Ivan could hear the conversation as he entered the third greenhouse, and he understood Lockhart's frustration better than Harry's confusion.
Lockhart's appointment as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was expected to make headlines, but it was cruelly crushed by the news of Harry and Ron driving in public.
This was a major blow to Lockhart, who was almost morbidly famous…
Not only that, Ivan reflected, his popularity had not died down recently, and there were still two places on the first edition where he was being analysed for the Order of Merlin.
As for Lockhart's news, it was swept straight to the corner of the page.
Ivan was glad that Harry had saved him, or he would have been the one dragged into the conversation…
"Now, who can tell me what the properties of Mandrake are?" Professor Sprout, who was holding some earmuffs, asked loudly as he stood in front of some potted plants.
Even though Ivan was distracted by his thoughts, answering questions had long since become second nature to him, so when Professor Sprout finished speaking, Ivan managed to speak before Hermione could.
"Professor Sprout! The so-called Mandrake Grass, also known as Mandrake Grass, is a powerful restorative that can restore a transformed or bewitched person to their normal state, and is an important part of most antidotes…
It is worth mentioning that the cries of Mandrake plants can kill, but the cries of young Mandrake plants can only cause dizziness and unconsciousness…
The breeding method of this plant…"
Ivan went on and on about everything he had read in the book, covering almost everything.
He then rolled up his sleeves, preparing to demonstrate how to change the Mandrake's pot.
Ivan, of course, did not forget to remind the young wizards around him to keep their earmuffs up in case of trouble.
Ivan was full of enthusiasm and thought that Professor Sprout would give him a lot of credit for his hard work, and give him a good review after class.
However, Ivan did not notice that Professor Sprout was looking at him strangely.
'What am I supposed to do when you've done everything?'
Who the hell is taking this class?
…
Ivan was in a good mood when he finally got his GPA.
The only regret was that Professor Sprout only gave him a five-point bonus in class, even though he explained all of the Mandrake's properties and even changed the pots of several Mandrakes…
Ivan was looking forward to the next Transfiguration class.
However, Ivan was disappointed when he found out that today's lesson was so easy that they had to learn how to turn a beetle into a button!
Ivan casually waved his wand, and the ladybird-like beetle on the table shook and turned into a grayish-black button with clear, delicate patterns.
The most important thing was that its form was very stable, and it would not change back for more than ten days if no one removed it voluntarily…
If the beetle had not starved to death by then.
Professor McGonagall had just finished handing out the orders when she saw the buttons on Ivan's desk. She exclaimed, "What a wonderful Transfiguration! Ten points to Gryffindor!"
Professor McGonagall stepped forward and held Ivan's Transfigured button aloft for all to see.
Hermione, who was standing nearby, looked at the button in McGonagall's hand and then at the beetle at her table that had just changed its form. She pouted in disappointment. The gap between her and Ivan seemed to have widened again…
Harry and Ron were so used to this that they had no intention of comparing them to Ivan, and Harry was fighting off a swarm of beetles that were trying to get under the table.
Ron's wand went completely out of control, emitting puffs of black smoke like a shorted-out appliance…
Seamus was the unluckiest of them all. All he did was wave his wand as instructed, and a flash of light came from the tip of his wand. When he looked again, there was a ball of fire on the table, and he had roasted the beetle…
This greatly disappointed Professor McGonagall, who had to return the button to Ivan and rush to Seamus to put out the fire.
Ivan shook his head and transformed Button back into a beetle, using the rest of his time to practise his magical analysis.
At his current level of spell theory, the second year classes were too easy for him. They were not very useful in learning, and were mainly used to gain student points.
When it came to class time, Ivan felt he needed to find another way to use it.
When the lunch bell rang, most of the young wizards practising the Transfiguration Charm in the classroom breathed a sigh of relief, indicating that they could finally take a break.
Ivan waited for the rest of the students to leave, then approached the front desk and spoke to McGonagall, who was packing her textbooks.
"Professor McGonagall! Do you remember the promise we made last year? To study for the Animagus?"
"Well…" Professor McGonagall stopped what she was doing and looked Ivan up and down for a while with a mixture of admiration and resignation.
"Of course I haven't forgotten, Hales!"
"But it's going to take a while to learn an Animagus," McGonagall said. "Why don't we take this week off?"
"Of course!" Ivan said, nodding to show he had no objections.
He was well aware that professors at Hogwarts took on a lot of homework and had to teach for seven years at a time, and it was kind of Professor McGonagall to take time off to give him special lessons.
With that in mind, Yvonne thanked him profusely.
No teacher would dislike a student who was polite and talented, and Professor McGonagall was no different. A smile tugged at her pursed lips, but she still spoke up.
"In the meantime, I hope you will reconsider learning Animagus. I'm sure you understand how dangerous this spell is!"
"I won't give up, Professor!" Ivan vowed.
His Transformation Spell had been stuck at Level 4 for a long time, and his usual practice progress was minimal. He felt that the opportunity to break through to Level 5 should be when he learned the Animagus Transformation!
(P.S.: You've all seen the likes you gave in the Glory Awards, Angel. Thank you, every fan!)