• Hogwarts, third floor, Transfiguration Classroom •
• Tuesday, 11:00 AM •
The classroom was buzzing with chatter and activity as Gryffindor and Slytherin students talked with each other, laughing and arguing as if the house rivalry was nothing but a thing of the past.
It was not, of course. It was just too embarrassing for a nineteen-year-old to be unable to differentiate between when to be competitive and when not to be. That, coupled with the fact that the new magic was something they were all learning the ins and outs of, meant they were in a truce-like period.
Still, none of this lessened the rosy-pink atmosphere that hung throughout the classroom, as couples sat together, talking, flirting, and being a general nuisance for single people.
"Ugh, guys, could you please stop all that giggling and romancing for a bit?" Lee Jordan groaned into his hand before turning his head sharply towards his right and jabbing his elbow into the abdomen of the student next to him.
"Ooof…"
"Hehe, George," the girl sitting next to the now-identified George giggled. "Lee is jealous."
"Of course he is," George answered in a strained voice. "How could he not be when he doesn't have a girlfriend as beautiful as you?" He continued, scoring some points if the way Angelina giggled and swatted his chest gently was anything to go by.
"Guys, stop bullying the poor guy," another feminine voice—coming from Lee's left side—said in a mock chastising tone. "He's still hurting after Amelia dumped him last year, isn't he, Fred?" She turned her head slightly and looked at her own boyfriend, who was hugging her from behind.
"Hmm, I don't know," Fred hummed thoughtfully. "He told me he was over it last time I asked, so I think he's just jealous, Alicia," he replied as he took her hand and gave it a kiss.
"Ugh," Lee Jordan groaned again. "You guys are unbelievable. I hope Professor McGonagall comes in and catches you in this position…" he mumbled loudly as he rested his head on the desk, feeling his energy drain.
"But why is Professor McGonagall late?" Lee asked as he suddenly remembered something important.
"I don't know," Alicia said. "Does any of you know?"
"Nope." "Nah." "Not a clue."
"You guys are useless," Lee muttered before he shifted his body to look back, trying to ask his classmates behind him. "Hey, does any of you know why Professor McGonagall is not here yet?"
"Oh, you don't know?" the guy asked, tilting his head in bewilderment before he snapped his fingers in realization. "Oh right, you weren't there when Sally told us the news. You know Sally, right? The redhead Hufflepuff girl with a big personality"—and he did a hand motion on his chest area to stress the fact—"anyway, she said she heard from her friend Lora, another blessed Hufflepuff, who heard from her other friend, who heard Professor Pomona say that she had to visit the medical wing and check on Professor McGonagall who had been there since yesterday night," the guy revealed, scratching his head and mumbling, "Man, Hufflepuff has so many blessed ladies, why didn't I go there?"
"Huh, then why are we here?" Lee asked.
"Well, the class wasn't canceled so…"
"Oh, right," Lee muttered. "Do you guys think she's sick or something?"
"I don't know, but she's in Madam Pomfrey's care so I think everything's going to be okay," Angelina replied with a certainty underlying her tone.
"So if Professor McGonagall is not available, who's gonna teach us?" someone asked, a male voice coming from behind Lee Jordan.
"Maybe Professor Flitwick?" another voice chimed in reply.
"It'd be better if it's Professor Horace, his classes are always lively."
"Are you kidding me? There's no Transfiguration class without Professor McGonagall, and anyone who thinks otherwise is a traitor."
"So what? We just leave the class until she's okay?"
"Do you think that'll work?"
"I don't know, but I like the idea."
"Woah, okay. Shut up for a second please, guys," George Weasley said as he climbed onto the table. "Yeah, keep quiet and listen for a second please," his twin was there behind him a moment later.
"You guys forgot something important," George spread his hands and said in a grand tone.
"Yeah, something very important and, someone very important too," Fred stuck his head from behind his twin's and stood on his toes to make sure their heads properly aligned.
