Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Then, everything got back on track.

Professor McGonagall announced the end date of the academic year and the schedule for final exams.

The Great Hall erupted in wails—especially around the Gryffindor table, where Ron's face turned green.

"Exams?" Ernie's eyes widened. "I thought magic school didn't have exams!"

"You wish," Justin sighed.

-

Exam week has arrived as scheduled.

In the practical exam of the Spells class, he made the feather float steadily for a full five minutes.

In his transformation class, he turned a teacup into a mouse—though the mouse's tail was a little crooked.

In Potions class, the scabies potion he brewed was of a pure color and had a pungent but not overpowering smell. Snape glanced at it expressionlessly, neither deducting nor adding points.

For Snape, this was already a pretty good evaluation.

For the History of Magic, he wrote down everything Professor Binns had taught on the exam paper—although some people found the content boring, Xavier was actually quite interested.

After finishing his last exam, Xavier walked out of the exam room and let out a long sigh of relief.

The corridors were filled with excited students; they were liberated.

Ernie ran up from behind and patted Xavier on the shoulder: "How did the exam go?"

"It's alright," Xavier said.

"What do you mean 'okay'? I bet you're an 'O'!"

Ernie muttered to himself, but quickly cheered up again, "Whatever! Exams are over! My vacation is here!"

There are still a few days before the official holiday starts after the exam.

Unlike his classmates who rushed to pack their bags, Xavier used the time to do one thing—he went to the professors to ask for answers that couldn't be found in the books.

He went to Professor Flitwick's office first.

The Charms professor was short; he had to stand on a thick stack of books to look at his desk at eye level.

His office was filled with books, the walls were covered with moving charts and all sorts of strange and wonderful devices, and in the corner there was an old harp whose strings plucked themselves, producing a soft melody.

"Ah, Mr. Xavier!"

Professor Flitwick saw Xavier and warmly welcomed him in, saying, "You did very well on your exam, excellent!"

"Thank you, Professor." Xavier sat down and took out his notebook from his bag. "I've come today to ask you a few questions."

Professor Flitwick's eyes lit up: "Please speak."

"The first question—about magic."

Xavier opened the notebook and handed it to the professor; it was filled with dense writing.

"I'm trying a practice method: instead of releasing magic through the wand, I'm circulating it within my body."

I found that this made my body more coordinated and resilient.

Do you think this is safe? Is there any relevant theoretical basis for it?

Professor Flitwick blinked, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"A very interesting attempt." He jumped down from the pile of books and walked over to Xavier.

"The circulation of magic within the body—this is indeed a field that few people study. Most wizards only focus on how to project magic outwards, and few pay attention to the effects of magic on themselves."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Theoretically, magic is part of a wizard's life force; it is closely connected to the body and mind. Allowing magic to circulate within the body should not cause harm—provided it is not excessive."

"So it's a matter of 'degree'," Xavier said.

Professor Flitwick nodded. "I suggest you proceed gradually and don't rush things. Also, if you can record your feelings and changes during each practice session, that will be very valuable research material."

Xavier carefully noted down the professor's advice.

"The second question—about knights." He looked up.

"I read in 'Medieval Magic and Society' that some non-wizard individuals in the Middle Ages were able to resist magic. What was the source of their power? Was it the same thing as the power of wizards?"

Professor Flitwick paused for a moment, then smiled.

"You've asked a very profound question." He walked back to the pile of books and pulled out a thick, old book with a blackened cover.

"This book mentions the kind of power you mentioned."

He turned to the page and pointed it out to Xavier: "But please note that this is only a hypothesis. The Society for the History of Magic does not recognize it as accepted knowledge because there are too few relevant historical records, and most of them are vague."

Xavier leaned closer to look; it was a text written in Old English, which he could only barely understand.

"Merlin...teaching...the round table..." he read the words.

"Yes, Merlin," Professor Flitwick said.

"Legend has it that Merlin was not only a wizard, but also King Arthur's tutor. He taught knights to strengthen their bodies and ward off curses—or rather, magic. But this method was later lost."

"Is it possible to find it again?" Xavier asked.

Professor Flitwick looked at him with an admiring gaze.

"Perhaps in some old family collection, or in some forgotten manuscript," he said.

"But this isn't something a first-grader needs to worry about. Build a solid foundation and take it slow."

Xavier nodded and wrote the professor's words down in his notebook.

Xavier then asked many more questions, prompting Professor Flitwick to repeatedly exclaim, "You really should be a Ravenclaw."

-

After leaving Professor Flitwick's office, Xavier went to Professor McGonagall's office.

The professor of Transfiguration was grading papers when he saw Xavier come in and put down his quill.

"Mr. Xavier, what is it?"

"Professor McGonagall, I would like to ask you about Transfiguration."

Xavier said, "If I wanted to turn a stone into bread, could it actually be eaten? And after I ate it, would it turn back into a stone?"

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows slightly.

"That's a very good question, and a classic one." Her tone was serious but with a hint of patience.

"Simply put, the 'bread' created by Transfiguration has the properties of bread while the transformation effect lasts—but it turns back into stone when the transformation effect wears off. Therefore, no one would use Transfiguration as a source of food."

"How long will the transformation effect last?"

"It depends on the caster's magic power, the complexity of the polymorph spell, and the magical stability of the environment. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to several years."

Professor McGonagall paused. "But you must remember, transfiguration is not meant to deceive the stomach. If you eat transfigured food and it reverts to its original form, the consequences will be severe."

Xavier nodded quickly.

"Is there such a thing as eternal shapeshifting?"

Professor McGonagall gave Xavier a long look. "No."

"There's another problem—Animagus," he asked cautiously. "I know this transformation is extremely difficult."

Professor McGonagall stared at him for two seconds.

"You wouldn't—"

"No, Professor," Xavier quickly shook his head.

"I was just curious. I read in a book that Animagus need potions to sustain them for months on end."

I'd like to know, is it a form of ritual magic? At what age can a wizard attempt it?

Professor McGonagall's expression softened somewhat.

"Theoretically, it should be after adulthood. The magic of underage wizards is not stable enough, and the risk of Animagus transformation failure is too high."

She paused for a moment, then said, "But if you're really interested in this, I can tell you—learn Transfiguration to at least 'E' level before you come back to me."

Xavier's eyes lit up: "Thank you, Professor."

"Don't thank me yet." Professor McGonagall picked up her quill pen again.

"Go back and study hard. Transfiguration isn't something you can learn just by being enthusiastic."