Chapter 637: Animagus (2 in 1)
After the game, Harry gave a short winning speech in the changing room.
“I’m so proud of you all, each and every one of you were fantastic! Katie, despite the possibility of receiving criticism, showed remarkable courage and determination -”
He named them one by one, with a huge graphical diagram of Quidditch tactics explained behind him. This is also a ‘legacy’ left behind by Wood, with little figures of various colours, arrows, and odd markings that Harry still hasn’t quite figured out what they mean.
“I wasn’t thinking about it that much.” Katie said, shaking her head.
“Demelza, who hit three shots while facing two opponents who were targeting-”
Demelza smiled.
“Peakes and Coote, you worked well together, repeatedly saving your teammates from danger while creating opportunities for the offence -”
The two Beaters grinned and clapped enthusiastically.
“Ron — blocking five balls, one of them was particularly spectacular;” Harry said quickly, trying not to look at Ron’s odd, stiff face as he brought his gaze to the seat next to him, “Ginny, scoring sixty points, a remarkable score –”
“And you, the most excellent Seeker.” Ginny pursed her lips and smiled.
Harry pretended not to hear the rising voices coming from the mouths of the other players and chimed in, “Yeah, and I… caught the golden snitch.” He searched his brain and said a few more words of encouragement, even bringing up Wood’s speech from back in the day, which, because it was so memorable to him, it slipped out smoothly at that moment. Katie covered her mouth and laughed, and Harry blushed a little as he called it a day.
The players laughed and giggled as they left the changing room, and Ginny kissed Harry on the corner of the mouth and skipped away like a ballerina.
In no time all that remained in the changing room was Harry and Ron.
Harry glanced sheepishly into the corner, and Ron still had that grim look on his face. So he opened his mouth and said, “Ron, Ginny, and I-” At that moment, the door opened from outside and Hermione shouted at them, “Isn’t it over yet? We’re going to be late for our appointment with Hagrid!”
“Ah, we’re on the way out.”
Harry muttered, and took the initiative to pull Ron forward, only for Ron to fall straight to the floor with a loud reverberating thud.
Harry was taken aback and Hermione came rushing over when she heard the noise, the two of them looked into the issue for a while and eventually discovered that Ron had been hit by a Full Body-Bind Curse and a Langlock Jinx. “Ginny did it! How dare she?” Ron rubbed his cheeks, indignant at what had happened to him. When they arrived at Hagrid’s hut at that moment, Ron used his tongue cramp as an excuse to refuse Hagrid’s offer of homemade cream fudge.
“Your sister loves to joke around, I could tell.” Hagrid said absentmindedly while flipping the sizzling sausages with his tongs, “How’s it going? I mean your advanced classes-”
Harry immediately put down his tooth-marked fudge and joined Ron and Hermione in pouring out grievances to Hagrid about how strict the new professors were, as well as about how difficult and boring the classes were and how he regretted not continuing to take the Care of Magical Creatures class and so on. Hagrid was happy to hear this.
He handed them the greasy, slightly burnt sausages, which the three of them immediately took (including Ron), and Harry quickly stuffed his share of the sticky creamy fudge into Fang’s mouth while Hagrid was making tea.
Hermione glared at Harry, and gritted her teeth, not daring to follow suit.
“You guys are definitely exaggerating … trying to make me happy,” Hagrid chuckled, as he filled his mug with boiling water and continued, “Slughorn- -definitely has real skills, although I didn’t learn anything from him … you know, I got expelled in third grade.” He said vaguely, “That Professor Bagshot isn’t simple either, I guess he and Dumbledore are old acquaintances, the kind that has a relatively close relationship …”
“Gha how dawg knnow thaat (how do you know that)?” Ron said with his mouth stuffed to the brim.
“Oho oho ha!” Hagrid laughed, “I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I’ve seen them walking together from afar when I was patrolling the Forbidden Forest this morning, they might have been talking about some sort of business or something … I’ve spotted them more than once.”
“It might have been about Professor Bagshot’s lectures,” Harry said thoughtfully, “his classes are quite controversial.”
“I don’t know about that.” Hagrid froze for a moment and said, “He even came to see me and asked about the school – quite a nice guy, a breath of fresh air. He was interested in young Grawp too, which is pretty rare …”
None of the three of them bothered to talk to each other. They spent the rest of the day happily eating roasted sausages and drinking hot tea until Hermione reminded them that they had to attend Animagus lessons the next morning, and Harry and Ron began to fidget and in no time they all left.
