Animagus Class

Hermione's long-awaited Transfiguration Club soon issued an announcement, and the list of recruited young wizards was posted on the bulletin board in the Common Room. The long list of names surprised many people.

"Neville Lomberton ..."

Neville read the name on the bulletin board, and for a moment felt a strange unfamiliarity with it. Then, overwhelmed with elation, he grabbed Seamus with one hand and Dean with the other, using their shoulders for support as he jumped up and down with joy. "I passed! I passed!"

"Neville's joined the Transfiguration Club and wants to turn us into mincemeat first!" Seamus and Dean shouted mischievously, raising their hands and fleeing in a panic.

Hermione tugged at Loren's sleeve, her eyes wide with excitement as she looked at their names on the announcement; both of them had passed.

"You don't want to jump on me like Neville did, do you? I can't take it." Loren twisted her hand away.

She couldn't resist patting his arm, but Hermione was in a good mood and didn't hold it against him.

Unsurprisingly, both Harry and Ron passed the test.

The Transfiguration Club's first activity was held in the Transfiguration Classroom. The group arrived early, chose good seats in the front row, and waited for the classroom to gradually fill up with people.

Ron muttered, "Why are club activities just like regular classes? There's no novelty anymore."

"Of course it's exciting; we're giving ourselves extra classes by taking exams," Loren laughed.

"Stop talking, or I won't want to go to class."

Gradually, every seat was filled with young wizards, with the younger students sitting in the front rows and the older students in the back.

There weren't many people. Transfiguration was the most difficult subject, and many young wizards struggled with it in regular classes; they didn't want to suffer through it again in the club.

One of the classic Transfiguration spells is to turn a mouse into a goblet. The difficulty of this magic lies not only in turning a living creature into an inanimate one, but also in transforming all the mouse's fur into a smooth glass surface. Young wizards often conjure up fluffy goblets, and minimizing the amount of mouse fur residue is a problem every young wizard has to face.

There's an interesting story circulating in Hufflepuff:

Q: How can I reduce the amount of residual mouse hair?

A: The more hair you lose from being tortured, the less mouse fur you'll have.

Although it was just a joke, it gives you a sense of the pain of a young wizard who doesn't have the talent for Transfiguration.

Some students did not participate in the selection exam, and some did not pass the exam. The rest are the young wizards sitting here, about 100 people.

There were Loren familiar faces: the Twins brothers, Percy and Penelope, Cedric, Rolf, and Slytherin's Marcus and Draco. There were no first-years; they had no foundation and weren't suited for club activities.

Outside the window, a light drizzle fell; the rain had been falling for days and showed no sign of stopping. Dark clouds and fog shrouded the sky and the open fields, casting a gray gloom over everything. All the candlesticks on the walls were filled with brilliant candlelight, illuminating the entire classroom brightly and cheerfully.

Professor McGonagall strode into the classroom, a smile on her face, "Let's check the list first, starting with the second year: Loren Morgan, Hermione Granger..."

She called out the names of the club members one by one, and the young wizards whose names were called answered loudly, from second year to seventh year, without missing a single one. Loren felt that Professor McGonagall was much gentler than usual.

After checking the list, Professor McGonagall looked at the young wizards below, observing their vibrant energy. "I've told you before that Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous spell in Hogwarts. You might wonder, what's so dangerous about spells like turning a match into a needle, Beetle into a button, a teapot into a turtle, Guinea Pig Transformation, or a plate into a mushroom?"

"Yes! What's the danger?" George asked loudly.

Professor McGonagall did not answer immediately, but instead asked another question, "Can anyone tell me what the branches of Transfiguration are?"

Hermione raised her hand in a flash, and after receiving a signal from Professor McGonagall, she stood up and answered loudly, "Transfiguration, Human Transfiguration, Summoning, Animagus, Manifestation, and Basic Transfiguration."

"Very good, Miss Granger. Gryffin—" Professor McGonagall stopped abruptly, laughing as she said, "I'd forgotten this is a club, there won't be any extra credit for class time."

"It's okay! We don't mind!" Fred shouted.

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

"As you may have noticed, Hogwarts ' curriculum mainly focuses on basic Transfiguration, summoning, and cross-species Transfiguration. It rarely involves spells related to the human body."

