Chapter 237. Transfiguration.
Hogwarts.
In the classroom, where nearly every seat was taken by tense young wizards, a deathly silence reigned. Each student pored over their exam ticket while McGonagall surveyed them coldly. Though she appeared as reserved as ever, she felt a flicker of irritation whenever her gaze landed on one particular young man. Severus was fast asleep; only the absence of snoring kept the scene from being complete. The Gryffindor beside him tried to edge away, inwardly cursing the idiot, for McGonagall's unblinking scrutiny made it impossible to concentrate.
Severus dozed on, a satisfied smile on his face. He had finished the written portion and was waiting for the oral, having spent the last two days without sleep on a project to maximize his house's safety. He had just completed the first phase, pouring all his mental energy and more than two days of effort into it.
That same evening, after his date ended and he was enjoying his revenge, Shafiq had reached out to report that he had gathered nearly all the necessary materials and asked when and where to deliver them. Severus was thrilled. He joined Shafiq at once, though not before leaving the crystal behind to continue recording Bellatrix's ongoing torture.
The materials were just enough to lay the foundation for the artifact that would hide his house from prying eyes and prevent the events of that vision from coming to pass. More materials were needed: materials whose existence in this world he somewhat doubted. But magic could accomplish almost anything, so Severus kept searching and enlisted the Black Star's help as well. He began looking for the closest analogues in this world himself, even though he would have to slightly revise the charms and runes afterward. He had no choice.
Still, he hoped to find the required materials here. Rebuilding such an artifact, even with his skills, was grueling work that could stretch on for months or years depending on its complexity, and he wanted to avoid extensive modifications.
All of this had left Severus a little overtired. Normally he could work nonstop for days, but he had decided to test the artifact Rowena had given him, one that tripled concentration and mental speed. Those one and a half days had effectively become four and a half, and the accumulated strain hit him all at once. The fact that he was still upright was a miracle.
Yet he had to admit the artifact was far more effective than expected. He didn't regret using it; he had anticipated something like this, if not quite so intense. It wasn't his first time with such a device: twice in his youth under ihiros's supervision, and once a year before his death, when he'd taken it from a dark wizard's corpse.
That was why Severus slept through the Transfiguration exam, clutching the crystal that was recording his revenge and rewatching it with a smile as he savored Bellatrix's torment. He had to admit, Narcissa knew exactly where to strike to provoke the strongest reaction.
Thus he slept until the exam ended. A good number of Gryffindors watched with malicious glee; they all knew McGonagall couldn't abide such disrespect. Others glanced at him with concern: three girls, two from Gryffindor and one from Slytherin, and the two half-blood brothers from the same house.
"Well then, the exam is over," Minerva called out coldly. With a sweeping arc of her wand, the parchments, quills, inkwells, and exam questions vanished from every desk. "We now proceed to the oral and practical portion. Severus, since you managed to rest so well and finished the written portion first, please step forward. Tell me about Evanesco: what sort of spell is it, who created it, and then demonstrate it."
"Professor, please be a little more lenient. Perhaps the young man was busy with something very important." The Ministry observer, an elderly man with dark hair and thick eyebrows, spoke up in Severus's defense with a good-natured expression.
"Mm… I beg your pardon." Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Severus rose and approached the teacher's desk. "I was working on improving an invigorating potion meant to provide energy for at least three days with no side effects aside from drowsiness."
"And by the look of you, it succeeded?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow, though her earlier irritation had subsided slightly. It was one thing to laze about, but quite another to improve a potion she herself wouldn't mind purchasing.
"I wouldn't say so." Severus shook his head sadly. "It only lasts a little over two days, and the drowsiness is worse than expected," he added with an embarrassed air. "As for the spell, it was created six centuries ago by Leon Pitts. When cast on a living or inanimate object, the target vanishes. One can strengthen the effect by specifying exactly what should disappear. For instance, if we add Vipero and cast it on a serpent, neither a weak-willed wizard nor a strong desire to bite will prevent the serpent from vanishing."