"You guys seem to forget one person that could teach us without any of us having a problem." George smiled widely and said, "The one and only other person in this castle who is a Transfiguration Master." Fred continued.
"Oh!! Professor Dumbledore. Right, why didn't I think of that?" Lee exclaimed loudly, interrupting the twins' performance.
"Lee, why did you do that? We were just about to get to the point," Fred facepalmed. "Do you think he needs a three-day prank course again, o brother of mine?"
"Hmm, I don't know if three days will be enough," George hummed as he caressed his chin as if contemplating a great issue. "We should try a week first and then observe for any changes."
"Shut it and sit down, you two," Angelina and Alicia said at the same time as they extended their hands and pinched the calves of their boyfriends.
"Ow." "Ouch, okay, geez."
"So how sure are we that we will be taught by Professor Dumbledore?"
As if summoned by the question, the classroom door opened with a creak and Albus Dumbledore walked in, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room as he slowly walked towards the professor's desk, grabbed the chair, slid it backwards, and sat down.
"Hello everyone, I am Albus Dumbledore, and I will be filling in for Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class today," Dumbledore said as he leaned forward. "I will be continuing from where Professor McGonagall left off last time, as well as check any and all homework and assignments you have."
"Now, any questions before we start the class?"
The twins raised their hands so fast that they generated a swish-like sound. Of course, they weren't the only ones raising their hands, but they were still the first and most eye-catching.
Dumbledore looked at them with amusement in his eyes and said, "Messrs. Weasley, what is your question?"
"We just want to know what happened to Professor McGonagall?" they asked together, their voices overlapping.
"Oh, right, I should have started with that," Albus nodded. "Well, not to worry, Professor McGonagall will be back in a few days at most. She's just going through the same rank ascension I did."
"Does that mean Professor McGonagall will be younger too?" a Slytherin student—Adrian Pucey—asked.
"Most definitely, yes," Albus answered. "The rejuvenation is a side effect of Magic granting more life to the one who has created something new and shared it with the world. You gain more magic, thus more years to live, thus rejuvenation."
"But why haven't we heard of this before?" Miles, another Slytherin student, asked. "I mean, there are a lot of people inventing spells. Why aren't they getting younger?"
"A good question. One point to Slytherin," Albus smiled and said. "Let me clear up a misconception you seem to have. There are several requirements and trials one has to go through to climb the ranks and gain the benefits. One of these requirements is that one needs to create a new, never-seen-before branch of magic, or significantly develop an existing one further."
"But that's too harsh of a requirement," Kenneth Towler, a Gryffindor student, said.
"It is not," Albus shook his head. "It may seem so, but it is not. It is very much possible for any one of you to do the same, especially with the Archive's help. You now have the tools to gain the necessary knowledge to advance, and all you need to do is study hard, practice even harder, and have a little bit of inspiration. That's it."
"Anyway, that's enough questions for today. Let's start with the lecture, shall we?"
X_
[ Albus Dumbledore ]
I stood up from my seat and walked to the edge of the small platform, looking at the faces of the now quiet and attentive students with a soft smile on my face.
"Okay, this year you will be focusing on studying the basics of the Transformation branch of Transfiguration, such as transfiguring an inanimate object into an animated one, like animals, and the basic theory of human transformation, also known as Animagus," I started the lecture, my voice traveling everywhere and my tone soft.
"Now, I am sure that those who want to achieve something in Transfiguration have already started reading in advance or utilized their Archive magic to help them memorize the information for the whole semester, if not the whole year."
I noticed a few Slytherin students cocking their heads when they heard that, confirming what I had just said. The Gryffindors, unfortunately, didn't seem to have anyone, as most of them looked at their books, avoiding my gaze as it passed over them.
"By now, you are old enough to realize that Transfiguration is a dangerous branch of magic, second only to Alchemy, as it requires an absurd amount of focus, dedication, caution, and will to succeed in it."
