"So... I need to command my desire?" Charlie asked uncertainly.
"I believe so. It is the method I personally advocate," Professor McGonagall nodded.
She added a final thought: "This is, perhaps, the greatest distinction between Transfiguration and Charms."
Professor McGonagall paused, choosing her words carefully, not entirely certain if Charlie had fully grasped the concept.
Logically speaking, it usually took new students quite some time just to learn the basic "vocabulary" used in the wizarding world.
Yes, vocabulary.
After all, trying to understand magical theory without knowing the terminology was like trying to read ancient runes. To a beginner, a professor's lecture might as well be spoken in a completely different language.
"So, do you understand, Mr. Wonka?"
"I think I get the gist of it," Charlie nodded.
His magical vocabulary wasn't exactly small. He had picked up quite a bit from reading assorted books, and ever since his shopping trip to Diagon Alley, he had been diving deep into wizarding literature.
It was the exact reason why, despite spending a month and a half furiously devouring his Hogwarts textbooks, he had only actually learned a handful of spells.
Because he had needed to spend the vast majority of his time just trying to understand what the books were saying.
But that effort had finally paid off, allowing him to read the paper in Transfiguration Today without hitting a single roadblock.
"So, circling back to my original question, Professor."
"My desire feels completely ungrounded. How do I efficiently command it?"
"Do I just blindly wave my wand over and over again until practice makes perfect?"
He pushed the question a step further.
Truthfully, Professor McGonagall hadn't intended to elaborate further. Just moments ago, she had told Charlie that Transfiguration was a marathon. She wanted him to slow his pace.
Yet the student standing in front of her seemed practically vibrating with impatience.
"You simply need a purer intent. Nothing more," Professor McGonagall said with a slight smile.
"That is more than enough for today, Mr. Wonka. You must understand: the more you rush, the harder it will be to make truly significant progress."
Charlie nodded, returning her smile. "I think I understand, Professor."
He really was getting a bit ahead of himself.
It was only his second day of school, after all.
"Mr. Wonka, you mentioned that you began practicing spells during the summer holidays."
"I am sure you have accumulated a great deal of questions and curiosity, eagerly waiting until you arrived at school to find the answers."
"So it is only natural that all of those questions are spilling out at once right now."
"However, do not rush."
"Furthermore, I feel the need to remind you once again: spells are incredibly dangerous."
"You absolutely must not wave your wand around recklessly."
"I know, Professor," Charlie replied, gracefully accepting Professor McGonagall's warning masquerading as concern.
"Don't forget your homework," Professor McGonagall said, standing up and heading for the door.
Charlie followed her out. "I'll be looking forward to your feedback on it, Professor."
The smile on Professor McGonagall's face grew a fraction deeper, showing her satisfaction.
It had originally been a standard reminder to keep the young wizard from slacking off.
But Charlie's response clearly indicated that he would take today's conversation to heart, reflect on it, and submit his thoughts in his essay for her to evaluate.
It was incredibly obvious that the young wizard was not only bright but also highly skilled in the art of conversation.
Stepping out of the classroom, Charlie found Anthony and Hector waiting in the corridor.
The two boys politely greeted Professor McGonagall first. Only after she was completely out of earshot did they turn to Charlie.
"So, what did she say?"
"Just discussing different methods for casting Transfiguration," Charlie summarized briefly.
"The paper breaks it down into two casting methods. One relies on 'Commanded Desire'—meaning an incredibly pure, single-minded intent with zero distractions."
"The other is Need-Driven, powered by a genuine, deep-seated craving from within—"
As Charlie spoke, Anthony's expression visibly melted. His eyes crossed, his tongue lolled out, and he started making mindless babbling noises. "Abba-abba... abba..."
"Alright, I'll spare you the lecture." Charlie laughed, shaking his head. "I knew you wouldn't want to hear it."
"Let's go. Heading to the Great Hall?" Hector asked.
"Climbing all the way back up to the common room just to walk all the way back down for lunch? That sounds exhausting."
Charlie and Anthony completely agreed with Hector's logic, and the three of them began making their way downstairs.
They had a class that afternoon: Herbology. It was a subject Charlie was actually highly interested in.
Of course, his curiosity about magical plants mostly stemmed from his desire to use them as bizarre new ingredients for his sweets.
Magical herbs infused into candy.
That combination was bound to trigger some incredible chemical reactions.
Naturally, Charlie was equally fascinated by Potions. But their first Potions class wasn't until Thursday, so he had to wait two more days.
If he had to name the subjects he was currently the least interested in, Astronomy and Defense Against the Dark Arts definitely topped the list.
It wasn't that he hated them. But for Astronomy, he simply didn't have the time or energy to attack every single subject with burning passion.
As for Defense Against the Dark Arts... that was entirely the professor's fault.