Professor McGonagall's words sparked a lively discussion, with Cedric, the young Hufflepuff wizard, asking loudly, "Yes, Professor, why is that?"

"This is related to a few special events that happened in the Wizarding World," Professor McGonagall began to explain. "A Witch Mirabella Plunkett fell in love with a Mermaid while vacationing at Loch Lomond, but her family vehemently opposed the marriage. So Mirabella transformed herself into a Cod and disappeared, never to be seen again."

"The Ministry of Magic suspected that there was something wrong with the Transfiguration she used on herself, that something unpredictable had happened, and that no one was there to break the spell in time, so she became one of the countless black-striped Cod in Loch Lomond."

Professor McGonagall paused after telling the first story, watching the young wizards chatter amongst themselves.

Hermione suddenly remembered something, and she turned around and tugged at Loren's clothes. "We've seen Mirabella's picture cards, remember?"

"Hmm? When did we meet?" Loren had no recollection.

"Last year when I was investigating Nicolas Flamel, you tricked me into eating a lot of Chocolate Frog, one of which was Mirabella."

Speaking of this, Hermione couldn't help but slap him, and then sighed, "Such a beautiful Witch, turned into a fish forever, what a pity."

Ron was puzzled. "Why doesn't she become Mermaid? Aren't Cod supposed to be unable to marry Mermaid?"

"Transfiguration cannot turn a person into Magical Creatures; Mermaid are also a type of Magical Creatures," Loren explained.

"This is too much..."

The young wizards couldn't quite describe their feelings. If Mirabella hadn't been so impulsive, or if she had other wizards protecting her, perhaps this tragedy wouldn't have happened.

Or, if Mirabella hadn't understood Human Transfiguration or cross-species Transfiguration, the tragedy wouldn't have happened.

Professor McGonagall began to tell the second story, "Thardius Serkel was a sorcerer whose seven sons were all Muggle-born. Out of disgust, he turned all seven sons into hedgehogs. Because they lived as hedgehogs for so long, they were unable to think like normal people when they returned to human form."

Many young wizards became indignant, and even Slytherin found the behavior disgusting.

"In the past, Hogwarts ' curriculum included Human Transfiguration, Animagus and related topics. After many tragedies were caused by Transfiguration, the Ministry of Magic issued a new Educational Decree that significantly reduced the curriculum."

"The rectification has yielded significant results, with a substantial reduction in accidents caused by Transfiguration. However, the development of Transfiguration has also been greatly affected. While branches such as basic Transfiguration, summoning, and revealing have flourished, the development of branches such as Human Transfiguration, Animagus, and cross-species Transfiguration has stagnated."

"For a long time, there were only a handful of registered Animagus. Headmaster Dumbledore was quite accomplished in the field of Transfiguration during his student days, and published several articles in Today's Transfiguration magazine. Even he only had one article on the field of cross-species Transfiguration."

At this point, Professor McGonagall's mood sombered, but looking at the young wizards below, her spirits lifted somewhat. "Transfiguration is a more complex and profound art than Charms. I firmly believe that a well-developed Transfiguration will drive the progress of the Wizarding World!"

The young wizards were beginning to understand; the Transfiguration Club seemed to be focusing on the content that had been previously cut.

The lively chatter made Professor McGonagall even happier. "The main activity of the Transfiguration Club is teaching Transfiguration theory. I will hold another selection exam after we return to school for the Christmas holidays. The young wizards who pass the exam will be selected for the Animagus class!"

Boom!

A thunderous roar resounded in the young wizards' ears, sending them into a frenzy; some shouted excitedly.

"I want to be an owl!"

"I want to become a lion!"

"Tiger!"

The first event of the Transfiguration Club didn't cover any substantial content. Professor McGonagall explained the teaching plan, the upcoming exams, and the schedule and locations for future events to the young wizards before concluding the event.

But the Animagus's influence didn't end there. The Transfiguration Club took over from the Charms Club, becoming the most popular topic among young wizards. At dinner, the entire Great Hall was abuzz with discussions about the Animagus.

