Herman took the cards back and stood there for a while, holding them in his hand. The feeling just now was much smoother than before, like two rivers that originally flowed separately merging at some point, and the water flow became more powerful after the convergence.
He glanced down at the card in his palm; a faint silver sheen, left by the Transfiguration, still lingered at the edge, slowly fading away.
It seems that frequent use of one's abilities also has a positive effect on these two types of magic.
The more frequently you cast spells, the clearer the magical path becomes, and the more natural the feedback feels.
Indeed, as Professor Flitwick said, I am likely to reach the level of mastery of Wandless Magic spellcasting the fastest in these two directions.
He put away his wand and placed the cards back in his palm. This time, he didn't use the wand; he simply raised his hand.
The playing card floated up, flipped once in mid-air, and its edges began to Transfiguration, becoming thinner and harder.
He put in more effort, and the second, third, and fourth cards flew out of his pocket on their own, unfolding in the air one after another, forming a long, thin arc.
He flicked his finger, and the dozen or so playing cards scattered at the same time, flying towards the dummy from different directions.
The first card hit the dummy's chest with a dull thud, followed by several others that landed on the dummy's shoulders, ribs, and arms. Some got stuck in the gaps in the wood grain, while others bounced off, spun twice in mid-air, and continued flying forward for a while before landing.
Herman looked at the new scratches on the dummy; compared to yesterday, the accuracy and force were much better today.
He raised his hand and gathered the scattered cards, placing them one by one back into his outstretched palm, stacking them into a pile.
The results are better than yesterday, so I can try to advance to the next level. Once the materials arrive, I'll go to the library and look up some teachings on the Summoning Charm.
He bent down, neatly arranged the playing cards, and put them back in his pocket. Then he walked around the room again to make sure that none of the old pots were leaking or the sinks were clogged, so that he wouldn't find that everything was broken when the materials arrived.
He inspected the mannequins in the corner; several of them had new scratches, but unfortunately, he figured the damage he had caused was too minor, and the scratches were visibly healing.
He put the cards away, closed the door, and left the corridor in front of the tapestry.
After taking a few steps, he looked back and saw that the door had disappeared, and the wall had returned to its smooth stone surface.
He withdrew his gaze and walked down the stairs at a moderate pace, heading towards the common lounge.
When I returned to the common room, the afternoon sun was still shining on the top edge of the high window at the end of the corridor.
The lunch break was more than halfway over, Draco was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace, holding a book in her hands, but her head kept lowering, not so much reading as using the book to help her fall asleep.
When she saw Herman come in, she put the book on her lap and said, "So you finally decided to come back? You ruined my afternoon beauty nap."
Herman sat down in the chair next to her. "What's wrong? Shall I sing you a lullaby?"
Draco rolled her eyes at him, but still picked up something wrapped in a cloth from the table next to her and handed it to him. "Here's your lunch. I specially chose eel jelly filling, which you don't like. It'll get hard in a bit."
Herman took the cloth, which was still warm. Although he didn't like the food, he was hungry and could swallow it.
He tore it open, took a bite, chewed a few times, and swallowed. "Thanks."
Draco leaned back in her armchair and opened her book. " Harry just got back to her room not long ago. She's been looking at that formula every day lately, she's almost obsessed."
Herman took another bite of bread. "Maybe he's memorizing the steps, or maybe he's worried about making me sick from drinking it."
Draco thought for a moment, "Possibly, but is the formula really that important? Just check it on-site to make sure nothing's been put in the wrong place, wouldn't that be enough?"
Herman didn't reply, but silently thought to himself, "Thank goodness you don't have to brew Potions for me," before taking another bite of bread.
Draco closed the book again. "I went to Head of House Snape's office at noon."
Herman paused in his chewing of bread. "What are you doing in his office?"
Draco waved her hand, indicating that she should listen to her. Draco wasn't really trying to tell Herman anything; she just wanted to confide in him. "I helped deliver a letter for my father. Oh, and my father replied too, saying that that kind of Potions is indeed hard to find; there's practically no stock on the market. But he asked a few of his more resourceful friends to help him look for it."
Herman grunted in agreement and continued eating his bread.
Although Herman didn't speak, Draco continued talking to herself, " Head of House Snape didn't say anything, just took my letter, asked about my recent studies, and told me not to go to his office so often."
Herman finished the last piece of bread, folded the cloth, and placed it on the table. "Alright, go get your beauty sleep."
Draco glanced at him. "What are you still sleeping for? You've disturbed my sleep."
She put the book on the table, stood up, took a few steps toward the corridor, then turned back. "You have Transfiguration tomorrow morning. McGonagall probably doesn't like Slytherin lately. Don't go practice any spells after your Herbology this afternoon, or you'll complain of a sore shoulder again tonight."
Herman nodded. "Understood." Draco turned and walked into the corridor.
When Herman entered the Great Hall the next morning Draco and Harry were already seated at the long table.
The parchment lay open on the table in front of Harry. She held a piece of bread in one hand and flipped through the paper with the other, her brow furrowed slightly, as if checking some details.
Draco was sitting next to her, spreading butter on bread. When she saw Herman coming over, she moved over to make room for him.
Herman sat down and glanced at the parchment in front of Harry: "What did you see?"
Harry didn't look up, her gaze remaining fixed on the paper. "The order of the materials should be correct, but a few time points are rather vague. I guess Professor Snape took these details as common sense. I need to check the information again."
Herman said this in his usual calm tone, but Herman noticed that she was turning the pages much slower than yesterday, as if she was repeatedly checking.
As breakfast was nearing its end, Herman stood up. " Transfiguration is on the third floor, let's go."
Draco followed beside him, while Harry lagged a few steps behind, still looking down at the paper, as if silently reciting the steps in her mind.
The Transfiguration was held in the south-facing classroom on the third floor of the castle.
When Herman pushed open the door, Professor McGonagall was already standing in front of the podium, holding a slender wand. On the table in front of her was a row of tea canisters of different sizes, all with their lids tightly closed.
She glanced at the students who were coming in one after another, her gaze lingering on Herman for a moment before shifting away. When she looked at Draco, her gaze lingered for a noticeable longer than when she looked at the others. Although her expression didn't change, Herman could feel a thin layer of coldness in her gaze.
It's probably still that grudge from when Snape defended his own. Although Professor McGonagall wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for students, she certainly wouldn't give them a friendly look.