Back in the common room, Harry and Ron couldn’t wait to borrow Hermione’s notes and get ready to fight through the night. But Hermione had already lent the notes to Neville, so they found him again and used a Doubling Charm to make two temporary copies of the notes from him, and the three of them sat together with frowns.
In the meantime, Hermione pulled out the Book of Runes and began to read it.
“How much have you read?” Ron asked Neville.
“Not much,” Neville whispered, “I’m not very good at Transfiguration, there’s a lot of knowledge about human transfiguration in here and quite a lot of the theories which I can’t understand.”
Ron sighed and turned his head to look at Harry.
“I remember you have read a small part of it too?”
“It’s all about failed cases,” Harry said with a downcast look, “I used it to relieve my boredom and was horrified, it stated that if you practice it wrong it could possibly cause you to grow an extra tail or a nose.”
“I don’t know how Sirius and the gang pulled that off.” Ron grunted.
They flipped through Hermione’s notes and sullenly read them. They were surprised to find that Hermione didn’t fully understand them either, she had marked a number of questions in her notes and it appeared like she was planning to bring them up to question tomorrow. The three of them discussed it in whispers and finally agreed that if even Hermione found it difficult, there was no point in wasting their time, so they decided to skip the difficult points and speed up their progress considerably.
It was almost the time for lights out when Harry yawned with tears in his eyes, he had only finished a third of the booklet and is now in a muddled head state when he saw a bright light in Hermione’s eyes out of nowhere.
“Hermione, your eyes-”
“What’s wrong with my eyes?” Hermione asked, in confusion.
“… They seem to be glowing.” Harry said honestly, and Ron and Neville looked up to stare at her intently and hard.
“How is that possible, it’s not like I’m using magic.” Hermione said and Harry also believed he had looked incorrectly and patiently continued reading the notes, after a while, Hermione went upstairs to rest and the lights in the common room dimmed.
Ron yawned and cast the Bright Fire-making spell, causing a circle of white flames to swirl around them. Harry and Neville sweatdropped and were immediately energized with fright. They stayed up until one or two in the morning before they went to bed.
The next day, Harry was awakened by Hermione’s pet Crookshanks which was scratching him.
Harry woke Ron and Neville in turn, and when they got dressed and went down, Hermione was already waiting at the door, and they knocked on the door to the staff room without even eating breakfast. Harry, Ron, and Neville were still wolfing down the small bear-shaped biscuits Hermione had provided into their mouths when the door opened.
“Just a few more of you to come.” Felix said with a kind look on his face.
They walked in to find the tables and chairs of the staff room piled up in the corner, leaving a large area empty in the middle, and Professor McGonagall wearing a bright green tartan robe, her hair pulled back in a high bun at the back of her head with a serious expression on her face.
The four of them blended into the crowd and were surprised to find a few more people they didn’t know in the crowd today, all of whom seemed to be seventh-year students. A golden circle, about two feet in diameter, was painted on the floor in front of Professor McGonagall.
“Alright students,” Professor McGonagall said seriously, “there are a few new fresh faces among you, they are the best of the Transfiguration Club and will be joining you in this lesson.” Harry was suddenly enlightened when Professor Hap walked through the crowd and leaned against the wall, looking at all of them with interest.
Professor McGonagall continued, “Many of you are not actually qualified to study Animagus, you have just shown some potential by getting outstanding on your O.W.Ls in Defence Against the Dark Arts class -” she pursed her lips, clearly not quite approving of the last professor’s decision.
She had always felt that Sirius’ bet had been too childish.
“-and I therefore ask you all to give your absolute best, to put forth more effort, and to approach this with the utmost seriousness. There are many rules for you to follow, and if I catch you breaking any of them, I will kick you out of the class without any mercy.”
Professor McGonagall shot a powerful glance around the room and the students were silenced, not daring to speak out.
Professor Hap smiled at them from behind Professor McGonagall, and he seemed to be in a good mood today. In Classroom Seven, inside Voldemort’s mind, Tom Riddle, who was hiding in Hogwarts Castle and afraid to come out, finally took a crucial step forward when he found an ‘ancient document’ in the restricted section of the library – it was the notes of one of the ancestors of House Gaunt, and its contents were elusive and scarcely used.
Riddle repeatedly checked and compared them and finally concluded that the Gaunt notes were genuine, and he was overjoyed, believing them to be a gift from his ancestor and destined for him.
