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Chapter 4
Differences in Subject Difficulty
“Huh?
Why is it Hermione?
What a coincidence?”
On the train, Xien’s voice mixed with the rushing wind.
Outside the window, the wide plains had disappeared at some point. The sunlight became scattered—turns out the train had entered a yew forest.
Hermione’s ears slowly turned red. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her mind went blank.
This only made Xien more confused.
“Oh! She just said that you can actually do Transfiguration. That’s incredible!”
A voice suddenly cut in—it was Justin. He quickly spoke in Hermione’s place.
He pointed at the silver needle on the table, drawing both Xien and Hermione’s attention to it.
“How did you do it? Hermione said this is a very difficult spell.”
After saying that, he felt a little uneasy, silently hoping the young wizard in front of him wouldn’t take offense.
“The spell is Transfiguration. The pause is between ‘Trans’ and ‘figura,’
the stress is on ‘fi’… More importantly, when you wave your wand from left to right, the movement must be quick—don’t hesitate.”
Xien reviewed his practice process, picking out the key points. This was his usual way of learning.
“And of course, you need to clearly imagine what you want the object to become. You can find that on page five of A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration.”
Soon, the train left the yew forest. The compartment brightened again, and the sunlight made Xien’s green eyes look like emeralds.
“So my failure was because I hesitated… I mean, nice to meet you.
You might not have heard my introduction earlier—I’d be happy to say it again. I’m Justin. Justin Finch-Fletchley.”
After hearing Xien’s explanation, Justin let out a sigh of relief.
“Hermione Granger.”
There was still a blush on Hermione’s face, but her voice was firm.
“Xien Green.”
Xien felt Hermione was acting a bit strange, but he didn’t dwell on it.
He had something more important to focus on.
Inside the compartment, Xien appeared to be flipping through A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration, but in reality, his gaze had shifted to the proficiency panel.
Let me see… what level of Transfiguration genius am I?
His eyes slowly moved downward. Xien admitted he was nervous—
even more nervous than pulling gacha in his previous life… a hundred times more.
Power in games was fake.
But this was real—this was talent that would shape his future.
[Title: Transfiguration Apprentice]
[Slightly increases perception and talent in Transfiguration]
As expected, Xien held his breath and kept reading.
[Wizard Xien, Transfiguration Talent: Light Purple (enhanced by the title)]
[Note: An average wizard is Green]
[Evaluation: You are a true genius in the branch of Transfiguration. With proper guidance, you will become an influential master in this field.]
Purple—epic?!
I’m really a Transfiguration genius?!
Xien felt like someone was beating drums in his ears,
like a celebration song was playing.
Once you’ve experienced being “white trash,” you learn to cherish “purple epic” even more.
With guidance… I can become a Transfiguration master…
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Xien decided that for the next seven years, he would stay firmly at Hogwarts.
At the same time, to achieve this goal, he began thinking carefully:
The difference between his Transfiguration talent and his Charm talent proved something—
In the world of Harry Potter, magical talent is not universal. Different wizards have different strengths.
For example, Neville—average in most subjects, but outstanding in Herbology.
For example, Hermione—excellent in most branches of magic, but weaker than Harry in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and terrible at Divination.
And if Xien wanted to get top grades in all seven subjects, he would have to work harder in the ones he wasn’t good at.
At Hogwarts, the difficulty of different subjects also varies.
It’s not just about the subjects themselves—the professors play a crucial role.
Just like in university, the knowledge is all there, but whether you enjoy learning or pass easily depends on the professor.
Following this logic:
The hardest core subject should be Potions.
Not only because of Professor Snape, but also because the material is detailed and extensive.
There are dangerous experimental elements, and every class requires submitting a potion as the result, along with long essays.
Just thinking of Snape’s gloomy face made Xien’s heart sink.
Getting top marks in Potions under Snape would not be easy.
I can only hope I have at least some talent in Potions…
Even a little is enough.
Next, Xien believed the second most difficult subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts.
High danger level. Unpredictable teachers.
Two-faced people are not exactly common.
Another difficult subject…
Xien rubbed his forehead, his gaze becoming sharper.
Nothing can stop me from studying. Not even Voldemort!
With a rough plan forming in his mind, Xien continued thinking.
Next, considering all factors, the third tier of difficulty would be Herbology, Transfiguration, and Charms.
All of these subjects require talent.
As for the last tier, it would be History of Magic and Astronomy—subjects that rely on memorizing specific knowledge.
But for Xien, these weren’t particularly difficult.
“Transfiguration and Charms… my current level should be enough.
Astronomy and History of Magic… just memorization, nothing special.
So the real challenges are Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology.”
Just as Xien was figuring out how to execute his plan, the noise outside the compartment had been going on for quite a while.
From time to time, he could hear words like “Harry,” “Harry Potter,” and “Merlin.”
Then, suddenly, there was a loud bang.
Disturbed, Xien slowly raised his head—and once again met Justin and Hermione’s gaze.
Justin quickly lowered his head, pretending nothing had happened.
“Xien, look—it’s the Levitation Charm. Amazing!”
Following his gaze, Xien saw a feather floating in the air above Hermione’s wand.
The girl lifted her chin slightly.
“Actually, this is just a simple spell. I learned it from Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1. It’s not very difficult—I mastered it after practicing a few times.”
Her voice carried a hint of pride.
Xien, who had practiced it five hundred times, thought: Not exactly.
“Justin, you should try it too. It’s just a simple spell. The book says it’s often one of the first spells young wizards learn.”
Hermione spoke seriously as she looked at Justin, who was eager to try.
“You’ll have to guide me.”
Justin didn’t refuse. With excitement, he waved his wand.
“Wingardium Leviosa!”
The feather didn’t move.
“You need to flick your wrist.”
Hermione corrected him.
“Wingardium Leviosa!”
The feather trembled slightly.
“You’re still wrong! You need to speak firmly—any hesitation will cause failure!”
Hermione instructed more strictly, while Justin became even more focused.
“Wingardium Leviosa!”
…
“It worked! That’s great! Hermione, you’re an excellent teacher!”
Justin was extremely excited after succeeding, and he sincerely thanked her.
“You’re right—it really doesn’t seem that difficult!”
