The Systemic Transformation Techniques of the Snake Swarm

For a fleeting moment, Edmund thought Snape was going to kill Travers and throw his body into the Black Lake to feed the giant squid.

Well, that's what Snape's eyes said. Edmund had never seen Snape so angry before. A terrifying rage suddenly rose in his tunnel-black eyes, as if he wanted to tear Travers to pieces and then chop him into mincemeat.

If Snape hadn't calmed down in less than five seconds, Edmund thought the two of them would have gotten into a fight in class—that would have been interesting, and he was curious to see what kind of expression Professor McGonagall would have on her face—unfortunately, Snape regained his composure in no time, ignored Travers, and looked straight ahead again.

Ugh.

Edmund could understand why Snape returned to normal so quickly; he even admired him a little.

Both Snape and Pollyanna were extremely perceptive young wizards. They both noticed what Edmund had noticed:

The internal dynamics of Slytherin are extremely complex. If a young wizard cannot secure his position through academic achievements or interpersonal relationships, he or she, whose surname is not well-known, is very likely to be bullied.

Edmund observed that Slytherin's hierarchy was similar to that of a wolf pack. The students could be roughly divided into three categories: senior members, junior members, and blood packs.

This description may be a bit extreme, but that's how it really works.

Like most organizations in the world, senior members are composed of exceptionally talented individuals and wealthy people who were born into privilege. They wield significant influence and can even sway the director's thoughts and judgments.

Generally speaking, they take charge of any profitable business, and only after sucking up the best parts will they leave the leftovers to the ordinary members who depend on them, so that they can also "get a share".

There's not much to say about the ordinary members. They are mostly just ordinary students with ordinary family backgrounds, ordinary grades, and ordinary thoughts. A few with obvious strengths will be recruited by certain "senior members" and become their connections or henchmen.

But this did not fundamentally change their situation, because ordinary wizards could hardly provide resources for others. To get enough to eat, they could only rely on those arrogant "high-ranking members" and be thankful that they hadn't become blood bags for their classmates.

As for why some people became "blood bags" (i.e., were essentially used for favors), that's easy to understand. Even someone as wealthy and powerful as Lucius Malfoy, with his connections to the school's board of trustees, couldn't consistently generate value for Slytherin. But if he couldn't lead them to glory, why should they idolize him and make him their leader?

Yes, in order to protect the interests of the "senior members" and to keep the ordinary members in line, the "blood packs" (people of mixed blood) who were easily bullied appeared. They were mostly mixed-race individuals with no background or power, and who were gloomy and unsociable. Bullying these people was risk-free; there were also some unlucky ones who, by chance, angered a pure-blooded young master or lady, and their status plummeted from then on.

In short, they were all "worthless" Slytherin students. Compared to their tragic fates, ordinary members could breathe a sigh of relief: even if pleasing Malfoy and his ilk didn't bring any benefits, it didn't do any harm either! It's better than ending up like them, right?

With the support of the blood packs, the ordinary members felt they were doing quite well. And with the support of the blood packs and the ordinary members, the senior members were even more comfortable.

That sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn't it? What's even more interesting is that even though the blood packs have taken care of all the dirty work for the students, and they've also subjected them to plenty of verbal taunts and verbal bullying, they're still "ultimately, after all, Slytherins." Being sorted into this house, "you're still better than those stinking Mudbloods."

What rigorous logic! Even a Slytherin blood pack can look down on Mudbloods!

So, once you've entered Slytherin, how can you not believe in pure-blood supremacy? If you don't believe in the supremacy of pure-blood, wouldn't you be trying to overthrow the entire house and go against everyone around you?

"Going against everyone around you," ah, that sounds wonderful...

Edmund thought casually that it was a pity he didn't have the power yet, otherwise he would definitely try to change everything in Slytherin from the inside.

However, if there's no rush, it might be worthwhile to treat this as a research topic.

Moreover, this is a major project that even Dumbledore couldn't accomplish, or had no intention of undertaking!

Although Edmund's consciousness was largely dominated by the 11-year-old Edmund Soman, he still had experience from the Genie. Therefore, he could understand why Dumbledore felt he couldn't do it and hadn't done it:

When everyone in the system is happy with it and takes it for granted, what kind of words, rules, and benefits will a lion use to persuade the snakes to turn around?

Oh, unless he decides to flip the table and quit, then stomp on the snake's belly and make it let out a miserable wail—but how is that any different from what the snakes do?

Edmund chuckled twice, which earned him an extra glare from Professor McGonagall.

Let's get back to the lesson. So far, all the professors Edmund has met have had very different personalities and teaching styles. Compared to the lively and adorable Professor Flitwick, whom he had just met, Professor McGonagall's strictness immediately intimidated the group of young wizards.

Unlike any of her previous professors, Professor McGonagall didn't use elaborate language to describe the importance and subtlety of the course; she was the kind of teacher who offered warnings.

"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous spell in your Hogwarts curriculum. No one is to cause trouble in my class, or when I ask you to leave, it means you will never be able to return to this classroom—don't regret it then, I've already warned you."

Edmund had met Professor McGonagall before taking the Transfiguration class, so he wasn't surprised by her style. Instead, he found James's sudden honesty quite amusing.

After that, Professor McGonagall showed off her magic again, turning an apple into an owl with flapping wings. But this was still a more profound spell. Edmund seemed to hear James sigh in frustration, and this should not be his imagination, because Professor McGonagall glared at James again.

After teaching them the spell, Professor McGonagall reminded them again: to carefully imagine what things would look like after they changed, rather than to memorize what they looked like now.

Then she waved her wand, and several matches floated down to them, allowing the students to try it out.

"Why turn into a needle, and not into something thicker than a matchstick like a crayon, Professor?"

When Professor McGonagall approached him, Edmund asked her a question.

Is it easier to shrink than to grow bigger?

After being bombarded with questions by James Porter, such as "Do the animals you transform into eat and use the toilet?" and "When you become a cat, do you become interested in hunting mice, Professor?", Edmund's question softened Professor McGonagall's expression slightly. She nodded.

"That's right, Mr. Soman. Generally speaking, the duration of a transfiguration spell depends on the wizard's concentration, the strength of their magic, and the size and shape of the object being transformed. So yes, turning a match into a crayon is indeed more difficult than turning it into a needle."

Edmund nodded, moved his hand away, and showed the professor the crayon he had conjured.

"It seems I have quite a talent, Professor."

Professor McGonagall paused slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips. Just as she was about to give Edmund credit, the boy asked another question.

"So, the Transfiguration Charm can also be used on humans?"

"Professor, I'd love to know what it feels like to be transformed. Could you turn me into a tiger, or some other animal?"