He tore out the first few pages and asked the professors at the school about the magic related to its content, and discovered that this turned out to be a book about Patronus charm, after which he spent ‘months’ trying to understand it word by word, marvelling at the powerful Patronus magic recorded in the book, which by its very essence is not only for dealing with Dementors. It is actually similar to summoning magic, which creates a corporeal mass of spiritual being that does not fear death.
But unfortunately, the contents of the notes were incomplete, lacking detailed instructions on how to learn them, except only one hint that tickled Riddle’s feverish heart: ‘Mobilize the power of the mind and call upon the emotions that touch your inner soul’. Thinking about the events of that night, and the three ‘dead’ foolish fellows, Riddle logically came to one conclusion: he perfected this magic in the future and offered to teach it to others to use them as cannon fodders to fight against the dark wizard Dumbledore.
A brand new path appeared before Tom Riddle’s eyes, as bright as it could be. He was going to become Headmaster of Hogwarts and Minister of Magic, and he was going to make the students of Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic Aurors work for him, and drown his enemies with an enhanced army of Patronus.
Thinking long and hard, at the very end of his sixth year, he approached Headmaster Dippet with the desire to stay on after graduation, even if it meant being an assistant professor.
With unrighteous thoughts and lofty plans in mind, Tom Riddle waited confidently.
“… I have finished talking about the differences between Transfiguration into an animal and Animagus Transfiguration. In summary, the former is passive and one cannot independently undo the effect of the spell after they get hit; the latter is an active choice and the wizard can decide for themselves when to return to their human form. It is important to note in particular that the former can result in the gradual loss of human sanity until the human being reduces to a beast, while the latter can maintain a lower degree of intelligence …”
“The Uagadou School of Magic in Africa is well advanced in this branch, and it is from there that some of the materials you have received have derived.” Professor McGonagall said, “You will find that the training you are about to receive is not quite the same as what you might have read from a book before – if you actually had bothered to read the materials you have received, you might have found out.” Her last sentence became stern and a number of students bowed their heads sheepishly.
“… Those elements are improvements that Professor Hap and I have made, and we will do our best to keep you safe, but if anyone wants to withdraw, they can do so now.”
The students’ heads moved together, and they began to whisper quickly.
“What did Professor McGonagall mean?” Ron asked Hermione in a whisper, and Harry pricked up his ears to listen, while he saw Susan Bones, along with Justin and Ernie, looking worried. In contrast, the members of the Transfiguration Club that Professor McGonagall had brought with her looked the same, obviously knowing this bit of information in advance.
“Simply put, the learning steps will change.” Hermione said briefly.
Harry looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember what was in Hermione’s notes, and he could clearly recall the initial steps; which require the caster to carry a leaf of mandrake in his/her mouth from the first full moon to the next full moon, without swallowing the leaf or taking it out of his/her mouth in between; at the end of this step, the saliva-soaked leaf must be placed in a small crystal vial at the full moon, in the pure rays of the moon with a piece of his/her own hair and a silver teaspoon of dew.
There was actually some requirement as to where the dew should be obtained, Harry mused, it must be dew from a place that neither sunlight nor human feet have touched … and finally, the chrysalis of a Death’s-head Hawk Moth needed to be added, and when all the above steps were done the vial had to be placed secretly in a quiet, dark place to await the impending thunderstorm.
“You can wait until the end of this class to decide,” Professor McGonagall said, “so I won’t be covering anything too advanced today, such as methods of controlling magic in human transfiguration, which has been proven in practice to be effective in reducing the learning difficulty of Animagus … Felix?”
Felix, who had been reduced to the role of assistant professor, lazily extended a hand and waved it in front of the students. They were a little unsure at first, but then their mouths dropped open in surprise – Professor Hap’s right hand is slowly elongated, like the claws of some kind of carnivore, with thick, strong joints and a curved radius in the forearm that made them associate it with everything to do with ‘strong’, ‘vicious’. The back of the professor’s right hand and wrist became covered in a layer of fur, and five long nails protruded out with a ‘swish’.
Felix raised his arm and made five deep scratches on the wall, which scattered sparks and made an ear-splitting, tooth-aching noise.
“Oh, thanks, Felix, that’ll do.” Professor McGonagall said in a not-quite-normal tone of voice.
Felix shook his hand lightly, the fur on his arm falling off as his arm turned back into its human form, but all the students present continued to stare at the skin on his arm in awe, desperate to know exactly which creature the professor had used as a template for his transfiguration, if he had taken the form of that biological creature fully, he could probably stomp them to death.
