Chapter 3: The Nature of Transfiguration
"It's alright, Mom, I don't need any gifts. I hope Santa can give the gifts to you two instead."
Dylan reassured his parents, who looked hesitant.
After all, his golden finger had arrived, and admission to Hogwarts was a certainty.
His eagerness to see if the owl had brought the letter was also to facilitate a quick trip to Diagon Alley.
"Oh my, my baby is just so cute!" Maeve became tearful.
By Christmas, she would definitely save up to buy her son a good gift!
Just as Hubert was about to say something to console his son,
There was a soft tapping sound on the windowpane.
The others turned and saw an owl sitting outside the window, its head tilted and staring intently at the letter on the table.
"An owl?" Maeve exclaimed, "Has it come for the letter?"
"Tap tap."
When they still did not open the window, the owl once more tapped the window with its beak, the sharp sound like a knock on the door.
"Hubert, open the window immediately!" Maeve was even more jittery than Dylan.
The instant Hubert opened the window, the owl did not take flight but flew in, its talons landing on the envelope.
"Tap tap."
A gentle knock on the door interrupted at that moment.
The trio shared a glance before turning towards the door.
Hubert and Maeve felt anxious.
Dylan, meanwhile, rose from his seat and walked towards the door, breathing in deeply.
Which lecturer would be paying a visit?
"Click."
The door swung open.
Dylan glanced upwards and found himself facing deep green robes.
His eyes traveled upwards slowly to find a not-so-serious face with square glasses perched on it, a woman in her middle ages.
"Hello, sorry to trouble you. There was no doorbell, so I knocked."
Dylan: "."
He pretended to smile: "It's alright. May I know who you are?"
"Hello, Mr. Hawkwood. I received your reply. I am Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts."
Professor McGonagall's face eased somewhat at the sight of Dylan, then a strange expression flashed through her eyes.
Was it her imagination?
Why did she detect a slight aura of spells on this young wizard?
"Hello, Professor McGonagall. Good day. I'm Dylan Hawkwood. Do come in."
Dylan thought he could keep himself together, but seeing Professor McGonagall made him realize that his feelings were getting the better of him, and even speaking was an effort—
Not only was he excited to see that there was a familiar character, but he was also worried about meeting a master wizard with the three Unforgivable Curses in his pocket.
Fortunately, Professor McGonagall was accustomed to Dylan's reaction and did not stare at him for too long. She followed him into the house and welcomed Hubert and Maeve with a smile.
"Professor McGonagall? To be honest, we're still not used to this whole magic thing." Having invited the stately-looking professor to sit, Hubert couldn't help but say.
"Quite all right, I completely understand. Part of the reason I'm here is to assist you with just that."
Professor McGonagall's smile was warm and effortless.
"In fact, had Mr. Hawkwood not answered, the school would have sent a professor to bring the Muggle family's young wizard to Diagon Alley a couple of days before the start of school."
She said this while drawing out her wand and waving it gently.
A notebook on the table promptly transformed into an alarm clock with ticking hands.
"Ding ding ding!" The alarm clock suddenly rang, and Dylan couldn't help but turn it off.
Hubert and Maeve, who had witnessed this incredible display, finally thought that magic existed!
Dylan was also shocked. After turning off the alarm clock, he looked up: "Professor McGonagall, is this the Transfiguration spell you'll be teaching me?"
"Yes, it's something you'll learn after you sign up," Professor McGonagall replied.
"Is Transfiguration able to change living things? Are these living things real, or are they illusions that have no effect on their nature?" Dylan asked.
Professor McGonagall's eyes widened in astonishment, and she stared at Dylan for some time: "Magic can't actually change the inherent form of a living thing, but it can attempt to."
"So, this alarm clock takes the form of an alarm clock, but its nature is still a notebook?" Dylan blinked.
"You might interpret it that way," Professor McGonagall nodded.
"But why is it able to ring?" Dylan repeated.
"Because ringing is something an alarm clock is capable of doing," Professor McGonagall said.
"Something it is capable of doing?" Dylan was puzzled, "Would you please explain elaborately, Professor?"
"The form of Transfiguration is the result of the combined efforts of consciousness and magic. I expected it to transform into an alarm clock to remind me, so it can make a noise, which is also the purpose of an alarm clock."
Professor McGonagall frowned slightly: "In fact, I should tell you these things gradually after you start school."
"However, since you are curious, I can briefly explain."
"The purpose of Transfiguration is that you have to have perfect knowledge of an object, living or non-living. Otherwise, the object you transfigure will be hollow and not real."
"If you're going to transfigure a living thing, you even need to consider its natural reactions, its instincts."
"Magic can do the basic change, but consciousness is the variable which makes or breaks you being able to complete the change."
Consciousness and magic?
Dylan had lived two lives and seen a lot.
Now, possessing the three full-level Unforgivable Curses.
He easily understood what Professor McGonagall was trying to convey.
Consciousness is really similar to a musical score, and magic to various instruments.
The act of casting a spell can be likened to playing a specific piece of music.
The wand and the incantation can be termed the conductor.
If the score is wrong, the music cannot be played correctly.
If the instruments are damaged, the performance will be imperfect.
Like Professor McGonagall turning the notebook into an alarm clock.
The idea of "change" is the musical score.
The difficulty of Transfiguration is how to play the music according to the score when the instruments are not damaged.
Practically, when you cast a Transfiguration spell, the clearer the image of the alarm clock in your mind, the fuller its functions, and the more likely that the transformed alarm clock will emit a sound.
If you merely imagine the external form of an alarm clock, it will have a shell only, naturally, and not produce any "effect."
(End of chapter)