Achievement: Publishing a Paper in "Nature" Before Enrollment

Over the following days, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both became busy.

Professor McGonagall was mainly the one in a hurry; Dumbledore was forced to be in a hurry.

To be fair, a good... or rather, even a qualified Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was not easy to find.

As the greatest wizard of the age, Dumbledore naturally knew many formidable people. Let alone a mere Defense Against the Dark Arts class—even for profound and complicated advanced magic or advanced runes, Dumbledore could find someone to teach them.

Yet it was precisely the not-so-difficult position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor that gave him a headache.

First, one had to understand that being a teacher had little to do with how powerful a wizard was.

This was especially true for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

For example, the Wizarding World had many magical creatures and Dark Magic creatures that could kill someone with a single careless mistake.

Yet some of these magical creatures and Dark Magic creatures could be subdued with a simple spell that was not often used.

If it were those masters of magic Dumbledore knew, what would they do when facing such "danger"?

They would not need to rack their brains and search their memories for some obscure spell they had not used in decades.

With a casual flick of their wands, they could blast the danger into ashes.

So the question was... how were Hogwarts's young wizards supposed to learn that?

Their spells were not powerful enough, nor were they proficient enough. It was like an academician looking at a middle school student's problem.

Wouldn't the answer come at a glance? Why would they still need to calculate it with a pen and work through it step by step?

The experts could not teach it, and the children could not learn it.

So for Defense Against the Dark Arts, a professor could not be too powerful either.

Professor Quirrell, Dumbledore's original choice, had actually been an ideal candidate.

First of all, Quirinus Quirrell possessed exceptionally extensive theoretical knowledge, which meant he was not the sort of powerful wizard who could make danger vanish with a wave of his wand.

Then he had undergone a year of practical training, which made up for Quirrell's lack of real combat experience.

If he had not returned with Voldemort attached to the back of his head, he might truly have become a rather excellent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Unfortunately, Quirrell was dead.

It would not be easy for Dumbledore to find another candidate so suitable, though he did have a backup plan.

But the point of a backup plan was that it was not something to be used unless it was absolutely necessary.

With Professor McGonagall watching him every day, Dumbledore could hardly sit in his office and slack off by himself.

This had nothing to do with the headmaster's authority. The two had been old girlfriends for who knew how many years. Since they were girlfriends, why would either of them stand on ceremony with the other?

Isaac had not seen either of them anywhere on the Hogwarts grounds for three whole days. That morning, after getting up, he planned as usual to try his luck at Professor McGonagall's office.

Then he was surprised to find Professor McGonagall sitting calmly behind her desk, reading.

"Good morning, Professor McGonagall. Are you done being busy? Do we have a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year?"

"Mr. Waldore? Good morning.

"I cannot guarantee that. What I can tell you is that our headmaster is conducting an interview.

"A French witch has applied for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"Oh, right. There's a letter for you."

Isaac accepted the envelope from Professor McGonagall, wondering why his letter had been passed on through her.

He unfolded the parchment and found a neatly written reply.

[Dear Mr. Isaac Waldore:

Hello!

We are greatly honored to inform you that your Transfiguration paper, titled <Applications of Reversible Transfiguration in Protego Fiendfyre: A New Adjustable Protective System>,

has been formally accepted by our journal following anonymous review by three senior Transfiguration experts from the editorial board of Transfiguration Today.

The paper is scheduled for publication in the August 1991 issue, under the "Frontier Protective Magic" column.

The editorial board unanimously believes that your paper possesses extremely high academic value and innovative significance.

For the first time, you have systematically introduced the theory of reversible Transfiguration into the field of elemental magic, successfully resolving the problem that has troubled the Wizarding World for nearly three centuries: "fixed energy, incapable of dynamic adjustment" in traditional elemental magic.

The "Gradient Transfiguration Protective Model" you proposed is not only rigorous and internally consistent in theory, but has also passed stringent practical effectiveness tests, providing a new technical path for the integration of modern wizarding Transfiguration and elemental magic.

The reviewers particularly noted that your exploration and development of "the malleability of flame" fills a significant gap in interdisciplinary research between Transfiguration and elemental magic.

To ensure the quality of the paper and the publication schedule, please complete the following:

Please revise and improve your paper according to the review comments enclosed with this letter.

Please submit the final revised manuscript to our editorial office via owl post by July 29, 1991.

Please sign and return the Magic Work Copyright Transfer Agreement and Author Contribution Statement together with your manuscript.

We will arrange for senior Transfiguration editor Minerva McGonagall to coordinate with you regarding subsequent proofreading and typesetting.

She will contact you by owl within three working days.

We will provide you with ten separate copies of the paper as sample issues. If you require additional copies, please indicate so when submitting the final manuscript.

As an authoritative international journal in the field of Transfiguration, Transfiguration Today has always been dedicated to advancing innovation and application in Transfiguration theory.

We believe that your research results will have a profound impact on Transfiguration scholars and practical wizards around the world.

Thank you again for choosing our journal to publish your important research. We look forward to your continued contributions of wisdom and strength to the development of Transfiguration in the future.

Best wishes!

Transfiguration Today Editorial Department]

Although Isaac had long expected his paper to be accepted by Transfiguration Today, he still felt deeply moved when he saw the acceptance letter from its editorial department.

Transfiguration Today held roughly the same status in the Wizarding World as Nature and Science did in the real world.

So Isaac had essentially published a paper in Nature before even enrolling.

By the time his peers had yet to figure out what exactly Transfiguration Today was, Isaac was already far ahead at the starting line.

As for why Isaac had been so certain that Transfiguration Today would accept his paper...

Leaving aside the theoretical support provided by Grindelwald and the guidance Professor McGonagall had given him for the paper,

the author list alone included not only Isaac as the first author, but also Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Cornelius Fudge.

With those three names appearing together on a single paper, let alone one that was well argued and packed with substance,

even if it had been pure filler, the editors of Transfiguration Today would have had to seriously consider whether to find some obscure corner of the journal to publish it anyway.

In short, when Hogwarts opened in September, Harry Potter would certainly be the most dazzling boy among all the young wizards.

But the August before September would belong to Isaac Waldore.