But at that moment, Marlene's expression suddenly changed.
The change was so subtle that Herman, who was standing not far away and watching her closely, probably wouldn't have noticed it at all.
Marlene's face suddenly turned pale, his brows furrowed sharply, and several shallow lines appeared between his brows. His lips tightened for a moment, as if he was enduring some sudden discomfort.
She raised one hand and pressed it against her temple, her knuckles gently pressing against her temple. The gesture carried a suppressed restraint, as if she was trying hard not to let others notice.
Seeing Marlene's state, Herman's lingering worry resurfaced.
He remembered that when he first went to see Professor Malin, she was colder than usual and her expression was not good.
I pondered this in my mind for a long time and finally came to the conclusion that it was a problem like "cold uterus," thinking that the wizard probably also had similar menstrual problems.
Looking at her now, Herman was even more certain of his guess: the professor's period hadn't ended, and it seemed quite serious.
But the professor is really dedicated; he even went to the Forbidden Forest range for duty during his period.
Marlene pressed her temples for a few seconds, and the discomfort seemed to gradually subside.
Her complexion hadn't fully recovered, but at least it wasn't as frighteningly pale as before.
She lowered her hand and glanced in the direction where Neville and the other two had run off, probably hesitating whether to chase after them and call them back.
But she had already inspected the area in front of the Forbidden Forest, and checked all the places that needed to be checked, so there shouldn't be any problems at the school.
The three students went to find Hagrid, probably because they were just kids and didn't want to go back to the castle so early.
She withdrew her gaze, made no further mention of the three people, and turned to continue walking towards the castle.
Herman walked beside Marlene, his pace slightly slower than before, as he pondered a question in his mind.
Dissilio had been wanting to ask Professor Malin about the Disintegration Charm he'd seen in the library's alchemy book, since she was an expert in Alchemy and probably no one knew the details of such a spell better than her.
But during their previous meetings, Marlene was either in a bad mood or seemed to be in a hurry, so he hadn't found a suitable opportunity to speak.
The atmosphere was relatively calm as they walked along the road, and Neville and his two companions weren't around, which provided a good respite.
Herman quickened his pace, walking slightly behind on the outside. When he spoke, his tone became more respectful. " Professor Malin, I saw a spell called Dissilio in the library last time. It's used to dissolve alchemical items, but when I tried it, the effect wasn't quite right. I'd like to ask you about it."
Marlene didn't stop walking, but she tilted her head slightly to indicate that she was listening.
Her tone remained calm, but it was much better than when her expression had been grim. " Dissilio? Where did you see him?"
"In a book about materials on the Alchemy in the library."
Marlene hummed in agreement. "I know that book. It's a beginner-level book that contains some less commonly used spells. Dissilio definitely falls into that category. Not many people use it because its success rate largely depends on the caster's understanding of the object's structure."
Herman pressed further, "When I tried it, some of the stool legs shattered into powder, some turned into saplings, and some were completely charred. The results were very different."
As he said this, the scene from that time came back to him again: four stool legs in four different shapes. That scene left a deep impression on him.
Marlene paused for a moment, as if reviewing Herman's description in her mind.
As she resumed her steps, her tone became more serious. "This is normal. Dissilio isn't essentially a precise disintegration spell. It's more like a guide, directing magic to disassemble the object in reverse, following its original structure. If you don't understand the object's structure enough, the magic will go astray during the disintegration process, resulting in all sorts of strange things."
Herman nodded. He hadn't expected this explanation; he just felt that his proficiency wasn't high enough, and his gestures and magic output weren't precise enough.
He was about to press further on how to improve his understanding of object structure when Marlene spoke first, "You just said that when you tried it, it had four legs and four different results. This means that you didn't analyze the object's structure before casting the spell; you just directly released the incantation, right?"
"Yes," Herman did not deny it.
"Next time, try observing first, then casting the spell." Marlene said this calmly, but with a very specific guiding tone. "Observe the object's material, texture, connection method, and the distribution of residual magic. If you can see these things, and have enough knowledge about the material you want to decompose, Dissilio's accuracy will be much higher."
She paused here, turning her head to look at Herman, her gaze now containing a deeper meaning. "You're only a first-year student. Being able to cast this spell in itself shows that your magical control is outstanding among your peers. The rest is about accumulating experience and observation skills; these things can't be rushed."
Herman felt a warmth in his heart when he heard the words "outstanding." This recognition from his professional field made him feel much better than any extra credit in class.
He nodded seriously, making sure he remembered the key points Marlene had mentioned.
The two continued walking along the path towards the castle. The Black Lake gradually receded from view behind them. A breeze blew across the lake, carrying a damp mist that lifted and then fell back down the hem of Marlene's robe.
Herman walked slightly behind Marlene, his mind still swirling with the discussion about Dissilio. He mentally outlined his plan for the next practice session, deciding to find some time to try it out at the Room of Requirement, following Marlene's advice to observe first and then act.
Professor Malin walked at a leisurely pace, the hem of her robe rhythmically sweeping across the edge of the grass, the fallen leaves blown by the wind from the direction of the Forbidden Forest swirling and scattering at her feet.
Herman followed behind Professor Malin until they were almost at the castle, at which point Herman felt a little awkward for not having spoken a word the whole way.
He considered his words for a moment, then spoke in a more casual tone, "Professor, if I have any questions in the future, may I come directly to your office to ask for your advice?"
Fearing that Marlene might find the request too abrupt, he added, "After all, there's no Alchemy Class in the first year, so it can't be like other courses. I'll ask you for advice after class."
Marlene didn't stop walking, but he tilted his head slightly, as if he was considering the problem.
After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke, "Sure, but I've been quite busy lately. I spend a lot of time doing research, and sometimes I have official duties at the university, so my schedule isn't very flexible."
She paused, as if going over her schedule in her mind, before speaking again, "How about this, Wednesday. You can come to my place on Wednesday. I remember you first-year students shouldn't have classes on Wednesday afternoons."