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Under normal circumstances, if Hodge had come across this passage in the library, he'd have flipped the page without a second thought. But in this setting, the words didn't feel dull. Instead, they stirred a quiet calm within him.
He recalled his visit to Ollivander's Wand Shop. Stepping into that cramped little store, he'd felt a similar serene, almost sacred magical atmosphere, nearly identical to what he was experiencing now. The difference was that Ollivander's awe came from thousands of narrow wand boxes stacked high, the first glimpse like opening an ancient tome chronicling countless histories.
Hodge glanced at the alcove where moonlight traced the outline of Rowena Ravenclaw's statue. She stood there, silent and still.
Then a loud, boisterous boy's voice broke the quiet.
"My turn? Thanks, Owen," he said, clearly familiar with the other student.
Owen elbowed him. "Shut it, Shackle."
"Ow! Cough—Anyway, I found some of Adalbert Waffling's essays in the library's collection. In case you lot didn't know, his name's on the cover of Magical Theory as the author. Though I bet none of you have actually read the whole thing."
Hodge knew the book. He'd skimmed it just a few days ago. It was a first-year textbook, dry as dust, stuffed with long-winded explanations about how charms worked. Professor Flitwick occasionally had them pull it out to highlight key sentences.
"He was a big deal last century, widely regarded as a brilliant magical theorist," Shackle went on. "Adalbert Waffling stopped writing books in his later years. After uhh… after he died, his family found these manuscripts in a locked chest. Some got published, others were donated to the school library. Honestly, back then, people didn't pay much attention to them—and they still don't. Most folks thought he'd lost it by then."
"But isn't the point of our little gathering to dig up fresh, interesting ideas? Some of his points are pretty intriguing."
He cleared his throat and read aloud: "Magic has a mind of its own. But its thoughts are too small, shallow, and chaotic to stand alone—they rely on a wizard's will to permeate every facet of spellcasting. Oh, he uses Transfiguration as an example, and it's quite different from mainstream views, even from his own earlier ideas. He argues that Transfiguration isn't a discipline, not even a specific kind of magic. Yes, Transfiguration can showcase the wonders of many spells… but it's more like a training method. This makes… well, his later views on Transfiguration a bit extreme." He set the manuscript down, looking at the group.
"What's that supposed to mean?" a student asked.
"Adalbert Waffling publicly called for abolishing Transfiguration as a subject," Penelope Clearwater said, her voice husky from a spell she'd cast. "That's probably why people thought he was too radical."
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
"Cancel Transfiguration? Professor McGonagall would have a fit."
"I bet that's why he went into hiding in his later years," Shackle quipped. "To avoid getting hexed by Transfiguration fanatics. Any of those among us?"
"It's not exactly abolishing," Shackle clarified. "In another manuscript, he tries to, er, discuss the essence of magic. There's this bit: Every theory about Transfiguration emphasizes one thing—how to make a wizard's magic better permeate the target of transformation. So, at its core, Transfiguration is about infusing a wizard's willful magic into an object to flexibly alter its form."
"And then he says something really cryptic: The theory of Transfiguration shouldn't be confined to Transfiguration alone."
Shackle shrugged. "So, it seems Waffling still valued Transfiguration. Maybe he just wanted to rename the class something like 'General Magic Studies' or whatever."
Owen frowned, repeating, "The theory of Transfiguration shouldn't be confined to Transfiguration?"
"Wait, Professor Flitwick's said something similar," Hodge piped up, speaking for the first time at the gathering. "Not as academic as the manuscript, but he said charms aren't rigid. Even the same spell can have different effects depending on who's casting it."
"Oh, I know you—Bombarda boy," Shackle said with a grin. Hodge's face darkened, but Shackle pressed on, musing, "So, Waffling wanted people to take Transfiguration seriously and suggested scrapping the subject? Sounds like he was losing it. No wonder people thought he was off his rocker."
Penelope, dropping her disguised voice, mused, "What if he thought some part of Transfiguration was so crucial that it should be split off, taught separately, and applied elsewhere to benefit more people?"
"Like what?" a student asked, intrigued.
"Magical education for beginners," Terry blurted out. All eyes turned to him, expecting a solid explanation. Terry stammered, sounding oddly like Quirrell. "I-I mean, b-besides basic training, n-not everyone needs it."
The group debated the idea for a while but reached no real conclusions—hardly surprising. If anyone had definitive proof, they'd be handed a Merlin Award on the spot.
Still, Hodge could tell the gathering wasn't about unearthing groundbreaking magical theories. It was more like a book club, with everyone sharing something they'd recently found fascinating.
Sure enough, the conversation veered to other esoteric topics, far beyond a first-year's grasp. Before long, Terry's eyelids started drooping.
Hodge tuned out, staring at the flickering candle by his feet, lost in thought.
In his later years, Waffling believed Transfiguration wasn't a magical discipline but something else entirely. The idea was shocking, no wonder it baffled people. But Terry's comment sparked something in Hodge—like he said, only basic magical education was universal, making it seem more vital than just another Transfiguration class.
Hodge tried connecting Transfiguration to early wizarding education.
It was a tough leap. Transfiguration was widely regarded as Hogwarts' most complex and dangerous subject. It was unpredictable, not something you could master by chanting a few incantations. It demanded total focus.
But once you got the hang of it, you could cast almost at will. Well, except for Professor McGonagall—everyone else was miles off that level. Wait… casting at will…
Maybe that was what Waffling was after? Hodge's heart raced with sudden excitement.
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