Moonlight spilled across the muddy country lane. An old man and a young man walked one behind the other, their footsteps unusually clear in the quiet night. They looked as though they were taking a stroll, enjoying their last bit of leisure.
In fact, that wasn't far from the truth.
In the days that followed, Will's life became a relentless grind.
Every morning, before dawn, he reported to the Headmaster's Office. Dumbledore would be waiting there, with a hot breakfast and a cup of Honey Tea that never stopped steaming.
"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous of all magic," Dumbledore said, cutting into a piece of toast with a silver knife. "It changes the nature of the world, not just its appearance. Charms merely put a filter over the world; Transfiguration rewrites part of it.
"Ordinarily, Transfiguration overlays one concept with another. Turning a stone into bread, for instance, means covering the concept of stone with the concept of bread.
"But once you reach a certain level, you really can make a transformation permanent. It's just very difficult."
Will nodded and filed that away. He had long suspected the upper limits of Transfiguration might be terrifyingly high.
They usually began practicing right after breakfast.
How precious were lessons from Dumbledore?
Will couldn't say. He only knew Dumbledore was a legend in the field of Transfiguration.
He believed Dumbledore must have received the Response of Magic long ago.
[You gained new Transfiguration knowledge. Transfiguration experience +5] [You gained new Transfiguration knowledge. Transfiguration experience +6]
Dumbledore had excused Will from many classes, doing his best to teach him while he could. The rest of the time, Dumbledore searched for Horcruxes.
Only after Dumbledore left did Will have time to attend classes or rest.
Practicing advanced Transfiguration was far more