Transfiguration Class (Part 1)

What happened in the common room could not be kept under wraps, but after it reached the ears of Snape, he did not take action for the time being.

Because he was too busy to care.

No matter how annoying or troublesome that brat Ezio was, in Snape's mind, he was nowhere near as concerning as the fact that Harry had been sorted into Slytherin.

Since Snape did not come looking for him, Ezio couldn't be bothered to approach him either; having finally waited for school to start, he had a whole basket of questions he needed to ask the professors.

The first class of the term was Transfiguration with Hufflepuff. The first-year schedule was very loose, giving students plenty of time to familiarize themselves with the school. The Transfiguration class, which didn't start until nine o'clock, left the young wizards with enough time to find the classroom. The portraits on the walls of the Hogwarts corridors were very enthusiastic and more than happy to tell you how to get to the classroom. If that didn't work, you could also ask the suits of armor stationed everywhere; they wouldn't speak, but they would point a finger in the right direction for you.

The little snakes of Slytherin were a bit nervous, not only because they had heard rumors the night before that Slytherin was going to start weeding out those who were unqualified, but also because Professor McGonagall had left a sufficiently stern impression on them on the first day of school. This teacher, who always kept a straight face, looked like someone not to be trifled with.

When the clock in the classroom pointed to nine, the room was deathly quiet, yet no footsteps of a teacher came from the doorway. Just as people were feeling puzzled, a tabby cat that had been crouching on the podium—presumably some senior student's pet—suddenly leaped up. In mid-air, the cat's body underwent a blurry transformation, and by the time it landed, Professor McGonagall, dressed in emerald green wizard robes, had appeared abruptly before their eyes.

Even though he had been mentally prepared, Ezio was still fascinated by the Animagus transformation. He had even used Eagle Vision to sharpen his observation, but before the transformation, the cat that Professor McGonagall had become showed him no trace of a disguise.

In terms of concealment, the Animagus transformation was truly remarkable.

However, it was not without its flaws; for instance, Professor McGonagall's square spectacles turned into markings around the cat's eyes, and such markings were not easily seen on tabby cats. This slight unnaturalness was a tiny flaw in the Animagus transformation.

Amidst the gasps of the young wizards, Professor McGonagall, with a stern expression, began to speak, and the classroom immediately fell silent.

"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts." Her gaze swept across the classroom, causing the young wizards to sit up straighter involuntarily. "Anyone who messes around in my class will be asked to leave and never allowed back in. I have warned you."

As she spoke, she flicked her wand casually, and the desk beside her turned into a fat, white pig, which let out a few grunts before turning back into a desk.

In the wizarding world, pigs were the creatures least connected to magic. Among magical creatures, the variety of pig-related species was the smallest, and their magical levels were relatively low.

"Now, open your textbooks and put down your wands. In this first lesson, we will start by learning the fundamental elements of Transfiguration. These are strictly prohibited behaviors in Transfiguration, and I hope you will all keep them in mind."

For the next while, Professor McGonagall led them through Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. This was a set of rules and principles summarized by a brilliant Transfiguration master, which clarified the conservation of Transfiguration and determined the complexity levels of the craft.

The young wizards kept recording these words on their parchment; what was written on this paper was something they would have to keep in mind for all their future Transfiguration studies.

The first and middle parts of the two-hour class were slightly dull, but this was unavoidable. Fortunately, the young wizards all followed Professor McGonagall's discipline, and no one acted out.

Just as everyone's fingers were aching from writing, Professor McGonagall paused her theoretical lecture.

"I hope each of you will remember these most basic, fundamental contents. I will be conducting spot checks in the next class, and I hope you will spend time memorizing them after you go back."

"Now, let us try the most basic introductory Transfiguration. Put your books aside and hold your wands."

The atmosphere in the classroom suddenly livened up. Professor McGonagall took out a large box of matches and then waved her wand to distribute them to each young wizard.

"Now, can anyone tell me, if you want to perform Transfiguration, what is the first thing you need to do?"

"It's imagination, Professor." Ezio spoke softly from the side, earning nods of agreement from many.

"Correct, it is imagination. Imagine the object you want to change, and then use your magic to alter the object. The more you know and understand the object you are transforming into, the better your results will be."

"Five points to Slytherin." Professor McGonagall nodded at Ezio.

"Try to turn the match in front of you into a needle. You have half an hour to practice."

The young wizards, who had been eager to try, were either waving their wands excitedly or deep in thought, imagining the match turning into a needle. Professor McGonagall walked through the bustling classroom, observing every student.

"Transfiguration is so hard." Harry poked the match with the tip of his wand, but it only rolled over. "I have absolutely no clue."

"Because you haven't found the feeling yet." Ezio tapped the match lightly with the tip of his wand, and a silver-gleaming needle appeared before him. Transfiguration was the subject he had struggled with most during his self-study, but he had worked hard to master this kind of inanimate object transformation.

"What feeling?" Harry asked curiously after seeing Ezio complete the transformation.

"Drive your magic, let it do what you want it to do. If I were to describe it with my own experience, you have to learn to release your magic, letting it flow out from the tip of your wand."

"A very apt description, Ezio." Professor McGonagall's gentle voice came from behind Ezio. Sharp-eyed as she was, she had walked over as soon as she saw Ezio complete the transformation. "Besides imagination, the other basic step of Transfiguration is to release your magic, wrap it around the object you want to transform, and then change it."

"So, the difficulty of living-creature transformation lies in how to use magic to wrap and capture a living thing that moves?"

Ezio turned around and looked up at Professor McGonagall.

"You could understand it that way, though I think there is one step missing." Professor McGonagall did not hoard knowledge; after all, living-creature transformation would be attempted in small steps starting from the third year.

"Any Transfiguration spell cast on a living organism must complete the 'suppression' of the target. That is to say, you need to have the ability to prevent the other party from resisting. This is the most difficult point of living-creature transformation, and even human transfiguration."

"It seems you have done some excellent previewing and practice during the holidays."

After glancing down at the needle Ezio had created, Professor McGonagall nodded with satisfaction.

"The transformation is perfect; the shape and luster are both excellent. Five points to Slytherin."