A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Harry comforted him, saying, "Neville, we can practice together."

“Exactly, don’t worry about Snape, your Herbalism class is fantastic,” Ron said. “Neville, believe in yourself, you’re an unpolished gem, and one day you’ll shine brightly.”

To be honest, after going through Lockhart's trials, he can now say nice things without batting an eye.

Neville's face quickly turned red, and he even seemed a little flattered.

He said somewhat shyly and haltingly, "I just like to fuss over flowers and plants. My grandma grows a lot of flowers, and I take care of them during the holidays."

“See, this is your strength,” Harry encouraged him.

On the other side, Felix stood at the entrance of the auditorium, waiting for the arrival of several professors.

Professor Flitwick arrived first. He had changed out of his usual wizard robes and was wearing a fitted men's suit. His hair was neatly styled.

“Felix, you look great today,” Felix complimented.

Flitwick was in a good mood. "Thank you, Felix. This is the outfit I wore when I won the Duel Championship."

The two started chatting casually.

"Felix, have you made any progress in your research on that magic?"

"It's barely usable, but to be honest, it's so incomplete that I would even say it's a simplified spell mixed with ancient magical ideas..."

"Ahem! Felix, there's nothing we can do; very few ancient magic spells have survived intact."

The two discussed the feasibility of replicating ancient magic, but even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients; they had too little information at hand, and the magical world had no common research approach.

Felix, however, felt that if he mastered a sufficient number of runes, he would one day be able to restore the spell very easily.

I just don't know how many years it will take.

He has quietly lowered the priority of this matter and is prepared to let things take their course.

Soon, Professor McGonagall and Snape arrived together. Perhaps Felix's gaze was too obvious, for Snape couldn't help but taunt him. "What's going on in your head, Felix?"

"It's nothing, I just thought you'd be counting down the time to come," Felix said somewhat awkwardly.

With all four professors present, Felix got down to business: "My idea is that this dueling class will be primarily a demonstration. The four of us will each present the most essential aspects of our views on dueling."

"In subsequent courses, I will invite different professors in stages so that you can fully explain your ideas."

Flitwick was the first to respond, "Of course, no problem."

No one else objected.

So when the four professors appeared in the Great Hall and stepped onto the gilded arena, the young wizards were shocked.

Ron groaned, "What day is it today?"

The crowd erupted in excitement, with hundreds of students buzzing with discussion. The young wizards from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor burst into thunderous applause, welcoming their Head of House.

"Where's Professor Sprout?" asked a second-year Hufflepuff wizard.

“Ernie, Ms. Sprout doesn’t care about this…” said an upperclassman.

The other three professors remained silent, all looking at Felix.

Felix stepped forward, bolstering his voice with a booming tone: "It is an honor to have Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick with us today. They are eager to show you even more possibilities in dueling. Rejoice, young wizards!"

The audience erupted in applause, as if it were a festival; Harry's hands were red from clapping.

"Do you think Snape doesn't want to do this anymore?"

"Although I think you're overthinking it, it's a really good idea!"

After some refusals, Professor McGonagall stayed in the ring, while the other three stepped down.

Flitwick pulled out a handkerchief, turned it into a platform, and stood on it.

Professor McGonagall clasped her hands tightly together, looking at everyone with a serious expression, and the crowd gradually quieted down.

Everyone was curious about what she would say, since in their minds, Transfiguration and dueling had little to do with each other.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and calmly looked at all the students, saying, "Transfiguration is a profound magical discipline. It can accomplish many incredible things, and your Headmaster Dumbledore is the most skilled in this field."

“That’s interesting,” Ron muttered from the audience. “Don’t tell me he defeated the Dark Lord using Transfiguration.”

“Of course, that requires profound magical support, which is difficult for you to achieve,” McGonagall said. “The significance of Transfiguration for you lies not in its power, but in enriching your means.”

"The core of Transfiguration is change, change at will."

Professor McGonagall drew her wand, raised her arm straight up, and a chair that had been piled in the corner flew over.

The chair transformed into a large black cat in mid-air, which landed nimbly and lightly on the ground. Following Professor McGonagall's command with her wand, the cat quickly circled around her.

The next second, it suddenly leaped up, its body rapidly expanding and transforming into a majestic lion, its golden mane reflecting a fine light.

Chapter 105 Transfiguration and Spells

"Ow~"

The lion roared, and the little witch in front of it had her hair flying backward.

Luna blinked, and the young wizards around her took two steps back in shock.

The next second, the lion ran around the ring, sometimes transforming into a lithe leopard, sometimes into a one-horned rhinoceros, a wild boar, a python...

The young wizards stared blankly at Professor McGonagall. You weren't like this when you were lecturing!

Throughout the entire process, Professor McGonagall only waved her wand a few times and did not utter a single spell.

Dean Thomas couldn't help but ask, "Is this one spell, or multiple spells? I can't tell at all."

If the young wizards had to describe Professor McGonagall's performance, they would say it was incredibly smooth.