"That's not to say that other magics aren't dangerous—they are—it's just not as dangerous as those two, and Potions, when it comes to magical backfire."
"For example, let's say you are trying to transfigure a cup into a rat, or vice-versa," I said as I conjured a cup and put it on the desk. "Now, you need to have a lot of focus to picture what you need to happen. You also need to know the correct spell, the will to force such a change, and the magical power to sustain it. Right?"
"Now, picture this. You are trying to change said cup into a rat and you mess up the wand movement sequence, or channel more magic than the spell's parameters could hold. What would happen?" I asked as I used illusions to demonstrate what I just said.
One faceless figure pointed its wand at the cup and cast the spell with the wrong wand movements. The other poured out too much magic, as was demonstrated by the intensity of the light that hit the cup.
My gaze swept through the students, observing their reactions and waiting to see who to pick. My eye landed on a girl sitting in the back, wearing her Gryffindor uniform and looking straight forward towards one of the boys a few seats ahead of her.
'Her name was Romilda Coote, wasn't it?' I thought as I searched her name through my memory. 'Yeah, it was…'
"Miss Coote." I called her name, making her flinch a little, probably because my voice sounded like I was right behind her. "Would you like to give me an answer?"
She looked at me, blinked slowly, and shook her head.
'Oh, would you look at that,' I smirked as I noticed how her Archive interface materialized next to her, imperceptible to anyone else but me. 'So she figured out how to do that, huh.'
"Are you sure?" I pressed, wanting to see how she'd get herself out of this.
She still nodded, even as the answers appeared in her interface. I smiled slightly but said nothing else, as I let my gaze wander and settle on the one who had raised his hand.
"Go ahead," I said as I gestured for him to answer.
"That one missed the first wand movement, so his spell will not do anything other than rattling the cup," he said as he pointed at the illusion. "The other one will cause the cup to explode violently, which may result in injuries."
"Correct. Three points to Slytherin," I said and turned my head towards the illusions. "As your classmate just said, depending on which wand movement sequence you mess up, the results will be different. For instance, if you were to miss the last one, you will have your own wand thrown out of your hand by the recoil and might even have a finger or two transfigured into tails or grow fur on them."
"Overloading spells, on the other hand, depends on the parameters of the spell, and thus the reaction will vary."
"Now," I clapped my hands, "who could tell me why the wand movements in the Transfiguration branch of magic are mostly composed of sharp and concise movements?"
Another Slytherin student raised his hand, so I let him answer.
"It's because that's how focus is translated into wand movements, sir. It needs to be conveyed in sharp and precise movements."
"Good answer," I nodded. "Not complete, but correct all the same, so another two points to Slytherin."
I continued the lecture from there, explaining the spells, the basic nature of the Transformation branch, and why it was a vital part that every wizard should know about. I also asked a couple more questions, most of which were answered by the Slytherins, and only two of them by the Gryffindors.
I tried not to take offense to that, but this generation is sullying the great name of Gryffindor. Call me biased all you want, but I was a Gryffindor once and will always be one. Hmmph.
"Now, before we start the Q&A part of the lecture, let's talk about Transfiguration as a whole. How do you think this whole branch functions? On what basis?"
I looked around, but no one raised their hand, so I just shook my head and continued.
"No one?" I asked, my tone slightly disappointed. "Okay then, I will just explain. Transfiguration is basically us wizards and witches toying with the concept of change. We want to change something into another, so we use our magic to make it possible. Keep in mind that this is just one of the concepts and principles of Transfiguration, but it's also the very basis of it…"
"But what about Conjuration, Professor?" A question interrupted my explanation, but I allowed it.
"It's also the same. When you conjure something, it's just you changing your magic from energy into matter, which is why our conjurations are temporary, as it takes a lot of energy to make a conjured object permanent."
"Isn't there another way to conjure stuff without having to spend so much magic?"
