The Nature of Transfiguration Spell

"It's fine, Mom, I don't need any gifts. I hope Santa can bring something for you guys instead."

Dylan said, trying to comfort his parents, who seemed hesitant.

After all, with his newfound abilities, getting into Hogwarts was a done deal. He was eager to confirm whether the owl had taken the letter and was looking forward to visiting Diagon Alley as soon as possible.

"Oh my, my baby is just so sweet!" Maeve said, her face filled with emotion.

She was already thinking about saving up for a nice gift for him by Christmas.

Just as Hubert was about to say something to reassure his son, a sudden soft tapping on the window interrupted him.

They all turned and saw an owl perched on the window, cocking its head and staring directly at the letter on the table.

"An owl?" Maeve exclaimed, "Could it be here to collect the letter?"

Tap tap.

Seeing that they hadn't opened the window, the owl pecked at the glass again, the sharp sound unmistakable, almost like it was knocking on the door.

"Hubert, open the window quickly!" Maeve seemed even more anxious than Dylan.

As Hubert opened the window, the owl didn't fly away. Instead, it hopped inside, landing with its claws on the envelope.

Tap tap.

At that moment, a polite knock came from the door.

The three of them exchanged glances, then all turned toward the door.

Hubert and Maeve were filled with nervous anticipation.

But Dylan stood up and walked toward the door, taking a deep breath. Who could it be at the door?

Click.

The door opened.

Dylan looked up, and the first thing that caught his eye was a dark green robe.

He slowly lifted his gaze, and the face of a middle-aged woman with a somewhat stern expression, wearing square glasses, came into view.

"Good day. Apologies for the sudden visit. I couldn't find the doorbell, so I had to knock."

Dylan: "..."

He forced a smile. "It's fine. May I ask who you are?"

"Hello, Mr. Hawkwood. I received your reply. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts."

Upon seeing Dylan, Professor McGonagall's gaze softened slightly, but then a strange look flashed in her eyes.

Was it her imagination?

Why did she feel as though she could sense the aura of a curse emanating from this young wizard?

"Hello, Professor McGonagall. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dylan Hawkwood. Please, come in."

Dylan thought he would remain calm, but upon meeting Professor McGonagall in person, he realized his emotions surged like a tide, making it hard to even speak.

It wasn't just the excitement of seeing a familiar face, it was also the nervousness of facing a master of magic while secretly harboring three unforgivable curses.

Fortunately, Professor McGonagall seemed used to Dylan's reaction. She didn't linger on it, following him inside and greeting Hubert and Maeve with a smile.

"Professor McGonagall, if I may speak frankly, we're still trying to adjust to all this magic..." After inviting the distinguished-looking professor to sit, Hubert couldn't help but speak up.

"Naturally, I completely understand. In fact, that is one of the reasons for my visit."

Professor McGonagall's smile was warm and genuine.

"In fact, had Mr. Hawkwood not responded, the school would have sent a professor to guide young Muggle-born wizards to Diagon Alley just before term started."

She spoke as she took out her wand and gave it a light wave.

A notebook on the table immediately transformed into a ticking alarm clock.

"Ding, ding, ding!" The clock suddenly rang, and Dylan instinctively pressed the button to turn it off.

Hubert and Maeve watched the extraordinary scene in amazement, now truly convinced that magic existed.

Dylan was also a bit surprised. After turning off the alarm, he looked up. "Professor McGonagall, is this the Transfiguration spell you'll teach me?"

"Exactly. You will learn it once you're at school," Professor McGonagall replied.

"Can Transfiguration change living beings? And would these beings be real, or is it just an illusion?" Dylan asked.

Professor McGonagall's eyes widened slightly, observing Dylan for a moment. "Magic can't truly alter the fundamental nature of a living being, but it can still attempt to do so."

"So, you're saying that this clock, while it looks like a clock, is still essentially a notebook?" Dylan blinked.

"That's correct," Professor McGonagall nodded.

"But why does it still ring?" Dylan asked again.

"Because that's something a clock can do," she explained.

"Something it can do?" Dylan didn't quite understand. "Could you explain further, Professor?"

"The nature of Transfiguration is the combined result of consciousness and magical power. I wanted it to become an alarm clock that could remind me, so it was able to ring, it's part of the clock's functionality."

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "In fact, this is something that should wait until you're at school to fully grasp."

"However, since you're interested, I'll briefly explain. The nature of Transfiguration lies in how well you understand an object, whether it's living or non-living. Without this understanding, the result will be superficial and not fully real."

"If you want to transform a living creature, you also need to consider its natural reactions, its habits."

"Magic forms the foundation for the transformation, but consciousness is the key to whether you can complete it."

Consciousness and magic?

Dylan, having lived two lives and seen much, easily understood what Professor McGonagall meant.

At this moment, carrying three fully developed Unforgivable Curses, he was able to grasp the concept.

In fact, consciousness could be seen as a musical score, while magic represented the various instruments.

The process of casting could be likened to performing a specific piece of music.

The wand and the incantation would be like the conductor.

If the score is wrong, the music won't be played correctly.

If the instruments are damaged, the performance will be flawed.

It was like how Professor McGonagall had turned a notebook into a clock.

The "change" in her mind was the musical score.

The difficulty of Transfiguration lay in how well one could follow the score when the instruments were in working order.

In practical terms, the clearer the image of the clock in your mind when casting the spell, the more complete its functions would be, and the clock would naturally ring.

If only the shape of the clock was imagined, then it would simply be a shell, incapable of producing any "effect."