The Scottish Highlands grew warmer by the day, heralding the end of spring and the arrival of summer.
The month passed quickly. Watching the full moon rise, Will knew Lupin was in for another difficult night. For Will, though, tonight was crucial too.
Will left the Castle. Pure Moonlight draped the Forbidden Forest and the Castle like a gauzy veil.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, beneath the Moonlight, Will began the next step of becoming an Animagus.
He carefully took from his mouth the Mandrake leaf that had been with him day and night for a month. It was still vivid green, and in the Moonlight, its edges seemed to carry the faintest silver halo.
Through his Wizard Sight, however, the Mandrake leaf looked entirely different—not on the outside, but within. A unique Magic structure had appeared where none had existed before.
Will had a suspicion. Was this part of the Personal Imprint?
Without hesitating, he took out a small Crystal potion vial he had prepared in advance, already filled with saliva, and slipped the Mandrake leaf inside.
He added one of his own hairs and the dew he had collected earlier.
Finally, Will took out an ugly Death's-head Hawk-moth pupa.
A pupa was the transitional stage in which some insects changed from larvae into adults. It held the promise of a complete transformation, alive with vitality. In the Animagus Ritual, it symbolized the transformation of life.
Once he had mixed everything together, Will studied the mixture glimmering faintly in the Moonlight with his Silver-Gray eyes. Its Magic structure was constantly shifting and reforming.
Will guessed that the Ritual preceding Animagus Transformation might be a way to bring Natural Magic into the brewing of a potion.
Then, by drinking the potion and completing the Ritual, a Wizard could