Professor McGonagall began by speaking at length about the dangers of Transfiguration, ensuring the young witches and wizards truly understood the risks involved.
Then she put on a display of Transfiguration magic.
With just a gentle tap of her wand, she turned the desk in front of her into a wild boar.
The boar charged straight toward the front row of desks, making Hermione instinctively shrink back.
Truth be told, she lived up to the Gryffindor name; facing a charging boar, she didn’t even scream.
Perhaps it was because she had absolute faith in the professor.
Professor McGonagall certainly didn’t disappoint that trust.
Just as the boar was about to slam into the front desks, its body stretched and transformed in an instant into a black panther, leaping right over Hermione’s head.
“Whoa!” the young students gasped in unison.
Even Tris’s eyes lit up.
*Wait, this wasn’t in the movies!*
*Ah, held back by the old era’s special effects, no doubt!*
Professor McGonagall’s display wasn’t over yet.
The black panther bounded nimbly across the classroom, leaping into the air where it abruptly turned into a flock of crows, circling above their heads.
The crows didn’t make any harsh caws; they merely wheeled in a neat formation.
Then, suddenly, they began to scuffle in midair, scattering countless feathers into a falling shower.
Before the feathers could touch the ground, they transformed again into hundreds upon hundreds of butterflies.
The butterflies swarmed together, fluttering back to the front of the classroom, where they gathered before Professor McGonagall and restored themselves into the desk once more.
Thunderous applause erupted!
Even the little snakes of Slytherin were clapping furiously, heedless of their palms turning red.
Tris was among those clapping the hardest.
So cool!
Incredible!
Since arriving in the wizarding world, he had seen plenty of magic.
At home, for instance, his mother used magic daily for household chores.
He even practiced magic every single day himself.
Yet even so, he had never witnessed such a dazzling display of magic before.
“That was amazing!” Ron said in a hushed voice.
“Will we be able to learn magic like that?”
He was asking Tris.
In Ron’s mind, Tris was always reading and knew countless things he didn’t.
Harry shared the sentiment, looking at Tris with the same eager anticipation.
“Heh, keep dreaming,” Tris said, clapping while rolling his eyes at his foolish brother.
“If we can manage a score on our fifth-year O.W.L.s that satisfies Professor McGonagall enough to get us into her advanced N.E.W.T. class, and then manage the very first step of what she just did before we graduate, we can consider our seven years here well spent.”
“Ah…” Harry and Ron’s spirits visibly slumped at the same time.
Turning a desk into a wild boar was cool enough, but compared to the sequence that followed, it seemed rather modest.
After finishing her flashy demonstration, Professor McGonagall began the actual lesson for the day.
She handed each student a matchstick and began explaining the incantation and magical logic behind basic Transfiguration.
Professor McGonagall was remarkably thorough, covering everything in meticulous detail—from magical principles to spell structure, from intent to wrist movements. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
Tris had already mastered this basic Transfiguration on small, inanimate objects.
At the time, he had felt the textbook was quite detailed, and Percy’s explanations had added plenty of practical insights, enabling Tris to quickly master what was said to be a difficult branch of magic—though his Memory Palace certainly deserved credit for perfectly recording every detail.
Yet after listening to Professor McGonagall today, he realized that neither the textbook nor Percy’s advice could compare to a true master!
Professor McGonagall gently tapped the match with her wand and enunciated the incantation clearly—she didn’t actually need to do so, of course, but was providing a complete demonstration for the young students.
The match turned instantly into a softly glowing silver needle, adorned with delicate engravings.
“Transfiguration requires more than just understanding incantations and magical structures,” McGonagall said.
“Equally important is an understanding of the object itself, as well as your imagination.
This involves the stability of material structure, conversion efficiency, and the precise ratio of magic power and willpower required.
“While these are concepts usually reserved for upper-year, advanced Transfiguration, I hope you will keep this concept in mind starting now—that is, if you wish to achieve any measure of success in Transfiguration in the future.
“For instance, the needle you see now was once a matchstick, but now it is a needle.
What changed in between?
And when the spell wears off and it reverts, what drives that change?
“If it ultimately turns back, has its fundamental nature truly changed? If the answer is no, then what separates Transfiguration from high-level illusions that completely deceive the senses?”
Most of the young students present, Hermione included, couldn’t wrap their heads around what Professor McGonagall was saying.
Only Tris had an inkling of understanding.
He had read about Professor McGonagall in the newspapers and knew she was at the forefront of Transfiguration research.
She had published papers in highly specialized magical journals, sparking widespread interest and debate across the globe.
As for the British Ministry of Magic’s standard, well, anyone in the know understood.
They subscribed to a tremendous number of newspapers, not limited to domestic ones.
They had subscriptions to wizarding newspapers from all across Europe, North America, and even the Middle East and Asia.
Arthur had unceremoniously brought a fair portion of them home, giving Tris a far deeper understanding of the wizarding world than what he had learned from the movies.
Besides newspapers, there were plenty of magazines as well.
Such as *Witch Weekly*, which had earned Tris over a thousand Gold Galleons.
