Studying Transfiguration at Hogwarts!

Devero took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Professor McGonagall's voice drifted from behind the door.

Devero pushed the door open.

He stepped into Professor McGonagall's office.

The office was filled with the scent of old books.

Bookshelves were neatly lined with various volumes on Transfiguration.

In the center of the room, the fireplace was ablaze.

It radiated a gentle warmth.

Typical of the British, burning a fireplace even in summer, Devero thought to himself.

The maximum temperature in England during the summer barely reached twenty-something degrees.

The average summer temperature didn't even exceed twenty degrees.

In the year he had lived in England.

He had felt this chilly climate almost every single day.

Sometimes, he even felt as though his body might develop rheumatism from the damp weather.

Therefore.

Seeing Professor McGonagall start using the fireplace for warmth at the beginning of September.

Was hardly a surprise.

Professor McGonagall sat behind a large desk.

She was looking down, reading a file intently.

She raised her head.

Seeing Devero.

She smiled and said.

"Mr. Alexander, you're here. Do you have any questions you need to ask me?"

Devero nodded in thanks.

He got straight to the point regarding his confusion.

Of course, Devero wouldn't ask too directly.

He still had to be a bit tactful.

"Professor McGonagall, I encountered a problem in class."

Devero deliberated for a moment.

"Do you remember when I performed wandless magic in class, turning a matchstick into a needle?"

Professor McGonagall nodded slightly.

"That was a remarkable achievement, rare even among the upper-year students. Is there a problem with that?"

"Professor, the problem is that I can only perform this operation on that one specific matchstick."

"I cannot apply the same method to other objects, or even to another matchstick."

"The reason is that the Transfiguration I used is not the universal Transfiguration you taught in class, but one I derived through my own observations."

Devero had said quite a lot in one breath.

He paused to catch his breath.

Upon hearing this, Professor McGonagall.

Set down the file in her hand.

Her gaze turned serious.

With a flick of her wand, a teacup flew over.

It landed steadily in front of Devero.

The professor tapped the table twice with her wand.

In an instant.

The teacup was filled with hot tea, wisps of white steam rising from it.

"Drink some tea first, Alexander. What do you mean by the Transfiguration you observed yourself?"

Devero picked up the hot tea.

He blew on it gently.

He took a small sip.

It was neither too hot nor too cold, just right.

"Professor, I am able to observe the microscopic structure of objects."

"The Transfiguration I've developed myself is based on observing these microscopic structures and combining them with Transfiguration spells to perform the transformation."

"Compared to what is taught in Transfiguration Class, this method is much more convenient and doesn't require a wand, though it is limited to objects whose microscopic structures have already been observed."

"At the same time, the microscopic structure of every object is unique, so there is no such thing as observing one object and being able to transform others of the same type."

Devero explained his line of reasoning in one breath.

As he spoke, he took out that matchstick.

He continued to demonstrate various transformations for Professor McGonagall.

This was simply not the level a first-year student should have!

He then took a large gulp of the hot tea.

There was quite a lot of sugar in this tea.

It could almost be considered a sweet drink.

Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, was shocked.

A flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

This was immediately followed by deep contemplation.

She seemed to be rapidly reviewing the history of Transfiguration in her mind.

She was attempting to integrate Devero's discovery into the existing body of knowledge.

Her gaze turned sharp in an instant.

It was as if she could pierce through every word Devero said.

She was trying to find a flaw in his logic.

But Devero remained unmoved.

He was simply sipping his tea earnestly.

"This line of thinking actually seems to be feasible?"

Her hands tightened involuntarily around the edge of the table.

Her glasses slid down to the bridge of her nose.

But she did not push them back up immediately.

Instead, she stared at Devero.

She seemed to be confirming whether everything he said was true.

Professor McGonagall finally managed to calm herself down.

She lowered her head and sighed.

With a trembling hand, she gently adjusted her glasses.

She looked back at Devero.

"Alexander, this discovery of yours might truly be a new field of Transfiguration."

"Others in the academic world have proposed the hypothesis of microscopic structural transformation before, but most never delved into it deeply, and thus no concrete results were ever produced."

"The greatest limitation among them is..."

As she spoke, Professor McGonagall narrowed her eyes.

"Observing the microscopic structure—so, Alexander, could you please tell me how you are able to observe these microscopic structures?"

Devero had been prepared for this question.

"Professor, this is my talent."

Devero began to spin his tale without blushing or skipping a beat.

"I have had extraordinary sensory abilities since I was a child. As you should know, I am Professor Snape's Potions apprentice; from a young age, I have been able to identify various potions simply by their scent."

Devero's words flowed as smoothly as water.

Every word sounded authentic and credible.

"As I grew older, this ability gradually strengthened. About a month ago, it underwent a qualitative leap; I could clearly feel the enhancement of my power."

"Then, in Transfiguration Class, following your guidance and the principle that Transfiguration only changes the structure without altering the essence, I wanted to explore the most fundamental structure of objects, and that is how this discovery came to be."

Devero finished speaking.

There was not a trace of panic on his face.

It was as if everything he had said was an obvious fact.

"Talent?"

Professor McGonagall listened.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Clearly, she held reservations regarding this claim of talent.

But Devero had his own methods.

And that was to call in reinforcements!

"Professor, if you have any doubts, you can ask Professor Snape about my talent. I believe you will get the answer you are looking for."

Devero spoke to Professor McGonagall with full confidence.

Snape had, after all, witnessed him improving the Polyjuice Potion.

He would likely vouch for him on this matter as well.

Professor McGonagall nodded, half-doubting.

Then, she smiled.

"If this is true, Alexander, then we need to discuss this further. Perhaps we can study this new form of Transfiguration together."

Devero smiled politely and nodded in response.

"Thank you for your trust, Professor. I would be very willing to explore it with you."

Professor McGonagall lowered her head in thought.

A moment later, she said, "I recall that the latest major breakthrough in micro-structure research was published seven years ago. When the time comes, I will gather the relevant materials. Perhaps, relying on your talent, we can make groundbreaking progress in this field."

As she spoke, Professor McGonagall flicked her wand.

The teacup on the table vanished.

"For now, go back and rest. We will continue this discussion after class on Thursday."

Devero glanced down at his watch.

It was indeed getting late.

He had wasted too much time wandering through the secret passages earlier.

Devero quickly raised a hand.

He signaled that he had one more question.

Professor McGonagall paused and nodded slightly.

"Professor, I would like to ask, do you know of the so-called unspeakable existences?"