Chapter 33: The Transfiguration Club
There were two new, beautiful decorations in the Gryffindor common room.
Two identical redheads were currently suspended by their ankles in a corner, and with them, the wild rumors and fabricated stories that had been circulating through Gryffindor Tower came to an abrupt halt. Percy had shown no inclination whatsoever to come to his brothers' rescue. In his view, Fred and George were thick-skinned enough that a bit of hanging around wouldn't do them any harm.
From the shadows of a corner staircase, Ron Weasley watched. He, too, had contributed to the rumor mill, crafting several different versions of the tale of the Cruel Dark Wizard and the Terrible Torment of Quirrell.
He saw Ryan speaking with Percy, Hermione, and Harry before finally leaving the Gryffindor common room, and let out a sigh of relief. He had been about to say something, to voice his indignation at Ryan's ability to waltz in and out of other houses' common rooms as he pleased. But as the words formed in his throat, he looked over at the still-grinning Fred and George and suddenly lost all motivation. He trudged up to his dormitory and collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
On his way back to his own common room, Ryan was already planning the next evolution of his club's pins: a combination "mobile power source + smartphone." In a world that still relied on owls for communication, the convenience of a smartphone would be revolutionary. Communication was a critical component of any advanced society, and for a world as inherently mysterious as the wizarding world to still be using owls felt… distinctly un-magical.
He hadn't originally planned to work on this project until later, as he knew it would herald a massive shift in wizarding society. Just as Apparition had erased physical distance, instant communication would erase social distance, connecting wizards across the globe. The impact would be something even he couldn't fully predict or control.
But after hearing that Hermione planned to essentially stalk every member of the Adventurers' Club for tutoring, and was even planning on sending him letters of inquiry, he had decided that the "pin-phone" was a necessity. Imagine a poor owl, after finally confirming the delivery address, flying all the way to the Great Hall only to drop the letter a mere ten feet from where the sender was sitting. Ryan felt a pang of sympathy for the psychological well-being of the owl population.
In his spare time between alchemical experiments, he decided he would research what spells and rituals could be used to achieve long-distance communication. Once perfected, he would introduce the devices to the professors and the Adventurers' Club, and then, when the time was right, render the Owl Post obsolete.
For it to be universally adopted, it needs to be cheap to make and affordable to buy, he mused. The Transfiguration Charm can be used to transmit text, but that lacks advanced features like video chat... He made a mental note to ask Professor Flitwick. As a master of Charms, there was almost no spell he didn't know. Ryan couldn't help but wonder what it would look like, a world of self-powered wizards all chatting and video-calling on their own mysterious devices.
"Think of all the money they'd save on electricity bills," he said to himself. "And no data plan required."
That Evening, The Transfiguration Classroom.
As instructed by Professor McGonagall, Ryan arrived at the classroom. She had told him that the Transfiguration Club met in the same location as the class, but that the room itself was transfigured, and he would have to find his own way in. Ryan didn't see this as a test. She had already acknowledged his skills during the setup of the Philosopher's Stone's protections; this was likely just a traditional welcoming ritual for new members.
"I was once told by a wizard I respect that Transfiguration is the domain of geniuses," Ryan said, his voice echoing in the empty room as if he were speaking to an invisible audience. He began to examine the classroom with a new, focused intensity. "At first, I didn't understand. Not until the alchemist who crafted this ring for me told me that the Undetectable Extension Charm should be classified as a branch of Transfiguration."
He sat down in the back row, holding up his ringed hand and speaking to an empty corner of the room. "The Undetectable Extension Charm… Transfiguration… Yes, Transfiguration is the art of altering what already exists. And there is no rule about what the subject of that alteration can be."
"Just like the Undetectable Extension Charm, which is just a specialized spell for transfiguring space itself, I imagine that within the field of Transfiguration, there are many varied and unrestricted ways to manipulate space. Wouldn't you agree, Professor McGonagall?"
A voice emanated from the empty corner. "An excellent observation and a brilliant deduction, Mr. Welles. Five points to Ravenclaw."
Ryan smiled. "I'm just hoping that, on a personal level, the points I earn can balance out the points I lose." As he spoke, he stood and walked towards the corner. Just as he was about to hit the wall, he felt a faint, tingling sensation, similar to Apparition, and then he was in another room entirely. In the center of this new room was a long table draped in velvet, around which sat seven other people.
"Good evening, Professor McGonagall."
"Good evening, Mr. Welles," she replied, gesturing to an empty seat. "Please, have a seat."
Ryan looked around the table and felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. It was like he had just walked into his own club meeting. Every single person there, save one, was a member of the Adventurers' Club. The one exception was named Minerva McGonagall.
So is this my club, or yours? he thought, sitting down next to Penelope. "You're in the Transfiguration Club?" he whispered.
"You never asked," she replied, straightening the items in front of her.
A round of applause broke out as Ryan settled into his seat.
"As expected of Ryan," a seventh-year Hufflepuff said. "He figured out the entrance right away. The rest of us wandered around the classroom for half an hour before Professor McGonagall took pity and pulled us in."
"You flatter me," Ryan said with a modest smile. "It was just a lucky guess."
After he had greeted all the other members of the Adventurers' Club, the nominal host of the meeting, Professor McGonagall, spoke. "Please, don't be so formal, Mr. Welles. Though you may be the last to join us, I have no doubt that with your skill in Transfiguration, you are more than qualified to act as my assistant."
Ryan demurred with a practiced humility, peppering his speech with phrases like "I wouldn't dare," "a stroke of luck," and "you're too kind." He perfectly embodied the virtues of a new generation of Hogwarts student: humble, uninterested in fame, and deeply respectful of his elders.
"Since Mr. Welles has so astutely pointed out that the Undetectable Extension Charm should be classified as Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall began the lesson, "and that the potential subjects of Transfiguration are limitless, let us now discuss what those potential subjects might be…"
As the discussion began, Ryan looked around at the faces of his fellow Adventurers' Club members and had a new thought. This group is full of incredibly talented, forward-thinking people. We should form a research and development team. He would handle the theoretical breakthroughs, and the others could work on cost-reduction, efficiency, and refining the process. He decided he would propose the idea at the next club meeting.
"Mr. Welles," Professor McGonagall's voice cut through his thoughts. "What, in your opinion, are the limits of Transfiguration?"