However, as for true academic journals, the Ministry almost never subscribed to them.
Firstly, they weren’t cheap, and secondly, hardly anyone could actually read them.
Cutting-edge journals like *Transfiguration Today*, *New Spellcasting*, or *Frontiers of Incantations*—Tris had seen their names mentioned in newspapers, but had rarely seen physical issues.
Of course, even if given a copy, he likely wouldn’t understand much of it anyway.
Just as anyone with a basic education knows a bit of math, if a genuine mathematical journal were placed before them, the only thing most people could understand would likely be the page numbers.
Yet Professor McGonagall was a long-term guest contributor to *Transfiguration Today*, the premier journal in the field, as well as a peer reviewer and editorial board evaluator.
She wasn’t just an authority; she was an absolute titan!
The descriptions in the newspapers had already given Tris an idea of how formidable Professor McGonagall was, but hearing her lecture in person made him realize his previous understanding had been shallow.
As a leading figure in the magical field, Professor McGonagall was clearly investigating the nature of matter through magic—a true synthesis of magic and modern science.
That was incredibly profound!
After speaking, Professor McGonagall didn’t wait for the students’ reactions.
She likely knew that young students at this stage could hardly grasp what she was talking about.
All she aimed to do was plant a seed in these young minds, hoping that one day it might sprout and grow into something grand, bringing fresh vitality to the wizarding world.
The next portion was similar to Charms class.
Professor McGonagall guided the students through the incantation, the magical logic, and the hand movements, with the added requirement that while casting, they had to picture clearly in their minds the object they wanted to transform it into.
Once she made sure all the students had grasped the incantation and hand gestures, she let them try it on their matchsticks.
Tris naturally succeeded on his first try, turning the match into a needle—something he could already do.
However, after listening to McGonagall’s explanation today, the needle he transformed was different from before.
Previously, he had only been able to turn it into an ordinary iron needle, or often a wooden pin, or rather…
a toothpick?
Now, however, the needle resting on his desk shone with a warm, bright silver under the classroom lights, vastly different from an iron needle.
It was a silver needle!
“Oh?” Professor McGonagall, who was patrolling the room, noticed the peculiar metallic glint—not difficult, considering no one else in the classroom had managed to actually change the matchstick’s form yet.
She walked over to Tris’s desk, picked up the silver needle, and examined it closely for a moment.
Not only did the shaft gleam with the distinctive luster of silver, but the tip and eye were perfectly formed, complete with delicate decorative patterns.
“A truly perfect Transfiguration,” Professor McGonagall said.
Even with her notoriously stern expression, her face showed unreserved praise at this moment.
“Succeeded on the first try without repeated attempts. No lingering traces of the original matchstick, and fully formed. Mr. Weasley, have you practiced this spell before?”
“Yes, Professor,” Tris said, standing up with a respectful nod.
“I’m very interested in Transfiguration, so I practiced a bit at home. Though previously I could only manage wooden or iron needles. It was only after listening to your analysis today that I managed to achieve a change like this.”
Tris spoke candidly.
“While genius is always enviable, diligence remains an essential element of success,” Professor McGonagall said, nodding approvingly.
“One point to Slytherin for a near-flawless Transfiguration. The rest of you, keep trying. I hope to award points to a second student before the lesson ends.”
Just as Professor McGonagall turned to leave, Tris spoke up again.
“Professor, may I ask a question?”
“Of course,” Professor McGonagall stopped and nodded.
“Hogwarts will always encourage an inquiring mind. Well… though perhaps the level reached by your elder brothers might be pushing it a bit…”
Tris nearly burst out laughing.
Hearing the usually solemn Professor McGonagall suddenly crack a joke was entirely unexpected.
While Tris managed to keep his composure, the Gryffindor first-years who had already experienced Fred and George couldn’t help themselves, and the classroom burst into laughter.
Harry giggled until he twitched, and Ron nearly slid under his desk.
Seemingly in a good mood, Professor McGonagall refrained from scolding the students, waiting for them to quiet down before turning back to Tris.
“So, Mr. Weasley, what would you like to ask?”
“Professor, after watching your Transfiguration earlier, I recalled reading that the next stage beyond inanimate Transfiguration is turning living creatures into inanimate objects, and then reversing the process.”
Professor McGonagall nodded.
“Indeed. The difficulty lies in completely suppressing the living characteristics of the creature without snuffing them out entirely.”
“Then, Professor, what I want to ask is… when an animal—say, for instance… Ron, lend me your rat.” Ignoring whether Ron agreed or not, Tris plucked the rat Scabbers, missing a toe, straight out of Ron’s pocket and set it on the desk.
“When an animal is transformed into an inanimate object, what state is its consciousness in? Does it still exist, merely unable to affect its altered body, or does it enter a temporarily unperceivable state?”
“An excellent question,” Professor McGonagall said, a faint smile touching her lips.
“Though it is far too early for your level, I shall make an exception today as an extra reward for that perfect Transfiguration.” She pointed her wand at the rat…