The members of the Transfiguration Club, in particular, repeated Professor McGonagall's words with great enthusiasm, gesticulating wildly as they recounted the two Transfiguration tragedies, the Ministry of Magic's Educational Decree, and their determination to revitalize Transfiguration.

The young wizard who had given up the club exam for an easy way out was now kicking himself. Although Transfiguration was a waste of Transfiguration and boring, it was Animagus!

The students were determined to participate in next year's selection exam, no matter what.

Saturday night, Gryffindor common room.

Some time has passed, but the young wizards are still discussing club matters with great enthusiasm, not only the Animagus, but also the Charms Club and the Potions Club.

The Quidditch team had just returned from training. The fast Twins, having washed off the mud and rain, were sitting in front of the fireplace to warm themselves, while a group of people gathered around the large square table next to them.

Loren sat on the carpet, examining the Deluminator blueprints Dumbledore had given him, and attempting to dismantle the Alchemy Array on them.

There's actually a faster and more convenient way: project the Deluminator into the Fantasy Book, Flamel could disassemble all the magic circles in minutes. However, since the blueprints are readily available, Loren wants to try it himself; after all, it's a skill every Alchemy should master.

Hermione and he sat back to back, a thick tome spread across their laps. Ever since Professor McGonagall announced the selection process for the Animagus class, Hermione had immediately gone to the Library to compile a reading list. Dozens of books were about Human Transfiguration, cross-species Transfiguration, and Animagus, and she planned to finish reading them—or rather, memorize them—before Christmas.

Ron was trembling with fear. Is this the world of academic geniuses?

Harry had just returned from training and was still washing up. Hermione looked intimidating, so Ron could only ask Loren, "How are Harry and your Potions Club activities going?"

Ginny, who was looking around for Harry, twitched her ears and moved closer to Ron, overhearing their conversation.

"We've been working on Wormwood Essence day, with different tasks rotating among the students each year. It's a bit tedious, but the atmosphere is pretty good." Loren looked away from the blueprints and pinched his brow to relax his tense nerves.

The people in the Potions Club were not stupid; they quickly realized that this was an early adaptation to the work of apothecaries, and they not only did not complain but adapted well.

After becoming familiar with their assigned sections, students from different grades began rotating shifts, with the help of a seventh-year Ravenclaw student. It's estimated that the situation won't change until the first transaction is completed.

"Prefect, tell us what the upperclassmen's division of the Charms Club has been up to lately?" asked a third-year Gryffindor wizard.

Percy sighed and said, "Alas, Professor Flitwick is teaching us Ancient Magic."

"Cool!" exclaimed a group of younger wizards with envy.

"It's not cool at all. Ancient Magic Power chaotic and unstable, and it keeps exploding during every event."

Percy was very depressed. He and Penelope attended events together, and he always ended up covered in soot and looking disheveled. However, Penelope seemed to be getting closer to him.

Seamus was even more envious, filled with envy.

"Ron! Loren! We should go!" Harry called from the exit of the common room, his hair still slightly damp from washing up.

Their confinement wasn't over yet; Ron was going to the Prefects' bathroom to polish the trophies, Harry was going to help Lockhart copy envelopes, and Loren was going to learn the Memory Charm.

Ron got up and skipped over to Harry, pestering him with questions about Quidditch.

Loren turned around, stuffed the Deluminator blueprints into Hermione's large book, and then moved her to the side, letting the sofa back take his place so Hermione could lean against it.

"Don't wait for me in the lounge tonight, go to sleep early," Loren instructed.

Hermione was so engrossed in reciting her lessons that she didn't hear a word he said. She looked up at him with a dazed smile, then drifted back into her book. She looked as adorably silly as a little squirrel.

When they reached Harry, the three of them talked about Quidditch before emerging from the Gryffindor common room.

"George and Fred have been scouting the Slytherin Quidditch Team. According to their reports, the Slytherin Quidditch Team members are riding Nimbus 2001. When they fly, they can only be seen as seven blurry pale green shadows, whizzing through the air like jet planes." Harry's expression was somber, and he seemed preoccupied.

"Quidditch is not just a sport that pursues speed..."

"I know, but..."

Headaches over knowledge and studies, budding feelings of youth, worries about the ball games with the neighboring college—this is youth in school.