Over the next period, Professor McGonagall grew increasingly dissatisfied with Kevin Goldsmith's performance. Kevin was among the worst performers in Transfiguration class, engaging in a friendly yet fierce battle with Neville for last place, while Hermione stood alone at the top, without anyone to compete with—poor child.
"Hermione?" Kevin finally decided to take advantage of being in the same group as Hermione and tentatively asked, "Do you know what I did wrong?"
Hermione's eyes flashed with a terrifyingly helpful light as she recounted Professor McGonagall's theories and precautions from beginning to end, using numerous Muggle examples to make the theories easier to understand.
Even the stone in front of Neville eventually became a little rounder, but Kevin's stone still refused to turn into a teapot. Hermione sighed again; she felt she had been sighing a lot lately, perhaps this was just the trouble of growing up.
After class, McGonagall said that Kevin Goldsmith needed to stay after class every week for extra lessons.
Two weeks passed, and to McGonagall's disappointment, despite her professional guidance, Kevin's Transfiguration skills made no progress.
"You did quite well in Charms class, but you seem to have some learning difficulties with Transfiguration," McGonagall comforted him.
"We just need to figure out how to solve it. If you can succeed even once, I believe that in the future, you can successfully transform whenever you recall that feeling. Transfiguration must begin in elementary school to guarantee your abilities as an adult. I don't want you to regret not trying harder in first year when you grow up."
McGonagall decided to use a trial-and-error approach. Transfiguration is largely accomplished through thought rather than a wand, she explained; therefore Kevin had to try thinking differently. If he couldn't change his inner self, he would start by changing external environmental factors.
She instructed Kevin Goldsmith to perform the spell outdoors, indoors, standing on one leg, blindfolded, hanging upside down, inhaling incense, holding a wand in his left hand, holding a wand with his foot, holding a wand with both hands, not holding a wand, underwater, floating in the air… and various combinations thereof.
"Maybe," she said thoughtfully, "if you were blindfolded and slowly spinning counter-clockwise, with a horned toad between your legs, and the room smelled of lavender…"
"Professor," Kevin interrupted, "I don't mean to be rude, but don't you think it's a bit ridiculous?"
"That makes sense!" McGonagall said. "Laugh! Maybe you can use Transfiguration when you laugh. Tell me, how many centaurs would it take to light up a forest?"
"I don't know," Kevin said reluctantly, "how many do I need?"
"Zero," McGonagall said in that witty tone, "because Mars is always very bright tonight."
Kevin Goldsmith gave a few dry laughs and suggested, "How about I drink a few cans of joke tea first, and then you can start your performance?"
"I'm afraid this will have limited effect," McGonagall explained. "This spell doesn't force ridiculous things to happen; it just makes you want to drink Joke Tea when something ridiculous is about to happen."
"I was so naive! I should have known better!" Kevin cried out inwardly, overwhelmed by despair and shame. "I suddenly wanted to drink Joke Tea before Dumbledore even spoke! It was something ridiculous that made me want to drink Joke Tea! Now look what I said to Hermione: 'Please help me rule the world.' Could it get any more childish?"
Kevin decided that once he learned the magic to alter memories, he would secretly use it on Hermione.
However, Kevin still had to face Hermione in the Herbology class the next day.
"You're acting a little strange today?" Hermione asked.
"I'm fine, I'm alright," Kevin said without changing his expression.
"Could you turn your head and look at me before you say that?" Hermione said, tending to the seedlings of the Devil's Snare.
"Halloween is just around the corner, what are you planning to wear? How about we go to the Library together and do some Halloween activities according to the Granger family tradition: reviewing and doing homework, what do you say? After all, exams are in eight weeks. And where are the two seedlings?"
Kevin Goldsmith did not know why Hermione always acted so entitled to give orders to others.
"Why are you thinking about the exam two months in advance? Shouldn't you wait until two weeks before the exam?" Kevin was not satisfied, and Lili Jerry with the Dimensional Belt was also not satisfied with his new neighbour who was wriggling around.
"So, what are you planning to dress up as for Halloween?" Hannah asked Kevin. For some inexplicable reason, she seemed to really enjoy sitting next to him at meals.
"I'm not sure. Wizards celebrate Halloween too?"
"Halloween is probably because druids communicate with ghosts, spirits, and all sorts of creatures, right? Why not ask why Muggles celebrate Halloween too? How about we go for a walk by the Black Lake on Halloween? Feeding the fish in the cool breeze would be wonderful," Hannah suggested.
Kevin thought of the sharp-toothed Merpeople in the lake and felt that this suggestion was not much better than studying in the Library.
However, his spell list included a spell called Scholar's Touch, which could help the caster temporarily memorise the contents of an entire book, eliminating the need to go to the Library to review. Therefore, Kevin still agreed to go for a walk by the lake with Hannah, at least to see how much experience the Merpeople could bring.
Gossip always gets back to the Common Room faster than the people involved.
As soon as Kevin opened the door, he saw Ron's two twin brothers jumping out with winks and grimaces.
"Are you going on a Halloween date with that blonde?" Fred asked. (Or George)
"The content is a hidden walk around the four lakes of Hogwarts," George said (or possibly Fred), "but it happens to be in an open area so that everyone can see you."
"I just want to wander around a body of water teeming with monsters and see if I can earn some experience points."
"Ah, I see," Fred nodded understandingly. "That way you can protect your lady, right?"
"You'll certainly gain a lot of experience after having a wonderful Halloween," George added. "If possible, I hope you can also pass on some of your experience to my clueless brother."