Nature's Shield

Lucretia took the transfiguration homework out of her bag.

The vase shimmered with a metallic sheen in the sunlight, but the creeping plant-like veins on its surface made it look unlike any finished product from a standard textbook.

Dumbledore took the vase.

He was silent for a long time, his fingers slowly tracing the patterns as if reading a book written in another language.

"Very special. Can you feel it? This metal vase is still breathing."

Lucretia nodded nervously.

Dumbledore handed the vase back to her. "That's because of your talent, Lucretia. You have a natural respect and understanding for life, and it reflects in your magic. Most wizards pursue control over magic, while you tend to cooperate with it."

Little Barty seemed about to say something, but ultimately remained silent, merely observing the two's interaction with greater focus.

"Next, I want to show you some more advanced transfiguration."

Dumbledore stood up and walked to the center of the open space.

"Please observe carefully, this content will not appear in your textbooks within these seven years."

He waved his wand, and the crystal cup on the table floated into the air.

With a complex gesture, the cup turned into flowing water, swirling in the air.

The water stream turned into flames at the wand's direction, the flames then transformed into a gentle breeze, and finally condensed back into a crystal cup, landing back on the table intact.

Dumbledore explained, a hint of a smile twinkling in his blue eyes behind his glasses, "Elemental Transfiguration. One of the most profound branches of Transfiguration. Transforming matter into elemental forms while maintaining control during the transformation. However, before attempting it, I suggest notifying Hogwarts' fire department first.

Centuries ago, an overconfident transfiguration master tried to turn a small hill into a volcano to keep warm, and had to explain why half the village suddenly turned into toast. The history textbooks are quite vague about it, only mentioning it as an unfortunate magical experiment."

He took off his glasses and wiped them with the corner of his robe, seemingly recalling something amusing.

"Of course, I made similar mistakes myself when I was younger. But that only involved a pumpkin, a cat, and my brother's new hat."

After saying this, he sat down in front of them and took a leaf from his pocket, placing it in his palm.

"But today I want to talk about something more relevant to your abilities. About the combination of transfiguration and nature."

The leaf transformed in his palm, becoming a silver shield-shaped badge, but the surface retained the texture of the leaf veins.

In the sunlight, those veins seemed to pulse gently.

Dumbledore handed the badge to Lucretia, his tone carrying the delight of someone recounting an ancient secret. "This is a replica created by an ancient Druidic Transfigurator. Legend has it he could converse with the forest, even persuade a tree to move.

Of course, some of that might be due to his particularly persuasive speaking skills. Trees back then might have been more easily swayed than trees today; modern trees have heard too many human promises and become quite skeptical."

Little Barty's lips twitched, and he relaxed his posture slightly.

Lucretia carefully took the badge, her fingertips brushing against the surface patterns.

A strange sensation flowed through her fingertips, a faint life resonating with her.

She whispered, "I can feel it. It still holds vitality."

Dumbledore explained, "Not entirely. But it retains the imprint of the original life. This kind of transfiguration isn't just a change in shape; it's a transformation and preservation of essence.

It is said that amulets made by ancient Druids using this method were far more powerful than ordinary amulets, because they were not merely enchanted, but integrated with magic."

Little Barty had been listening quietly, but when Dumbledore mentioned that the amulets were far more powerful than ordinary ones, he straightened up.

"This kind of transfiguration... can it be used for defense?"

Dumbledore looked at him, his gaze gentle. "Indeed, Mr. Little Barty. I hear you've been teaching Lucretia basic defensive spells?"

Little Barty blinked, a little surprised, but quickly regained his composure.

"Basic Shield Charm and simple counter-jinxes, yes."

Dumbledore said, "The Shield Charm can block spells, but its duration is limited. Through this special transfiguration, however, a more vital form of protection can be created."

He gestured for Lucretia to pick up the small plant on the table.

"Try to transfigure it into a shield, but don't rush to eliminate its life characteristics. Instead, try to guide that vitality, using the method Professor McGonagall and you mentioned, to make it part of the transfiguration."

Lucretia took out her wand, her fingers resting on the shaft for a moment.

She looked at Little Barty.

He nodded.

Dumbledore patted her shoulder. "Focus on the plant's inherent characteristics. Its resilience, its ability to grow, its response to sunlight. Then imagine how these characteristics can be translated into protection."

Lucretia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She remembered the feeling of talking to plants for the first time, remembered the secrets they had told her.

About how roots searched for nutrients in the dark, how leaves stretched towards the sun, how they closed themselves for protection when danger approached.

Her palm felt the plant's pulsation.

The resilience of life, the desire to grow, the instinct to protect.

The wand in her hand grew warm.

The spell that came from her mouth was soft, as if speaking to an old friend.

The plant changed in her hands, its leaves expanding and its edges becoming tougher.

The shape began to develop towards a shield, but the transformation stopped halfway.

The plant became a peculiar object, somewhere between its original form and a shield.

Dumbledore encouraged, "A very good first attempt. Complete defensive transfiguration requires a lot of practice."

He drew his wand and sent a gentle red spark towards the half-finished shield.

The moment the spark touched the shield's surface, the green parts retracted.

Lucretia's eyes widened.

It didn't seem like a physical deformation caused by magical impact...

It was as if the plant was instinctively protecting itself when sensing danger.

Although the spark penetrated the shield, it was clearly weakened.

Dumbledore pointed to the still slightly trembling patterns, "See? Even an incomplete transfiguration, as long as it retains its life response, has already begun to exhibit protective properties."

Lucretia looked at the shield in surprise, "It reacted on its own!"

Dumbledore explained, "Because you preserved its life instinct. Plants naturally react to threats, and your transfiguration retained this ability, transforming it into a protective mechanism."

Little Barty stood up, examining the shield's thickness from different angles, testing its weight distribution, and checking the pattern of the green veins.

"Is this more effective than a shield created by an ordinary spell?"

As he asked the question, he happened to walk to her right side, the blind spot most vulnerable in a real battle.

Dumbledore added meaningfully, "In some ways, yes. It can adaptively respond to attacks, rather than just providing a fixed level of protection. Moreover, I believe it can... grow with the user's needs."

Lucretia rotated the shield in her hand, feeling its weight and texture, "This is... defensive transfiguration?"

Dumbledore nodded, "A very accurate description. Transfiguration is often seen as the art of change, but it can also be used for protection. Especially with talent like yours, combining transfiguration with Nature's Tongue, you can create very powerful protective magic."

Little Barty's expression softened slightly, but his gaze kept moving between the shield and Lucretia, "How long can this transfiguration last?"

Dumbledore looked at the two of them, "That depends on the quality of the transfiguration and the connection between the user and the object. But theoretically, if done properly, it can last for a considerable time."