Going by the original story, the class was essentially a complete waste of time unless you were in your third or fourth year.
If he found the time, he was more than willing to read up on it himself—treating it just like History of Magic, as supplementary extracurricular reading.
During lunch, Charlie ate quickly. He polished off a single lamb chop and a scoop of mashed potatoes before declaring his mission accomplished.
Still sitting at the table, he shifted his focus to his fork.
I need a purer desire... It's much harder, but the results from practicing this way will be rock solid.
Calming his mind, Charlie flicked his wand.
"Vera Verto!"
The fork in front of him began to writhe. It seemed to melt into a sluggish, shifting liquid.
And then—the transformation abruptly halted. With a quick flash, it snapped right back into a regular fork.
He stared down at his wand, grumbling internally.
Come on, mate. We need to be of one mind here.
I have no actual need, and I can't fabricate one. I'm not casting a standard charm. This is Transfiguration.
Focusing completely, Charlie flicked his wand a second time.
"Vera Verto!!"
He locked the image of a fountain pen firmly in his mind, his eyes boring holes into the fork.
Turn into a pen! Turn into a pen!
The fork twisted and warped. A moment later, a small, metallic cylinder lay on the table.
It wasn't a complete success, but it undeniably possessed the rough shape and shadow of a fountain pen.
"Bloody hell!" Anthony stared at Charlie in shock.
He hadn't even managed to turn a match into a needle yet, and the bloke sitting next to him was transfiguring forks into pens?!
"A failure," Charlie exhaled in relief.
Even though it failed, there was clear progress.
That alone was more than enough to satisfy him for now.
He pocketed his wand, deciding to hold off on further practice.
"I haven't been down to the greenhouses yet. I was thinking of taking a look. Have you guys been?"
"Mhm," Anthony mumbled through a mouthful of chicken leg.
"Then you guys head back to the common room and rest. I'll head back a bit later," Charlie replied.
"We'll come with you," Anthony said, wiping the grease off his hands.
"The lunch break is massive. We don't have anything better to do back in the room anyway."
"Besides, as seasoned veterans who thoroughly explored the entire castle yesterday afternoon, isn't it our duty to show the new guy around?"
"What about you, Hector?"
"I'll come," Hector agreed lazily.
"Nothing to do back there."
"You could always go find Michael Corner and the others to play Wizard's Chess," Anthony pointed out.
Of course, he was only teasing.
Hector clearly wasn't a social butterfly like Anthony. He was far too introverted for that.
So far, Charlie hadn't seen him willingly strike up a conversation with anyone outside their dorm room or the teaching staff.
Though, naturally, whenever a topic he found interesting came up within the safety of their dorm, he could talk for hours.
Like the previous night. When he and Anthony got back to the room, Hector had been absolutely beaming as he talked their ears off about everything they'd seen that afternoon.
After finishing their lunch, Anthony led the group out the main oak doors of the castle.
He didn't rush straight to the greenhouses. Instead, he took Charlie on a leisurely stroll across the grounds.
"This is the main entrance. When we arrived yesterday, we came up around the side," Anthony explained, steering them to the left.
Taking the turn, a sloping, grassy lawn opened up before them. Several packed-dirt paths crisscrossed through the vibrant green grass.
"This is the slope we walked up from the Black Lake. And look over there—that dark little tower is the Owlery."
"Charlie, who do you want to send letters to..."
Anthony abruptly cut himself off. A split second later, he smoothly pivoted.
"I mean, for mail-order shopping!"
"You can send letters to the Daily Prophet office in Diagon Alley, Flourish and Blotts, stuff like that."
"The owls will deliver your parcels straight to you."
Charlie gave a quiet, knowing smile.
"Even though I genuinely couldn't care less about being an orphan..."
"...I have to say, having you two incredibly considerate blokes as roommates..."
"...makes me pretty bloody lucky."
Charlie said it entirely sincerely.
"Mate, keep that sappy stuff to yourself." Anthony waved a hand dismissively, putting on an exaggerated look of bashfulness.
"Even if you say nice things, I still refuse to admit you're slightly better-looking than me."
Charlie shook his head, letting the topic drop.
The reason he had brought it up so directly was to assure his friends that they didn't have to constantly tip-toe around the fact that he was an orphan.
It wasn't some conversational minefield. It wasn't a taboo subject.
If they spent the next seven years constantly watching their words around him, it was going to be an exhausting friendship.
They bypassed the side entrance they had used the day before and walked a bit further. Soon, a breathtaking scene unfolded behind the castle.
First was a sprawling expanse of lawn. Countless students were scattered across it—walking, chasing each other, or simply lying in the grass soaking up the sun.
In the distance, right up against the edge of the Black Lake, sat a dense, endless forest.
That had to be the Forbidden Forest.
Right on the edge of the treeline sat a small hut.
