Harry, Ron, and Hermione had just finished Transfiguration when they reached the moving staircase.
Looking ahead, they spotted the Weasley twins with their arms slung around each other, Wyzett wedged comfortably between them.
"How long's it been since they…" Ron waved his hands in mock outrage, "put their arms around my shoulders like that? Who's supposed to be their real little brother, anyway?"
"You are, obviously!" Harry jumped to his defense without hesitation. "You're the brother, that's for sure!"
"Thanks… Harry." Ron scratched his head, sounding unconvinced. "Even though you're trying to cheer me up, why does it still feel so weird?"
By then, Fred and George had dashed off, leaving Wyzett to continue down the stairs.
Hermione hurried forward, calling out, "Wyzett, what did Professor McGonagall say to you during Transfiguration earlier?"
Wyzett paused, recalling the conversation. "I just asked her a few things about Transfiguration. Why do you ask?"
"Oh… I see." Hermione hesitated, clearly wanting to press further, but in the end let it go.
"I heard from Justin and the others that you shared some Transfiguration tips with them this morning. Could you tell me, too?"
"Of course!" Wyzett nodded. "It was nothing special—just a little insight, really."
He replayed his earlier explanation in his mind, mixing in a few new ideas from today's class, and shared them with Hermione.
Hermione, who already had a strong foundation in Transfiguration, nodded along eagerly, her bushy hair bouncing with every movement. As she listened, a flood of inspiration hit her, and concepts that had seemed muddled before suddenly clicked into place.
"No wonder your Transfiguration's always faster than mine… I've always tried to picture the change and force it, bit by bit. I never thought about just going with the flow…"
As she spoke, she realized she still had a gap to close with Wyzett—and resolved, right then and there, to work even harder.
Harry and Ron stood nearby, expecting the conversation to go straight over their heads, but to their surprise, they picked up more than a few useful ideas themselves.
Wyzett waved a hand. "Actually, Professor McGonagall offered loads of different approaches. The one you mentioned is right out of the book."
"According to A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, your method is actually the official approach."
"Professor McGonagall told us from day one… caution and patience first, then imagination. Right?"
Hermione nodded vigorously, her hair getting even more tangled. "Absolutely! I've always remembered that!"
"Wyzett…" Harry cut in, "But it feels like your method is a bit… easier."
"A little shortcut, maybe?" Wyzett grinned. "They're always telling me to balance work and rest, so I sneak in a bit of laziness whenever I can."
"But honestly, having a solid foundation is still important. If you do your Transfiguration properly, you won't waste time fixing mistakes."
Hermione agreed, "That's in A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, too! 'Incomplete transformations are hard to correct, but you must still attempt them.'"
"Exactly!" Wyzett slipped his notebook into his pocket and waved at the trio. "See you!"
Watching Wyzett walk away, Harry gaped, remembering how much time he'd spent in the library last year. "He calls that work-life balance? That's… that's almost magical!"
"Wake up, Harry! We are wizards, you know—we use magic!" Ron waved a hand in front of Harry's face. "Besides, he's not wrong."
"'Work' means studying one subject, and 'rest' is just switching to another. That's work-life balance, isn't it?"
Harry stared. "That's work-life balance? Are you sure?"
Hermione murmured, "Ron, you actually make a lot of sense…"
This time it was Ron's turn to gape. He coughed, then asked, "Wait, you really believe that?"
Hermione didn't answer—she just nodded, perfectly serious.
After a morning of classes, returning from the cold dungeons to the Great Hall left Luna's cheeks pleasantly warm.
She paused at the Ravenclaw table for a moment before Amica tugged her to a seat.
Luna braced herself on the bench, gently swinging her legs, her gaze drifting as if she were watching something invisible.
Amica followed Luna's line of sight to a group of fifth-year Ravenclaws. They all wore identical frowns, hunched over textbooks crammed with notes.
"Are you watching them study?" Amica asked.
"I'm watching the Wrackspurts," Luna replied, her voice soft and dreamy. "They make people confused—nasty little things."
"They could use a Wrackspurt Siphon. It'd clear out the Wrackspurts and give them a peaceful space to study. Then they wouldn't look so troubled."
"Wrack… Wrackspurts?" Amica blinked, puzzled, and quickly changed the subject. "Luna, what are your earrings made of? They almost look like… tiny carrots?"
Luna blinked, as if surfacing from her own world. She brushed her fingers over her earlobe, lifting the earring. "These are Dirigible Plums. They help you accept unusual things. Want to try?"
"Dirigible… plums?" Amica hesitated. "They don't look like crystals… They're fruit?"
"Yep!" Luna nodded and started to unclip one. "Daddy wants to replicate that diadem—these are really helpful for that."
"You don't have to take it off—I'm not used to wearing earrings," Amica said quickly, stopping her. "What diadem are you talking about?"
Luna explained, "Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem… The statue in our common room? The one with the crown on her head."
"You're going to copy it with those little carrots?" Amica's eyes widened. "That's the Ravenclaw diadem—it's supposed to make you wiser!"
"That's why we use Dirigible Plums—they're very effective." Luna nodded solemnly. "But you need other things, too, like…"
"Um… got it…" Amica looked a bit awkward, glanced around, and changed the subject again.
"Luna, what's that around your neck… is that a cork? Like the kind used for beer bottles?"
"It is." Luna lifted the necklace. "It helps me keep a clear head."
"It really works like that? Hah!" Amica gave a nervous laugh. "That's… well… pretty magical…"
"Yes, corks are usually made from oak." Wyzett appeared in front of them. "Besides making bottle stoppers, oak is also a magical wood—used for wand cores."
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