"Professor McGonagall, where's Headmaster Dumbledore? Is he not here yet?" Yvonne asked, surprised that Dumbledore would not intervene after what had happened.
"Albus has been away for the past few days…" McGonagall explained, feeling helpless that Sirius would sneak in at a time like this.
Hearing this, Ivan confirmed his earlier suspicions, but things got more complicated.
Yvonne was going to drag Scabbers to Dumbledore and tell him that she had accidentally looked at this map last year and found out that Ron the Rat had a human name on top of his head, and that she had met Sirius during the summer holidays and learned the truth…
In the end, he could easily leave this troublesome matter to Dumbledore and sit back and enjoy the show, waiting for his points to be added!
Dumbledore was the only one with enough prestige to convince everyone that Sirius was innocent, and to fight against the Ministry of Magic to get Sirius vindicated!
"Do you know when Professor Dumbledore will be back?" Ivan asked, sighing.
"It should be soon. I've already sent an owl to inform him… You don't have to worry too much. Even though Albus is not around, there are still professors from every subject to keep you safe. If anything happens, you can tell me!" Professor McGonagall comforted them.
Ivan shrugged. He wasn't worried about security, but he was hesitant to tell Professor McGonagall about Sirius.
Eventually, she stopped herself and decided to meet with Sirius to discuss the matter.
Ivan had not yet read the note Sirius had handed him, but he assumed it contained the date and location of the meeting.
After all, Sirius could not possibly explain to him in his dorm room that it was too dangerous and could be overheard, so it would be best to discuss it somewhere else!
Ivan was lost in his thoughts as he followed the crowd to the Great Hall.
McGonagall swept the offending table aside with her wand, clearing a large space in the middle.
However, McGonagall could not conjure up hundreds of sleeping bags with a wave of her hand like Dumbledore could, in order to preserve some of her magic against Sirius Black, who might attack her.
"Hales, come and help me. We need hundreds of sleeping bags…"
Ivan nodded, stepped forward, pulled out his wand, and tapped it. Small objects like cups and saucers flew from the long table in the corner and landed in the clearing.
Ivan then pictured the sleeping bags in his mind, and the small objects began to twist and change, elongating, extending, and expanding. Soon, a dozen blue sleeping bags appeared in the clearing.
Ivan, meanwhile, was mentally exhausted, as this was the first time he had attempted to transform so many objects at once.
Professor McGonagall looked at Ivan's sleeping bag with a surprised expression. "Very good. Your Transfiguration has improved a lot lately…"
She asked Ivan to assist her, and it seemed she intended to use this opportunity to teach Ivan.
However, Ivan's growth far exceeded McGonagall's expectations, and it could be said that every school year was marked by some earth-shattering changes.
Such progress was unheard of to her. It was too fast…
Professor McGonagall lamented the fact that she would have nothing to teach him in a year or two.
Professor McGonagall composed herself and addressed Ivan.
"Hales, it seems that you have not had the experience of mass-transfiguring items in the past. You are still somewhat lacking in this regard, which is actually a skill.
All you have to do is focus on one of the items that needs to be transformed, and then split a bit of your attention to use your magic to move the rest. After a few more practice sessions, you'll see that it's not that difficult…"
Professor McGonagall waved her hand and summoned some small objects. She explained the details of the transformation and demonstrated them to Ivan. Soon, seventy to eighty dark red sleeping bags appeared on the field.
When he was done, McGonagall was as calm and composed as ever, showing no signs of exhaustion, nor was she as mentally and physically exhausted as Ivan…
It was just that Ivan could sense that these sleeping bags were delicate on the surface, but in reality, they were not meant to be used. They would only last for a day at most before being beaten back into shape.
It was clear that Professor McGonagall had done this on purpose. Such a temporary transformation did not require much finesse, as it would be a waste of magic. The sleeping bags that were created would only last one night, and that would be enough.
Understanding this, Ivan followed Professor McGonagall's instructions and tried again, transforming fifty objects at once!
A large number of bowls, candlesticks, and other objects rapidly transformed into sleeping bags under the influence of magic…
Even though the number of transfigured objects had tripled, Ivan did not have to go all out like he did the first time. He was only able to create inferior objects that could only last for ten hours, so he only felt a little strained.
At the same time, the system prompt appeared in Ivan's mind.
[Ding, after some practice, your Transfiguration skill has improved. Current level: 6 (880/6400)]
Ivan was delighted. Since his Transfiguration had been upgraded to Level 6, his proficiency had not increased much. He did not expect it to increase so much with Professor McGonagall's guidance.
It seemed that McGonagall's Transfiguration was more advanced than he thought…
Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction at how quickly Ivan had mastered her teaching.
Which professor would not like a student who worked so hard and understood everything with just a few words?
With their combined efforts, hundreds of sleeping bags were placed neatly on the floor in half an hour. After they were done, the sound of footsteps could be heard from the entrance of the Great Hall.
Ivan turned to see students from several other Houses arriving.
"Professor McGonagall, what's going on?" the prefects of the various Houses asked when they saw her.
They hurried over as soon as they were told, and informed the Head of House that he had only given them a brief heads-up and told them to be careful when they arrived.
"It was Sirius who sneaked in…" Professor McGonagall explained in detail what had happened to the young wizards and witches, and then comforted them, telling them not to worry too much, that the professors would take care of it!