Harry potter:Dark lord

Really Am Not!

On the way back, unlike Tom, who had a gloomy expression, Robert seemed very pleased with himself.

After weeks of sporadic attacks on Tom, coupled with today's "torture," Robert had finally accumulated 500 merit points.

It was just enough to exchange for the Felixir that had been locked away for over two weeks.

Without delay, Robert exchanged the Fuling Potion on the way back.

A small glass bottle appeared in his palm, its contents glowing with an incredibly enticing golden shimmer.

Carefully, Robert put the bottle away. A potion like this would undoubtedly come in handy at some point.

Meanwhile, the Pig's Head Inn looked almost unrecognizable compared to before.

Everything was spotless…

Even Dumbledore had nearly mistaken the place for somewhere else when he last visited.

Of course, all the credit went to Toby, the house-elf.

As an experienced house-elf, even a speck of dirt in his master's home was an unbearable insult!

If Aberforth hadn't strongly objected, Toby would have thrown out the filthy pig's head hanging above the bar.

As soon as Robert and Tom stepped inside, Aberforth called them over with a sour look on his face.

"My pretentious brother is here, waiting for you in your room."

Robert and Tom, long accustomed to the peculiar relationship between the Dumbledore brothers, simply nodded and headed upstairs to their room on the second floor.

As they entered, Robert saw Dumbledore sitting beside his bed, quietly reading Oliver Twist.

Professor Hicks was there as well, sitting in a chair with a warm smile as she watched the two boys.

Robert glanced at Oliver Twist, but he wasn't worried. The book's true contents were concealed.

Only he could see the real text—others could only read the disguised version.

At that moment, Dumbledore wiped his eyes and looked up, just in time to see Robert and Tom enter.

"Ah... my apologies. This novel is quite captivating. No wonder you like it so much, Robert," Dumbledore said with a smile, setting the book aside.

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Hicks—long time no see," Robert greeted them.

"It has been a while. Are you settling in well?" Professor Hicks asked.

"Quite well. Mr. Aberforth takes good care of us."

Dumbledore smiled. "I can see that my brother has been doing his best… And it seems that your abilities have improved significantly during this time."

Tom's eyebrows twitched.

Could Dumbledore actually tell that his skills had improved?

Dumbledore pointed to the spellbook on Tom's desk and chuckled. "This is second-year material, I see."

Tom immediately relaxed. So that was it—Dumbledore had noticed the book, not his actual progress.

Then, Dumbledore turned his gaze to Robert.

"Tom is studying spells, but what about you, Robert? What have you been working on?"

"I've been studying Transfiguration recently," Robert replied truthfully.

Indeed, thanks to The Complete Guide to Transfiguration, his skills had improved dramatically.

"Transfiguration? Excellent. I happen to have some experience in that field. Would you mind showing me?" Dumbledore asked with interest.

Professor Hicks laughed. "Robert, Professor Dumbledore is a master of Transfiguration."

"Ah… Eulalie, you flatter me," Dumbledore said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Then I'll give it a try," Robert said, not declining the offer.

After all, he had been practicing Transfiguration for some time now, and this was a great chance to assess his progress.

Drawing his wand, Robert pointed it at the empty desk.

"Whoosh!"

A cream cake instantly appeared on the tabletop.

According to Gamp's First Law of Elemental Transfiguration, food couldn't be conjured from nothing.

However, if a wizard knew the food's location, they could summon it directly.

This was the same method Dumbledore had used to provide pumpkin juice back at the UK Orphanage.

Tom stared at the cake, then at Robert.

You had this skill all along?!

Yet every night, when you wanted a midnight snack, you woke me up and made me fetch food from the kitchen?!

You absolute menace! You did that on purpose!

Before Tom could voice his frustration, Robert tapped the cake with his wand.

The cake rapidly changed shape, morphing into a finely crafted goblet with intricate engravings.

Dumbledore's eyes gleamed with admiration.

Such an exquisite goblet—this was the skill level of a fifth-year student!

And yet, Robert had achieved this before even setting foot in Hogwarts!

Dumbledore was about to comment when Robert waved his wand again.

The goblet shimmered and transformed once more.

Before their eyes, it became a small, fluffy kitten.

Dumbledore blinked, momentarily stunned.

Reaching out, he picked up the kitten, feeling its soft fur and gentle warmth.

The tiny creature licked the back of his hand.

When Dumbledore looked at Robert again, there was astonishment in his eyes.

Only Hogwarts' top students, typically in their fifth or sixth year, could perform such transformations.

And even among them, only those in the Transfiguration Club could achieve this level of refinement.

Yet Robert, who hadn't even started school, had reached this stage purely through self-study!

How could Dumbledore not be shocked?

This level of talent… was even greater than his own when he was young!

Professor Hicks, too, looked at Robert in disbelief. She fully understood how difficult it was to reach this level in Transfiguration at such a young age.

Dumbledore sighed, gently setting the kitten back on the table.

"Robert, you've given me another surprise… Your Transfiguration abilities surpass those of many adult wizards. And you've learned all of this on your own? It's no exaggeration to call you a once-in-a-century Transfiguration genius!"

"Ah?" Robert blinked in confusion.

To be honest, he hadn't realized how advanced his skills were.

From his memories of the original timeline, Hogwarts students could transform objects into living creatures by their third or fourth year.

So, he didn't think turning a goblet into a kitten was particularly remarkable.

He had only meant to show a bit of talent in front of Dumbledore…

Had he gone overboard?

Tsk! This was troublesome. He didn't want too much attention from Dumbledore!

"Is it really that impressive?" Robert asked hesitantly. "I thought many people could do this…"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"It's true that younger students, with enough practice, can turn objects into living things. But your transformation is flawless. You've reached a level of precision and detail that few even among older students achieve."

Tom, meanwhile, was utterly dumbfounded.

Was Robert's confidence in the forest earlier not just bravado?

Was the gap between us really this enormous?

So his belief that he could challenge Robert…

…had been nothing more than an illusion.

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