MeowthTL
patreon
HP: I have a Proficiency Panel - 4
🕑 Added 2025-10-06 12:55:38 +0000 UTCChapter 4: Differences in Subject Difficulty
Wait—was that Hermione?
What a coincidence.
Shawn blinked in surprise, his voice mixing with the rhythmic clatter of the train and the whistling wind beyond the window. Outside, the vast plains had receded, replaced by dappled shadows as the Hogwarts Express carved through a dense yew forest. Shafts of golden sunlight pierced the canopy in brilliant streaks.
The tips of Hermione's ears slowly flushed pink. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but her mind seemed to go blank. Her usual confidence had evaporated.
This only deepened Shawn's confusion.
"Oh! She was just saying that it's incredible you already know Transfiguration!"
Justin quickly stepped in, sparing Hermione further embarrassment. He gestured to the silver needle resting on the table between them, drawing everyone's attention to the transformed match.
"How did you manage it? Hermione said this is advanced magic."
Justin felt uneasy as he spoke, silently praying that Shawn hadn't heard Hermione's earlier warning about dangerous spellwork.
"The incantation is Transfiguration. The syllable break falls between Trans and figura, with the stress on 'fi'. More importantly, when moving your wand from left to right, the motion must be swift and continuous—no pausing or hesitation."
Shawn reviewed his practice process aloud, extracting the key elements. This was his usual learning method: analyse, break down, understand.
"Of course, you also need to clearly visualise what you want the object to become. That's emphasised on page five of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration."
The train emerged from the yew forest, and sudden brightness flooded the compartment, illuminating Shawn's emerald eyes until they seemed to glow like polished jade.
"So my failure was because I paused in the wrong place..." Justin trailed off, then straightened with a friendly smile. "Actually, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Justin—Justin Finch-Fletchley."
He extended his hand across the compartment.
"Hermione Granger."
A blush still coloured Hermione's cheeks, but her voice carried its usual determination and vigour.
"Shawn Green."
Shawn found Hermione's reaction somewhat strange, but he didn't dwell on it. There were far more important matters demanding his attention.
In the compartment, Shawn appeared to continue reading A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, but his gaze had actually shifted to his proficiency panel. His heart raced with anticipation.
Let me see what level of Transfiguration talent I actually possess.
His eyes moved slowly down the translucent display. Shawn admitted he was nervous—more nervous than he'd ever been in his previous life, a hundred times over. Power in games had been meaningless fantasy, but this was real talent that would determine his entire future.
[Title: Transfiguration Apprentice]
[Slightly increases perception of Transfiguration, slightly enhances Transfiguration talent.]
As expected. Shawn held his breath and continued reading.
[Wizard Shawn, Transfiguration Talent: Light Purple (Enhanced by Transfiguration Apprentice title). Note: Average wizard is Green.]
[Evaluation: You are a true genius in the Transfiguration branch of magic. Through proper instruction, you will become a pivotal master on the path of Transfiguration.]
Purple—exceptional talent?
He was actually a Transfiguration genius?
Shawn felt like fireworks were exploding in his chest, bright and overwhelming. His ears rang with phantom celebration, as if the universe itself was congratulating him on this stroke of fortune.
Those who had suffered through the lowest tier could always better appreciate exceptional talent.
Through proper instruction, he could even become a Transfiguration master...
Suppressing his inner elation, Shawn made a decision: he would stay at Hogwarts for all seven years, no matter what obstacles arose. This talent was his ticket to survival, to thriving, to escaping poverty forever.
At the same time, to accomplish his goal of securing the scholarship, he began thinking strategically.
The difference between his Transfiguration talent and his Charms talent confirmed something crucial: in the magical world, talent wasn't uniform across all disciplines. Different wizards possessed different strengths and weaknesses.
Neville Longbottom, for instance, struggled in most courses but excelled in Herbology. Hermione was strong in nearly every magical branch, though her Defence Against the Dark Arts didn't match Harry's natural aptitude, and her Divination was notoriously poor.
For Shawn to achieve Outstanding in all seven subjects, he would need to compensate for his weaker areas through relentless effort.
At Hogwarts, different subjects carried different difficulty levels. This wasn't just about the material itself—the professors played crucial roles in determining success or failure. Just like at university, the knowledge existed regardless, but whether students enjoyed learning and passed easily depended entirely on who taught them.
Following this logic, the most challenging core subject would undoubtedly be Potions. Not only would he face Professor Snape's notorious temperament, but the coursework was extraordinarily detailed and demanding. There was also the highly dangerous experimental component—each class required submitting the potion learnt that day, and essays were lengthy and complex.
Just imagining Professor Snape's cold, disdainful expression made Shawn's stomach tighten. Getting Outstanding in Snape's class would be monumentally difficult.
He could only hope to possess at least some talent in Potions. Even a little would help.
Second in difficulty, Shawn believed, was Defence Against the Dark Arts. The subject carried inherent danger, and the teacher composition was... problematic. Professor Quirrell, with his mysterious turban and nervous demeanour, wasn't inspiring confidence. Two-headed hosts of dark lords weren't exactly common, after all.
Shawn rubbed his temples, his expression hardening with resolve. Nothing could stop him from learning—not even Voldemort hiding under someone's turban.
With his priorities becoming clearer, Shawn continued his analysis.
Considering various factors, the third difficulty tier included Herbology, Transfiguration, and Charms. All these courses demanded natural talent to excel.
The final tier consisted of History of Magic and Astronomy, which primarily required memorising specific knowledge and astronomical charts. These courses posed minimal threat to Shawn's goals.
"Transfiguration and Charms—my current level should be sufficient. Astronomy and History of Magic are pure memorisation, nothing I can't handle. So the real challenges are Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Herbology."
With his targets identified, Shawn began formulating his practice schedule. Just as he was organising his thoughts, the corridor outside erupted with noise. Excited voices carried through the door—words like "Harry", "Harry Potter", and "Merlin's beard" repeated over and over.
Then came a loud bang that rattled the compartment door.
The noise shattered Shawn's concentration. He slowly raised his head, meeting Justin and Hermione's gazes directly.
Justin quickly looked away, speaking as if he'd been doing nothing suspicious. "Shawn, look—it's the Levitation Charm. Isn't it amazing?"
Shawn followed his gesture. Above Hermione's wand, a feather floated gracefully in midair, rotating slowly.
The young witch lifted her chin with barely concealed pride. "Actually, this is just a simple spell. I learnt it from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. The difficulty isn't significant—I mastered it after practising a few times."
Her voice carried several notes of satisfaction.
Shawn, who had practised five hundred times: Actually, that's not quite accurate.
"Justin, you should try it too. It's really quite manageable. The Standard Book of Spells says it's often one of the first spells young wizards learn successfully."
Hermione looked at the eager Justin and spoke with earnest encouragement, clearly eager to help.
"I'll need your guidance, then."
Justin didn't hesitate, raising his wand with visible determination and longing.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather didn't budge.
"You need to flick your wrist at the end," Hermione corrected, demonstrating the motion with her own wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather trembled slightly but remained grounded.
"That's still wrong! You need to speak decisively, with confidence. The moment you hesitate, the spell fails!"
Hermione's instruction took on a stern, almost professorial tone. Justin straightened, his expression serious with concentration.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather lifted an inch, wobbled, then rose steadily into the air.
"I did it! That's wonderful! Hermione, you're an excellent teacher!"
Justin's excitement was infectious. He beamed at Hermione with genuine gratitude. "You were absolutely right—it isn't very difficult once you understand the technique!"
Comments
Mr Caine
Ahhhh justin finch, I remember the character now.
