The Five Exceptions to Gamp's Fundamental Law of Transfiguration

"My cousin attends Ilvermorny," Jericho said eloquently. "This wizarding school is located on Mount Greylock and, like Hogwarts, divides its students into four different Houses.

"This school's attitude toward Muggles is the complete opposite of Durmstrang's, perhaps because its founder was a Muggle.

"An interesting point is that after Little Wizards enter the school, they choose their wands—or their wands choose them—instead of buying them..."

Professor McGonagall's stern gaze swept over him. Jericho swallowed the rest of his words and opened Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.

Ten minutes later, Gryffindor's Little Lions arrived in groups. Even energetic lions did not dare misbehave in Professor McGonagall's class, and they sat down properly.

Yet two Gryffindors were actually late. When the two Little Lions stumbled into the classroom, Keith and the others snickered. Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and deducted ten points from Gryffindor.

"Professor McGonagall is really strict." Jericho clearly had not expected Gryffindor's Head of House to deduct more points from Gryffindor than she awarded to Slytherin.

Yet the effect was surprisingly good. The little snakes were intimidated and sat obediently, putting on the appearance of model students.

The Little Lions, meanwhile, felt even guiltier. Percy leaned forward, seemingly ready to answer a few questions and win back the lost House points.

Professor McGonagall walked to the center of the classroom. After sweeping the room with a stern gaze, she said, "Anyone who misbehaves in my class will be asked to leave and never permitted to enter again. I have warned you."

Once the classroom had quieted down, McGonagall got to the point. "Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous spell in your Hogwarts curriculum. At the same time, I consider it the most interesting, like this."

As she spoke, Professor McGonagall pointed her Wand at a desk and turned it into a kitten.

The kitten let out several soft meows, making the young witches itch to scoop it into their arms. The young wizards, on the other hand, grew excited, and several bold Gryffindors had already taken out their wands, eager to try.

But when they heard Professor McGonagall tell them to turn matches into needles, the Little Wizards fell silent.

Moriarty guessed that if Professor McGonagall had not been present, they would have let out a collective wail.

"This is really hard." Jericho aimed his Cypress Wand at a match, looking as though he wanted to cast a spell on it, but the match only became slightly thinner.

After his first attempt failed, Jericho shook his head. "There's no incantation for Transfiguration. It's too abstract."

"Oh, Merlin's beard! Mr. Moriarty, how did you do that?" Jericho blinked, as though he thought he was seeing an illusion.

On Moriarty's desk stood a pin.

The pin spun, turning into a fine silver needle. Then the silver needle flipped through the air and became a thick needle.

Professor McGonagall walked over. "In the past five years, you are the first student to complete this Transfiguration in the very first lesson, Mr. Moriarty. You earn five points for that.

"And the transformations between those three types of needles were an excellent display of Transfiguration switching. Slytherin receives another five points!"

The little snakes cried out in admiration, but Moriarty shook his head. "Professor McGonagall, when I performed the Transfiguration, I found that I was merely pouring enormous Magic Power into the match, forcing it to change its form, but I had no way to change its essence.

"In fact, this is a problem most wizards face today. We merely use Magic Power to force an object, and perhaps that is why Transfiguration has reached a bottleneck over the past few decades."

After listening attentively, Professor McGonagall raised one finger.

"That is a question worth discussing, Mr. Moriarty.

"Since you can raise this question, I presume you know the five exceptions to Gamp's Fundamental Law of Transfiguration?"

"I do, Professor," Moriarty replied. "First, food cannot be created. Second, magical items cannot be created. Third, quantity cannot be changed. For example—"

Moriarty glanced at the desk. "I can turn one match into one needle, but I cannot turn one match into two needles.

"Fourth, an inanimate object cannot be permanently transformed into a living creature. Fifth, something cannot be created from nothing."

"Perfect!" Professor McGonagall could not stop nodding. "It is a pity these are not within the scope of first-year studies, or I would gladly give you fifty points.

"Then, since you know the five exceptions, why do you still have doubts?

"Or rather, have you questioned the five exceptions to Gamp's Fundamental Law of Transfiguration?"

Professor McGonagall's gaze was filled with gravity. The students stared at Moriarty with their mouths agape, and the classroom was terrifyingly quiet.

Moriarty met Professor McGonagall's eyes and said, "I agree with the first four, but I still hold hopes for creating something from nothing.

"Just as I said earlier, Magic Power can force an object to alter its form and achieve superficial Transfiguration, yet it cannot alter its essence.

