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    Chapter 31: Magic is Andy’s Dream

    Hearing the explosion, Andy didn’t react as dramatically as he did in the last class. He calmly turned his head to see Seamus with his wand in hand, frozen in place, a wisp of black smoke still lingering on the table in front of him.

    Seamus, you are quite the talent!

    This wasn’t Andy being sarcastic. From an academic perspective, Seamus’s situation was indeed very special. The reason for the explosion during Seamus’s spellcasting might be due to unstable magic, perhaps excessive eagerness during the incantation, or maybe he simply enjoyed explosions, thereby affecting his magic. Each of these possibilities was worthy of study.

    Unfortunately, Andy and Seamus weren’t even acquaintances, so it wasn’t appropriate to inquire about Seamus’s psychological state. Andy glanced at Professor McGonagall.

    Professor McGonagall sternly reprimanded Seamus before replacing his burnt match. Andy thought to himself, “Apparently, in Professor McGonagall’s eyes, Seamus’s situation isn’t that unusual.”

    Professor McGonagall had been teaching for decades and was considered very experienced. Since she didn’t dwell on Seamus’s incident, did that mean such occurrences were commonplace in the magical world?

    Andy looked away, suppressing the urge to dissect Seamus. After all, Azkaban wasn’t exactly a respectable academy.

    Until the end of class, Andy kept a close watch on Seamus. After the exploding spell and Professor McGonagall’s scolding, Seamus seemed deflated. He appeared hesitant to cast spells, only making perfunctory gestures with his wand when Professor McGonagall’s gaze fell upon him.

    Furthermore, during this lesson, Andy noticed two interesting phenomena—Ron and Neville. Both of them were using old, second-hand wands.

    Although a single class period didn’t allow for extensive observation, Andy keenly noticed that Ron and Neville’s spellcasting was far from smooth. Neville, in particular, seemed only slightly better than a Squib (a person born without magical abilities). Their lack of confidence was further exacerbated by their clumsy spellcasting.

    Andy could practically see their future! In this vicious cycle, they were destined to be at the very bottom of the magical world as adults.

    However, that wasn’t the case. Andy had only seen the first *Harry Potter* movie, but he was familiar with Ron and Neville. They were important supporting characters, their futures couldn’t be so ordinary.

    “But why?” Andy analyzed silently.

    He also couldn’t understand why the Sorting Hat placed Neville in Gryffindor. Ron had already proven himself in the chess game scene in the movie—he possessed the courage to sacrifice himself for justice. But what about Neville?

    Andy frowned. If the Sorting Hat never made mistakes, did it place Neville in Gryffindor hoping that the courage associated with Gryffindor would influence Neville and help him regain confidence?

    The more Andy researched magic, the more he realized that numerous factors could affect the success rate of spellcasting, with a positive mindset being paramount. Increasingly, examples proved that Andy’s research direction was correct.

    Mind and magic were inextricably linked!

    At 3:20 PM, Transfiguration ended. Andy and Hermione headed towards the abandoned classroom on the sixth floor. Andy glanced at Hermione with a puzzled expression; she seemed unhappy.

    “What’s wrong?” Andy asked, raising an eyebrow.

    “Nothing,” Hermione said. “I just feel like I’m lagging behind.” Despite successfully altering the match in Transfiguration class—progressing far beyond her peers—she remained dissatisfied.

    Andy chuckled, “I practiced magic for over a month at home before school. Your talent surpasses other young witches and wizards by far.”

    However, these words didn’t comfort Hermione at all. When Hermione felt she was “lagging behind,” Andy witnessed the true meaning of relentless dedication.

    For three consecutive days, Hermione was either practicing magic in the abandoned classroom or buried in books at the library. After the library closed, she would study in the Ravenclaw common room until late at night. She sacrificed all her leisure time, working even harder than Andy had during his final year of high school in his previous life.

    Of course, Hermione’s intense studying also influenced Andy. Andy’s fascination with magic was unparalleled, something no one in this world could comprehend, not even Hermione. Although Hermione came from the Muggle world without magic, she had been exposed to magic since she was eleven; her fundamental worldview hadn’t fully formed yet.

    Andy, however, grew up in a world without magic. His ordinary life often fueled fantasies about mystical powers. Now, magic was Andy’s dream!

    Studying alone could become tedious over time. But having someone to study with alleviated the monotony. Especially since both Andy and Hermione were avid learners; studying wasn’t tedious but enjoyable. Two people meant double the joy.

    Regardless, a little girl was far more pleasant to be around than the three obnoxious boys in their dormitory. Andy was tired of dealing with them. No adult would befriend children, but this was an exception with Hermione.

    Saturday morning, Andy and Hermione were eating breakfast in the Great Hall.

    *Hoo-hoo!*

    A flock of owls flew into the Great Hall through the windows, soaring over the long tables, dropping parcels onto the laps of their intended recipients.

    “Why do I have one?” Andy received a letter that had fallen from the air, slightly bewildered. He’d received mail from home on Wednesday and hadn’t written home or shopped in Diagon Alley since.

    “Did you forget?”

    Hermione stealthily glanced around, leaning towards Andy and whispering, “Maybe it’s Malfoy.”

    Right! He’d been too engrossed in his studies. Andy opened the unmarked envelope; the handwriting was unmistakably Malfoy’s.

    As Andy opened the letter, Hermione abruptly stood, scanning the surroundings and pretending to act as a lookout. This startled Andy, who quickly pulled her back.

    “Idiot! You’re being so secretive that even a fool would know we’re hiding something.”

    Andy calmly read the letter, instructing, “Eat! Just like normal. Don’t look around. It’s just a regular letter.”

    (End of Chapter)

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