[Your understanding of fine-detail transfiguration has deepened. Basic Transformation Spell EXP +2]
[Basic Transformation Lv.3 (998/1099)]
"Very nice work on that transformation."
Professor McGonagall passed by Rock for the third time, saw the perfectly shaped steel needle on his desk, and couldn't help but praise him.
"Ravenclaw, one point."
"Thank you, Professor."
Rock thanked her and looked back down at the needle on his table.
Even perfecting the tiny details of the object wasn't giving him enough experience to push the Basic Transformation Spell any further.
He rubbed his temples. His head felt like a scrambled mess.
Ever since he unlocked Mana Sight, his mental stamina had been draining nonstop. Probably… because he was constantly using mana perception while casting.
"If you need to, you can take a short break."
McGonagall spoke softly. It was still class time, of course, so a "break" really just meant closing your eyes and resting.
"Thank you, Professor."
Rock nodded and immediately shut his eyes, sinking into deep meditation.
Seeing this, McGonagall subconsciously softened her footsteps.
The whole Transfiguration classroom was full of students waving their wands nonstop.
Good thing this wasn't a joint class with Gryffindor's Seamus. The thought suddenly popped into her mind—her own House had somehow produced a naturally gifted "demolition expert."
No matter what spell he used, it somehow turned dangerous in his hands.
"Rock, if you're really not feeling well, maybe visit Madam Pomfrey at the infirmary?"
Theo turned around and suggested.
"I'm fine. Feeling a lot better already."
Rock came out of deep meditation. Mana perception was useful—he'd already begun making real progress toward Level 3. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare push himself so hard right now.
As for the infirmary… all Madam Pomfrey would probably give him were potions that calm the mind. Deep meditation was way more effective for his condition.
He opened Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration again and kept studying.
The value he was getting from the Basic Transformation Spell wasn't satisfying anymore, so—
He flipped to the last few pages: Intro to Living Transfiguration.
Maybe it was time to start practicing on living targets. He was already planning tonight's training session in the Room of Requirement.
He didn't notice McGonagall standing behind him again, watching his eyes linger on the section for living transfiguration.
Her brows tightened for a moment, then eased a bit when she glanced at the perfect steel needle beside him.
When class ended and Rock was about to leave with Theo, McGonagall's voice came from the podium:
"Mr. Scamander, please stay for a moment."
Rock turned. McGonagall's gaze behind her glasses was as sharp as ever as she gestured for him to come forward.
"You guys go ahead first."
He handed a few books to Adam and walked up to the podium.
McGonagall pointed at the needle sitting on the table—his work from class.
"The body is even, and the metallic texture is well-formed."
She examined it like a professional appraiser, then tapped it with her wand.
The needle dissolved into a swirl of silvery smoke—then instantly re-formed into a needle again.
"The form is stable. The reversed structure doesn't collapse."
Rock blinked, unsure where she was going with this.
"This means you've crossed the minimum threshold for the Basic Transformation Spell, Mr. Scamander."
Her tone sounded like praise… until it abruptly sharpened.
"But it does not mean you're ready to study the next stage on your own."
Right… she definitely saw him reading the living-transfiguration section earlier.
McGonagall picked up some materials from the desk.
"Follow me."
They walked out of the classroom and headed toward her office.
Inside, the biggest difference from Professor Flitwick's room was how clean everything was. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, with clearly labeled categories.
McGonagall sat behind her oak desk and pointed at the chair in front of her.
"Sit."
Rock sat up straight in the stiff wooden chair.
McGonagall adjusted her glasses, fingertips pressed together, elbows on the desk. Her gaze locked onto him.
"Mr. Scamander… what do you think perfection in basic transfiguration means?"
She paused.
"For example, turning a matchstick into a needle."
"Professor, I think perfection means making it look exactly like a needle should look."
"Then tell me—needles for sewing linen, and needles for sewing dragonhide… they're both needles. But are they the same?"
Rock froze.
Dragonhide—extremely resistant to magic, insanely tough physically. Something used to pierce dragonhide wasn't even called a needle.
It was a tool known as a Dragon-Tooth Awl. If you really had to compare it to a needle… the only shared trait was that they were both sharp.
"Professor, those aren't even the same category of objects."
He thought he understood what she meant, but he still argued back a bit.
McGonagall's eyes glinted. She opened a drawer, took out a box of matches, pulled one out, and set it in front of him.
"Then, Mr. Scamander… I want you to transform this matchstick into a bone probe."
A bone probe…
Rock knew this tool—used to repair parchment.
Made of bone, obviously.
A possible new direction.
He lifted his wand.
Whispered the incantation. Light burst from the tip, and in the next second the matchstick shifted—
becoming a pale, smooth, bone-white probe, with the subtle porous texture of real bone and a finely angled tip.
McGonagall's expression flickered with brief shock—then brightened into genuine delight.
Still, she drew her wand and pointed at the probe.
It floated up, rotating slowly.
This time, she studied it for much longer.
"Perfect. It has true bone porosity and flexibility. Not a fake, solid lump pretending to be bone."
She lowered her wand, and the probe dropped with a solid thud.
"Nicely done, Mr. Scamander."
Her mouth finally relaxed, and her eyes held clear approval.
"But…"