Chapter 167: Transfiguration Master Class, Animagus's Little Secret
Oblivious to the conversation, Ethan happily headed to the Room of Requirement to continue brewing. Between batches, he kept practicing his Human Transfiguration, trying to refine his technique and produce cleaner results before Dumbledore finished putting together the lessons.
This time, Dumbledore didn't need a whole break to prepare as he had with the Transfiguration notes last semester. Perhaps because the topic was narrower, he had the tutorial ready in two days and summoned Ethan to his office.
Before diving in, Dumbledore laid out the schedule.
"As you know, Human Transfiguration has two branches: self-transformation and transforming others. Magical creature Transfiguration falls under self-transformation. So I won't cover transforming others for now. You can ask Minerva about that later if you want."
"Understood." Dumbledore was right. Self-transformation was what Ethan needed. The rest could wait.
"Can you do biological Transfiguration yet?"
"Not yet. I can manage a coat rack, but that is the extent of it."
"Very well, we shall go back to basics. Your coat rack form has numerous structural flaws."
Dumbledore reviewed Ethan's schedule and arranged the tutoring sessions.
"Come to my office at seven o'clock on evenings when you have no classes. I will instruct you personally. We will determine the progression of your magical creature Transfiguration based on how quickly you master the concepts."
*All right.* He had no objections. Dumbledore was correct. This type of magic demanded a systematic approach.
Perhaps wary of the danger inherent in such magic, Dumbledore did not provide the complete tutorial this time. Instead, he gave Ethan a detailed section on standard Human Transfiguration. Ethan had studied this material carefully before, as it appeared in both sets of notes Dumbledore had previously given him. However, one set had been written during Dumbledore's own student years and was relatively rudimentary. The other was too broad to offer any real depth. This tutorial, however, contained plenty of material worth exploring.
Additionally, having a master of Transfiguration explain concepts and answer questions in person was significantly more efficient than studying alone. As he listened, Ethan identified pitfalls he had completely missed while reading the notes. Dumbledore likely never encountered these specific issues, so he had not addressed them. Ethan had, and he'd been forced to figure them out on his own. In hindsight, he was fortunate not to have injured himself by rashly attempting Human Transfiguration. That realization compelled him to listen with even greater care and ask every question that crossed his mind. Dumbledore answered them all patiently.
Gradually, Ethan figured out why his coat rack transformations kept failing. Once he understood, it all clicked. Ethan felt confident he'd grasped the key principles. Next time he tried transforming into other objects, he was sure it would go much more smoothly.
Dumbledore truly earned his reputation as a Transfiguration master. His lectures were full of references and examples. He didn't just cover Human Transfiguration, he wove in all kinds of related knowledge to help Ethan understand. He went off on those tangents because Human Transfiguration connected to so many other areas.
At Hogwarts, the Transfiguration curriculum went like this:
First and second years learned to turn inanimate objects into other inanimate objects, like matches into needles, and small animals into simple objects, like mice into snuffboxes or beetles into buttons. Third year introduced turning inanimate objects into living creatures, like teapots into tortoises. Fourth year reviewed earlier material while scaling up the objects and introducing cross-species Transfiguration, like guinea fowl into guinea pigs. Fifth year was the last stage most students would reach. It built on previous complexity and introduced Summoning Charms and Vanishing Spells for non-animal objects. Sixth and seventh years went further still, including Human Transfiguration.
Human Transfiguration was typically reserved for sixth-year students. Anyone who struggled to transform living and inanimate objects stood no chance of mastering it. The subject required a profound understanding of the target form. To transform into a coat rack, for instance, Ethan had meticulously studied the one in his dormitory. He had even coaxed the Room of Requirement into generating dozens more for him to analyze.
Before he knew it, two hours had passed. Eventually, Ethan had to leave the Headmaster's office to attend his Astronomy class.
As he walked toward the Astronomy Tower, Ethan found himself hoping for rain. Stargazing was impossible in such weather, and last week's class had been canceled for that very reason. After all, Ethan had already completed the moonlight step. He was no longer the same boy who had prayed for clear skies just a few days earlier.
From Thursday through Saturday, Ethan spent over two hours each night in Dumbledore's office. Yet it never felt like enough. He'd only managed to improve his transformations involving inanimate objects and hadn't yet progressed to living creatures.
"We're moving a bit slowly. I have something to attend to on Sunday. We'll continue next week," Dumbledore said after concluding Saturday night's lesson at nine-thirty.
"All right." Ethan could use a day to digest everything and catch up on his homework anyway. He'd been too busy these past few days. He'd even put his potion brewing on hold.
On Tuesday of the following week, Ethan finally began learning animal Transfiguration. After an hour of lecturing, Dumbledore explained that although he had covered the key points, he wanted Ethan to experience animal transformation firsthand before attempting it himself.
