A Mere Storm, Published Transfiguration Paper (4000 words)

The Quidditch Pitch was shrouded in a violent storm, and the flags in the stands were being torn apart and were fluttering wildly.

Qiu Zhang took a deep breath of the damp, cold air and tightened her high ponytail.

She looked up, and the gray sky seemed to have a gaping hole, with rain pouring down.

However, those raindrops, enough to drench a person instantly, mysteriously slid away about five centimeters from her body, as if separated by an invisible film.

Qiu subconsciously tightened her grip on the Water-Repelling Bracelet on her wrist.

Thanks to Lucien's work, Quidditch players were able to stay completely dry even in the pouring rain.

But the troubles caused by the torrential rain don't end there.

The torrential rain itself, and the thick spray it generated upon hitting the ground, still severely obstructed visibility.

This is a huge distraction for Seeker who need to catch the Golden Snitch.

The Golden Snitch is already small in size, making it difficult to track even on a sunny day with good lighting, let alone in this hazy rain.

"I wish the rain would stop..."

Qiu murmured almost silently, then shook her head self-deprecatingly.

The storm was so large that, normally, it would last for at least half a day.

Therefore, this idea is really impractical.

For some reason, Cho's gaze drifted toward the Ravenclaw stands.

Lucien was there, amidst a blur of rain and swaying blue flags.

Qiu unconsciously gripped the "East Wind" broom tightly in her hand. After a brief but breathtaking test flight, she was completely captivated.

Although the "East Wind" had already impressed everyone in the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor match a few days ago, it was only by personally driving the final version that Qiu truly understood what a world of difference it was.

In every aspect, including speed, stability, responsiveness, and magic conductivity, it completely surpasses the Nimbus, Cleansweep, and Comet Series that she used to ride!

Qiu Xin's admiration for that junior student reached a new level.

"It doesn't matter,"

She secretly cheered herself up.

With the "East Wind" in our favor, our chances of winning today are very high!

Just as she composed herself and prepared to exchange greetings with Hufflepuff's rivals under Madam Hooch's guidance—

"Boom!"

A strange, loud noise, not thunder, pierced the rain curtain, briefly drowning out the roar of the wind and rain.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling ball of magical light, shimmering with a variety of strange colors, shot out from the Ravenclaw stands like a giant fish swimming upstream, leaving a trail of brilliance as it crashed into the thick, dark clouds!

What is that?

Everyone who witnessed this scene was stunned.

After a brief ten seconds or so, Qiu felt that the raindrops hitting the invisible barrier seemed to have thinned out.

When she looked up at the sky again, the sight was astonishing.

The once thick, lead-like clouds were now being repeatedly pierced and torn apart from the inside by countless silver lightning bolts, and the cloud layer was thinning and disintegrating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Before long, the rain actually stopped!

A faint ray of sunlight struggled to pierce through a gap in the clouds and fall onto the wet sports field.

Feeling something, Qiu Xin suddenly looked towards the Ravenclaw stands again.

She vaguely saw Lucien waving in her direction, and beside him, there seemed to be a long, black, cylindrical object.

In the Ravenclaw stands, Lucien calmly put the alchemical artifact into his pocket, which had been imbued with Undetectable Extension Charm.

Glancing up at the edge of the clouds, the golden silhouette of the Thunderbird Aether flashed by.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for stopping a storm. The initial Elemental Thunder Pattern (weekly loan) has been repaid.]

Phew, with the alchemical tools and the Thunderbird working together, it's just a storm, not that difficult.

The young wizards around him were in complete uproar, engulfed in shock and chaos.

"What just happened? It's raining so hard!"

Lucien pulled out a black cannon!

"He fired!"

"Merlin's beard! The rain has stopped! The rain has really stopped!"

A cacophony of whispers and exclamations arose, all eyes fixed on Lucien.

While the gadgets and potions Lucien made before were certainly magical and interesting, they were nowhere near as impressive as what I saw today!

This could change the weather!

The Quidditch Pitch the storm has passed.

With Madam Hooch's whistle blowing, the competition officially began!

