Chapter 168: Practice, Dumbledore's Two Phoenix Forms
Over the next two days, Ethan finished studying animal Transfiguration and moved on to the subject he'd been most looking forward to: magical creature Transfiguration.
However, before they could begin, Dumbledore cast a privacy charm so only the two of them could hear. The portraits lining the walls, which had been straining to overhear, were displeased.
"He is actually blocking us out!"
"Precisely! We have been dead for years, yet he still refuses to let us listen!"
The portraits grumbled in chorus. Dumbledore paid them no mind and maintained the spell as he explained the material.
Noticing Ethan glancing back, Dumbledore offered an explanation. "Pay them no heed. Several of those headmasters have divided loyalties, and their portraits also hang elsewhere. If they were to hear this, the information might eventually slip out."
"Right, I understand. It's just a bit loud." The Muffliato Charm prevented others from hearing them, but it didn't block out the surrounding noise. The portraits were making it difficult to focus.
"Let us move to the study. It is quieter." Dumbledore sounded resigned. He led Ethan inside, shut the door, and the noise vanished.
"They really just walked away!" The portraits grew louder once they left, but Ethan couldn't make out what they were saying and was finally able to concentrate.
Every class after that was held in the study.
With the groundwork laid, Dumbledore moved through creature Transfiguration at a faster pace. By Friday evening, they had finished all the theory.
Ethan was eager to start practicing.
Dumbledore checked his schedule and said, "Don't come Saturday night. Something came up. Sunday instead. Meet me at Hagrid's hut, and I'll take you to the forest's edge."
"Okay!"
After Potions on Saturday, Ethan slipped away to the old Acromantula lair in the Forbidden Forest to practice Human Transfiguration. The twins would be using the Room of Requirement at night, so he needed somewhere deserted.
Last week he'd needed help evaluating his transformations, so he'd used the Room on Sunday. Even then, the twins had peppered him with questions. For animal Transfiguration, he didn't need an audience.
He wasn't attempting magical creature Transfiguration without Dumbledore watching. Ordinary biological Transfiguration was fair game, though. All living things had enough in common to make practice worthwhile.
*Still not quite right. I'll ask Dumbledore about the issues tomorrow.*
After two hours of practice, he'd ironed out some problems from his first attempt, but others remained.
The next morning, having barely slept, Ethan finished his incantation practice and showed up at Hagrid's hut early.
Three weeks had passed since the Charms group dissolved. Other than the full moon visit, he hadn't been back. Yesterday he hadn't even stopped to say hello.
"Haven't seen you in a while." Hagrid still welcomed him warmly and hauled out a spread of food.
"I just ate. I can't manage another meal. I'll have some candy." Ethan picked up a piece of treacle fudge, cut off a small piece, and let it melt in his mouth.
He scratched Fang's head while Hagrid bustled around with breakfast.
"Did Hermione come last weekend?"
"Yeah, he came by to practice Charms. Left right after, didn't stay for lunch." Hagrid brought out some warm bread.
"Harry hasn't been around in a couple of weeks, has he? He came a few times after your last visit. Must be busy with Quidditch training."
Ethan nodded, watching Hagrid pile meat and vegetables onto the bread. Hagrid chatted between enormous bites of the hearty meal.
Before long, someone knocked on the door.
"Is that Professor Dumbledore?" Hagrid set down his sandwich, quickly chewed and swallowed, and stood up.
"Keep eating. I'll get it." Ethan went to the door.
It wasn't Dumbledore. It was Harry Potter.
"Harry? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be training for the Hufflepuff match?"
Ethan stepped aside to let him in.
"The match was yesterday. We're done for the term. Wood called off the weekend training sessions, so I came to see Hagrid."
"Really?" Ethan scratched his head. He had gone straight back to his dorm after every practice, so he hadn't seen the twins. He really didn't know about the match.
Hogwarts spreads the inter-house matches across all three terms. With two matches per term, every house plays the other three by the end of the year. This term featured Ravenclaw versus Slytherin and Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff.
Ethan shut the door, thinking, *So next week we're up against Ravenclaw. Potions will be canceled again.*
"Harry! Come in, sit down. Have something to eat." Hagrid was delighted to see him after two weeks. He kept shoving a plate of food toward him.
