A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts-Chapter 637: Discussion - (1)

Chapter 637: Discussion

As the students departed one by one, each carrying their materials, the final person closed the door with a resounding "bang."

The staff lounge fell into silence, with only Professor Binns leaning against the fireplace, emitting a rhythmic snore, appearing serene. However, this tranquility was soon disrupted. Felix Harp leaned back in his chair, "Anyone fancy a cup of tea?"

Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Grindelwald looked up, their expressions varied.

"I don't mind," Grindelwald said casually. "I can review the observation reports whenever."

Professor McGonagall's sharp gaze immediately shifted away from Felix as if finding a new point of interest. "I must remind you, Professor Bagshot, that you've been delaying this for several weeks."

"Thank you, Minerva," Grindelwald politely replied. "I just find new insights every time I think about it..."

"It seems Mr. Bagshot is a perfectionist," Snape said dryly. "Unfortunately, I haven't heard of your reputation before."

"I haven't been in England for long, too cramped, and the weather is not pleasant," Grindelwald explained.

"Crack."

Several heads turned as Felix nonchalantly bit off a piece of crispy biscuit. In the meantime, three plates of pastries, two teapots, and four cups appeared on the table. "I suppose we don't need to consider Professor Binns for now unless any of you want him to join the conversation..."

No one paid attention to him.

Grindelwald poured himself a cup of honey tea, Snape stared at the faint glow on the table, and the fourth plate was struggling to break free. Felix pushed the ice-cold jelly with a smiling cat face towards Professor McGonagall, making space for jam-filled doughnuts.

"An alternative food summoning charm?" Snape asked.

"I invented it," Felix said. "The secret is to negotiate with house elves in advance... I added a halo to make it look more magical."

Professor McGonagall seemed unconvinced.

"Felix," she looked down at the soft, bouncy cat-shaped jelly for a moment, pursed her lips, and said, "I need to discuss the teaching plan with you. Animagus transformation, especially with Animagus like Erumpent, is extremely dangerous."

"Minerva, I trust your judgment, and we have both eyes on it," Felix said. "I still insist that the biggest obstacle for Erumpent is not the tedious preparatory work but how to control the wildness that comes up during the first transformation. Ninety percent of the danger occurs at this stage."

"I completely agree, Felix," Professor McGonagall said, then asked with some suspicion, "Have you also mastered Erumpent transformation?" She thought Felix had only compiled the study notes passed down by the Black family for generations and presented them to the students.

"Sort of."

"Sort of?" Professor McGonagall took a deep breath, knocked over the cup in front of her, waved her wand, and the cup immediately returned to its original state. She asked without looking, "What's your Animagus form?"

"A swallow," Felix replied without hesitation.

"I've never seen your name in the Animagus registration notices posted by the Ministry," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "So, are you telling me that four students have illegally transformed into Erumpents under my nose?"

"Well, to be precise... I don't know if what I practiced is really Erumpent. As for registration... Miss Granger has been busy lately, and I didn't want to bother her," Felix began to fabricate.

Professor McGonagall stared at Felix, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.

Snape and Grindelwald remained silent at this moment, quietly eavesdropping on their conversation. According to Snape's knowledge, Felix had never studied Erumpent during his school days, at least not officially. Because his mouth never stopped, always asking questions, and he remembered Felix receiving a nickname for it, something like... wandering Sphinx?

But during breaks or after graduation, he might have done something privately, entirely possible.

Grindelwald recalled Dumbledore's Erumpent.

"...So, if students experience the feeling of losing control, it helps them stay sane during the actual Erumpent transformation," Felix said, seeing that Professor McGonagall had not yet loosened her stance, he nudged Snape with his mouth.

However, Snape put down his teacup, calmly saying, "How do you balance the middle ground, and don't tell me... you got inspiration from that Death Eater punishing students incident."

Felix knew he was referring to Barty Crouch Jr., who disguised as Moody, turned Draco Malfoy into a white ferret early in the school year.

"Exactly," Professor McGonagall said, her voice trembling. "I assume you all haven't forgotten the terrible experience of the witch Hicks Crowe? "

Felix looked at her in confusion.

"What happened?"

"Crowe was a witch in the 1920s. She made a severe mistake during her first Erumpent transformation, losing control due to the uncontrollable wildness in her heart. Her family didn't notice anything wrong until a week later, realizing there had been a storm during that time, and their daughter was practicing Erumpent transformation..."

"And then?"

"They found Crowe and restored her to human form, but she was completely disoriented. It took three months at St. Mungo's to recover. She was considered lucky. There is evidence that over the past century, more than seven cases of wizards missing were suspected to be related to failed Erumpent transformations."

Felix pondered.

"I think this story tells us how important it is to have a reliable mind and friends... Minerva, I'm more curious about how Crowe's parents found her because, according to the usual practice, she had no difference from a real beast at that time."

Professor McGonagall glared at him fiercely, saying angrily.

"Because Crowe's parents insisted on using the compulsory transformation magic on every animal they saw for three days, and later, a kilometer away, they found a mother cow happily eating wild strawberries, with stripes on her body exactly like their daughter's favorite clothes..."

"...Recovered Crowe was terrified of that experience and refused to cast the Erumpent transformation spell for the rest of her life, so the Ministry did not register her name."

Or maybe that Animagus form wasn't that useful... Felix thought, saying lightly:

"Well, I admit the story is terrifying, and the feeling of losing control over one's body is awful. But you don't think, with both of us present, students can still run away, do you? If you insist, we can set up a control group—think about it, Minerva, we are fully capable of keeping the danger within a reasonable range. Once successful, the new practice method will greatly improve the safety of Erumpent transformation itself."

A moment of silence, and Professor McGonagall's determination weakened a bit.

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