In the commentary booth, Lee Jordan's energetic voice, amplified by magic, resounded throughout the entire stadium:

"The match has begun! Look, Ravenclaw's Seeker, Cho Chang, is riding a broomstick... Although it's a little different from her last appearance, the amazing speed and silky smooth turns make it unmistakably the ' East Wind ' broomstick!"

"Oh--the talented Lucien designs brooms, the beautiful and elegant Qiu races across the field, the 'teamwork' between the younger and older students is truly Ravenclaw legend!"

"Now it seems that Ravenclaw's strength is truly terrifying!"

Qiu, who was intently searching for the Golden Snitch, almost stopped in his tracks upon hearing this explanation.

What on earth was that Gryffindor student explaining? Qiu felt her face turning red, thankfully they were high in the air and no one could see her.

Remembering that this was a competition, Qiu tried to regain her composure, keep her broom steady, and quickly turned her attention back to the tiny, restless Golden Snitch.

Gryffindor stands.

Ron stood on tiptoe and craned his neck to look towards Ravenclaw next door, trying to catch another glimpse of Lucien's long black tubes, which he had already put away.

"Harry, did you see that loud noise again? Was that Lucien who made it? He stopped a storm, didn't he?!"

Hearing Ron's question, Harry shrugged.

"No, I just heard a loud bang. Isn't this a magical world? Can't you stop a storm with magic?"

Although he had been at Hogwarts for a year, Harry's understanding and appreciation of magic was still not as deep as that of Ron, who came from a wizarding family.

Seeing that Harry and Hermione didn't seem to understand the significance of changing the weather in the Wizarding World, Ron scratched his head, unable to think of a way to explain.

"Anyway, it's pretty exaggerated. Sigh, looking at it this way, my Air Gun is still too rudimentary. Lucien's is much more powerful; one shot and the clouds disperse..."

"Ahem, Harry, you guys are pretty close to Lucien from Ravenclaw, aren't you?"

A voice abruptly interrupted Ron's "education" to Harry and his companion. Harry turned his head and saw...

"Wood? What do you need Lucien for?"

Wood, the burly captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, pushed through the crowd, approached Harry, and rubbed his hands together, saying:

"Well, from what you've said, Lucien used a magical item to dispel the wind and rain. Harry, could you ask Lucien if I could borrow that item? Quidditch training is usually much more efficient without this kind of weather. Of course, renting it is also an option; I can ask Professor McGonagall for funding."

Upon hearing this, Harry noticeably fell silent; he was already quite familiar with this Quidditch captain.

In the past, neither wind nor rain could stop Wood from rushing them to practice and play. If they really had a magic weapon to dispel the wind and rain, what would that be like?!

Harry hesitated for a moment, then had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer:

"Wood, I'll try asking around for you."

"Great, Harry! As long as the training goes well, we have a good chance of winning the Quidditch Championship this year. I'm counting on you!"

Faced with the "pressure" from Wood, Harry could only helplessly twitch the corners of his mouth.

On the other side, in the teachers' stands.

Many professors naturally noticed Lucien's behavior just now, and their reactions varied.

Professor McGonagall turned to Professor Flitwick and said:

"Filius, do you usually have Lucien change the weather this way when your house practices Quidditch?"

As Quidditch fan, McGonagall's first priority was Quidditch matters.

Flitwick waved his Ravenclaw flag, cheering on his players.

"Haha, Minerva, would you believe me if I told you that this was the first time even I'd ever seen Lucien pull out that gadget?"

McGonagall glanced towards the Ravenclaw stands, then looked at Flitwick beside her, her tone a mixture of envy and admiration:

"I believe you, but Lucien first pulled out his own Flying Broomstick, and then invented that magical gadget that can change the weather. Heh, to be honest, I don't know which one I should be surprised about first..."

Flitwick couldn't help but smile, and he waved the little flag in his hand even faster.

"Lucien is indeed an extraordinary child; he always manages to give people 'little surprises,' doesn't he?"

Upon hearing this, McGonagall gave a wry smile:

"Filius, that 'surprise' is almost a shock! By the way, I just received the latest Journey of Transfiguration ' this morning, why don't you take a look?"

As she spoke, McGonagall handed Flitwick a copy of an academic journal and pointed to the large print on the cover.

Putting down the small flag, and following McGonagall's pointing finger, Flitwick's eyes widened instantly.

"Lucien Grafton?"