"I don't know, is there?" I smiled slyly and said. "That's a question you have to figure out yourself. It's those kinds of questions that will help you in ascending ranks and becoming more powerful." I took the chance to cement the concept of ascension and rank promotion a little bit more into their heads.
"When you find yourself asking questions like, 'Why is it not possible to do this? Is there a different way to achieve that with less? Could I find a way to do such a thing better?', then you know you're on the right path to becoming a great wizard."
"But what if someone loses himself in such a thing and turns to dark magic?" another one asked.
'What is it with third years and dark magic?' I thought with a frown and shook my head.
"You guys seem to have a misconception about dark magic." I sighed and continued, "Who here attends the Arithmancy class?" I asked and noticed more Slytherins raising their hands than Gryffindors.
"Okay, have you been taught the basic overview about Arithmancy systems?"
They shook their heads, making me frown. That's not right. We were taught the basic overview of all Arithmancy systems in the first week back when I was a student.
"Okay then, let me just explain it to you." I sighed in resignation as I started to explain. "Basically, there are many different Arithmancy systems that are used in different ways, be it spell creation, predictions, problem solving, name choosing, and almost everything in our daily life too. Now, all these systems have one thing in common. They don't use the number zero."
I saw my students frown a little.
"Now you're wondering why that is, especially Muggle-borns who are used to going to school in the Muggle world. The answer to your question is that numbers represent different things in different contexts and combinations. The number zero is a null; that's where the whole Nullmancy system got its name from. It represents non-existence, something outside of the natural order; it represents the void," I explained.
"That's why any spell created using said system is almost always considered dark magic." I went on to explain further. "That's also why they are almost always corruptive in one way or another. Be it because they use more than one way to charge spells, and they generally require more than standard mental fortitude."
"Is that why the Archive said humans were more susceptible to corruption when using dark magic?"
"Yes, the human mind is not equipped to understand the state of non-existence. It just doesn't compute such a thing, so how do we comprehend such things? By honing our minds further, evolving our mental arts practices, and building our mental fortitude further."
"Now, that's enough of dark magic for the day, so let's return to our lecture, shall we?"
And return we did. I continued teaching and supervising the practice of the spell I taught them, the Lapifors Spell, and another session of Q&A before I concluded today's class.
"…That's all for today. I will not assign you anything today, but I will tell you this." I said as I once again stood by the edge of the small platform. "Your preparation, skill level, and overall understanding of the Transfiguration subject is below average. It's honestly a joke. I expect you all to be better, especially the Gryffindor students."
"Now you have the Archive, so any and all excuses will be null and void. So, by the end of the semester, if you do not have a better grasp over all basic subjects and spells, you will not be coming back to Hogwarts for the next semester and will be repeating the third year again next year. Am I clear?" I said with a firm, borderline cold voice.
"I expect you all to do your absolute best, and continue to do so in the future, because believe it or not, you will be needing it soon enough." I sighed and shook my head when I saw almost everyone looking down and not meeting my gaze.
Some had their hands clenched on top of the table, while others were clenching and holding their clothes or wands tightly, so I think I sent my message.
"That's all for today. You may go…"
I didn't pay attention to them as they left, not because I didn't want to, but because my mind was occupied by another thought.
'Has the education level fallen this much since I was a student?' I thought as I put my legs on top of the table and waited for my next class.
I mean, I know the old me tried to shield the young from learning dark magic, and I know that the Ministry tried to regulate the school material, but to think our level of education has fallen this much?… Now that's a surprise. A bad one, but a surprise nonetheless.
'Still, was I too harsh on them?' I asked myself, but I do not believe so. Those are nineteen-year-old young men and women. They should know how to toughen up by now.
Sigh. I opened my Archive and went on to observe how Minerva was doing, and saw her working on upgrading her Mind Arts into an elementary state of mindscape, where her memories were neatly stacked inside a bleak-looking room, surrounded by heavy fog.
'Huh, I guess she'll begin working on creating her elemental magic now, huh?' I smirked and leaned back.