He lowered his gaze to the matchbox on the desk beside the statuette. He took a match, set it down, and aimed his wand.
"Per Evanesco."
The match vanished instantly, leaving only a dark wisp of smoke.
When cast on an inanimate object, the specification allows the caster to expend far less mental and magical energy, and to use the spell on larger objects.
"Very well. Demonstrate the animating charms on this Hungarian Horntail statuette." She pointed at it, her face indifferent, though approval flickered in her eyes. "Yes. Draconifors."
For the next ten minutes, Severus rattled off spells one after another, covering half the sixth- and seventh-year Transfiguration curriculum. Only then did McGonagall halt the interrogation and award him twelve points.
He remained perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened. The other students gasped at the sheer number of spells she had demanded. Even the Ministry observer looked surprised, to put it mildly; not even he had been put through such an ordeal in his day. Yet the fact that Severus had answered every question and demonstrated every spell without a single stumble earned him genuine respect from nearly everyone present, Gryffindors included.
Afterward, looking just as sleepy, Severus headed for the exit, ignoring the stares. He thought only of sleep. *Damn it, why had he decided to use that artifact without any preparation?* Still, at least he had finished that part of the work. He could only hope they would find the remaining materials so he wouldn't have to improvise.
Once outside the classroom, a house-elf appeared and silently transported him to his room.
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Until Friday, Severus continued working on the ritual while taking his exams, none of which gave him any real trouble. The students, however, finally noticed that he was showing up for every single one.
It began on Tuesday, when he arrived for Herbology, his eighth exam, and earned another Outstanding. He immediately headed to the third floor, where the Care of Magical Creatures exam was underway. Many were stunned; others began to suspect what he was aiming for and started watching him far more closely. The last person to come close to breaking Merlin's record had been Armando Dippet, who had taken the same subjects but ultimately fell short with nine Outstandings and two Exceeds Expectations.
By Tuesday, when he earned his ninth Outstanding, tying the former headmaster, nearly every student was talking about him. Some even set up betting pools on whether Severus could surpass Merlin. Unsurprisingly, most bet against it, except for nearly the entire seventh year. They knew the teachers' favorite student in Ancient Runes and History of Magic well, and had already privately proclaimed him The One Who Surpassed Merlin. They almost unanimously decided to keep this quiet. After all, who wouldn't want to earn an extra couple dozen Galleons?
Wednesday came as a genuine shock to the first- through sixth-year students. The tenth exam, Ancient Runes, earned him twelve points, meaning he had caught up with Merlin himself, one of the greatest wizards of the millennium. Even if Severus scored only Exceeds Expectations on the next exam, he would still surpass Merlin in total points. After all, Merlin had only managed eleven in both Potions and Transfiguration, favoring quantity over quality.
Many students immediately tried to cancel their bets and reclaim their Galleons, but the seventh-years refused, backing the classmates who ran the pools.
Thursday drove the final nail into the coffin. Severus received his eleventh Outstanding, officially breaking the record Merlin had set centuries ago. The final Charms exam on Friday now seemed almost meaningless. Every student from first to sixth year, except the Slytherins, who had been warned by their older housemates, began blaming Severus for everything. It was far easier to pin their losses on one person than on an entire crowd.
The twelfth exam earned him another Outstanding but went largely unnoticed, except by the Slytherins, who decided to celebrate their house's superiority. Yet another genius on Merlin's level had emerged from their ranks, a name that would be forever recorded in history and enshrined in the trophy room of the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, once again confirming Slytherin's dominance over the rest.
Such recognition meant little to Severus himself, but under pressure from Layla and Regulus, he joined the celebration anyway. Even Slughorn grew generous, allowing them to stay up an hour later than usual.
And so the exams ended. Only one task remained: the thesis defense, set for Monday in the Great Hall. All the teachers, students, and chief observers from the Ministry of Magic would be present, elderly wizards whose ages rivaled even Dumbledore's.
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