"Wake up, Harry—that wasn't all true."
Fred and George had their mouths wide open. They had sensed something off from the beginning, and now they finally realized why. As clever boys, they immediately saw through the exaggerated parts of the spectacular story. What they didn't expect was that Harry had believed it completely.
The Elder Wand? What a joke. Only a little kid like Ron would believe that thing actually existed.
"Maybe not all of it was true… but everyone says nothing is surprising when it comes to Dumbledore."
Harry glanced down at his still-recovering legs—Madam Pomfrey had told him to stay in bed and rest for the entire afternoon. "Besides, the logic behind it isn't wrong: stay determined, build up strength, never give up… and then strike back hard."
"That logic's fine, sure—but Dumbledore having the Elder Wand? Our mum told us that's a fairy tale…"
"Maybe parts of it are, but the message still holds," Harry said with firm conviction. "Anyway, I want to give it a try."
For the first time in his life, Harry had found himself leading a small group. The only guidance he had came from Dumbledore's biography. This recent failure had taught him a lot.
++++
"All our points got taken away… When was the last time we ran the score down to zero?"
"Three years ago? Or was it four?"
In the Gryffindor common room, the older students didn't seem worried at all. The House Cup had been out of reach for years—losing it again didn't matter.
What they were interested in was: how was that very Gryffindor-like Harry doing?
"Hopefully he's not too discouraged—one thing every Gryffindor must remember: when Slytherin is losing, Snape will show up…"
"Second rule: never start a war with Slytherin unless it's time for a Quidditch match."
Someone next to him chuckled, adding, "Because Professor McGonagall tends to be slightly biased in our favor around then…"
"And the third—and most important—rule: studying is what really matters."
A sixth-year gave the cheerful fifth-years a stern look. "How are you lot lounging around chatting at a time like this? This is your O.W.L. year. Homework done? New lessons previewed? Old content reviewed?"
"Ah! Yes! On it!"
A few fifth-years, looking as if they'd just seen Professor McGonagall herself, shot up and bolted toward their dorms.
——
Of course, Andrew wasn't privy to what was happening in the Gryffindor common room. But that didn't make him feel any less nervous in Transfiguration class.
Even a fool could sense the tension in the air. Ever since Professor McGonagall stepped into the classroom, it felt like a suffocating curse had settled over the room, making it hard to breathe.
"Let's begin."
McGonagall was trying her best to appear calm—which only made her more intimidating. Even though there were no Gryffindors in this class, all the students sat stiffly, shivering.
Thankfully, as the lesson progressed, her expression gradually softened. The beans passed out at the start were successfully transfigured into marbles by most of the students. Even the few that still looked bean-like at least demonstrated that some transformation had occurred.
"Three points to Ravenclaw."
"Three points to Hufflepuff."
Her voice carried a note of exhaustion, but that stifling pressure finally lifted.
"Alright, hand in last week's homework, and then write a short summary of today's content."
Assignments were passed forward one by one. Only then did they realize that homework, which normally would have been collected at the start of class, was only being turned in now.
Sitting at the front, Andrew hesitated for a second, then nervously added his own essay to the pile.
"Class dismissed."
McGonagall picked up the stack of essays and left the classroom first. The students, relieved, sat in stunned silence for a couple more minutes before finally realizing class was over and began chatting as they filed out.
——
"Andrew Taylor?"
While Andrew was in the library reading, a senior Ravenclaw student found him.
"That's me. What's up?"
"Your dormmates said you were here. Professor McGonagall wants to see you in her office."
Andrew blinked, then realized what was going on.
"Oh? Okay, thank you."
"No problem. I'm Barry Martin, sixth year."
He looked at Andrew with kind eyes. "Better hurry—you don't want to keep the professor waiting."
"Right away, thank you!"
Andrew hastily shoved his books into his bag, jogged to return them to the correct shelf (Madam Pince gave him a sharp look but let it slide), and then hurried to the office.
To be honest, he hadn't expected Professor McGonagall to grade that barely-passable essay so quickly.
Here I am.
He caught his breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Her voice came from within. When Andrew stepped inside, he realized he wasn't the only guest.
Two red-haired students—identical in appearance—were sitting at a side desk, copying something with exaggeratedly serious expressions.
"Don't mind them, Taylor."
McGonagall's tone was far more relaxed than it had been in class. "Let's take a look at your essay."
…
"This section—this theory isn't very sound. When Transfiguration involves living things, it becomes a completely different concept…"
…
"And here, excessive detail in transformation makes the object more fragile. The strength of the Transfiguration spell…"
…
It was clear Professor McGonagall had reviewed Andrew's paper thoroughly.
"Overall, not bad. You should check out these three books for further reading. Focus especially on…"
As her quill floated and scribbled down a new reading list, she added, "And don't underestimate practice. Theory can't replace the problems you'll discover during hands-on work."
"I'll be sure to keep training, Professor."
"Good. Now go check those books out from the library," she said kindly, offering a rare moment of warmth.
But just as Andrew closed the door behind him, he heard her voice turn cold from inside the office:
"Weasley twins, if you ever hand in another excuse along the lines of 'we had similar ideas,' you can go report directly to Mr. Filch."
The same crushing presence from class returned. Andrew instantly picked up his pace.
T/N: For twenty chapters ahead on all my fics become a P@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle