"Huh?"
The Weasley twins were dumbfounded, and Lee Jordan and the others immediately burst into gloating laughter.
At that moment, a girl from Durmstrang raised her hand. She looked older than most of the others, with pale golden—almost white—hair, and delicate, beautiful features. She was the same girl from the Hog's Head Inn who had taken an interest in Lilith.
"Yes, do you have a question?" Edward asked.
The girl asked curiously, "Professor Edward...is the cat on your shoulder yours?"
Edward glanced sideways at Lilith and nodded. "That's right. Her name is Lilith."
"Can we play with her sometime?"
"Of course, but not right now."
"Sorry."
The girl quickly apologised and went on, "We heard that you're a third-year student at Hogwarts, but you don't really look like just a third-year."
"Well, that is a good question for those meeting me for the first time."
Edward smiled. "Yes, I am a third-year student. But you're right—I am older than most third-years. It's not because I was held back, or because I insisted on staying in third year. I simply started attending Hogwarts at an older age."
"Huh? But we've heard that young British wizards receive their Hogwarts letter at age eleven. Didn't you get one?"
"Evidently not."
He shrugged. "Either the owl delivering my letter got lost, or I somehow misplaced the letter without realising it. So, I missed the ideal age to start school."
"I see."
The girl nodded in realisation. "Then, why are you suddenly the Transfiguration professor…I mean, standing in for Professor McGonagall? From what we were told, in previous years you were pretty unknown and not particularly outstanding—then suddenly this year, you're out on all kinds of exchanges."
"Well, I'd like to know the answer to that myself. If you can get the truth out of Professor McGonagall, you must let me know! Believe me, I'd much rather be the one sitting down asking questions right now, not the one standing up here answering them."
Edward sighed. "Being a professor is really, really dull—especially when I'm not even a real professor."
The girl said with anticipation, "I heard that last week, during class, you demonstrated some very powerful Transfiguration magic. Could you show us something too? I've always loved Transfiguration."
"Yeah, please show us, Professor!"
"We're so curious!"
"Really, very curious."
A male student added seriously, "At Durmstrang, we focus more on the Dark Arts. We do learn Transfiguration, but the requirements aren't very high, and the teacher isn't exactly a master of the subject. We know Professor McGonagall is a renowned Transfiguration master here in Britain. So we believe her chosen substitute must be amazing too!"
Edward was genuinely a bit surprised. These Durmstrang students seemed to be speaking from sincere curiosity, not out of a desire to challenge or embarrass him.
He couldn't tell whether Karkaroff had deliberately brought over only the "well-behaved" students to Hogwarts, or if Durmstrang students were all just this "earnest and eager to learn."
The Weasley twins didn't care about any of that. They immediately began whistling and shouting: "Come on, Edward! You wowed everyone in Ravenclaw last time, and we weren't even there to see it!"
"Let us witness the magic too!"
"Yeah, show us the wonders of Transfiguration!"
Edward raised both hands, pressing them down lightly to quiet the room. "I have one condition: after my little demonstration, everyone here must write an essay of at least ten inches in length. Topic and content are up to you—deal?"
He paused and looked at the Durmstrang students. "That includes all of you."
After a brief murmuring among the students, the chorus of voices rang out: "Deal!"
"All right then!"
Edward grinned. Don't blame me for cheating, now.
"Engorgio! Flavido!"
The next second, everything in the classroom rapidly twisted and transformed—desks turned into vines, trees, and bushes, growing wildly in every direction.
In no time, birds perched on branches and began chirping, butterflies and bees flitted among flowers, and squirrels and rabbits darted through the underbrush.
In the blink of an eye, the classroom had become a lush, vibrant forest—completely at odds with the snowy winter landscape just outside the windows.
Everyone was dumbstruck.
They turned their heads, staring in awe at the transformation, wanting to express their amazement—but all that came out were animal calls.
Because those birds, butterflies, and all the small animals—were actually themselves!
Only Edward remained standing at the lectern, gently stroking Lilith on his shoulder with a faint, enigmatic smile on his face.
In truth, he was trying not to laugh too hard as he watched the hamster-ified Weasley twins frantically scampering away, being chased by Lee Jordan, who had turned into a bee.
———
At lunchtime, the Weasley twins—the school's loudest megaphones—enthusiastically recounted the morning's Transfiguration class in vivid detail. In their telling, Edward had already become a god of Transfiguration at Hogwarts.
Punching out Professor McGonagall and kicking Dumbledore? Child's play.
By the time Edward entered the Great Hall, he had become the centre of attention. If his last demonstration had merely shown Transfiguration's usefulness in battle, this time he had truly displayed its wonders.
In the end, Edward had no choice but to excuse himself to the restroom, change his appearance, and hide Lilith in his cloak just to eat his lunch in peace.
Soon, Audrey came over and sat down beside him. "Hey, Professor Edward—you're Hogwarts' celebrity now."
Edward looked helpless. "I regret everything."
It didn't surprise him that Audrey could recognise him—he was currently using Emlyn's appearance, though he had changed the eye colour to black.
"Heehee, I thought you didn't have even a shred of vanity like someone your age normally would."
"Well…I wouldn't call it vanity…okay, maybe just a tiny bit."
