Herman sat down in the Slytherin area, Draco sat down next to him. When she put down her bag, the movement was a little more forceful than usual. Herman glanced at her; her lips were slightly pursed, and her chin was raised half an inch higher than usual, as if she also had a problem with Professor McGonagall.
Herman looked away without saying anything.
He had indeed wanted to find an opportunity to ask McGonagall some questions about Transfiguration, but since Flitwick had said it would be best to consult Dumbledore and had even promised to put in a good word for him, there was no need for him to ask anything more here.
Moreover, judging from the way Draco looks at McGonagall now, as Draco's subordinate, he should be more self-aware and not collude with the enemy.
This lesson is about the stable transformation of an object's shape.
Professor McGonagall transformed a tea canister into a teacup and then back into a tea canister, and then had the students do the same.
Herman's basic Transfiguration were among the best in his first year; he could turn a match into a silver needle cleanly and efficiently, so turning a tea canister into a teacup was no challenge for him either.
He chanted the incantation, swung the staff, successfully Transfiguration, and then transformed back—the whole process was so smooth that there was nothing to say about it.
Draco's progress was a bit slower. She held her wand and chanted the spell three times over the tea canister before the canister wobbled and conjured the outline of a cup. The lid wasn't even fully fitted yet. When Professor McGonagall walked over, she glanced at it, offered no comment, and simply continued walking.
Draco pressed her lips together even tighter, but said nothing.
Harry sat closer to the window, and the tea canister in front of her transformed into a smooth, white porcelain cup after she waved her wand. The cup had a neat rim and a uniform body. When McGonagall passed by, she paused briefly, nodded, and then walked away.
Herman noticed that when she passed by Harry's table, the nod she made was slightly larger than when she was scoring others. It seemed that she not only appreciated Harry's talent, but also cared about her comrade or former student's child.
Herman sat there and did two Transfiguration exercises, then put down his wand and began tidying up the materials he had used.
Draco finally conjured the cup out beside him. Although the lid was still a little crooked, she turned it over and over to examine it several times before carefully placing it back on the table, as if afraid it would spring back into the tea canister.
When the bell rang, Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the class and said a few words about what materials everyone should bring to the next class, then waved her hand to signal that everyone could leave.
Herman packed his things and stood up. Draco walked beside him, her steps a little faster than usual, as if she were in a hurry to leave the classroom.
The afternoon Dark Magic Defence Class resumed as normal and was held in the Dark Magic Defence Class classroom.
As the school bell rang, Quirrell walked into the classroom, carrying a box covered with a black cloth.
When the students saw the box, their previous whispers quieted down considerably, and some subconsciously shrank back, clearly remembering the Vampire Monster from before.
But Quirrell placed the box next to the podium, clapped his hands to signal everyone to be quiet. "Don't worry, it's not that today, and there are no monsters inside. Today's content is more basic, but also more important."
He turned and wrote a few words on the blackboard: Basic defensive techniques - dealing with magical impacts and out-of-control objects.
"Last lesson we talked about the basic characteristics of dark creatures. Today we'll deal with a more common and deadly scenario: how to protect yourself when facing an attacker whose magic far surpasses your own."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the classroom before settling on Herman, his smile gentle. " Mr. Horace, I was very impressed with your performance last lesson. You remained calm and called for help correctly in a real dangerous situation. Today, I would like to ask you to be my teaching assistant and help me with the demonstration."
Herman sat down, pausing for a moment as he wrote with his quill pen.
He looked up at Quirrell, his smile gentle and calm, revealing no particular meaning.
But Herman always felt that there was something else hidden beneath that smile. It wasn't malicious, but there was definitely something there. Could it be admiration for me?
He put down his quill, stood up, and walked to the front of the classroom under the watchful eyes of the entire class.
Quirrell took a few steps back to create some distance between them. "In real combat, the attacks you face often won't give you time to calmly cast spells. As first-year students, you don't yet know advanced defensive spells, but you've already mastered enough basics, such as the Levitation Charm and Transfiguration."
He raised his wand. "I will launch a low-speed magical shockwave at you. It will sting a little, but it won't be fatal. You need to use any means you know to stop it from getting closer— Levitation Charm, Transfiguration, or run. The goal is to stay upright for thirty seconds."
Herman took a deep breath and gripped his wand tightly.
Quirrell swung his staff, and a dark red beam of light slowly flew over, moving at about the same speed as a child riding a bicycle.
Herman instinctively tried to use his innate spell to push it away, but as soon as his magic touched the beam of light, he felt a heavy and stagnant resistance, like a hand trying to push open a wall that was slowly pressing down on him.
Quirrell's magic was of far superior quality; his advantage in precision was almost useless against pure power.
He quickly cast a standard Levitation Charm to try and deflect the beam, but the beam only trembled slightly and continued to Accio towards him at a leisurely pace. Just as Professor Flitwick had said, magic is very difficult to use with magical power, and even with the aid of a wand, it is difficult to achieve any effect.
Herman was forced to take a step back, glancing at the desk next to him out of the corner of his eye. He quickly swung his cane, flipping up a book on the desk to shield himself.
The beam of light hit the book, sending it flying, and he himself was jolted back half a step.
"Good, making use of the environment." Quirrell's voice was approving, but his wand didn't stop. "Second one, speed it up."
The second beam was nearly twice as fast as the first. Herman didn't have time to find an obstacle and could only roll on the spot. The beam grazed his shoulder and hit the wall behind him with a dull thud. A scorch mark was left on the shoulder of his school robe, and the edge of the fabric curled up slightly, revealing the burned skin underneath, which stung painfully.
It was her injured shoulder; the redness and abrasions made it hard to tell that she had been injured before, but Herman was worried that it might worsen the wound.
But there was no time for academic thinking at this point. He didn't even have time to stand up before the third beam of light caught up with him. He tried to dodge to the side, but his foot slipped, and he crashed into the edge of a table next to him. The table leg scraped against the ground with a screeching sound, and he fell to the ground sideways, his knee hitting the stone floor with a dull thud.
You managed to dodge it, but it was a bit of a mess.