She wouldn't have reached this far if not for my Essence working overtime to help her. She's smart, so I think she'll figure this out soon enough, but not too soon, as I already laid down the groundwork when I recorded the information on how to reach a state of having more magic than one knows what to do with…
'Even if she figures it out later, I'll just say I helped by lending her my magic for a bit through the Archive,' I thought with a sly smile…
Now, where's my next class…
X_
[ Poppy Pomfrey ]
Poppy sat by the bed next to Minerva, casting a scanning spell every now and then to check on her, trying to figure out what happens during this state. She didn't find anything substantial, though, as she was only able to figure out that Minerva's magic was being depleted and refilled in a constant motion since yesterday.
This should not be possible, as such a thing would overwhelm the core and cripple her, but her core was fine. No, it's more accurate to say her whole being was being protected by something; it's almost as if any and all ailments and injuries were being healed as soon as she sustained them.
'How is this possible?' She thought, a frown marring her face as she racked her brain to figure it out.
This phenomenon was extraordinary. If her core was being healed as soon as it sustained an injury, then that means her core was growing more robust and more powerful.
'This means she will have a lot more magic than she did before she entered this state. And depending on how long this state lasts…' she didn't finish the thought as she felt like she had just come upon a revelation. 'Is this what happened to Albus? No wonder the man had a monstrous amount of magic.'
She should have known. It was so obvious, yet if she hadn't learned these new scanning spells, she wouldn't have figured it out.
This Archive magic was a gift that keeps on giving. She smiled before frowning again. It was not the Archive, though; it was Albus. This spell was his, something he learned from the legendary Nicolas Flamel.
'Who else has a spell that scans something as abstract as a magical core and soul?' she thought, slightly amused.
It was things like this that showed just how advanced Albus's level in magic was and how vast and versatile his repertoire is.
Still, now she too was gaining more knowledge, more spells and theories. In no time, she too will be lying on one of these beds, going through the same thing, and then she too will be getting her youth back.
She looked at Minerva once again, and this time, a flicker of envy stirred within her. The transformation since yesterday was remarkable. The wrinkles that had once traced the map of a long, caring life on Minerva's face and hands had remarkably lessened. Her skin was now clearer, growing firmer and suffused with a youthful vitality that seemed to radiate from within.
'If she were to publish a paper on this phenomenon', Poppy mused, 'it would ignite a revolution. Nearly every witch in the world would drop everything to plunge into magical research.'
"Heheheh, yes. A new magical era is upon us," she chuckled and muttered softly. "The era of no wrinkles and joint pain that makes you drink those gross-tasting potions."
"Wait a second, shouldn't I get Horace to start researching how to make potions taste less foul?" She said as she stood up, the realization dawning on her.
She wasted no time as she summoned her Archive interface, clicked on the paper airplane shape, and entered the chat. She only had one chat active, and it was a group chat with all the staff inside.
She then clicked on the icon on the bottom left, a mouth shape with a wand pointing at it, and the recording started.
"Hey Horace, didn't you complain about not having something new and exciting to research yesterday? I have figured out how to help you. Start researching how to make potions taste less foul and more pleasant. How is that for a research subject?" She stopped and hit send.
She then stood up and started walking around the hospital wing, doing another sterilizing round. She does that a lot, more when she doesn't have anything to do, like now.
'Ting'. A ringing tone sounded inside her head, and she opened the chat and found Horace had replied to her, along with Flitwick and Pomona still typing.
"Ah, Poppy, how is your day? How's Minerva doing? Is she okay?" Horace's voice sounded in her head. "I still remember when she was still a student, very hard-working and diligent, not so much in Potions as in Transfiguration. I guess that's why she was Albus's favorite. He always favored those working hard to master Transfiguration." He started repeating the same thing again. She had heard it all before, but his tone somehow keeps getting better every time he tells the story. "And now here she is, attempting the impossible and surpassing her teacher."