It was a bit crooked and lopsided. Including the chimney, it was about two stories tall, yet the overall structure was clearly just a single-story cabin.
"That must be Hagrid's place," Charlie noted.
"Mhm," Hector nodded.
"He's probably the only person on staff who doesn't actually live inside Hogwarts. Aside from needing to be near the forest for his job as Gamekeeper, I imagine the castle just wouldn't be very comfortable for him."
Charlie agreed. "Nobody wants to hunch over and squeeze their way through a doorway every time they want to go to their room."
"He seems like a pretty decent, straightforward bloke," Anthony muttered.
Pulling their gaze back, they looked over at the four large greenhouses scattered across the lawn.
Anthony's eyes suddenly locked onto them, his posture stiffening.
"The greenhouse doors are open!" he said excitedly. "Come on, let's go check it out!"
With that, he took off toward the glass buildings, leaving the other two to follow.
"When we came down yesterday, some older students were having a class in Greenhouse Two, but all the others were locked up tight," Hector explained, clarifying Anthony's sudden excitement.
"According to the older years, some of the plants inside are seriously dangerous, so they stay padlocked unless there's an actual lesson going on."
"No wonder he's so hyped," Charlie nodded, picking up his pace to catch up with Anthony.
Soon, the trio arrived at Greenhouse Four.
Anthony pushed the door open and stepped inside first. Amidst the dense shadows of the sprawling greenery, he immediately spotted a figure near the back.
"Who's there?" the person called out, looking up at the intruders.
Charlie stepped inside and got a good look at her. It was a slightly plump witch wearing a patched, pointed hat. She had a warm, kind smile on her face and was wearing heavy gardening gloves, currently busy turning over a pile of soil.
"Professor Sprout?" Charlie guessed tentatively.
"Oh, our new Ravenclaw students?" Professor Sprout set down her trowel and walked over.
"Your lesson isn't until this afternoon. You're quite early."
"We wanted to scope out the route ahead of time so we wouldn't be late for your class, Professor," Anthony explained smoothly.
Hearing that, the smile on Professor Sprout's face grew even warmer.
"A very responsible decision. Yes, your afternoon class will be right here. You can just head straight inside when it's time."
Anthony and Charlie exchanged a quick glance, and then both of them turned to stare meaningfully at Hector.
"Er... what are you doing?" Hector asked nervously.
Charlie took a step forward, looking genuinely curious.
"Professor, are you preparing materials for a lesson? If you'd like, we could help you out with some of the simpler chores."
Hector blinked, caught off guard, but then let out a small laugh and stepped forward to join them.
"He's right, Professor. Is there anything we can help with?"
"I won't be awarding you any House points for this," Professor Sprout warned them good-naturedly.
"Well, if the workload is too massive, we might end up too tired to lift our textbooks later. As long as you don't deduct points for that, we'll call it even," Charlie joked.
"Alright then. Thank you, boys. I do happen to have a few tasks, but it shouldn't take very long."
Professor Sprout led the three boys toward the back of the greenhouse.
"I have some dragon dung compost here, some fresh soil, and some dried leaves."
"I'm going to mix them all together. I just need you to help me portion the mixture evenly into those pots."
Charlie and his roommates looked over at the large workbench. It looked like Professor Sprout had previously been mixing the soil by hand with her trowel.
"Dried leaves and rotting wood..." Hector pinched some of the pre-mixed soil between his fingers, looking intrigued.
"Professor, are we studying some kind of fungi in our first class?"
"Leaping Toadstools?" Charlie chimed in with a guess.
"Spot on," Professor Sprout nodded.
She pulled off her heavy gloves and drew her wand.
Hovering in mid-air, the compost, loose soil, and dried leaves began swirling together in a perfect blend.
"What spell is that, Professor?" Anthony asked eagerly.
"Just a Levitation Charm."
"You're levitating three separate masses simultaneously, controlling their ascent, and perfectly mixing them in mid-air? Merlin's beard," Hector breathed in awe.
"Professor, how long do you have to practice to be able to do that?"
"Well, it certainly takes more than just a little bit of practice. But I have no doubt you boys will manage it eventually."
"Professor, what kind of flower is that?" Anthony asked, pointing.
"That is a Honking Daffodil."
"Professor, does the school have a Venomous Tentacula?"
"We do. But of course, you won't be handling that until your later years."
"Professor, are Chinese Chomping Cabbages edible?"
"They are, but they aren't exactly tasty, Mr..."
"Professor..."
"Professor..."
"Professor..."
Twenty minutes later, the soil fully distributed into the pots, an exhausted Professor Sprout practically shoved the three boys out the door of Greenhouse Four.
"Professor, we can come back and help before our next class too!" Anthony offered brightly.
"I think... that won't be necessary, gentlemen," Professor Sprout said, her lips pressed into a tight, thin line.