A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 227 William's Animagus (Second Update)

Since Dumbledore became the headmaster, the lines on the admission notices have remained unchanged for years. Starting with this year's class, there has finally been a slightly better change.

Overall, William thought it was pretty good; at least it captured the essence of Hogwarts.

Sometimes, an excellent admission notice can greatly enhance a school's reputation, which can be considered one of the manifestations of soft power.

If it's too simple, Hogwarts students won't be able to present themselves well when interacting with students from other schools.

Similarly, William believed that Hogwarts' influence was too weak and did not live up to its status as the elder statesman of the underworld.

William did not encounter any international students from France, the United States, or even Wakanda who came to visit him at the school.

With admissions limited to the British Isles, it's easy to imagine that Hogwarts, this long-established prestigious school, will only lose its reputation.

After all, the Great Ying Empire... has fallen.

Even disregarding the local student body, William felt that the sheer number of students from other countries flocking to Hogwarts was what truly made it so special.

Of course, we won't talk about first-year wizards, but advanced classes should recruit students from all over the world.

And the requirements must be extremely strict!

The OWLs exams, let alone twelve certificates, require at least eight O's, right?

You don't even know how to do Animagus? How dare you submit an application?

If you can't even cast spells silently without a staff, you should just stay in your school!

What, you have the power of money?

Oh, that's okay.

Welcome, welcome.

Every year, the best students from other districts and countries apply to study in the advanced classes, which is what makes Hogwarts so prestigious.

Everyone has a herd mentality; they all know that Hogwarts is hard to get into, and even wielding a Galleon will get you in!

Unfortunately, we won't see that under Dumbledore's guidance.

Now that Anne's acceptance letter has arrived, we can take her to Diagon Alley to buy a wand.

However, William decided to go later, as he wanted to wait for the storm this weekend.

William had been preparing for this Animagus for far too long.

After leaving the cycle, he kept a single mandrake leaf in his mouth for a full month.

Never swallow the leaf or remove it from your mouth. If the leaf leaves your mouth, the entire process must be restarted.

This leaf is the material for the Animagus transforming agent.

William swallowed it whole several times while eating.

This is only the first step. After a month of holding the leaf in the mouth, it must be removed during the full moon. The leaf is then soaked in a small crystal bottle filled with saliva, allowing it to receive the pure moonlight.

Then, under the moonlight, add a strand of your own hair and a silver teaspoon of dew to a small crystal vial. The dew must be collected from a place that has not been exposed to sunlight or human contact for seven whole days.

The final step is to add a pupa of a ghost-faced hawk moth.

Place this mixture in a quiet, dark place and do not look at it or disturb it until the next thunderstorm.

The wait for the storm to arrive could be weeks, months, or even years.

If you live deep in the Sahara Desert, then sorry, you'll probably have to wait a lifetime for a storm.

During this waiting period, the crystal vial must remain completely undisturbed and protected from sunlight. Sunlight pollution can cause the most severe mutations.

William buried the crystal vial in the Forbidden Forest outside Hogwarts, because Nicole said there would be a storm this Sunday.

William didn't tell his sister Anne about this, otherwise she would definitely have made a fuss about it.

The weekend is almost here, and William and Hermione's adventure is about to begin.

At four o'clock in the morning, William secretly left his room.

Hermione is already up.

"I think we need some luck today," William said, pulling a bottle of potion from his pocket.

— Frucrine.

William and Hermione each took a small sip, a dose sufficient to sustain them until the transformation was complete.

"How do we get there?" Hermione asked, standing at the door.

"Directly manifesting phantom form," William explained. "Come, take my hand."

Hermione gripped William's right hand tightly.

"Alright, let's go."

Hermione felt William's hand was about to slip from her grasp, so she quickly tightened her grip.

She was being squeezed intensely from all directions, unable to breathe at all, her chest feeling as if it were being tightly bound by several iron hoops.

then--

The two appeared outside a valley.

It was pitch black all around, and a deafening roar echoed from the valley.

Hermione shrank back in fear, but still held William's hand tightly.

William didn't let go either, holding the girl's hand as they slowly walked towards the valley.

Hermione's worries quickly subsided; it turned out the sound was just Lou Williams snoring.

Louie was fast asleep in the large wooden house that Hagrid had made.

"Are we in the Forbidden Forest?" Hermione exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, this valley is in the northwest corner of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid discovered it and released Luwei here."

After the Philosopher's Stone incident, Dumbledore returned Fluffy to Hagrid and placed him in the Forbidden Forest.

Dumbledore also communicated with the centaurs.

There was nothing they could do; Luwei had grown up, and even if they attacked Luwei, they would still lose some of their people, so they had no choice but to accept it.

With Louis helping to look after the small bottle, William felt at ease.

Upon smelling the familiar scent, Louie quickly woke up from its sleep and rushed over, wagging its tail.

William gave it lots of snacks for breakfast.

William used magic to transform two chairs and sat in the middle of the valley, waiting for the storm to arrive.

By this time, the sky was covered with thick clouds, and the moon had completely disappeared.

"Falco Isalen was a wizard in ancient Greece, and he was also the earliest recorded Animagus who could transform into a falcon at will."

The two chatted casually, and William whispered "Mop".

"I know, he appeared on the Chocolate Frog card." Hermione kept her eyes fixed on William's face under the cover of darkness.

"By the way, will you report to the Ministry of Magic?" Hermione asked worriedly. "I've looked it up. If you don't report, it's illegal and you'll be locked up in Azkaban."

"I'll probably report it after the semester starts. Professor McGonagall knows my academic progress, so I can't hide it from her."

William wanted to keep it a secret, but it was pointless.

"Let Professor McGonagall be happy. She's always hoped that Cedric and I would win the 'Most Promising Newcomer Award'."

This award is selected by the internationally authoritative academic journal "Transformation Today".

Professor McGonagall received the award before graduation for her impressive Transfiguration abilities during her time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

McGonagall herself is now a contributing reviewer for the magazine, specializing in reviewing published papers.

It had been a long time since anyone at Hogwarts had received this award, and Professor McGonagall had been waiting for it for many years.

"Another award...that's great." Hermione was extremely envious.

Clearly, after graduating, William will leave with a wealth of honor, just like Dumbledore.

Such students are extremely rare, perhaps only one in decades.

She said quietly, "I'm just good at studying...and I'm a little bit clever."

William patted Hermione's head and comforted her, "No, you're very talented. You're the smartest witch I've ever met."

I can teach you too.

Animagus doesn't necessarily have to transform on their own. I can help you with my wand, and once you're very familiar with it, you'll be able to transform completely on your own.

Hermione nodded vigorously.

Just then, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky.

The storm has finally arrived.

……

……

(Thanks to Elder "Snz" for the generous donation of 10,000 coins.)

I currently owe "Hellcat" three chapters and "Snz" one chapter; I'll make up for it slowly.

(End of this chapter)