"But if we can find a method of Essential Transfiguration, perhaps changing an object's essence will allow us to create something from nothing."

Professor McGonagall furrowed her brows. "Your idea is exceedingly bold, but one point of yours is rather misguided. How can you use the word 'force' to describe Transfiguration?

"Many powerful wizards have said this: magic is the miracle produced when one's own will changes nature.

"Magic is a miracle, and Transfiguration is a process of change and alteration before a miracle is born."

"Regarding that, I believe we can compare Animagi and Metamorphmagi." Moriarty persisted. "We all know that an Animagus transforms into a magical creature voluntarily, and a Metamorphmagus voluntarily changes into another face.

"But inanimate objects such as matches, although they have no thoughts and cannot speak, would they willingly become needles?

"I think the first problem lies here. If we find a way to establish a connection with an object, allowing it or them to change willingly, then combine that with our superficial Transfiguration, perhaps we will find a method of Essential Transfiguration."

"And the second problem, I think, lies between existence and nonexistence." Moriarty paused and looked at Professor McGonagall. "Only seven Animagi were registered in the twentieth century, and you, Professor, are one of them. When you transform into a tabby cat, a cat that had never existed before appears in this world!

"Certainly, cats as a species exist, and you exist as well, Professor, but that tabby cat does not exist. This proves that existence and nonexistence can be connected through Transfiguration.

"If we solve those two problems I mentioned, then without question, we can achieve a certain degree of creating something from nothing, perhaps even true creation from nothing."

"Mr. Moriarty, you truly are... oh..." Professor McGonagall wore an indescribable expression. She pondered for a long while before saying, "A bold hypothesis and brilliant analysis. Unfortunately, I cannot answer your questions. I suggest you submit an article to Transfiguration Today. There are many masters of Transfiguration there, and you can discuss this with them in depth."

Moriarty showed a disappointed expression, but he still nodded slightly. In truth, while teaching himself Transfiguration, he had already begun questioning the five exceptions to Gamp's Fundamental Law of Transfiguration.

And the hypothesis he had just presented was actually intended to solve a fundamental problem: Elemental Transfiguration.

Moriarty raised his Snow Fir Wand. Water Elemental Magic gathered at its tip, and a fist-sized ball of water appeared.

A chill spread from Moriarty's body, once again firmly capturing the attention of the students and Professor McGonagall.

They watched the water ball turn into an ice ball.

Moriarty's left hand, which held the Wand, suddenly began to tremble. He stared at the ice ball with a gaze as sharp as a blade, yet the ice ball showed no reaction.

After a while, Moriarty seemed to give up. He put away his Wand, and the ice ball vanished.

The students were baffled, but Professor McGonagall noticed something. She walked over to Moriarty. "You wanted to turn the ice ball into air?"

"More precisely, into a gaseous state." Moriarty did not hide it and said frankly, "Water is liquid, and ice is solid. I can easily turn a liquid into a solid, but I cannot turn a solid into a gas.

"I believe that changing between the three macroscopic physical states may reveal a method of Essential Transfiguration."

Professor McGonagall did not know what to say. She opened her mouth helplessly, and class happened to end at that moment. She tossed out one sentence: "Five points for your thirst for knowledge and your learning, Mr. Moriarty."

Then she hurried away. Moriarty guessed she had gone to report to Dumbledore, but that was nothing. Moriarty was not afraid of drawing Dumbledore's attention.

Because the persona Lockhart had established for him was that of a genius. If he acted like a mediocrity, that would be what made Dumbledore wary.

As things stood, Professor McGonagall would surely see him as a genius full of strange ideas, and Moriarty had not revealed his true purpose either.

When he discovered that he could not quickly unlock Fire Elemental Magic, Moriarty had thought of Transfiguration—Elemental Transfiguration.

Or rather, switching back and forth between elements.

Water Elemental Magic becoming Fire Elemental Magic was impossible; there was a fundamental conflict between them. But could Water Elemental Magic become Earth Elemental Magic?

Perhaps Earth Elemental Magic did not exist at all?

Moriarty did not know whether these ideas could be realized, but he would explore in that direction.

"Perhaps submitting an article to Transfiguration Today and exchanging ideas with those old fellows would not be a bad idea?"

On the way back to the dormitory, Moriarty thought that wizards disliked the White Demon King and disliked the Dark Lord even more, but a scholar studying magic clearly would not attract too much attention.

There is no precise official definition for the five exceptions to Gamp's Fundamental Law of Transfiguration. At present, the only confirmed one is that food cannot be created; I came up with the other four. Do you have any other ideas?