"The most innovative Transfiguration achievement in a century?"

Seeing her colleague's shocked expression, McGonagall couldn't help but smile. It was worth keeping it a secret from Flitwick all this time!

Lucien had shown her the first draft of the paper, so McGonagall had expected this. She simply wanted to see Flitwick's reaction to being "shocked" by her student.

and...

McGonagall glanced back at Dumbledore, who was secretly observing Flitwick's performance from behind, and wondered if the headmaster hadn't told Flitwick either.

"So, is it a 'surprise' or a 'shock' now?"

Hearing McGonagall's teasing, Flitwick rubbed his forehead, flipped through the contents of the "Journey of Transfiguration" magazine, and said helplessly:

"Minerva, this seems a bit too much for my little heart..."

McGonagall chuckled:

"Actually, Lucien's skill in Transfiguration is so advanced that he could directly become a professor in this field. Hmm, maybe I should just step down and retire after he graduates. I'd like to travel the world anyway!"

Flitwick: "Minerva, have you forgotten that you're still the Vice Principal and Head of Gryffindor?"

"Besides, I actually want to retire too. Then Lucien can directly take over as Professor of Charms and Head of Ravenclaw —how perfect!"

Before McGonagall could retort, Flitwick changed the subject and asked:

"Minerva, with Lucien's achievements, winning the Transfiguration award, the ' Ring of Myriad Phenomena,' shouldn't be a problem, right?"

McGonagall nodded.

"Of course! The Magical Creature Transfiguration has absolutely opened up new heights for Transfiguration. It's not that Lucien needs this award, but rather that this award needs to be given to Lucien to prove its worth!"

"Actually, besides the ' Ring of Myriad Phenomena,' I reckon there's another award, like the Order of Merlin..."

McGonagall then turned her gaze to Dumbledore.

"But this matter should be asked of the ' Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot '?"

Now, not only McGonagall and Flitwick, but also the surrounding teachers who had overheard their conversation were all intrigued and turned to look at Dumbledore.

Since the Order of Merlin was approved and awarded by Wizengamot, these procedures naturally had to be reviewed by Dumbledore, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

Dumbledore gently adjusted his Half-moon Spectacles with his long, slender fingers. His bright blue eyes weren't fixed on the arena, but rather gazed at the distant sky. Noticing his colleagues looking at him, he spoke:

"Hmm, I've been quite busy lately, so there are some things I can't quite remember."

"..."

The teachers were more or less used to Dumbledore's lame excuse.

While everyone holds this greatest wizard of the century in high esteem and admiration, there are also some unspoken consensuses, such as:

Dumbledore few words and honesty.

The sentence should be paused in the middle of the sentence...

Dumbledore's gaze was already fixed on Lucien; he naturally knew about the Order of Merlin.

In fact, given Lucien's achievements in Transfiguration and considering only his academic contributions, he would definitely be worthy of the Order of Merlin, Second Class; the key point is that he deserves the Order of Merlin, First Class...

As the headmaster of Lucien School, and knowing the child's aptitude and temperament, Dumbledore was happy to strive for greater honors for Lucien.

However, the Order of Merlin, First Class, has implicit requirements:

To save countless lives or resolve a crisis in the Wizarding World!

Besides the fact that every Minister for Magic would award himself the Order of Merlin, First Class, before leaving office, there was also the case of a certain eccentric ancestor of the Black family who "bought" himself a First Class medal with a large number of Galleon.

All others who received this honor while still alive had fulfilled that implicit requirement.

This actually requires "luck".

Some people will never encounter such a major event in their entire lives.

As for Lucien stopping Voldemort, who was possessed by Quirrell, from stealing the Sorcerer's Stone last year, that certainly counts as resolving a crisis in the Wizarding World.

However, based on Dumbledore's understanding of those high-ranking people, they were most likely "burying their heads in the sand" and wouldn't believe that Voldemort was almost resurrected!

However, Dumbledore felt that Lucien was so young and would have many more opportunities in the future, and that his Order of Merlin, Second Class, already far surpassed that of others.

"Strangeness..."

Dumbledore looked up at the horizon again, a faint sense of doubt passing through his mind.

When did Thunderbird appear here?

Newt hasn't been here recently, has he...?