By the time everyone had talked themselves out, the dormitory lamps went out one after another, and only faintly flickering embers remained in the fireplace.
Soft snores drifted through the dormitory.
Gerald did not sleep.
He sat cross-legged on his bed, facing the impossibly bright moon outside the window, and began practicing the Divine Firmament Five-Elements Heavenly Thunder Art.
A warm current rose from his dantian and flowed slowly through his meridians.
To Gerald's delight, practicing inside Hogwarts Castle was many times more efficient than it had been in Essex County.
An hour later, the number on his panel ticked upward.
[Cultivation] Eighth Layer of Chain-Form Refining Essence (1184/1600)
At this rate, he could reach the Ninth Layer of Chain-Form Essence Refinement in less than two weeks.
Before Christmas, he might even be able to attempt a breakthrough into refining essence into qi.
And that was without the aid of spirit herbs.
What if he had spirit herbs?
Gerald opened his eyes and looked through the window at the dark mass of trees in the distance.
The Forbidden Forest.
Under the moonlight, the forest looked deep and mysterious. Here and there, one or two pale blue lights flickered among the trees, belonging to who knew what magical creatures.
No, I have to check out the Forbidden Forest tomorrow.
Gerald began working out a plan.
At present, he knew no invisibility spell, nor did he have Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak.
To enter the Forbidden Forest, he first needed to win Hagrid over.
Hagrid was the Keeper of the Grounds. Anyone entering or leaving the Forbidden Forest needed his approval.
He liked magical creatures, especially large, dangerous ones.
All Gerard had to do was cater to his interests and visit him often. Building a good relationship should not be difficult.
Besides getting on good terms with Hagrid, there was another thing at Hogwarts that Gerald absolutely had to get his hands on.
The Marauder's Map.
Hogwarts held countless secrets, but for moving freely through such an enormous castle without being discovered, the Marauder's Map was one of the best tools available.
In the original story, Fred and George had given it to Harry in his third year.
But it was still 1989, and Fred and George had only just started their first year.
The map that displayed everyone's location in the castle in real time should still be sitting in a drawer in Filch's office.
No one knew its true value yet.
-Maybe Dumbledore does, but who cares? I'll get it first.
There was no rush for now, though.
Filch's office was hardly difficult to break into. He just needed an opportunity to lure him away.
As for the cat called Mrs. Norris, he could simply hit her with Stupefy.
Originally, Gerald had planned to stay far away from Harry Potter, the epicenter of all the trouble, and quietly grow stronger.
But now he had been sorted into Gryffindor and was sharing a dormitory with the Weasley twins.
Sooner or later, their paths would cross.
Honestly, with everything Harry went through, he would probably have died a dozen times over if he had not been the protagonist of the original story.
Until Gerald was strong enough, he would not dare risk joining Harry's side.
Fortunately, there were still two years before the trio started school. He had plenty of time to get stronger.
Gerald withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again.
The warm current flowed quietly through his meridians, while moonlight spilled like water beyond the window.
Early the next morning, the first ray of sunlight woke Gryffindor Tower.
When Gerald sat up in bed, the other four boys in the dormitory were still sleeping like logs.
Gerald slipped quietly out of bed, washed up, put on his robes, and tucked his wand into an inside pocket.
Before leaving, he glanced at the Forbidden Forest outside the window.
The morning mist had yet to clear. The dark mass of trees loomed faintly through it, like a giant beast lying in wait.
-I'll scout it out tonight. Food first.
Back in the nameless town, he had never dared eat his fill.
After all, Grandpa Henry and Uncle Jack were not well-off.
Things were better now.
At Hogwarts, he could eat as much as he wanted from the long tables. The supply was unlimited, and it was free.
That meant he finally had a steady supply of the enormous amount of energy he needed during the Chain-Form Essence Transformation Stage.
But that would only be temporary.
Once he reached refining essence into qi, his body would be able to draw in spiritual energy directly, and he would no longer need to accumulate vital essence by eating vast amounts of food.
His appetite would naturally return to normal then.
At this hour, only a handful of people were scattered around the Great Hall.
The moment Gerald sat down, the golden plate in front of him filled itself with bread, bacon, and fried eggs, accompanied by a large jug of steaming pumpkin juice.
The house-elves' service was the gold standard. His breakfast was ready before he had even asked for it.
The Transfiguration classroom was on the first floor of the castle. The benefits of spending hundreds of hours playing Hogwarts Legacy now became abundantly clear.
Although this was Gerald's first real class at Hogwarts, he could have found the classroom with his eyes closed.
Everything felt familiar, just like coming home.
When Gerald pushed open the door, the enormous Transfiguration classroom was empty.
There was only a cat.
-The older cat lady is playing at being a kitty again.
Gerald casually took a seat near the window in the front row, pulled A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration from his bag, and set it on the desk.
He had already read the book several times over the summer and had more or less mastered most elementary transfigurations.
A few dozen minutes later, the students had all trickled in.
Lee Jordan dashed into the classroom just in time, with Fred and George following behind him, yawning repeatedly.
Seeing Gerald already sitting there perfectly upright, the three exclaimed loudly.
"What's with you? Sneaking off to study again!"
Gerald smiled at them without saying anything.
"Good thing Professor McGonagall isn't here yet. I hear she's notoriously strict."
"Both of you, Mr. Weasley, I am already here."
At Professor McGonagall's voice, everyone watched in astonishment as the cat lying on the teacher's desk transformed into the professor.
"!!!"
"Very well, class begins now. Transfiguration is one of the most complex and dangerous branches of magic. Any improper procedure may lead to irreversible consequences."
Then she raised her wand and gave the class a demonstration.
With a light tap of her wand, an ordinary wooden match instantly became a gleaming silver needle.
"This is the simplest form of Transfiguration. The incantation is in your book. Now,
"it's your turn."
Gerald pointed his wand at the match in front of him.
"Vertus."
With a light tap of his wand, the match turned into a gleaming silver needle.
"Merlin's beard, you got it on your first try?" Fred's exaggerated exclamation immediately drew every student's attention.
The entire classroom fell silent for a moment.
Professor McGonagall strode over, picked up the needle, and turned it over to inspect it thoroughly.
She looked up, a rare hint of a smile appearing on her stern face.
"Very good, Mr. Green. Ten points to Gryffindor. Have you practiced this before?"
"I did a little preparation over the summer, professor."
Professor McGonagall's smile grew a little more pronounced.
On Gerald's other side, a Ravenclaw girl named Vivian Carrow set her wand down on the desk.
She looked at Gerald's needle, then at her own object, which barely had a metallic sheen, and sighed with a complicated expression.
Gerald recognized her as the girl who had dropped her suitcase into the Black Lake when the first-years arrived.
"How many times did you practice over the summer?"
"I didn't count. I just... kept practicing."
"Kept practicing?"
Vivian Carrow picked up her wand and aimed it at the match in front of her again.
After several attempts, Vivian also managed to turn her match into a silver needle. It was a little bent, but she had succeeded all the same.
Fred leaned forward from the row behind them and whispered to Gerald, "That Ravenclaw girl's got some skill."
"Yeah, she's pretty good."
Hearing their exchange, Vivian's eyes curved into a small smile.
Gerald did not notice, though. His thoughts had already drifted to the Forbidden Forest.
He had made up his mind to visit Hagrid's Hut during the lunch break.
Forbidden Forest, here I come.
Before you continue