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Devro slowly raised his eyes.
As his gaze swept across the room, he seemed to transcend the barriers of time and space, personally witnessing the entire history of these stone statues since their creation.
From their initial carving and shaping to the complex magical spells cast upon them by generations of Hogwarts professors and headmasters, he saw it all.
He witnessed them silently guarding this secret place, standing watch through countless long nights.
Although it all happened in just an instant, Devro gained a profound understanding of the stone piers before him.
He was also deeply shocked by the millennia-long history of Hogwarts.
He stared blankly at the stone piers in front of him.
"Devro, what's wrong? Did you use too much magic? You should rest for a while. Magical exhaustion isn't something to be taken lightly," Professor McGonagall said with concern, stepping forward.
Devro tilted his head slightly to look at Professor McGonagall and shook his head gently.
"Professor, I'm fine. I just had a sudden idea. Why don't we transform them into real warriors? Their stone appearance doesn't seem very flexible."
Professor McGonagall chuckled at his words.
Completely animate the stone piers?
That was extremely difficult!
These statues were carved from magical materials of immense strength.
Even animating a single one fully through Transfiguration would be nearly impossible.
This wasn't like turning a wooden table into a pig; this was about controlling objects imbued with powerful magic, a far more complex challenge.
Only individuals with extraordinary talent and deep insight could even attempt such a feat.
In fact, McGonagall had only ever seen someone reach that level of mastery once—Dumbledore himself.
This was why McGonagall had always used a semi-animated method to control the stone piers.
Besides, Devro didn't fully understand the capabilities of these stone piers yet.
When real battle erupted, he would see just how flexible they already were.
Nonetheless, McGonagall did not stop him.
She simply allowed him to try.
After all, this boy had already given her so many surprises today—what harm could one more do?
As she watched, Devro walked toward a stone statue of a warhorse.
He tucked his wand back into his waist and gently placed both hands on the statue.
The moment he touched it, it was as if ripples flowed across the stone surface.
Even some stone powder seemed to be attracted to Devro's hands.
He slowly began to chant a spell.
The stone statue started to vibrate.
But something was different this time.
The tall warhorse, originally about 1.8 meters high, gradually shrank down into a pony, no taller than 1.4 meters.
Even more astonishing, the stone body began to transform.
It changed from hard, lifeless rock into soft, elastic flesh.
Its fur shimmered with a natural luster.
The pony blinked its gentle, large eyes at Devro.
Devro grinned.
"The experiment was a success!"
He stroked the top of the pony's head lovingly.
Behind him, Professor McGonagall stood frozen in shock.
Had he just completely animated the stone statue?
Impossible!
Could it be that this boy's talent in Transfiguration surpassed even her own?
A terrifying thought surfaced in McGonagall's mind.
She had been Dumbledore's personally chosen student, hailed for her outstanding talent in Transfiguration.
Even now, she believed that the gap between herself and Dumbledore was not large.
Yet what Devro had accomplished right before her eyes...
Far exceeded anything she had ever achieved in her life.
Before she could fully process what had happened, Devro nodded and turned around.
"Professor, I think it would be better to animate all of them and send them to guard the outskirts of the castle, don't you think?"
Hearing this, McGonagall snapped back to reality and blinked.
Then she shook her head and replied,
"Many professors have proposed similar ideas before. However, the animation Transfiguration method we use emphasizes altering structure without changing essence. Their animated state cannot be maintained for long and requires constant magical upkeep. It's too costly."
Devro smiled and nodded.
"Professor, you're absolutely right. But it seems you've overlooked one method."
As he spoke, Devro turned around, pulled out his wand, and raised it high above his head.
He began to swing it in large circles and chant a spell.
Professor McGonagall's eyes narrowed sharply.
Is he trying to awaken all the stone piers at once?!
She wouldn't even dare to attempt that!
Instinctively, she gripped her wand tightly, ready to catch Devro the moment he fainted from magical exhaustion.
Devro closed his eyes tightly, his brows furrowed as if concentrating deeply.
He took a deep breath and shouted:
"Stone piers, move out!"
As the final syllable left his lips, he violently swung the wand overhead once more.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
This time, not only did the stones vibrate; metallic clangs echoed through the hall.
McGonagall nervously scanned the surroundings.
She saw it—the once still stone piers were trembling violently.
The cracks and weathered marks on their surfaces blurred and smoothed out.
And then—
The stone piers began to transform.
First, limbs appeared.
Then heads and torsos.
Finally, complete figures emerged.
One after another, each stone pier turned into a living soldier or horse!
Their armor gleamed under the light, looking almost metallic.
Their movements were orderly and coordinated.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Marching in step, these newly awakened soldiers stepped out from the walls' recesses and stood at attention before McGonagall and Devro.
Their eyes radiated unwavering determination and vigilance.
They looked exactly like a seasoned army, awaiting orders.
McGonagall could barely keep her wand steady in her hand.
It was real!
Devro had really done it!
He had animated all the stone piers!
In front of her, the first-year student turned around and smiled brightly.
His face was pale, completely bloodless, but his expression was full of excitement.
"Professor," Devro said, "although traditional animation Transfiguration can't maintain itself for long, I added microscopic Transfiguration. It compensates for that flaw."
He spoke excitedly, eager to share his thoughts.
McGonagall, however, could only stand there dazed, barely able to process what she was hearing.
When Devro had placed his hands on the horse statue earlier, he had entered the microscopic world—
And memorized the intricate internal structure of the stone material!
Fortunately, this time, he hadn't encountered Tindalos.
Perhaps he hadn't stayed long enough for it to find him.
Thanks to this, he managed to achieve something even Dumbledore might struggle to do:
He animated the entire army of Hogwarts' stone piers!
Devro laughed and spread his arms wide.
"Haha! So, Professor, we now have an army!"
And then...
Devro's vision went black.
He fainted on the spot.
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