"Are you ready?" Dumbledore held the Elder Wand, pointing it at Ethan.
This would be his first time transforming into an animal, and Ethan felt nervous. He took a deep breath and nodded.
"Good." Dumbledore waved his wand. With a loud crack, Ethan transformed into a red deer.
The sensation of being in a completely non-human body was strange and exciting. He tried to move his four long legs to take a few steps, but the moment he attempted to move his hind legs, he realized he had no idea how to coordinate them. He made it less than a meter before his legs tangled and he crashed to the ground. He struggled to get his legs under him, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not stand.
All he could do was grunt at Dumbledore, signaling he wanted to change back. The old man waved his wand, and Ethan returned to human form. He lay on his side on the floor, his limbs still locked in the same posture as his deer form.
As Ethan climbed to his feet, Dumbledore cast a quick spell before Ethan could say anything. "Did your magic surge again?"
Ethan swallowed his question. "Huh?"
"Your magic has clearly grown since the last test. Your last surge was February 25th. Was this one the same day?"
Ethan remained silent, which was confirmation enough.
The old man stroked his long beard. "This was only successful because I was the one casting it. Most wizards would not have managed to Transfigure you at all."
Ethan understood. Transfiguring another person was no simple task. A wizard's own magic and willpower created a formidable resistance. If the subject resisted, the caster required significantly more power, or the spell would likely fail. Even though Ethan had claimed he was ready, the inherent uncertainty had probably triggered some subconscious resistance.
The old man waved his hand, dispelling the Silencing Charm he had just cast, and settled back onto the sofa. "You have questions. Ask away."
Mindful of his sudden loss of mobility, Ethan asked, "Professor, how do I overcome this discomfort during transformation? You saw what happened. I tried to walk, but I couldn't even stand."
Dumbledore took a sip of black tea, heavily laden with sugar. "That is perfectly normal. I performed the transformation myself so you could get used to the sensation beforehand. The difference between humans and quadrupeds is vast. Everyone struggles during their first attempt. You will adjust. However, keep your sessions short initially. Do not remain transformed for more than three minutes. Once you are more comfortable, you may extend the duration, but never exceed an hour."
"And yet, you still refused me when I asked to learn Magical Creature Transfiguration early." Recalling how difficult it had been to fight for this opportunity, Ethan felt a twinge of resentment.
"It is different, Ethan. Once you complete the Animagus transformation, you will understand why it is not classified as Human Transfiguration." Dumbledore shook his head as he corrected Ethan's misunderstanding.
"What's the difference? They are both forms of biological Transfiguration, aren't they?"
"You know Transfiguration cannot change an object's fundamental nature."
"I know."
"That is the difference. With Human Transfiguration, underneath it all, you remain yourself. You don't actually become the animal, so there's no genuine pain. Being an Animagus is different. It's not so much a Transfiguration spell as it is magic creating an animal body that's truly yours. When you transform, your physical body does not actually change."
Dumbledore paused, took a sip of tea, and cast a spell.
Ethan frowned in confusion. "That can't be right. If my body doesn't change, where does the pain come from?"
The old man continued, "That is the secret of the Animagus. Your physical body does not transform. Instead, the potion and ritual create a completely new body identical to yours, and that is the one that transforms. This new body is entirely yours. Once it transforms, it stays that way permanently, unlike regular Transfiguration. You could remain in your Animagus form forever if you wished, though you would have to contend with stronger animal instincts."
Dumbledore paused before sharing another secret. "Your Animagus body is essentially a second life. If it dies, you survive in human form, but you can never transform again."
"Wait, really?" Ethan was stunned. Nobody had ever mentioned that an Animagus was a second life.
"Don't get too excited," Dumbledore said, dampening his enthusiasm. "If the wizard dies, the Animagus doesn't keep living. That's why I said it's only a second life, and it's extremely rare."
*That makes sense. Otherwise, everyone would learn it, and there wouldn't be only seven registered in the twentieth century.* Ethan suddenly understood the difference between this and the second form granted by his family's bloodline.
"I'm glad you grasp that. As I was saying, an Animagus form is effectively a second body, so adapting to it comes quickly. You don't need the long adjustment period that Human Transfiguration demands, because it's an animal body through and through. We refer to this distinction as biological instinct."
The realization dawned on Ethan. "So, once I finish the final steps, I won't need much time to adjust to my Animagus form?"
"Yes." Dumbledore looked him in the eyes and nodded.
Ethan flushed slightly, but he brushed the feeling aside and continued his questions.
Walking back to the dormitory, Ethan mulled over the secret Dumbledore had confided in him, the one he was sworn to keep.
*What a wondrous Animagus.* At the entrance to the dungeons, Ethan sighed and ducked through the door.
***
========================================
------------------------------------------
Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 378
2.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 393
3.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 197
support me on Patreon for instant access to the 120+ advance chapters: patreon.com/redofic