As it runs, its form naturally changes.

Professor McGonagall's 'show of skill' lasted for about two or three minutes. When a giant eagle circled over the auditorium, the students craned their necks to get a better look.

Finally, the giant eagle landed on the arena, rolled over, and transformed back into a black cat.

“In theory, any sixth or seventh-grade wizard can do this,” Professor McGonagall told the audience.

“Wood, I’m talking to you,” Fred said to the captain of his college’s team.

"Ahem..." Wood was a little embarrassed.

Not far away, Percy, who was in charge of maintaining order, walked up to a Ravenclaw girl: "I think I can do it, Penelope, maybe not as smoothly as Professor McGonagall..."

“I can’t do it, my Transfiguration isn’t very good,” the girl said, who also wore a prefect badge around her neck.

“I can guide you,” Percy said.

"Really?" The girl rolled her eyes at him.

On the stage, Professor McGonagall had the black cat stand in front of her.

“I need an assistant, Abbot Balk. You’ve been working hard to become an Auror, let’s give it a try.” Professor McGonagall chose a student from her own college.

Abbot Balk stepped forward with trepidation. He had gained a completely new understanding of the professors' abilities after the last dueling course.

The young wizards below the stage watched intently. It was clear that Professor McGonagall did not intend to use any other spells, but instead used Polymorph throughout the entire battle, which made the duel between the two extremely exciting.

The two were about eight or nine meters apart.

Felix acted as referee, announcing, "Bowing to each other... One, two, the duel begins."

Balk nimbly jumped aside and cast a disarming spell.

The black cat in front of Professor McGonagall leaped up and blocked the disarming spell.

The black cat in mid-air was a little unsteady, one of its legs turned into a chair leg, but the next second, it rolled on the ground and transformed into an agile leopard.

Balk cast another spell, but this time it was blocked even more easily.

"Balk, you need to speed up your spellcasting."

Professor McGonagall said that during this brief interval, she waved her wand, and three more chairs flew over, also transforming into leopards.

At that moment, three black-spotted leopards stood in front of Professor McGonagall, protecting her safety.

Balk gritted his teeth, no longer holding back, and began casting spells one after another.

If we're talking about dueling skills alone, he certainly ranks among the top students at Hogwarts, thanks in large part to his uncle who is an Auror at the Ministry of Magic and who gave him two years of low-intensity training.

But Professor McGonagall deflected it with great ease. "One characteristic of Transfiguration is that it is quite restrained by individual spells. Of course, to do this, one needs exceptional eyesight."

The three leopards worked together seamlessly, handling the situation with ease.

"Blazing Flames!" Balk's spell struck a leopard, and its body suddenly burst into flames.

In the flames, the transformation spell lost its effect, and it reverted to a burning chair.

Professor McGonagall said, "Transfiguration can also work on water and fire, so you just need to slightly change your spell—"

The burning chair leaped up and transformed into a fiery lion, its mane flaming with bright flames.

Balk couldn't help but take two steps back, but fortunately, Professor McGonagall didn't seem to have any intention of attacking.

Balk quickly came up with a good idea, "Split into pieces!" A red light flashed, and the spell accurately hit another leopard, shattering it into more than a dozen pieces in mid-air.

But things got worse; each fragment turned into a tiny kitten the size of a palm, which nimbly circled behind Balby, watching him from a distance.

“At close range, or rather, within the range of Transfiguration, it’s more troublesome than you think, Balk,” Professor McGonagall said, her mood now light and her serious expression gone.

Upon hearing Professor McGonagall's explanation, Balk panicked. He suddenly realized that the more he attacked, the more disadvantageous the situation became.

After a few seconds of stalemate, a kitten ran to his feet, and Balk couldn't help but kick it out, but the kitten transformed into a vine that tightly wrapped around his legs.

Fortunately, Professor McGonagall did more than just release water; she released the ocean. The vines stopped growing, and Balk's arm was free.

In a panic, he cast a spell on the nearest kitten, "Tear it to pieces! Shatter it to pieces! Shatter it to pieces!"

The kitten did not dodge. In Balk's eyes, its body disintegrated in an instant, and various fragments rose into the air, transforming into small birds the size of fingers, with long, sharp beaks.

They hovered in mid-air, forming a wall, their sharp beaks all aimed at Balk, as if they were about to pounce at him at any moment.

In the eyes of the young wizards, Balk was completely surrounded. Above him was a flock of birds, behind him was a group of tiny black cats, and further away, fire lions and leopards were watching him menacingly.

Balk felt a chill run down his spine and quickly shouted, "I surrender, Professor McGonagall, I surrender."

Professor McGonagall stopped with some regret; there was still much she hadn't shown.

She transformed the shapeshifting creature back into a chair and restored it to its original state. Looking at the young wizards below, she said, "Most wizards don't guard against shapeshifting in duels. If you can master a few, it can be quite effective in catching them off guard."