Following the information recorded on the parchment, Vaughn found his dormitory.
Slytherin dorms typically housed four students, though the number could be adjusted depending on enrollment.
Vaughn was fairly fortunate—his room had only been assigned three people.
The other two didn’t deserve names, and Vaughn couldn’t be bothered with them.
If they had enough sense, they would probably move out soon enough.
The moment he pushed open the door, a large cat with orange-red and golden fur came hurtling toward him.
Its front paws landed on his chest as its fluffy head rubbed enthusiastically against his chin.
“Alright, alright, Guoguocha.
You clingy little thing.
You’re getting too heavy!” “Meow~” “Hungry, aren’t you?
Sorry, pets aren’t allowed at the feast…
Alright, stop rubbing.
I’ll get you some dried fish.
Tomorrow morning you can come have breakfast with me.” Vaughn soothed the spoiled cat with a smile.
In his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary office worker in a major city.
He’d never had the time or energy to keep pets.
Back when he’d bought Guoguocha, his main reason had been the cat’s intelligence.
He’d wanted help keeping an eye on Scabbers.
But after spending so much time together, he’d grown genuinely fond of the clingy little fluffball.
If a cat could become this important to him, then his family in this life…
While feeding Guoguocha dried fish, Vaughn recalled the stunned expressions of Percy, Fred, George, and Ron when he had been sorted into Slytherin.
It gave him a headache.
He didn’t even know what his parents would think.
Still, there was nothing he could do about it.
He was a transmigrator.
He had always carried the mindset and ambitions of an adult.
Fortunately, the Beginner’s Gift Pack had granted him max-level Occlumency.
Otherwise, putting aside whether the secret of his transmigration would have been exposed, his adult mentality alone probably would have frightened the Sorting Hat.
Children, no matter how cruel they might actually be, were limited by their immaturity and lack of experience.
There was always a certain innocence—and stupidity—to them.
Adults were different.
Their actions might be constrained by laws, but their thoughts never could be.
The casual malice hidden within a single adult thought was probably enough to earn a tour of Azkaban.
Setting those thoughts aside for now, Vaughn continued brushing Guoguocha’s fur while silently saying: “System, claim the reward.” Several lines of text immediately appeared before him.
[Reward Claimed] [Free Talent Point +1] [Magic Power +50] The air trembled faintly.
A ripple of magical energy spread outward.
Guoguocha noticed the disturbance and looked up at Vaughn.
After confirming nothing seemed wrong, the cat happily returned to chewing on dried fish.
Vaughn opened the system panel.
[User: Vaughn Weasley] [Magic Power: 432 (Average adult wizard: 500)] [Talents: Charms 7, Dark Arts 6, Transfiguration 7, Potions 10, Herbology 6, Divination 2 (Maximum value: 10)] [Spells: Occlumency LV5 (MAX), Shield Charm LV3 (3/8), Disarming Charm LV2 (2/4), Levitation Charm LV2 (1/4), Petrification Curse LV2 (1/4), Flame Charm LV2 (2/4), Illumination Charm LV3 (0/4)…] [Potions: Elixir to Induce Euphoria, Invigoration Draught, Blood-Replenishing Potion, Hair-Smoothing Potion, Hair-Growth Potion, Beauty Potion (Master Level, Multiple Formulas)…] [Fame Points: 17] [Free Talent Points: 1] [New Mission Updated—Pending Review] Vaughn studied the data carefully.
It had been roughly two months since receiving his Hogwarts letter.
Compared to then, his magic power had increased by sixty-two points.
Fifty came from the reward he had just claimed.
The remaining twelve were natural growth accumulated over the past two months.
Long ago, Vaughn had already begun speculating about how magical power unsurprisingly developed based on the system’s benchmarks.
Since every young wizard awakened magic and experienced magical outbursts at different ages, there was no universal model.
One thing was certain, however.
Natural magical growth was tied to talent.
The greater the talent, the faster one’s magic power increased each month.
There was no standard formula for this either.
Vaughn suspected that the talents most heavily influencing magical growth were Charms, Dark Arts, and Transfiguration.
The other talents likely carried lower weight.
Growth stages and physical development probably played a role as well.
Over the years, he had observed his brothers closely.
Unfortunately, even with all those comparisons, he still couldn’t calculate a reliable projection.
Magic wasn’t that simple.
Still, investing in talent could never be wrong.
After all, talent affected not only learning speed but also mastery and innovation.
After spending a moment familiarizing himself with the surge of magical power and confirming he could still control it perfectly, Vaughn shifted his attention to the talent point.
Now came the question.
Where should he spend it?
“Based on comparisons with Percy, Fred, George, and my own progress in learning magic, a talent score of seven can already be considered exceptional.” “Compared to the original story…
that’s probably around Hermione’s level.
Maybe slightly higher.” He nodded thoughtfully.
“For now, that’s more than enough for Charms.” “Dark Arts is a bit low, but there aren’t many opportunities to learn Dark Magic in the short term anyway.” That thought made him frown.
The problem with Dark Magic wasn’t merely that it was difficult to learn.
Casting it required the proper emotions.
To use Avada Kedavra, one needed genuine murderous intent and viciousness.
To cast Crucio, one needed true cruelty and deep hatred.
Those Dark Wizards and Death Eaters who looked insane weren’t born that way.
Their frequent use of Dark Magic undoubtedly contributed.
Rubbing his chin, Vaughn muttered, “Before studying Dark Magic, I need a way around that issue.” “Dumbledore probably knows a method.
Before he started preaching the power of love, he was a Dark Magic prodigy himself.” “Unfortunately…
given his personality, there’s no way he’d teach students how to research Dark Magic.” “The only other obvious candidate who’s mastered Dark Magic without going insane…” “Snape.” The Head of Slytherin House was both a Potions Master and a Dark Arts Master.
He had even created Sectumsempra while still a student.
If Vaughn could get on Snape’s good side, he’d gain two benefits for the price of one.
Perfect.
“So, Dark Arts talent is out.” “Herbology is out.” “Divination…” He grimaced.
“My weakest subject.
Even improving it wouldn’t accomplish much.
Pass.” “That leaves only Transfiguration.” Transfiguration was the largest and most complicated magical discipline.
It wasn’t just a collection of spells.
It was an enormous system of knowledge that intersected with Charms, Dark Arts, and Potions.
From transforming inanimate objects, to transforming living creatures, to spell transfiguration and even human transfiguration…
Every increase in Transfiguration skill improved a wizard across the board.
It was also the only magical discipline whose advanced techniques no longer required spoken incantations.
Vaughn stopped hesitating.
He assigned the free talent point to Transfiguration.
The increase was silent.
Unlike the surge of magical power, it produced no obvious sensation.
But when Vaughn drew his wand and lightly tapped one of Guoguocha’s dried fish— Everything changed.
A completely different sensation flooded his mind.
Magic flowed into the dried fish like a gentle stream.
It seeped through every layer of its structure, outlining even the finest details before reflecting them back into his consciousness.
For the first time, there was no resistance.
No vagueness.
No obscurity.
As his thoughts moved, he effortlessly manipulated those structures.
Countless subtle techniques suddenly became clear.
Like silk sliding through his fingers, he adjusted and reshaped them before projecting his imagination into reality through magic.
Pop!
The dried fish transformed into a lively mouse.
Guoguocha’s eyes widened instantly.
The cat pounced without hesitation.
According to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration, transformation could not alter an object’s fundamental nature.
In other words…
Guoguocha had just eaten a mouse that tasted like dried fish.
“Meow~” Double happiness.