Chapter Thirty-Eight: You Two Said It Yourselves

Let us begin this tale a few days prior.

Ever since Oxicris began tutoring sessions, Louis had made a habit of returning to the dormitory on time. Yet, this did not prevent him from pursuing other matters. With his abilities, whether it was Apparition, Transfiguration, or Four-Dimensional Reversal, he could slip out of the dormitory without leaving so much as a trace.

The Sea-Serpent Robe was completed in no time. The day after its completion, the two sisters began displaying their dramatic flair in class.

That particular evening held both Transfiguration and Apparition lessons. During Transfiguration, the sisters could not resist discussing a strange incident that had occurred at the academy the previous night.

“Sister, have you heard about the strange event these past couple of days?” Helen trembled as she spoke.

“I have, indeed.” Oxicris pulled her collar close around her neck and whispered to Louis and Helen, “Best not to wander about these days—a Welsh Green Dragon has gone missing in the Dragon District.”

“Yes, yes, and I heard from Miss Ophelia—she’s the ghost of Yordle Tower—that she saw a monstrous serpent. In its belly, there was a shape bulging out like a dragon!”

The sisters quivered as they exchanged fearful whispers. Louis buried his head in his book, pointedly refusing to join the conversation.

“Ahem, enough, class is starting,” Oxicris said as she rapped the blackboard. “Let us continue with Transfiguration—Helen, stop talking about that. Look at how frightened you’ve made Louis.”

Louis wiped the cold sweat from his brow in secret. Helen glanced at him, pouting, then picked up her book as well.

In these past few lessons, Oxicris had been surprised to discover a spark of talent in her otherwise hapless pupil, Louis, under her diligent instruction.

Just yesterday, Louis had managed to transfigure a stone into a stone apple!

This revelation had stunned Oxicris.

Today, he went one step further and transformed the stone into a red stone apple!

Oxicris was filled with pride, while Helen pouted in displeasure—what was Louis so smug about?

Helen decided to show off her own Transfiguration prowess—Animagus.

A small cat, standing over a meter tall, leapt about the sofa. Oxicris smiled with deep satisfaction.

Her sister had finally succeeded!

Helen, in a show of triumph, waved her little paw at Louis, meowing, “Louis, you big fool, you coward! Yumi Beam—zap zap zap! I'll blast you! Call me granny, I’ll protect you from now on.”

“Heh heh heh.” Louis rubbed the throbbing vein on his forehead.

“Don’t lose heart, Louis. Helen is the most gifted of the new generation in Transfiguration. Sooner or later, you’ll surpass her.” Oxicris smiled encouragingly. “I think you have great potential in Transfiguration. Your Animagus form might just be…”

At this, Oxicris frowned. As a supreme witch, her sixth sense was keen. She firmly believed Louis had the makings of an Animagus, and his form would likely be…

“Perhaps a giant serpent?” As she spoke, her jaw dropped, her expression turning odd. In that instant, she ‘saw’ a tempest raging in the sky, thunder and lightning splitting the clouds, and a terrifying nine-headed serpent coiling among them.

At present, the serpent had but a single head, and though small, it had already swallowed a Welsh Green Dragon.

Helen, hearing the word “serpent,” stopped bouncing and shot Louis a strange look—giant serpent?

“Ahem, Professor, I have no talent for Transfiguration,” Louis said, burying his head in his book and wiping away his cold sweat.

“Nonsense, Louis. You certainly have the talent.” Oxicris shook her head, dismissing her vision. Her premonitions were often mistaken, and lately she’d been unnerved by rumors—surely, she was simply unsettled.

Yet when it came to Louis’s Animagus potential, Oxicris was certain she was not mistaken: “You have the gift. You’re definitely an Animagus… probably a…”

“Ahem, Professor, I am not an Animagus. You must be mistaken.” Louis, glancing at the “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” book before him, had a sudden inspiration. “My talent lies in Apparition.”

Apparition, after all, was an advanced spell, requiring Ministry registration to use officially.

Yet it was covered in upper-year classes, and some gifted newcomers could already perform it—like Lufield.

Some witches and wizards, especially those with a natural aptitude, had even managed to Apparate without formal training. For these chosen few, mastery came easily, though rarely did one possess multiple talents across fields.

Thus, Louis found Apparition a useful shield.

In truth, he had no special knack for it; his proficiency was entirely the result of diligent study, careful technique, and the accumulated wisdom of his predecessors. These past days, he had caught more than a few dark wizards who were naturally adept at Apparition.

They had shared much with him. So Louis knew precisely how to put on a convincing act—at least enough to fool a novice like Oxicris.

At the mention of Apparition, Oxicris perked up; after all, her own greatest expertise lay in Transfiguration and Apparition!

“You two already have a solid foundation in Apparition. Give it some time… With a bit of extra tutoring, a week should do.”

Oxicris crossed her legs, tossing her newly permed hair, exuding the confidence of a star pupil: with her teaching, there was nothing they could not master in short order.

Louis nodded in agreement.

A week—that was manageable.

“I meant Helen,” Oxicris said, glancing at Louis.

With that, Oxicris tossed Louis a book—“How to Transform Into a Canary.”

“A canary? Louis, that’s perfect for you,” Helen said smugly, puffing out her chest and chirping twice.

Louis scowled at the book before him, shoving it aside. “Professor, I really have no gift for Transfiguration. My talent is in Apparition—I even had a dream last night—”

He drew out his words, recalling all the stories those wizards had shared, sifting for one suitable for himself.

“What did you dream of, Louis?” Helen asked, curiosity piqued. Oxicris blinked expectantly.

Louis, adopting an air of mystery, replied, “Last night, I went to sleep in my bed, but when I woke up this morning—guess what? I’d woken up under the bed!”

The sisters exchanged odd glances—wasn’t that just rolling off the bed in the night and not realizing it? And now he was earnestly telling people it was a sign of talent!

“You really sleep like the dead, don’t you? Fall off the bed and just keep sleeping,” Helen said, picturing Louis’s clueless face asleep under the bed and bursting into laughter at her desk.

Oxicris could no longer maintain her ladylike composure. She turned away, wiping tears from her eyes, quietly giggling.

Louis was thoroughly offended.

“What’s so funny? I’m sure I have the talent—I’ll master it in a week!” Louis frowned, clearly displeased.

Seeing Louis’s furrowed brow, Helen seemed to think she hadn’t teased him enough and added,

“If you can Apparate in a week, I’ll wash your socks every day for you!”

“And I’ll fetch your foot bath,” Oxicris added with a smirk, crossing her legs.

Having made their wagers, the sisters turned away, continuing their own conversation as if none of it mattered.

“Heh.” Louis nodded, fiddling with the crystal ball on the table that recorded class lectures. He replayed the recording, then pulled out his own crystal ball and copied the footage with a spell.

“You started this—don’t say I bullied you!” Louis thought viciously.

These next few days, he was determined to make these two maids recognize who truly ruled the dormitory!