"Anyway, what was your question?" She heard him say, "Oh right, the taste of potions. Now that is a fascinating idea. All research done on the subject before failed, but I guess I now have the means to make very long strides in that direction, at least theoretically, without wasting many resources…"
She sighed in relief when she heard that, though she didn't know if it was because he finally finished speaking or because of the news…
Hmm, a non-foul potion. Now that's the dream.
X_
• Somewhere in Italy, Unplottable Area near the Cathedral •
• Tuesday, 5:00 PM •
[ ???? POV ]
A chilling scene unfolded inside a lab filled with glass containers of all sizes—some as small as a cup, others as large as a giant. Each was filled with liquid, either a diluted nutrient or a preservation potion, depending on its grisly contents.
The light illuminated the containers and their horrifying occupants. Some held humans of varying ages, from children as young as nine to the elderly as old as ninety, suspended in nutrient potions designed to keep their bodies functioning without food. Others contained disembodied organs and body parts, floating in preservatives to prevent the flesh from rotting and the research materials from going to waste.
Amidst this macabre collection, two old men stood by a large bookcase, engaged in a tense conversation.
"What did His Holiness say?" asked the old man dressed in priest's robes.
"He asked if there were any results in figuring out how our magic actually works," the hunched, disheveled old wizard answered slowly, never ceasing to shuffle through the pages of a book. "If I had figured out how to grant it to others, and if I was able to come up with a way to… purify them if I hadn't."
"And? Did you? You cannot disappoint His Holiness any further with your incompetence. I may not understand this unholy mumbo-jumbo, but I know you have achieved nothing since you arrived," the priest retorted, his tone growing more fervent and erratic.
"Ugh, stop yelling, you crazy old thing! Do you think it's easy to figure out such a thing?" the wizard retorted. "We still need to find where Grindelwald put all those magic tomes he stole back in the war if we have any hope of achieving the dream."
Of course, that was a lie. The old wizard might be crazy, but he was not crazy enough to research how to end his own kind, nor to share such knowledge if he ever found it.
He was a wizard, after all. He may have finally found a place where he could achieve his goal, but that didn't mean he had to comply with their insane wishes.
He had a goal to achieve. A grand goal. He wanted to become immortal and wield the powers of a god. To have wizards and witches worship and serve at his beck and call. Oh, what a glorious vision.
To surpass Merlin. To become the God of Magic. A man more powerful than any witch or wizard dared hope to be.
'Still, I seem to have reached a point where I must start arranging my escape,' he thought, taking out another book and walking back towards his desk. 'That creature is getting more demanding with each message, and if he finds out I was not researching what I said I was…'
But no. What if he told him he was close, but was missing some crucial information? That he needed more knowledge to achieve the goal…
Yes, that could work. He just needed to act as if he worshiped the ground the creature walked on for a while, and it would do what he wanted. The creature was too arrogant and stupid to think otherwise.
It was powerful, that was for sure, but it was no god, despite what these fanatics claimed. He had proven that fact when he managed to get a sample of its blood without it even noticing, by transfiguring a needle into a mosquito and having it bite the creature as it passed through the wards.
'Heheh, stupid creature fancies himself a god, eh?' he shook his head, his inner voice dripping with derision.
He opened the tome, titled Blood Magic: The Curses of Blood, and began to read. He had to admit, the creature had created a fine information network, if nothing else. The books he had read this past year were rarer than any he had acquired in all his previous decades.
'And now that Grindelwald is out, they may be able to find his whereabouts and get me those books he collected during his reign,' he daydreamed for a second. He was sure the creature would be able to kill Grindelwald; the man was no doubt old and weak now. They just needed to find him.
"O Father, lend us…" he heard the crazy priest begin his prayer and groaned inwardly.
This was the only thing he was dissatisfied with—being saddled with this fanatical priest year-round. There were better ways to drive a man insane than this.
———————
P@treon/hunter20