[Black Walnut, Boggart, 12 inches]
[Status: Perfect]
[Properties:
Transfiguration: General Transfiguration Spells 25%, Human Transfiguration 35%.
Fear: 5% chance to trigger a Fear Hex with any spell cast, forcing the opponent to see their deepest fear.]
Just as he expected—wand cores made from Boggarts were perfectly suited for Transfiguration-focused wands!
Harold's eyes glead as he admired the wand freshly completed in his hand. With a casual flick, the empty bed beside him instantly transford into a snarling dragon, massive enough to fill the entire dormitory.
Up close, each of its scales was vivid and lifelike—so real it looked like it might breathe fire at any mont.
Another flick, and the dragon turned into a unicorn radiating holy light.
Double transformation—an advanced technique taught in seventh year, second only to becoming an Animagus.
Harold knew how to do it, but up until now he'd only practiced on smaller things—like turning slippers into rabbits, then into turtles. He'd never attempted anything on this scale before.
Surprisingly, it went off without a hitch. Smooth and effortless, as if he'd done it a hundred tis. But Harold knew clearly—this was his first ti transforming sothing so large.
Next, he tried human transfiguration—turning his own arm into a wing. Again, flawless. Every feather was perfectly ford. The only thing missing was actual flight—due to his own limitations, not the spell's.
"What an amazing wand," Harold muttered, changing his arm back and sealing the wand's end with a strip of golden tape.
Only after finishing all this did he leave the dormitory, fully satisfied.
Outside, the sky had gone completely dark.
"There you are, finally!" called several voices from near the fireplace.
It was Harry, Fred, George, and a few others—including Oliver Wood and Angelina Johnson, mbers of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
It looked like they'd just finished a team eting, probably planning sothing for the upcoming season.
"Planning this year's victory celebration already?" Harold teased as he walked over with a grin.
"We haven't even had our first match yet! Bit early for that, don't you think?" said Oliver modestly, waving a hand.
But the way the corners of his mouth curled upward betrayed how close he was to breaking into a grin.
Hogwarts had won the House Cup two years in a row—if they won again this year, it would be a three-peat. Just thinking about it made Oliver want to laugh in his sleep.
"Harry, you said you wanted to talk to ?" Harold turned to Harry. "If it's not urgent, I'd rather do it after I get back."
"Where are you going?"
"To the kitchens," Harold said. "I'm starving. Hopefully there's still food left."
He had run straight to his dorm after class, and with the ti spent crafting the wand, he'd completely missed dinner.
"Of course there is," Fred said confidently.
"No doubt," George added. "Any ti you visit the kitchens, you co back with a feast."
"The house-elves are way too enthusiastic."
"Maybe too enthusiastic."
"They won't let you leave unless your pockets are stuffed with snacks."
"Perfect," Harold nodded.
Harry opened his mouth again, but Fred and George had already flanked Harold.
"Co to think of it, it's been ages since we last visited the kitchens."
"And we've got free ti now—let's go together!"
With that, the twins herded Harold out of the common room.
When they returned, they brought back cakes, cookies, roast at—so much food the three of them couldn't possibly finish it all. Before long, the Gryffindor common room had transford into an impromptu feast.
No one knew what they were celebrating—but everyone seed to be having a good ti.
"Right, what was it you wanted to say earlier?" Harold found Harry in the crowd, biting into a roast leg of beef.
"Oh, nothing really," said Harry, handing him a brown paper bag. "I brought you so dinner, but I guess that's pointless now."
Inside were a few fried drumsticks, so bread, and a small pile of boiled potatoes.
"Ah! I knew I forgot sothing," Harold said, pulling out a potato and taking a bite.
"In Hogwarts, a dinner without boiled potatoes is like Europe without Nurngard—soulless."
"Nurngard?" Harry blinked. "What's that? Is it famous?"
"Was, probably," Harold shrugged. "Big deal about sixty years ago. Hard to say now."
The unexpected celebration went on until midnight. Only when the last few students staggered off to bed did it finally end.
…
In the days that followed, Harold originally intended to return to his holiday project: building the "Wand Broomstick."
But with gold gleaming brighter by the day and wand orders piling up, he had no choice but to change course. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe
He worked overti, and after a solid week, he finally completed every last wand order.
anwhile, Defense Against the Dark Arts had beco the favorite class for nearly every student. Professor Lupin showed them what a real DADA teacher should be—no droning lectures, no ego-tripping, just classes that made students look forward to the next one.
After the Boggart lesson, they studied Red Caps—familiar territory for Harold. He answered question after question, earning Gryffindor plenty of house points.
But their newest topic—Kappas—was sothing Harold wasn't as familiar with.
Kappas weren't common in Europe. These water-dwelling reptiles looked like scaly monkeys and would strangle anyone who stepped into their ponds.
To deal with a Kappa, one could use a Water-Making Spell to overflow the water dish on its head, causing it to panic and lose strength.
But Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them gave a very different thod—Newt Scamander claid that Kappas feared arithtic more than magic.
So, if you encountered one, you could just pull out a notebook and calculate the cube of 13 in front of it. Most Kappas would get a headache and flee.
Harold tried this—worked like a charm.
Too well, in fact.
The classroom wasn't big enough for the Kappa to escape. After running in circles a few tis, it beca enraged and lunged at Harold with its webbed claws, clearly aiming to strangle him for making it do math.
"Professor Lupin, can I keep this one?" Harold asked after class, pointing at the unconscious Kappa on the floor. "I don't think it's going to be much use for the next lesson anyway."
Lupin pursed his lips.
He wanted to say Harold shouldn't be destroying class creatures… but the Kappa had attacked first. And he hadn't intervened in ti. Harold had every right to defend himself.
…
(End of Chapter)
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