Just as he had experienced with previous hurdles in Transfiguration, whenever he tried to exert too much direct control over his creation, his mental focus would always buckle under the strain.
But what if he just let go a little?
What if he simply issued a single, rudimentary command?
So, just as Marcus cast a Blasting Curse at the vines and stones entangling him, the construct completed its true purpose.
"Rock as the foundation, flora as the glory—Vine-Stone Guardian!"
Sean chanted a long string of incantations. It was a spell with a length that rivaled the dark ritual used for Voldemort's resurrection. It was also the absolute limit of what Sean could currently achieve in Transfiguration.
His body swayed, teetering on the edge of collapse in an instant. But his drained magical reserves had bought him a terrifying scene.
A massive hand—easily the size of a small hill, composed of twisting vines binding solid rock—burst from the earth. In a split second, it clenched into a fist, completely crushing the entire area where Marcus stood.
Dust billowed and stones shattered.
This wasn't pure Transfiguration, nor was it simple physical manipulation. It was a complex combination of Transfiguration magic that Sean had painstakingly researched for nearly half a year.
The area where Marcus had been standing went silent. The roaring fire dragon and the charging stone statues vanished instantly—clearly, they were just distractions Sean had used to draw Marcus's attention.
In reality, they didn't possess "too much" actual power. After all, Sean could only maintain their existence for a few seconds.
The empty field fell into a heavy silence.
---
In the distance, beneath the rustling, snow-laden branches of a beech tree, a tabby cat stood completely frozen. The anticipation in her eyes instantly morphed into worry.
Of course, she wasn't worried about the young wizard, but rather the old wizard who seemed to be in a "bit of a bind."
"Apparate—Expelliarmus!"
Just as she was fretting, the old wizard reappeared, escaping by the skin of his teeth.
He stood beside the young wizard, his usual calm demeanor gone, replaced by a grave expression and lingering fear.
Merlin's beard, one second later and he would have been flattened into a Marcus-pancake.
A flash of red light disarmed Sean, knocking his wand away.
"Grandpa Marcus, you're amazing," the young wizard said, offering zero resistance as he plopped down onto the ground.
"Aha—o-of course I am—"
Marcus wiped his face. It was wet.
Thankfully, it was just cold sweat.
"In terms of combat, I'm afraid I can't teach you much more. But you must remember, never let yourself fall into a state of helplessness," Marcus said, slowly calming his racing heart.
He also calmed his excitement and ecstasy.
The McGonagall family had produced a wizard who would be etched into history. Before long, his name would shine as brightly as Merlin's.
Just think, what would the wizarding world say?
By Green's wand—
Just thinking about it made the corners of his mouth twitch upward uncontrollably.
---
"Is that so? Petrificus Totalus—"
Suddenly, Sean spoke. In his hand, he gripped a brand-new wand—the very gift Marcus had given him not long ago.
Sean pointed it directly at Marcus.
Marcus broke into a cold sweat. He instinctively wanted to nod, but found that even blinking had become a struggle.
More terrifyingly, he realized that everything around them had stopped moving. The snowflakes that should have been drifting down around him were frozen in mid-air.
This implied one thing: the young wizard's Body-Bind Curse was an Area of Effect spell.
No matter how small the range was, it had clearly transcended the scope of a standard curse.
And so, a strange scene appeared in the field: a young wizard sitting on the soft ridge of the field as if exhausted, and an old wizard gripping his wand, motionless as a statue.
---
Sean felt the snow landing on his hair and thought to himself that he really could go toe-to-toe with an elite Auror now.
Marcus looked like he had barely escaped earlier, but in reality, Sean had quietly slowed down his casting speed—he was here for combat practice, not to murder an elder in the countryside.
However, since a battle-hardened veteran like Marcus fell for it, other Aurors likely wouldn't fare much better.
As long as he restricted an Auror's ability to Apparate, Sean didn't think they could beat him in a head-on duel.
His [Master] level Transfiguration and [Half-Master] level Dark Arts had given Sean a clear understanding of his limits.
Furthermore, he hadn't even summoned the white snake or Tila for assistance, which meant his full combat potential hadn't even been unleashed yet.
fully prepared, Sean reckoned he could arguably hold his own against a Hogwarts Professor.
But only "hold his own." Just as the professors would struggle to know all of Sean's varied magical tricks, Sean had no way of knowing the professors' secret arsenals.
That was the key to deciding a wizard duel—information asymmetry.
Since wizards are typical "glass cannons" (high attack, low defense), battles between them are often about countering specific moves.
Once a fight starts, Sean possesses a massive advantage: no one has seen his offensive methods.
Whether it's the "Winged Fire Dragon," the "Vine-Stone Guardian," or the white snake attacking in Basilisk form... caught off guard, it's very easy for a wizard to fall into his trap.
Speaking of the Vine-Stone Guardian, it was Sean's masterpiece of Transfiguration.
Its power lay in the fact that Sean had constructed a complete magical matrix for it, similar to the biology of a magical beast, and utilized a unique ritual he had pioneered.
With the perfect incantation resonance, wand movements, and a flawless internal magic structure, the Vine-Stone Guardian had an incredibly high ceiling. So far, Sean had only manifested a part of it—just one hand. If he tried to go further, he wouldn't just be suffering from magical exhaustion.
He'd likely pass out on the spot.
---
"Brilliant! Simply brilliant!"
Marcus, having finally broken free of the Body-Bind, stumbled slightly. Yet, there was no anger in his eyes at the surprise attack. Instead, his face was filled with relief and pride.
The shadow of war was about to envelop this land. What could be more delightful than seeing his descendant possess the strength and wit to protect himself?
"By Green's beard—"
Marcus looked at the young wizard, who clearly still had energy to spare, and seemed to realize something—like the fact that someone had probably gone easy on him.
He couldn't help but mutter the exclamation under his breath.
"Whose beard?" Sean asked, thinking he had misheard.
"Ah—nothing, my dear boy. Lunch should be ready. What would you like to eat? Roast lamb or perhaps some sweet milk pudding..."
Marcus scooped up the exhausted young wizard with one hand. It was only at moments like this that he remembered this was still a child who needed their protection.
However, at this rate of progress...
"Eat up, my dear boy," Marcus said warmly.
Grow up fast. By then, perhaps the dangers we face won't be dangers at all.
Nothing was more inspiring than the hope found in the new generation.
In the distance, snow was shaken loose from the beech tree branches.
Amidst the scattered falling snow, a tabby cat flashed away with agile grace.
---