Chapter 25: Practical Training, the Wonders of Transfiguration

There was more than a week of Christmas holiday at Hogwarts, and Lynn had no intention of wasting it. Early the next morning, he found Professor Green, hoping to start his practical lessons in advance.

Professor Green was a little surprised after learning about Lynn's idea, but he readily agreed. "No problem," he said. "However, my office isn't suitable for a duel. Come with me."

With that, Professor Green took the lead in leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office. 

Professor Green led Lynn out of Hogwarts Castle and all the way to the Forbidden Forest.

After walking for more than ten minutes, the scenery in front of Lynn suddenly opened up. What appeared before him was no longer an endless dense forest, but a huge open clearing with a radius exceeding 100 meters!

"This is a dueling area that Dumbledore and I specially set aside after applying. Our future practical lessons will be held here," Professor Green explained, standing in the center of the clearing. "However, you'd better not come here alone without me to guide you, because there's an Acromantula colony nearby."

Lynn nodded and followed closely into the dueling area. He placed his wand at his chest, bowed slightly to Professor Green, and performed a dueling salute.

Before Lynn could stand up straight, a red Stunning Spell burst from Professor Green's direction.

Lynn understood the duel had already begun.

"Protego!" he shouted, quickly sidestepping to avoid the Stunning Spell and subconsciously casting a Shield Charm on himself. 

A gray Disarming Charm collided with the Shield Charm from Lynn's left side, eventually being deflected away.

"Sure enough!" Lynn exclaimed inwardly, realizing the danger.

Having witnessed the battle between Professor Green and the dark wizard on Halloween night, Lynn knew Professor Green's moves wouldn't be that simple.

As expected, while silently casting the Disarming Charm, Professor Green also followed it with a silent Stunning Spell!

If Lynn hadn't been vigilant enough, he might have been caught off guard.

"Incendio!" Lynn muttered quickly, and a jet of flames shot out from his wand. 

Although he could cast spells non-verbally, the fire spell cast by incantation was often more powerful.

The flames continued to spread in the air, forming a fiery force above the dueling area, shrouding Professor Green's direction.

"Aguamenti!" Professor Green flicked his wand, and a powerful stream of water shot out, facing the flames that filled the air.

The flames collided with the water, and countless bursts of steam covered the entire battlefield. 

Their vision blocked by thick white fog, neither of them could see the other.

Lynn cast a Silencing Charm on himself, muffling the sound of his footsteps, and then started running, changing his position.

He waved his wand and cast several silent Disarming Charms at Professor Green's original position, but received no response.

Seeing this, Lynn understood that Professor Green must have used the same method as himself.

At this moment, a Severing Charm came through the air and narrowly missed Lynn's shoulder. He jumped up in fright and ran faster.

While running, Lynn also quickly cast three Disarming Charms. These spells went in the direction where the Severing Charm came from, and to the left and right sides of that direction.

Lynn's prediction was correct. The Disarming Charm shot to the right was blocked by a Shield Charm, but this Shield Charm also exposed Professor Green's position.

So, Lynn quickly cast the Incendio spell, raised his left hand, and used wandless magic to throw out a large fireball from his palm.

The flames expanded rapidly, shrouding Professor Green from all directions. Additionally, Professor Green's front was blocked by Lynn's numerous spells, preventing him from changing positions before the flames surrounded him.

Lynn couldn't help but smile. In his opinion, he had passed this practical training.

The duel between Lynn and Professor Green was just a practical lesson, so Professor Green did not use alchemy to fight, and he also suppressed his own magic to the same level as Lynn, giving Lynn an opportunity to attack.

But just when Lynn thought he was sure of victory, something unexpected happened!

In Lynn's blind spot, the stones on the ground suddenly bulged upwards. These stones transformed into a dozen thigh-thick snakes, slithering towards Lynn at lightning speed. 

These snakes quickly wrapped around Lynn's thighs, waist, arms, and neck, holding him firmly in place. The last snake swooped over flexibly, first flicking its tail and knocking the wand out of his hand. Then it coiled tightly around Lynn's left arm, interrupting his wandless flame spell.

Without the supply of magic power, the flames that were about to engulf Professor Green instantly lost control and were easily extinguished.

"In battle, enemies tend to pay attention to the offensive spells coming from the front and ignore the subtler effects of Transfiguration," Professor Green said with a smile as he approached Lynn. "If you can use Transfiguration skills skillfully and combine them with combat spells, it will definitely bring unexpected advantages. Quite a surprise, wouldn't you say?"

Professor Green waved his wand, and the snakes wrapped around Lynn's body suddenly went limp and turned back into their original stones.

Lynn couldn't help but smile wryly. It wasn't that he didn't want to use Transfiguration! He had just received Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Journal yesterday, and he hadn't even had time to read it yet.

"Continue," Professor Green said simply, returning to his original position. 

Lynn stood up and returned to his position as well. After saluting again, he took the initiative and cast a Disarming Charm.

Professor Green turned slightly to avoid the spell, his wand hand behind his back.

Seeing this scene, Lynn suddenly had an ominous premonition. 

Without even looking, he raised his wand and threw out a stream of flames, burning the area behind him.

A crackling sound filled the air as dozens of transfigured snakes made from branches were seen being burned by the flames. These snakes were also conjured by Professor Green's Transfiguration.

"Annoying Transfiguration!" Lynn cursed under his breath. Since he couldn't use Transfiguration in combat yet, he could only retreat continuously when faced with Professor Green's Transfiguration attacks.

Without a doubt, with one less skill than his opponent, Lynn was defeated again.

However, Professor Green had no intention of letting Lynn go, and the repeated "continue" made Lynn feel a little desperate. Since he couldn't escape, Lynn had no choice but to focus all his energy on fighting. He began to try to imitate Professor Green's spell-casting methods, using Transfiguration to control the surrounding branches and stones, and form an effective attack on Professor Green.

Under Professor Green's high-pressure training, Lynn's level of Transfiguration gradually improved. He started with simple transformations, turning branches into small spears and stones into shields. As the duel progressed, Lynn's attempts became bolder. He tried to transform a large boulder into a rolling rock, aiming to trap Professor Green.

Professor Green, however, easily countered this attempt with a well-placed Freezing Charm, immobilizing the boulder in mid-air.

Despite the setbacks, Lynn felt a spark of excitement. He was starting to understand the true meaning of combining Transfiguration with combat spells. It wasn't just about transforming objects into weapons, but also about using Transfiguration to create unexpected tactical advantages.

The grueling training session continued. Professor Green relentlessly pushed Lynn to his limits, forcing him to think creatively and adapt his strategies. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the dueling area, Lynn finally managed to land a successful Transfiguration attack.

He transformed a patch of loose soil beneath Professor Green's feet into a sinkhole. Professor Green, caught by surprise, stumbled slightly. Although he quickly freed himself with a simple Hover Charm, Lynn seized the opportunity and launched a barrage of spells, forcing Professor Green to retreat for the first time in their duel. 

A satisfied smile spread across Professor Green's face. "Excellent, Lynn," he said, his voice filled with approval. "You've made significant progress today. Remember, Transfiguration is a powerful tool, but true mastery comes from using it strategically in conjunction with other spells."

Lynn, panting slightly from exertion, couldn't help but grin. He may not have won the duel, but he had learned a valuable lesson. The road to becoming a skilled wizard was paved with dedication, creativity, and the ability to adapt to any situation. And with Professor Green as his guide, he was confident he was on the right track.

(end of chapter)