeper into the Forbidden Forest.

On the way, Professor Oren seemed genuinely determined to find the mouse, constantly observing his surroundings.

When encountering aggressive Fantastic Beasts or spiders, he will dutifully and proactively drive them away.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Professor Oren suddenly spoke up and asked, "Kyle, Minerva said your Transfiguration skills are excellent. Have you considered studying Animagus?"

"No, Professor." Kyle's expression remained unchanged. "Animagus is a very advanced Transfiguration. It not only requires a large amount of basic and advanced knowledge, but also extremely precise control over magic. I'm still far from that level."

"Oh?"

Professor Oren used his wand to remove a dead tree trunk blocking his path and quipped, "Looks like you know a lot about Animagus."

"Professor McGonagall demonstrated it once during the first class," Kyle said. "I found it amazing, so I looked up some related information in the library."

"Yes... a spell that can turn a person into an animal is indeed magical. Many wizards who walk on the edge of light dream of learning it." Professor Oren said in a low voice, "Animagus can make it very convenient for them to do certain things."

Because no one would suspect a cat, an insect, or... a mouse.

This is why the Ministry of Magic requires every Animagus to register with their real name; however, very few people are willing to do so.

Of course, that's correct.

If you learn Animagus later, I don't recommend you register for it either.

At this moment, Professor Oren was speaking to Kyle in a gentle tone, just like in a classroom, sharing his experience.

"Professor, it's too early for you to tell me this."

Kyle narrowed his eyes and said, "I'm only at the beginner level in Transfiguration right now. I'll probably be qualified to learn Animagus after I reach fifth grade."

"No, I think you can do it next year."

Professor Oren glanced at Kyle out of the corner of his eye and said, "A person's talent and ability cannot be hidden, especially for a young wizard like you with little experience."

Although you performed quite ordinary in my class, I noticed that you had very precise control over magic, and the spells you cast were very stable.

In other words, if you consider the spells of other minor witches as a thread, then you are a wire.

Even if you intentionally reduce your magic output, it only makes the wire thinner, but the essence remains unchanged.

Cotton thread and wire are two different things; anyone with a little knowledge can tell the difference at a glance.

You probably haven't realized it yet.

Professor Oren suddenly chuckled and said, "We professors have mentioned you more than once in private conversations, sharing stories of your terrible performances in class."

Oh, and we also made a bet: how long can you hide?

Aside from Aurora, who wasn't involved, Minerva and Filius both thought it was third grade, Pomona thought it was fifth grade, Severus... well, his answer was a bit vague, so let's just say seventh grade."

Kyle was struck dumb, and a strong sense of shame welled up inside him instantly.

Damn it, he always thought he was hiding it very well.