Edward rubbed his fingers together awkwardly.
"That's more like it! Most people, if they had half your talent, would already be strutting around with their tails up in the air, showing off everywhere they went." Audrey grinned, then asked, "So, what's your plan for this afternoon's Transfiguration class?"
"I've already asked Professor McGonagall for a leave of absence. Going out on fieldwork was part of the plan for my return this term. I was thinking of visiting a few other wizard-muggle mixed villages today. Want to come along?"
Audrey shook her head. "Nah. We've got Defence Against the Dark Arts combat training this afternoon. Professor Snape specifically told me not to skip it."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because the Durmstrang students are attending too. I think he's worried that if any of them step up to challenge us and we lose, it'll make Hogwarts look bad."
Edward raised his brows in surprise. "Seriously? The sixth and seventh-year prefects are all quite strong. If we're just comparing magical ability—excluding mystical powers—you might not even be able to beat them."
"Well, it turns out the top ones are either preparing for exams or have already left for internships."
"I see. Then tonight, our Miss Hall is going to shine again, huh?"
Audrey wrinkled her nose but said nothing.
Just then, a girl came running over and shoved a letter into Edward's hands before immediately dashing away.
Both of them were stunned for a moment.
Even without opening it, just from the heart doodle on the envelope, it was obvious—it was a love letter.
"Oooh, someone's sending love letters to Professor Edward now~" Audrey said teasingly in a sing-song voice.
Edward looked exasperated. "Honestly, this love letter is probably aimed at Emlyn's face, not mine."
Well, Emlyn would never have guessed that, despite being someone who loved dolls more than real people, he'd end up receiving a love letter in another world!
Edward sighed dramatically. "See? Compared to looks, talent and ability don't count for much! I've become the 'God of Transfiguration' at Hogwarts, and all I get is curiosity and amazement—like some exotic animal on display at the zoo."
"Not a single love letter!"
"But after turning into Emlyn for just twenty minutes—bam, one arrives."
He rested his chin on his hand and looked at Audrey. "Be honest with me. Am I really that plain-looking?"
Audrey smiled sweetly and patted his head. "Don't worry. Even if you are, it doesn't matter. You've got me, haven't you?"
Truth be told, Edward wasn't bad-looking at all—he just fell short when compared to someone like the ridiculously handsome Emlyn.
As soon as she said it, a faint blush crept onto Audrey's cheeks, but she quickly covered it up with a nonchalant expression. "Your onee-chan will never abandon you!"
Clearing her throat, she quickly stood up and walked away.
Edward looked at the love letter, thought for a moment, then gently tossed it into the air. The paper folded into a delicate crane and fluttered back toward the girl who had given it to him. Then, he swiftly left the scene—he was definitely not using Emlyn's face again!
———
Ottery St. Catchpole, nestled along the River Otter in Devon, was a quiet, scenic village. Nearby stood a beautiful mountain called Whitecombe Hill. This was one of the many wizard–muggle mixed communities across Britain.
But in the world of Harry Potter, this village held special meaning—it was home to the Burrow, the eccentric and beloved home of the Weasley family, located just south of the village.
The Burrow wasn't just the home of one of the trio, Ron Weasley—it also played a vital role in the story, later becoming a headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix.
Unfortunately, due to the time of year, Edward couldn't enjoy the village in all its picturesque beauty. The village, the mountain, and the meadows beyond were all buried under a thick layer of snow.
It was beautiful, sure—but after visiting so many similarly snow-covered locations, the novelty had worn off a bit.
Still, Edward wasn't here just to sightsee. He strolled through Ottery St. Catchpole, documenting the architecture and aspects of local life, before settling down in a pub to ask around about customs, superstitions, and old legends.
As with many such mixed communities, despite wizards trying to keep muggles unaware of the magical world, over the years, numerous tales had still managed to survive.
The patrons recounted these stories with dramatic flair, as though they had witnessed them firsthand—until it became clear they were merely retelling tales their grandfathers had once told them.
Edward didn't mind in the slightest. He recorded them all diligently in his notebook. Lilith curled up in his arms, occasionally poking her little head out to glance around, then yawning in boredom and tucking herself back in to nap.
"Edward, next time you go out, could you leave Miss Lilith at Hogwarts?"
"Why?"
"I think it's too boring for Susie to be left alone at Hogwarts all the time."
"Oh? Using someone else as a scapegoat now, are we?"
She blinked her big eyes innocently. "Nooo~"
"Alright, if you don't want to come with me next time, you can just say so."
She immediately rubbed her head against Edward's chin. "It's not that I don't want to! It's just that whenever you're talking to people, Miss Lilith can't understand a word and gets dizzy."
"Hmm…I suppose I didn't think that through."
After nearly three hours of interviews and over a dozen responses, Edward had finally pieced together a fairly complete picture of the area. He finished the warm drink in his cup and was about to head off to check out the Burrow when a middle-aged man approached.
The man wore a lemon-yellow robe, had a head of fluffy white hair like cotton candy, and a thick gold chain around his neck.
"Well now, lad, you don't look like a regular fellow, do you?"
———
[Note]: Enjoy the Extra Chapter~ 300 Powerstones for another one tomorrow. Go VOTE!
And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Thank me later~
Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]