Alex’s mind raced as he recalled an article he’d read in Transfiguration Today. There were only seveered Animagi in the British wizarding world, and none of them turned into a beetle. “An uered Animagus, then?” he specuted, gng at the house the woman had emerged from. The pque by the door read Urquart.

  He frowned, puzzling over the mystery. ‘Was she a thief? A secret lover sneaking around?’ Shaking his head, Alex decided it wasn’t his business. He brushed off the enter and tio the Three Broomsticks.

  Ihe cozy pub, Higgs and Vivian were already waiting for him, a frothy gss of butterbeer set at his usual spot. Alex joihem, letting the warmth of the room and the pa away his lingering tension. As they chatted, Viviaedly reted gossip from her Quidditch team and poker club. Alex found himself rexing, enjoying the mu f atmosphere.

  The weekend passed peacefully, and Alex felt rejuvenated. However, on Monday m, as he unfolded the test issue of the Daily Prophet, he froze. The headli a chill down his spine, reminding him of the mysterious beetle Animagus he’d seen just days before.

  The headline on the Daily Prophet caught Alex’s eye: "The Secret Love Story of a Senior Law Enfort Officer and Hogwarts’ Transfiguration Professor!"

  Alex stared at the article, processing the implications. “So, that house I passed the other day belongs to Professonagall? And the illegal Animagus I sarobably Rita Skeeter, sniffing out gossip to write this report. A reporter using Animagus transformation to dig up dirt—she’s really something else.”

  The article revealed that Professonagall had retly married Elphinstone Urquart, a retired senior official from the Ministry of Magic. Urquart had been her boss when she worked in the Department of Magical Law Enfort years ago. Apparently, after years of persistence, Urquart finally won Magall’s heart, and the two married the previous summer. To make it easier fonagall to ute, Urquart had bought a house in Hogsmeade, close to the school.

  The Daily Prophet spared no effort in dramatizing the story. It painted Professonagall as a regal but cold-hearted "queen" and Urquart as a devoted admirer who had pursued her for years. They even criticized Magall’s decision to keep her maiden name, g it was a sign of her “unyielding pride.”

  “Rita Skeeter really has no fear, does she?” Alex muttered with a smirk. “She’s lucky Magall doesn’t hex her into oblivion for this. Though, I bet Skeeter’s more worried about being exposed as an illegal Animagus.”

  Despite his actal discovery of Skeeter’s secret, Alex decided to keep it to himself for now. Having that kind of leverage might e in handy one day. The sdal became the talk of Hogwarts. Students whispered about it in corridors and on rooms, but no one dared mention it within earshot of Magall, whose thunderous mood that week was enough to deter even the boldest pranksters.

  While the rest of the school buzzed with gossip, Alex had more pressing matters on his mind. In his at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Alex sat at his desk, his notes scattered around him. He was deep in thought, scribbling ideas and crossing out failed ones. “Measuring magical reserves isn’t as simple as I thought,” he muttered, flipping through his notes. “Output doesn’t directly correte with overall reserves, so where do I even start?”

  Over the past weeks, Alex had been experimenting with a new alchemical device he’d created to measure magic output. His tests showed that each wizard could produce different amounts of magic per sed, depending on their physical dition and training. However, he hadn’t been able to link this to their total magical reserves.

  “Magic output depends on physiology and training, not the reserve itself,” he cluded with frustration. “I need a fresh perspective—someone more experiehan me.”After a moment’s thought, Alex pulled out a sheet of part and began draftiers to several schors in the field of spell research. Since publishing his paper on the Echo Spell, Alex had built es with a number of experts, including Pandora Lovegood, a well-known charms schor and wife of The Quibbler’s editor.

  “Mrs. Lovegood might have some ideas,” Alex mused, carefully outlining his theories and the challenges he was fag. “She’s brilliant with unventional approaches.” As he finished writing, Alex turo his oas perched nearby. “Alright, time for you to earn your extra snacks. These letters o go out today,” Alex said, holding up the stack of envelopes.

  His owl, known for being temperamental, hooted disdainfully and refused to budge. “Don’t be zy. I’ll throw in a double portion of treats when you get back,” Alex bargained. Relutly, the owl extes cws, allowing Alex to secure the letters.

  Just as Alex was about to send it off, a knock sou the door. He ope to find Charles and Higgs standing there, looking eager. Alex raised an eyebrow at the pair. “What’s going on? Your training is self-directed now. I didn’t think you needed me to che anymore.”

  Charles and Higgs exged gnces before Higgs spoke up. “We’ve been training for months now, ahink it’s time for a proper duel. We want to see how far we’ve e.”Alex folded his arms, studying their determined faces. He could see the fire in their eyes and the subtle tension in their postures. Clearly, this wasn’t just a friendly spar—they were itg to prove something.

  “Alright,” Alex said after a moment. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  The two young wizards lit up at his agreement. Higgs, who was two years ahead of Charles, had been nursing his pride since losing to him in their st duel. He was determio recim his honor. Charles, oher hand, was brimming with fidence, eager to prove that his previous victory wasn’t a fluke.

  The three stepped out of the hut and headed to the open area nearby. Vivian, Bill, and David were already there, lounging by stools they’d set up with dy and drinks, clearly ready to enjoy the spectacle.

  Alex sighed, shooting them an exasperated look. “You three shouldn’t be treating this like a show. Pay attention—this is a good ce to observe. Once your training progresses, I’ll be pairing you up for practice duels too.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” the trio replied dismissively, though their eyes sparkled with excitement. Bill even pulled out a rge lollipop and began ping on it noisily.

  Alex rolled his eyes, muttering a silent vow to ramp up their trainiurning his attention to Charles and Higgs, who stood ready in the dueling area, he gave his instrus.

  “There are ris for this duel,” Alex announced. “But be careful. Now, salute!”The two petitors nodded and drew their wands, exging the traditional dueling salute with a touch of seriousness. Their postures shifted slightly, refleg their mutual respect—they both clearly saw the other as an equal.

  “Silencio!”“Impedimenta!”