Chapter 321 — Transfiguration Class and Pranks
At this moment, Hermione was no longer in Harry's field of vision. Or rather, his vision had become blurred.
The salty, bloody taste spread through his mouth, like eating a rare steak. Poisonous fangs pierced through blood vessels, sucking out the wonderful blood—the taste of life itself.
How delicious and wonderful!
Even though the smell of raw fish was overwhelming, Harry didn't feel uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, he felt extremely satisfied.
Hermione noticed Harry's unusual behavior and quickly took several steps back to create some distance, hoping to decisively and thoroughly defeat him.
Having lost his mind, he couldn't even use magic anymore, and he had completely lost his wand. This might make him somewhat easier to deal with.
"Expelliarmus!"
Seeing that the situation was serious, Hermione immediately struck first.
The red spell shone brightly in the dim room, and its powerful impact knocked Harry to the ground.
But almost instantly, Harry struggled back to his feet.
Completely unharmed.
The spell had merely grazed him.
Moreover, Hermione had made a mistake in her panic.
Harry was unarmed at that moment.
Stupefy should have been used.
Feeling uneasy, Hermione glanced toward the door and made up her mind to leave quickly and seek help from the teachers.
But then she looked at Harry again and suddenly stopped.
Harry's clear eyes had returned.
His emerald-green eyes behind his glasses were filled with confusion.
"I'm sorry," Harry said apologetically.
His eyes were glazed over, and the bloodthirsty red glow that had appeared moments earlier was gone.
It had all been like a dream, and his memories were extremely vague.
He seemed to have been tearing someone apart?
No.
Perhaps he had been giving orders to something.
"Okay. We should go to class."
Hermione was slightly out of breath. Although she had appeared calm, she had actually been extremely nervous.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked Hermione.
"No." Hermione shook her head, but she was more concerned about Harry's condition.
"Let's go to class first."
She estimated the time.
The afternoon classes were about to begin.
Harry would also be safer in the presence of several professors. If he suddenly went berserk, they would be able to restrain him. After class, she could also take him to Madam Pomfrey and ask her about his condition.
That afternoon, they had Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class and Professor Flitwick's Charms class.
Both Flitwick and Professor McGonagall repeatedly emphasized in class that they were now in fifth year and that they needed to take their Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations.
The results of these examinations would affect their future prospects and were extremely important to every fifth-year student.
To become an Auror, one needed to take five subjects: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, and Herbology, with at least an acceptable grade in all of them.
To enter the relevant departments of the Ministry of Magic, students likewise needed to meet the corresponding requirements.
For example, anyone seeking a position that involved dealing with Muggles would naturally need to achieve a high grade in Muggle Studies.
To enter the Department of Mysteries, one would need to delve into subjects such as mysticism and prophecy.
Those pursuing careers involving magical creatures would need an excellent grade in Care of Magical Creatures.
And so on.
The difficulty of the spells taught in class began increasing exponentially.
Almost everyone was stumped by Professor McGonagall's assignments.
The Vanishing Spell was an advanced application of Transfiguration, requiring considerable skill and talent.
The students were completely at a loss when faced with the experimental snails.
Hermione, however, seemed to handle them with ease.
After only three attempts, she successfully made her snail disappear.
The other students looked utterly helpless.
Notably, Neville waved his wand and made the snail's shell disappear, earning him an approving glance from Professor McGonagall.
As for Ron, he looked as though he were already dead.
He was drowsy, his head resting on the desk like a pig's head waiting to be slaughtered on a chopping board.
Even Professor McGonagall's usually serious lectures had become unbearable for him, and his eyes were inexplicably vacant.
It seemed Mad-Eye Moody had "tortured" him quite thoroughly.
Harry looked toward Professor McGonagall at the front of the classroom, intending to wake Ron up, but Hermione stopped him.
"Let him rest for a while. I bet Professor McGonagall will call him out again soon."
She shrugged helplessly.
"There's no point in waking him now. We might as well let him sleep a little longer."
Hermione, who was disliked by the "prophet" Trelawney, had a history of making accurate predictions.
"Mr. Weasley, is my class really that boring? Or have you already mastered the Vanishing Spell?"
Professor McGonagall's voice rang in Ron's ears.
Her hands were on her hips, and her tone was indifferent.
Ron hurriedly stood up, staring at her with sleepy eyes. His exhausted body was still swaying from side to side.
"Please demonstrate the use of the Vanishing Spell for us now," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
Her dark eyebrows were drawn tightly together, making her look like an eagle.
Ron shakily aimed his wand at the snail.
"Disappear without a trace!" he shouted.
Even the incantation had been whispered to him by Hermione from behind.
With a bang, flames erupted from the snail's body, instantly reducing it to ashes.
The flames leapt high into the air, forcing Professor McGonagall to take several steps backward. Smoke blackened her wrinkled face.
"Er... first, I'll give you a compliment. Your fire spell was quite good. You simply used it for the wrong purpose."
"Also, Mr. Weasley, you may have some extra homework."
"Finally, Gryffindor, ten points will be deducted. Sleeping is not permitted in my class."
Professor McGonagall straightened her singed hair and expressionlessly walked back toward the podium.
"He's so pitiful," Harry said sympathetically.
"This is a good thing for him. With power comes responsibility."
Hermione nodded.
After the students practiced for a while, Professor McGonagall assigned their homework and dismissed the class.
Ron returned to the Gryffindor common room like a zombie.
Hermione and Harry followed closely behind, worried that he might collapse in the corridor.
As soon as they reached the common room, Ron collapsed onto the sofa and fell into a deep sleep.
"It looks like our little brother has suffered quite a bit," George said cheerfully.
"Maybe two times? Or more?" Fred pondered, stroking his chin.
"As his older brothers, we should help him out."
The Weasley twins had been working on something in the common room when they saw Ron return.
They were immediately intrigued and approached their younger brother, who was sprawled across the sofa.
"Don't play pranks on him. He's quite pitiful right now."
Hermione sighed.