Devero took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Professor McGonagall's voice came from beyond the door.
Devero pushed it open.
He entered Professor McGonagall's office.
The office was filled with the scent of books.
Bookshelves were neatly lined with books on all kinds of Transfiguration.
In the fireplace at the center of the room,
flames roared,
giving off a pleasant warmth.
"As expected of the British. They even light the fireplace in summer."
Devero thought to himself.
The highest summer temperatures in Britain barely reached the mid-twenties.
The average summer temperature was even below twenty degrees.
During the year he'd lived in Britain,
he'd felt this cool climate almost every day.
Sometimes he even felt the damp weather was going to give him rheumatism.
So,
it was hardly surprising
that Professor McGonagall had started using the fireplace for warmth in early September.
Professor McGonagall sat behind a large desk.
She was reading a file intently with her head lowered.
She looked up.
Seeing Devero,
she smiled and said,
"Mr. Alexander, you're here. Is there something you'd like to ask me?"
Devero nodded in thanks.
He got straight to the point and began explaining what had been troubling him.
Of course, Devero wasn't going to ask too bluntly.
He still had to phrase it tactfully.
"Professor McGonagall, I ran into a problem in class."
Devero considered his words for a moment.
"Do you remember how I used Wandless Magic in class to turn a matchstick into a needle?"
Professor McGonagall nodded slightly.
"That was an impressive achievement. It would be remarkable even for an older student. What's the problem?"
"Professor, the problem is that I can only do it to that one matchstick."
"I can't apply the same method to other objects, or even to another matchstick."
"The reason is that the Transfiguration I used wasn't the general Transfiguration you taught in class. I worked it out myself through observation."
Devero explained at length in one breath.
He stopped to catch his breath.
At this point,
Professor McGonagall set down the file in her hands.
Her expression grew serious.
She flicked her wand, and a teacup flew over.
It landed neatly in front of Devero.
The professor tapped the desk twice with her wand.
In an instant,
the teacup was filled with steaming hot tea.
"Have some tea first, Alexander. What do you mean by a Transfiguration you worked out through observation?"
Devero picked up the hot tea.
He blew gently on it,
then took a sip.
It was just the right temperature.
"Professor, I can observe the microscopic structure of things."
"The Transfiguration I worked out myself is based on observing the microscopic structure of an object and combining that with a Transfiguration Spell."
"This method is more convenient than the Transfiguration taught in class. It doesn't require a wand, but it can only be used on things whose microscopic structures I've already observed."
"Also, the microscopic structure of each object is unique. So observing one object doesn't mean I can Transfigure other objects of the same type."
Devero laid out his reasoning in one breath.
As he spoke, he took out the matchstick.
He continued demonstrating the various transformations for Professor McGonagall.
It was completely beyond the level of a first-year student!
Then he took a large gulp of tea.
There was a lot of sugar in it.
It was practically sweet water.
Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, was stunned.
A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
Then came deep contemplation.
She seemed to be rapidly reviewing the history of Transfiguration in her mind,
trying to fit Devero's discovery into the existing body of knowledge.
Her gaze suddenly sharpened,
as if it could pierce through every word Devero said,
searching for the slightest flaw.
But Devero remained perfectly still.
He was simply enjoying his tea.
"Could this approach really be viable?"
Her hands tightened around the edge of the desk without her realizing it.
Her glasses slid down her nose,
but she didn't adjust them right away.
Instead, she stared at Devero,
as though trying to confirm whether everything he'd said was true.
Professor McGonagall finally managed to compose herself.
She lowered her head and sighed.
Her trembling hand gently nudged her glasses back into place.
Then she looked at Devero again.
"Alexander, your discovery may truly represent a new field of Transfiguration."
"Some scholars have previously proposed the theory of Transfiguring microscopic structures, but most never pursued it in depth, so they never achieved any concrete results."
"The biggest obstacle is..."
As she spoke, Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes.
"Observing microscopic structures. Alexander, could you tell me how you're able to observe them?"
Devero had prepared for this question.
"Professor, it's a natural talent."
Devero began to spin his story without batting an eye.
"I've had an extraordinary sense of perception since I was young. As you know, I'm Professor Snape's Potions apprentice. From a very young age, I could identify all kinds of Potions just by their scent."
Devero spoke as smoothly as flowing water.
Every word sounded entirely credible.
"As I grew older, this ability gradually grew stronger. About a month ago, it underwent a qualitative leap. I could clearly feel that it had become more powerful."
"Then, during Transfiguration Class, with your guidance and the principle that Transfiguration changes structure without changing essence, I wanted to explore the deepest structure of things. That's how I made this discovery."
When Devero finished,
there wasn't a trace of panic on his face.
He acted as though everything he'd said were plain facts.
"A natural talent?"
Professor McGonagall listened,
her brows drawing together slightly.
Clearly, she wasn't entirely convinced by the explanation.
But Devero had his own way of handling that.
He could call in backup!
"Professor, if you have doubts, you can ask Professor Snape about my talent. I'm sure you'll get the answers you're looking for."
Devero spoke to Professor McGonagall with complete confidence.
Snape had witnessed him improve the Polyjuice Potion.
He would probably vouch for him, too.
Professor McGonagall nodded uncertainly.
Then she smiled.
"If that's true, Alexander, then we'll need to explore this further. Perhaps we can study this new kind of Transfiguration together."
Devero smiled politely and nodded in response.
"Thank you for trusting me, Professor. I'd be delighted to explore it with you."
Professor McGonagall lowered her head and thought for a moment.
After a while, she said,
"I remember that the latest major breakthrough in the study of microscopic structures was announced seven years ago. I'll look for the relevant materials. With your talent, perhaps we can make a breakthrough in this field."
As she spoke,
Professor McGonagall flicked her wand.
The teacup on the desk disappeared.
"For now, go back and get some rest. We'll continue discussing this after class on Thursday."
Devero glanced at his watch.
It really was getting late.
He'd wasted too much time wandering through the secret passage.
Devero quickly raised a hand,
signaling that he had one more question.
Professor McGonagall paused and nodded slightly.
"Professor, I wanted to ask—do you know about the so-called Unspeakable Ones?"
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