Is This Magic Really That Subjective?

"Private tutoring?" Ron blinked. "Could it be that he's still hungry and wants a professor to cook him another meal? Has he already gotten so close to the professors?"

Harry looked at him. "...Dylan probably wants to find a professor for some extra lessons."

"Oh! Sometimes I really think Dylan ought to go to Ravenclaw!"

"...You've already assigned Dylan to three houses. Which one is he actually going to?"

"Gryffindor, of course!"

Dylan made his way to Professor McGonagall's Office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Professor McGonagall's dignified, gracious voice came from inside.

"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall."

Dylan pushed the door open and entered.

Professor McGonagall was sitting behind her desk, the quill in her hand scratching across the Parchment.

When she saw that Dylan had come to her for Private Tutoring, Professor McGonagall slightly raised her eyes. Through her square spectacles, she gazed at Dylan without the slightest ripple of emotion.

"Your performance in today's Flying Class seemed rather ordinary. Is there something troubling you about flying?"

Dylan walked over to Professor McGonagall.

There was a small stool in the corner, which Professor McGonagall had prepared especially for him.

Dylan pulled the stool over, sat down, and blinked.

"Professor, you're awfully well-informed. I only just finished Flying Class."

Professor McGonagall glanced out the window.

"From my position, I can see your flying practice. I saw that Harry has a remarkable Flying Talent."

"Madam Hooch also told me about it. We're already preparing to recommend Harry for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team."

"As for you, I watched for a while from the window. You were quite average."

Dylan smiled. "Flying around randomly in the sky really is rather frightening. I'll just practice bit by bit."

Hearing Dylan say this, Professor McGonagall said nothing more.

"What questions have you prepared today?"

Dylan immediately placed the notebook in his hand on the desk, then pushed it in front of Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, I've gained some initial insights into how to perform Inanimate Transfiguration. Recently, I've been trying to study how to turn an inanimate object into a living creature, but I ran into some problems."

Professor McGonagall took Dylan's notes and began examining them carefully.

"Although you told me about the essence of the Transfiguration Spell, when I tried to turn an apple into a rabbit, I precisely controlled my wand movements, and my Magic Power Output was steady and continuous."

"I also studied the rabbit's physiological structure, so I can be sure that what I imagined really was a rabbit."

"However, during the Transfiguration process, the initial change in form went fairly smoothly. Once the rabbit took shape, though, it seemed limp and feeble, utterly devoid of vitality."

"I also studied the rabbit's habits. In theory, it shouldn't have turned out this way."

Dylan pointed to a spot in his notebook.

"I was wondering whether something went wrong with the Life Magic Power compatibility mentioned in Advanced Transfiguration Explained."

As Dylan spoke, Professor McGonagall flipped through his notes while leaning slightly forward, listening intently to the question he was raising.

After he finished speaking,

Professor McGonagall did not answer immediately. Instead, she finished reading all of Dylan's latest notes on the Transfiguration Spell before setting them down and looking at him.

"Some of the ideas you've written in your notebook are quite novel. That's very good."

Professor McGonagall sat perfectly straight, her hands folded on the desktop. The corners of her lips lifted slightly as she slowly began to speak.

"As for the problem you encountered, I believe the crux lies in your still-shallow understanding of the connection between magic and the essence of life."

"When you try to transform an inanimate object into a living creation, the movement of the wand and the release of magic are merely the most basic steps."

"You were willing to study the structure of living creatures, even their habits. That's very good, and it's something that must be done when practicing the Transfiguration Spell."

"However, even if you've outlined the target's blueprint in your mind, beyond sensing its vitality, agility, and instincts..."

"The most important point is that you must imagine your magic not as ordinary magic, but as genuine Life Magic Power."

Dylan raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Life Magic Power?"

He had read about this in a book.

Life Magic Power was a special form of magic, primarily manifested in magic related to the creation of life and the characteristics of living things.

Dylan had originally thought that this meant—

When studying spells such as Transfiguration, all he needed to do was rely on a wizard's deep understanding of the essence of life when granting a Magical Creature a specific vitality.

In other words, when using magic related to life, magic could be understood as Life Magic Power.

He had not expected that so-called Life Magic Power would actually require him to imagine that the magic he was using was Life Magic Power.

"It really is that subjective..."

He couldn't help complaining inwardly.

A smile appeared on his face, however. "So that's how it is. I think I understand now."

Professor McGonagall nodded and said gently, "Generally speaking, Life Magic Power originates from a wizard's own inner strength. It is closely connected to the wizard's spirit, emotions, and understanding of life."

"So, when you try to study Animate Transfiguration, you must not only infuse your feelings and understanding of life into your magic, but also believe that your magic can bring an inanimate object to life."

Dylan nodded again.

"Since you mentioned Life Magic Power, I'll briefly explain my rudimentary understanding of the definition."

Professor McGonagall looked at him, a trace of expectation still in her eyes.

Dylan said seriously, "Although Life Magic Power is a wizard's inner strength, it also has some kind of profound connection with the force of life in nature—one that I'm currently unable to understand."

"That's why the two can become connected during the use of Transfiguration, and it also determines whether the result succeeds or fails, and whether it is good or poor."

At his words, Professor McGonagall's eyes lit up. The corners of her mouth rose widely, revealing a rare, delighted smile, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes relaxed.

"Dylan, your understanding of magic is remarkably profound. For a first-year Young Wizard, that is extremely rare."

She lightly patted Dylan on the shoulder.

"You're right. The magic within a wizard possesses the potential to be transformed into Life Magic Power, but not every use of magic is an expression of Life Magic Power."

"When a wizard casts certain spells, they need to resonate with the force of life in nature. You can imagine it as drawing energy from nature and combining it with your magic to grant the magical product true vitality."

Professor McGonagall explained many points of knowledge to Dylan, including the essential meanings hidden behind the words—things he could hardly have explored through the text of books alone.

Dylan gained a great deal from the lesson.