Chapter 36: Professor Mage's Little Test

The next day, Chu Yang gathered his toiletries and headed toward the washroom. As he passed through the common room, he saw his roommates sprawled across the floor, fast asleep.

Goyle and Crabbe were still deep in slumber, their snoring loud enough to nearly shake the ceiling, yet the others sleeping on the floor remained undisturbed.

They were all sleeping quite soundly.

"Best of luck to you all. It’s the first day of school—do try not to be late. Well... that’s probably a tall order."

Unfortunately, no one was awake to hear his sarcasm.

After a quick wash and getting dressed, he picked up his textbooks and left the dormitory.

Not long after Chu Yang’s departure, the older students began to emerge from their rooms. Some were still yawning, but their eyes were immediately drawn to the first-years in the common room.

They lay scattered across the floor like a set of knocked-over bowling pins.

"Wow, the freshmen seemed to have had quite a wild night!"

"I envy these carefree first-years."

"But wait, have they forgotten that classes start today?"

"It seems they’ve had such a pleasant holiday that they’re still lost in it."

"Does anyone know what their first class is?"

"Probably Professor McGonagall’s Transfiguration, right?"

"And the second?"

"Professor Snape’s Potions..."

"Hurry up and wake them all! Damn it, our House is going to lose points on the very first day!"

The older students suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. The prefects, in particular, felt their hearts sink at the thought of facing the fearsome Professor Snape should anything go wrong.

What a way to start the first day of school.

The husky older students desperately resorted to brute force to rouse the freshmen from the floor.

Poor Goyle was still dreaming of delicious food when he was slapped awake by a burly student.

"Ouch!" Goyle jolted upright, clutching his bright red cheek, staring blankly ahead with drool dripping from his chin.

"Grab your books and get to class!" the senior bellowed, eyes wide with fury. With so many freshmen sleeping in, who knew how many points Slytherin would lose?

However, the seniors soon fell into despair. Aside from Goyle and Crabbe, every single first-year who had slept in the common room had caught a cold.

Forget classes; they barely had the strength to stand.

The Slytherin common room fell into total chaos. Meanwhile, the culprit, Chu Yang, had already made his way down the stairs to the main hall, finished breakfast, and arrived at the classroom at a leisurely pace.

The room was empty. Chu Yang was the first to arrive. He walked straight to the podium and greeted the tabby cat sitting on the desk: "Good morning, Professor McGonagall."

A flash of human-like surprise crossed the tabby cat’s face before it leaped into the air and transformed back into human form.

Professor McGonagall, dressed in her emerald robes, walked up to Chu Yang and asked, "How did you know it was me?"

Chu Yang smiled and held up his textbook. "We have Transfiguration today, don't we?"

"What a clever child. Your insight and logical thinking are exceptional; a wizard who excels at thought is a good wizard indeed." Professor McGonagall did not spare her praise; she had already received plenty of information about Chu Yang from Dumbledore, along with the high hopes the Headmaster held for him.

While they waited for the other students, Professor McGonagall chatted with Chu Yang about the course material. To her surprise, she discovered that he had already memorized *A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration* from cover to cover.

Pleased but cautious, she advised, "I am glad you have read the book so thoroughly, but before you proceed, you must grasp the underlying magical theory. Rushing into Transfiguration is a very dangerous endeavor."

Chu Yang was well aware of the importance of foundations. Just as McGonagall suggested, he had memorized *Magical Theory* before ever touching the guide.

"Thank you for your advice," Chu Yang replied, smiling. "If you are referring to Mr. Adalbert Waffling’s work, I have indeed read it thoroughly."

Professor McGonagall thought she had misheard. "That book is quite thick, Mr. Chu. Are you certain you’ve 'read it thoroughly'? If that’s the case, I must put your knowledge to the test!"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall." Chu Yang would not pass up any opportunity to demonstrate his ability; these interactions were his key to accessing the knowledge Dumbledore deemed "dangerous"—knowledge that could greatly enhance his power and aid his counterparts in other worlds.

With a hint of anticipation, Professor McGonagall began to test his grasp of the fundamentals.

In the empty classroom, the two engaged in a rapid-fire exchange of questions and answers.

Soon, Hermione, another overachiever from the first year, appeared at the door. She didn't interrupt the test but stood silently, listening.

Chu Yang was like a high-speed machine, answering every question Professor McGonagall posed without a moment's hesitation or a pause for thought.

As time passed, the sound of noisy students began to drift in from outside. Professor McGonagall stopped the test and marveled, "Your memory is truly impressive. Most importantly, you haven't just memorized the facts—you fully comprehend them."

"You are truly worthy of Dumbledore's special attention. However, remember never to become arrogant. Pride is a wizard's greatest downfall; only humility will allow you to go further."

"I hear you have requested that Headmaster Dumbledore open more sections of the library to you. Decades ago, there was a young man just as talented as you, yet he chose a path that led him astray."

Chu Yang replied calmly, "Thank you for your counsel, Professor, but no two flowers in this world are identical, and the same is true for people. Two seemingly similar individuals will arrive at vastly different outcomes based on their distinct paths of growth."

"I hope so," Professor McGonagall said with a sigh. She waved her hand and added, "Class is starting. Go take your seat."

Chu Yang walked back to his desk. A second later, Hermione walked in, looking quite solemn.

She had originally believed that the gap between her and Chu Yang could be bridged with time and effort. But during the test, her mind had begun to scramble by the third question, to say nothing of the later ones, which she couldn't even begin to understand.

Chu Yang greeted her as she sat down, but Hermione kept her eyes on her book, looking thoroughly dispirited.

Students continued to file into the classroom. As the start of class approached, a significant number of students were still absent—the vast majority of them being Slytherin freshmen.