“What you are seeing is a more advanced transfiguration, don’t even bother to think about doing the same as Professor Hap now at your level …” Professor McGonagall said with some anxiety, “Let’s continue… …next we need a volunteer, who would like to cooperate with the demonstration?”
Several trembling arms were raised and Professor McGonagall finally selected Susan Bones.
“Step into the circle in front of me and stand at attention … Miss Bones.” Professor McGonagall commanded, and Felix walked over to her, both of them staring at Susan Bones at the same time, which made her wince a little. “Don’t worry,” Professor McGonagall reassured, “it’s just to provide an extra layer of insurance, I’ll be watching the whole time and will call it off immediately if anything goes wrong.”
The other students gathered around the circle, their eyes shining with anticipation.
“What do I need to do, Professor?” Susan Bones asked with a trembling voice.
“Try to stay conscious.” Felix said, and it sounded as if Susan is about to suffer some inhuman pain, and she took a step back with a wince, even the other students thought the same thing.
Felix cleared his throat and explained, “I will perform a transfiguration spell to turn you into a small animal, during that period you must do your best to remain calm in order to combat the feral urges that will grow stronger and stronger and to avoid being driven by instinct … Of course, Professor McGonagall and I will change you back before you lose control. ”
“This is just a demonstration. When we get to the actual practice, Minerva and I will slow this process down as much as possible to give you plenty of time to experience the subtle changes in the human body as it transforms, which will play a vital role in the real Animagus transformation … One last question, Miss Bones, what animal do you like?”
“I like unicorns.” Susan whispered.
“No, I mean … ordinary animals.”
“Maybe a bunny.” Susan said uncertainly.
“A bunny? Very well, stand still.”
Felix pulled out his wand, which he no longer uses very often, from his pocket and pointed it at Susan, who disappeared with a bang, and in her place, there was a fluffy, grey-furred rabbit appeared. The rabbit squeaked and cowered in the golden circle.
“Everyone else please step back, don’t scare her.” Professor McGonagall said in a stern voice.
The students who had gotten very close retreated back in a rush, but their eyes still looked at her fondly, and those who stood behind desperately stood on their tiptoes to get a better look.
Felix crouched down and looked at the shivering grey rabbit in front of him.
“Calm down Bones, your aunt and I are on good terms, and she’ll come after me if I let you get hurt … so there’s nothing to be afraid of.” Felix said gently as the Susan the rabbit calmed down and looked around curiously. From this angle, her classmate looked taller than a giant.
It made her feel a little fuzzy inside.
“How are you feeling now?” Felix asked.
The grey rabbit’s small eyes revealed an animated look, and after a brief pondering look, she made two short barks.
“Oh, you can’t talk right now … I will ask you questions next, you just need to nod or shake your head. Always remember that you are a witch and the longer you keep your sanity the better you will remain … Do you like winter?”
The rabbit hesitated for a moment and nodded.
“Very well, next question, are you a student of Ravenclaw House?” The rabbit shook her head.
“Do you like pink?” The rabbit nodded.
And this went on for nearly ten minutes. It became crystal clear to the onlooking students that the rabbit’s responses were getting slower and slower, laced with nervous abrupt glances and alert flicking of the ears. Harry gulped and watched as the rabbit’s eyes gradually lost their witty gleam.
He glanced at Draco Malfoy, who, unsurprisingly, had turned unusually pale.
“Felix-” Professor McGonagall called out hesitantly.
“Do you still recognize who I am?” Felix asked, and this time the grey rabbit stopped paying attention to him and began to lick the fluffy fur on her front paws by herself, Felix asked again, and he still didn’t get any response.
“Felix!” Professor McGonagall said in a stern voice.
As if startled, the grey rabbit lurched forward and jumped beyond the golden circle. Felix calmly raised his wand, and after a loud thud, Susan Bones returned to her original state.
Professor McGonagall walked quickly over to her and hugged her, patting Susan’s shoulder comfortingly as Felix handed a vial of Calming Draught to Professor McGonagall, who temporarily took on the role of Madam Pomfrey. After drinking the potion, Susan’s expression became more relaxed.
“I remember you guys all have experienced Professor Moody’s Imperius Curse in fourth grade?” Felix said, ” If you still choose to continue this course of study you will experience that kind of feeling many times, but the advantage is that you have two professors to keep you safe from the risk of irreversible magic damage during your Animagus practice, and the success rate is very high … you have a week to weigh up the options. ”
“Okay, now does anyone else want to try it?”
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