Magical Model

After receiving the letter, Albert decided to visit Hagrid at the Hunting Cabin to boost his confidence. And while he was at it... well, his main purpose was to take a few photos of Buckbeak. It was no easy task to use a Transfiguration Spell to conjure a Hippogriff.

Albert first tried transfiguring wood, creating a life-sized model of Buckbeak. At the very least, it could not look too different from the real thing, or people would easily spot the flaw.

Of course, a model alone was not enough. He needed to turn an inanimate object into a living creature, and that was not actually too difficult. Back in third year Transfiguration Class, Professor McGonagall had taught them the Switching Spell—the spell that turned a teapot into a turtle.

But... there was still one major problem: the larger the object, the more difficult the spell became.

If he were merely turning a stone into a hunting dog, Albert could already manage that. But Buckbeak was no small creature, and he was a Magical Creature. The difficulty of transfiguring him was several times greater than turning a stone into a dog.

As expected, Albert's first attempt failed. The Hippogriff he created was too small, and it did not look alive at all. Anyone could spot the flaw at a glance.

After failing repeatedly, Albert gave up on practicing alone and decided to seek advice from others. Professor McGonagall was an established expert in Transfiguration, far more capable than a half-trained amateur like him.

"You want to use a Transfiguration Spell to create a dragon?" Professor McGonagall could scarcely believe her ears after listening to Albert.

"No, no, Professor. I only want to make a model—a moving, realistic model," Albert quickly explained. "You may have heard about the accident in Care of