Chapter 21: Transfiguration Class (Part 2)
Professor McGonagall was not stingy with her praise, even for a Slytherin student. She had always treated everyone equally.
"I'm a bit curious, just how far have you been able to get?"
After showing Ezio's transformed needle to the other students as an example, Professor McGonagall approached him to inquire.
"I've basically mastered the transformation of inanimate objects into other inanimate objects of similar volume, and I've also learned object shaping. But I have not yet succeeded with live transfiguration. Perhaps I haven't yet found the method of 'suppression' you mentioned earlier."
"Truly outstanding." A rare smile appeared on Professor McGonagall's face. "However, you need not rush to learn these more difficult forms of Transfiguration. Understanding this discipline requires time to accumulate experience. Transfiguration is not like a charm; just because you can cast it doesn't mean you have completely learned it."
"Let me give you a simple example."
Professor McGonagall gave a light flick of her wand towards her desk, and two pieces of parchment flew over.
"Try to turn this into a thin wooden stick."
Ezio nodded, then gently tapped one of the parchments. It successfully transformed into a small wooden stick, about the thickness of a chopstick.
"Now, break it," said Professor McGonagall.
Ezio did as he was told, but just as he bent the wood and it was about to snap, the stick in his hand suddenly reverted to parchment.
"I can't destroy it, Professor. The moment I was about to break it, the transfiguration failed."
"Now, try again." Professor McGonagall gently waved her wand, turning the other piece of parchment into a wooden stick.
'Snap.' This stick was easily broken into two shorter pieces by Ezio.
"The introduction to Transfiguration is changing an object's form. But once the transfigured object is 'damaged,' the spell will immediately break because you cannot temporarily fix your magic onto it. Therefore, the object you transfigure has only changed in appearance."
Professor McGonagall explained carefully. She had a great fondness for such a talented and intelligent student.
"But if you have a deeper mastery of Transfiguration, you can leave your magic within the transfigured object. Then, until your magic dissipates, the object will remain fixed in that form until—"
The broken stick turned into two torn pieces of parchment. "—until the magic you left on it has been exhausted."
"The more severely the object is damaged, the faster the magic you've left on it will be consumed. Transfiguration cannot achieve permanent change; the duration depends on the caster."
"This is also why Transfiguration cannot be used to create food. Even if you change its form and make it look like food, it is not real food. It will revert to its original form in the process of being chewed."
"Then what about the Philosopher's Stone? The stone that Nicolas Flamel created, which can produce gold and permanently change one thing into another?" Ezio asked curiously.
"The Philosopher's Stone is indeed the only magical object in the world capable of permanent transfiguration. I am not clear on its specific principles," Professor McGonagall said, not surprised by the question. After all, the ultimate goal of Transfiguration—permanent change—was something no one but the creator of the Philosopher's Stone could achieve.
"However, it's not difficult to guess that the Philosopher's Stone possesses some ability to permanently solidify magic within a transfigured object. That is the only way to explain the miracle it performs. But as for whether it can be used to create food, only Nicolas Flamel himself could answer that."
Ezio nodded in satisfaction, but his curiosity was not yet sated. Over the holiday, he had accumulated far too many questions that he wanted answered.
"What about becoming an Animagus, Professor? I am also very interested in that magic. You are an excellent practitioner of the Animagus transformation, and I'm very curious about it."
"Do not attempt it lightly," Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head slightly. "Curiosity is a wonderful thing, but we must proceed step by step. If you are interested, you can join my Transfiguration Club. You can come find me in my office at three o'clock on Saturday afternoons."
The other young wizards nearby overheard the conversation between Ezio and Professor McGonagall. But for those who still couldn't even turn a match into a needle, the things they were discussing were far too difficult to comprehend. All they knew was that in his very first class, Ezio had been invited by Professor McGonagall to join her Transfiguration Club.
At Hogwarts, the professor of each subject organized a small club for their course, inviting talented young wizards to join. After all, these exceptionally talented students were certain to make something of themselves after graduation. The professors also understood the importance of connections; they were not stingy when it came to investing in the future. Even Snape had an extremely exclusive Potions club. When it came to Potions, Snape was the absolute authority; no one would question that.
Before long, the first Transfiguration class ended. The young wizards left in twos and threes. It wouldn't be long before the events of the class would spread through their chatter. Ezio knew this was inevitable. He was keenly aware that he couldn't remain unknown at Hogwarts. So, from the very beginning, he had abandoned 'stealth' and instead chosen 'frontal confrontation,' something he was also extremely skilled at.
In the end, it was all about the perfect assassination where he wouldn't be discovered. As long as the result was correct, the process didn't matter to him. The same applied to his studies at Hogwarts. Since he couldn't be low-key, he would be high-profile from the start, and use that to gain the maximum benefit to achieve his goals for coming here.
There was no rule that said an assassin had to be sneaky. Couldn't one take out a target in a direct and honorable fashion?
Walking down the corridor towards the common room, Harry looked at Ezio with an expression full of admiration.
"Once you join Professor McGonagall's club, you'll definitely learn a lot of amazing Transfiguration, right!"
"The Animagus thing you mentioned before, that's the magic Professor McGonagall used to turn into a cat, right!"
"Mm. Becoming an Animagus is known as the most complex form of Transfiguration. Very few wizards can master it. But in reality, Animagus practitioners are not that rare. The number of registered Animagi at the Ministry of Magic is small, but there are likely many who are unregistered."
"Why do you say that?" Harry asked, confused. "Is there some trouble with registering?"
"After all, it's an ability that allows for a perfect disguise. Registering with the Ministry means that people will have prior intelligence on your disguise. A Hogwarts teacher like Professor McGonagall might not care, but some people would definitely use this ability to do... different things. They certainly wouldn't want to be exposed."
"And, as far as I know," Ezio said, pausing at the entrance to the common room, waiting for the students in front to enter, "at the Uagadou School of Magic in Africa, most of the wizards there have mastered the Animagus transformation. The youngest user is only twelve years old, and most of them can master it by the age of fourteen or fifteen. That's part of the reason I have the idea of learning it myself."
"Cool!" Harry's eyes lit up. "I wish I could learn it too. I wonder what animal I'd turn into. But no matter what, I feel like it would be really cool."
"Then let's start with turning a match into a needle. Practice more and get a feel for it. I believe you have the talent for it."
"For the Animagus!" Harry was suddenly full of motivation.