“Hello, are you John Merrick?” Just as John was flipping through his book, someone suddenly approached him.
He looked up and saw an older Ravenclaw student, though he did not recognize him.
“Yes.
What can I do for you?” John asked curiously.
“My name is Roger Davies, and I’m the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain.
Professor Hooch mentioned this afternoon that our house has a very promising new flyer, so I wanted to come meet you.” Roger enthusiastically extended his hand as he introduced himself.
“Oh, I see.
Hello.” Seeing Roger offer a handshake, John stood up, shook his hand politely, and greeted him in return.
“I heard from Professor Hooch that you’re not interested in joining Quidditch for now.
Is that true?” “Yes, I’m sorry, I just…” John nodded and was about to explain his reasons when Roger interrupted him.
“It’s alright.
Whether you join or not is entirely your choice.
I only wanted to let you know that if you ever become interested in Quidditch, you’re welcome to watch our practices anytime.
And if you decide you want to join, just come tell me.” Roger smiled casually, clearly unconcerned about John’s reasons for refusing.
That was simply how Ravenclaws tended to be.
Everyone had their own goals and interests.
Just because someone was talented at something did not mean they were obligated to pursue it.
Even if it happened to be one of the most prestigious activities at Hogwarts.
After all, only Harry Potter had managed to join a Quidditch team during his first year.
If John wanted to, he could become the second.
The two exchanged a few more polite words before Roger finally said goodbye and left.
The moment Roger departed, Titus, Ryan, and Ethan could no longer hold themselves back and practically climbed across the table toward John.
“John!
Why did you refuse?!” “Yeah!
Joining the Quidditch team is the dream of countless students!
If you’re good enough, you could even become a professional player in the future!” The three of them shouted over each other directly into John’s ears.
“Do you know how many girls would cheer for you?!” “Do you know how many boys would envy you?!” “Do you even realize it?!” “John!
Aaaah!” John covered his face helplessly.
The three of them were practically hanging off him like monkeys, yelling nonstop, while Titus leaned on him so heavily that John could barely straighten his back.
The noisy scene attracted countless strange looks from everyone else in the Great Hall, as though they were watching a group of lunatics.
…
“Vera Verto.” Inside the Ravenclaw dormitory, John waved his wand and practiced Transfiguration on the pebble lying before him.
As the spell took effect, the pebble, no larger than a bottle cap, instantly transformed into a silver fruit knife.
John picked up the knife and examined it carefully.
It felt rather light, just like the pebble it had originally been.
However, the blade itself was surprisingly sharp.
It seemed that he had unconsciously focused most of his imagination on the knife’s sharpness.
With a casual swing, John sliced through the star-patterned canopy above his bed.
The durability still needed improvement.
This had nothing to do with the transformation medium itself.
The issue was simply insufficient magical power.
A truly skilled Transfiguration master could turn a stone into a massive table without any loss in quality at all, something that practically violated the laws of physics.
In reality, however, the transformed object was being maintained through a large amount of magic.
So theoretically, as long as one’s Transfiguration was powerful enough, it should even be possible to create temporary magical weapons or tools out of thin air.
The idea made John look forward to the future even more.
Of course, all of this still required constant practice.
While thinking, John waved his wand and said, “Reparo.” The cut canopy immediately repaired itself without leaving the slightest trace.
Then he used the Counter-Spell to transform the silver fruit knife back into a pebble.
Professor McGonagall had only briefly mentioned Counter-Spells and had not officially taught them yet, but John had learned about them from her diary.
The principle was actually very straightforward.
It simply reversed the effects of Transfiguration.
John tossed the pebble back into a small box.
The box was filled with pebbles he had casually picked up from the garden earlier that day, specifically for practice.
He could also carry a few on him at all times.
If necessary, he could instantly transform one into a knife or some other useful object.
That definitely felt safer than relying solely on a wand.
…
The next day.
After finishing breakfast with the others, John headed toward the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.
However, when he arrived, he found that all the desks and chairs had been moved to the sides of the room.
In the middle of the now-empty classroom stood a large wardrobe with a mirror attached to it.
Professor Lupin, whom John had met on the train, stood beside it smiling at the students.
Professor Lupin looked far healthier today.
The first time John had seen him on the train, he had looked exhausted enough to collapse at any moment.
Now his complexion looked much healthier.
It seemed Hogwarts food really was excellent.
Today’s lesson was once again shared between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.
“Good morning, everyone.
Today is your first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.
Would anyone like to guess what’s inside this wardrobe?” Professor Lupin stood beside the wardrobe and pointed toward it.
The wardrobe shook continuously as though some dangerous beast were trapped inside, struggling nonstop.
Ryan raised his hand.
“Is it a Boggart?” “Correct, Mr.
Gray.” “Then does anyone know what a Boggart actually looks like?” Professor Lupin continued asking.
This time, nobody knew the answer.
Everyone shook their heads.
“Then let me explain…” “If you do not know how to deal with a Boggart, it can become an extremely dangerous creature.” “It will frighten you so badly that you cannot resist it, cannot even face it directly.
It will become the most terrifying nightmare hidden deep within your heart…” Hearing Professor Lupin’s serious explanation, the young wizards nervously swallowed.
Suddenly, the wardrobe holding the Boggart shook violently with a loud bang, making everyone think the creature was about to burst out.
The entire class instinctively stepped backward.
Seeing that he had frightened the students enough, Professor Lupin stopped and smiled at them.
“Alright, back to the lesson.” “A Boggart is a Dark creature.
It is not listed in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and has no official danger classification.” “That is because it is not truly a living creature at all, but rather a manifestation of human emotion.” “When facing a person, it transforms into whatever that individual fears most.
It changes depending on the person confronting it.” After hearing Professor Lupin’s explanation, the students gradually stopped imagining terrifying unknown monsters.
“There is a very simple spell that can deal with a Boggart.
Even young witches and wizards who have just entered the Wizarding World can learn it.” “Now then, repeat after me.
Riddikulus.” Everyone followed Professor Lupin and repeated the incantation several times.
“Very good.
However, that is only the first step.
The important part is that when facing a Boggart, you must imagine it becoming something amusing.” “Because Boggarts are manifestations of emotion, they are also affected by emotion.” “Only when you are no longer afraid of it can you truly defeat it.” Professor Lupin stood in front of the wardrobe, slowly turning toward it as he drew his wand.
“Now, watch carefully.” As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his wand, and the locked wardrobe door slowly creaked open.
The young wizards instinctively stepped backward again, yet they still could not resist peeking forward curiously to see what would emerge from inside.