Chapter 195: Different Paths, Same Goal
The Quidditch match commenced as scheduled.
The following afternoon, Sean sat in the stands with Justin beside him. Hermione, Ron, and Neville were outside the changing rooms, wishing Harry good luck.
Harry knew they were secretly worried they might never see him alive again.
He looked towards the stands. Although his view was obscured, he felt he could still see Sean, who seemed to oversee everything. Sean's magical proficiency was far beyond their imagination, enough, they instinctively felt, to handle any adult wizard.
Thinking this was the only solace Harry could find.
Harry put on his Quidditch robes and grabbed his Nimbus 2000, tuning out Wood's attempts at a pep talk.
Meanwhile, Ron, Neville, and Hermione separated into different sections of the stands. They were tense and worried, and all of them had brought their wands.
During their discussion, the danger hadn't seemed too great, but now that they were separated, facing unknown threats across the stadium, fear surged.
What if the caster is insane? What if he uses an unforgivable curse on them?
Everyone in the Room of Hope had been secretly practising the Counter-Spell, Finite Incantatem. Their goal was to stop the unknown enemy's curse and find the culprit, making the highly defensive Finite Incantatem their primary choice.
"Remember, don't forget, it's Finite," Hermione whispered as Ron tucked his wand into his sleeve.
"I know," Ron agreed, unusually compliant. He was shaking with tension. "Stop nagging."
In the changing room, Wood pulled Harry aside.
"I don't want to pressure you, Potter, but we need the Snitch faster than ever today. We need a quick victory to deny Snape time to unduly favour Hufflepuff."
"The whole school is here!" Fred-kun Weasley peered out the door. "Even—bloody hell—Dumbledore is here to watch the match!"
Harry's heart did a fierce somersault.
He wasn't the only one. The crowd in the stands was equally affected.
"Thank goodness—excuse me, let me through—" Ron darted through the stands, his eyes scanning for Sean, who had secured a clear spot.
"Dumbledore's here—"
"It's Headmaster Dumbledore—"
Ron and Hermione arrived together, speaking in unison.
Hermione cut Ron off and spoke herself: "That person wouldn't dare expose himself. It looks like the 'First Round Table Plan' is off."
Her face was a complex mix of excitement, fear, relief, and disappointment.
"I wonder when he'll make his next move..."
Hearing this, Ron, who had been overjoyed, also fell silent.
"No matter what, we'll be ready for him, right?" Justin said with a smile.
Everyone looked at him, then at Sean, who was calmly enjoying a pudding. Their anxiety subsided immediately, and they nodded determinedly.
With the crisis averted, they settled down to watch the Quidditch match.
"The match has begun! The biggest draw remains the Gryffindor Seeker, Harry Potter! Gryffindor is in possession! Angelina Johnson is lining up to score! Hufflepuff defends! Now it's Harry Potter—wait, what has he done?! The match is over! Harry Potter! He has caught the Golden Snitch! In just... five minutes!"
The stands erupted. This would be a new record; no one could remember a match ending so quickly.
"Did you see that?! Hermione, Neville! Oh my god! We won!" Ron shouted excitedly.
Watching the students cheer, Sean realized that though Quidditch might be boring, it was imbued with so much more: the anticipation of friends, the desire for collective honour, the pursuit of competition... At least it gave the students a deep memory.
But it held little appeal for Sean. After the match, he went straight to the Transfiguration office.
Hagrid had asked him to visit the Forbidden Forest today to introduce him to a "special magical creature."
Sean had been looking forward to this. Was the Norwegian Ridgeback arriving early? Or was his memory of the timeline slightly inaccurate? In the original story, the exact time of the Ridgeback's arrival was vague, and Sean had only estimated it based on major events.
Transfiguration Office.
Professor McGonagall was writing as usual. She occasionally glanced at Sean's Transfiguration practice, correcting small errors.
Time passed to the soft shush-shush of snow falling on the window.
Sean waved his wand at the fireplace. The flames clearly took the shape of a large lizard head, looking ferocious yet comical.
Sean had actually been trying to transfigure a dragon...
His "Object to Magic" transfiguration, benefiting from his special talent, had progressed rapidly. Combined with his ability to imitate the inherent magical forms of magical creatures, he had easily covered seven years of study in one go.
Fire Salamanders, Fire Crabs, Snowmen, Water Serpents... these were all magical forms he could freely command.
But once he deviated from a magical creature's inherent magical circuitry, creating something from scratch became incredibly difficult. For example, in Transfiguring the fireplace, Sean could only command a small section. With the Transfigured chess pieces, he could only control a small number.
This highlighted the immense power of Headmaster Dumbledore, who commanded statues at will, and Professor McGonagall, who animated the stone gargoyles. Sean suspected they might exceed the [Master] level in this domain.
What lies beyond Master?
"Goodbye, Professor McGonagall." Sean politely bid farewell and left the office.
Professor McGonagall watched his small figure disappear through the door, then took a sip of hot tea.
This was from Marcus... he hasn't sent anything in a long time.
On the way to the Forbidden Forest, Sean's mind raced. A dragon wouldn't just help him make Dragon Biscuits; it would aid his research into the "Fire to Dragon" transfiguration.
In Fiendfyre, flames began to transmute, taking the form of large, destructive fire-composed beasts: salamanders, Chimaeras, and dragons...
Sean suddenly realized the similarity between this and his own Transfiguration progress. Had he accidentally stumbled upon Fiendfyre research?
He opened his Panel:
[Wizard Sean, Dark Arts Talent: Gold]
[Assessment: You are a historical rarity in the field of Dark Arts. Dark Arts will actively embrace you. You are the Natural Born Dark Arts King.]
Dark Arts... Sean thought. Best not to embrace that.
(End of Chapter)
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