"I've already eaten. I'm fine. I'll just have some sweets." Harry glanced at the plate and, like Ethan, settled for the candy.
As they talked, someone knocked on the door again.
"Is it Hermione?"
"I'll check." Ethan wasn't sure. With Harry around, Hermione wouldn't be a surprise.
"Headmaster." When Ethan opened the door, he was met with a long white beard.
Hagrid had finished eating and was working his way through some rock cakes for dessert. Seeing Dumbledore, he quickly stood up, wiped his hands, and said, "Professor Dumbledore."
"Professor Dumbledore." Harry stood up too.
"Hagrid, Harry. Sit, sit. No need to get up."
Dumbledore sat down and noticed the treacle fudge immediately. "Hagrid, did you make this? It's delicious." It nearly yanked his teeth out, but he complimented it anyway.
Harry covered his face with his hand. Ethan turned away to hide his snickering. Hagrid beamed at the praise, oblivious to their reactions.
Dumbledore chewed for a long while before finally swallowing. He declined Hagrid's offer of another piece and left with Ethan, heading deep into the Forbidden Forest.
Today's practice was a secret. He didn't want witnesses.
When they reached a level clearing, Dumbledore stopped. "You've got all day. Let's start with simple inanimate objects."
"Mm."
With a loud crack, Ethan transformed into a bookshelf slightly larger than his own body. It was the second inanimate object he had mastered, after the coat rack, but it was the first time he had demonstrated it to Dumbledore.
"That's an improvement, but if you focus on these areas, you'll progress even further," Dumbledore said, pointing out a few specific details.
Ethan considered the advice and cast the spell again. Just as Dumbledore had predicted, the bookshelf showed greater detail and had grown slightly in size.
After several more attempts, Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Once you have the knack for inanimate objects, the rest will come easily. Next, let's try an animal."
Ethan chose the red stag. Dumbledore had previously transfigured him into one, and Ethan had managed to find a detailed anatomical diagram in the library. With these advantages, it was the form he'd practiced the most.
With a sharp crack, a red stag appeared, standing roughly a meter high at the shoulder. Despite all his practice, he still wasn't comfortable moving on four legs. He managed a few steps before returning to his human form.
"Did you practice after class? This is a significant improvement over the bookshelf," Dumbledore said with some surprise.
"Fair enough. I spent about the same amount of time on both."
"Professor, is there a faster way to get used to this? I've practiced a lot, but it still feels unnatural."
Dumbledore shook his head. "No. That is precisely why animal Transfiguration is so difficult. Most wizards stick to inanimate objects. It is far easier to work with stationary targets. Only Aurors-in-training bother practicing it extensively. Animagi like McGonagall choose animals similar to their natural forms, so they adjust faster."
Alright. Given that his Animagus form would be a three-headed dragon, the closest thing he could practice with would be something capable of both flying and crawling. But if he compromised, wouldn't lizards or geckos be easier? It seemed worth a shot.
"Very well. Since you have the basics down, let us move to the Phoenix transformation." Dumbledore's words interrupted his thoughts.
This was the main event. Ethan focused completely.
"Before you try it, I will demonstrate magical creature transformation. You have only seen the theory. Watch me do it once. Ask questions as they arise."
"Understood."
"Watch closely."
Dumbledore raised his wand and murmured an incantation. With a sharp crack, a phoenix materialized. To Ethan, the bird looked exactly like Fawkes. The phoenix swooped in a few low circles, launched a fireball at the ground, and then Apparated a short distance away. Ethan never took his eyes off it.
With a soft whoosh, the bird transformed back into Dumbledore, landing from about half a meter up. "Did you see that clearly? Now, I will show you my Animagus form."
Dumbledore vanished once more. In his place appeared a phoenix, identical to the first. Ethan's eyes widened as he searched for any difference between them. After demonstrating the same abilities, the phoenix spread its wings so Ethan could examine them.
A bold idea formed in Ethan's mind. He quietly released a bit of his restrained magic, curious to see how the phoenix would react. The phoenix slowly moved closer. But just as Ethan was about to touch its feathers, Dumbledore transformed back.
"I finally know why Fawkes likes you so much." The old man stepped back a few paces.
Ethan felt a pang of regret and pulled his magic back.
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