Chapter 122: Gamp's Basic Law of Transformation
On Wednesday morning, the day began early—with the Daily Prophet.
Harry Potter personally disliked the slander-filled newspaper, but due to the events of recent weeks, he had developed a habit of reading it first thing after washing up each day.
Oddly enough, despite his disdain, this habit had helped deepen his understanding of the magical world.
Of course, Harry hadn't subscribed. No matter how rich he was, he wouldn't waste money supporting a paper that smeared his name.
Lately, he'd noticed something strange about Anthony Goldstein. Perhaps it had to do with Tina Goldstein—possibly a distant relative—not being as famous as he was?
Harry had realized that Anthony was a bit vain—just like his dormmates Michael Corner and Terry Boot. Michael was the most flamboyant, Terry a little less so, and Anthony the most reserved of the trio.
It gave Harry a headache—especially when he wasn't sure whose newspaper he should borrow to read. Borrowing from Anthony was certainly out of the question.
"Huh?" Harry blinked. Sitting next to his bed was a fresh copy of the Daily Prophet—but it clearly wasn't Anthony's. Anthony had his own copy beside his bed, and he was the only one in the dorm who had a subscription.
"Harry, that one's mine," said Alexander Smith, nodding calmly.
"Oh, okay. Mind if I take a look?" Harry asked.
Alexander nodded, and Harry began reading.
A second later, a scream erupted from his mouth.
Ron came over, still drying his face with a towel, and upon seeing the front page, let out a scream of his own.
Neville, who usually kept a solid two meters between himself and Ron, cautiously approached, drawn by curiosity. And when he read it—he screamed too. Unlike the others, his scream began in surprise and ended in despair.
At this point, even Anthony, Michael, and Terry rushed over, setting aside their usual pettiness.
Harry, Ron, and Neville all had furious expressions—so contorted with rage that they were nearly indescribable. Moments later, all three were spewing the most creative curse words they could think of.
"Bloody hell! You mentioned me before, but this time you didn't even get my name right!" Ron roared. Strangely, that was what upset him most.
Harry and Neville stared at him, more shocked by Ron's misplaced concern than anything else, and forgot to be angry for a moment.
Their outrage made them lose track of time. Morning classes were fast approaching, and most other first-years—especially those hoping to challenge Harry, the so-called destroyer of Peeves—had already gone ahead.
Fortunately, Ron and the others had kept their usual habit of waking early. At the very last second before the bell, they barreled into the Transfiguration classroom on the first floor.
"Don't worry, I understand why you're late," Professor McGonagall said unexpectedly.
It seemed that even she had been reading the Daily Prophet regularly since the last outlandish article—and had seen today's front page.
Harry, Ron, and Neville were panting, trying to catch their breath, but still managed to offer quick thanks before slumping into the last row.
Of course, no one noticed Alexander Smith calmly taking a seat beside Hermione Granger.
Professor McGonagall scanned the classroom. Many students wore dazed or bewildered expressions—those who didn't know the gossip were clearly confused, while those who did looked either intrigued or entertained.
"Well," she said crisply, "if I don't address this now, we won't be able to focus on anything today."
"I'm aware that Rita Skeeter published another ridiculous story about Mr. Potter this morning."
"I can only say this: as Ravenclaws, I hope you all have the intelligence to discern truth from sensational nonsense. The article is filled with wild speculation and has no basis in fact."
"I expect that once class is over, you will show your classmates the respect they deserve."
"Now then—on to Transfiguration." She straightened her robes and clasped her hands behind her back. "Transfiguration requires complete focus. Any distraction can make it dangerously unstable."
"So, today we will review the fundamental laws of transfiguration. These laws were discovered and refined by pioneers over thousands of years—through countless failures."
"Professor," asked Lisa Dupin, raising her hand. "Is there no practical component today?"
"None whatsoever," McGonagall replied. "And let me ask—have any of you even practiced daily? Besides Ms. Granger, who among you can reliably turn a match into a needle?"
Only Hermione looked confident. McGonagall sighed.
"All right then. Let's begin. Those of you who previewed the reading—can you guess today's topic based on the key terms I just mentioned?"
"The five exceptions to Gamp's Basic Law of Elemental Transfiguration!" Hermione answered quickly.
"Correct," said McGonagall. "Let's go over them one by one."
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1. Food Cannot Be Conjured
"Wizards cannot create food from nothing, nor can we transfigure inedible objects into food. Even if something looks edible, it will have no nutritional value—and eating it may cause indigestion, or worse, a medical emergency."
"However, if you already have food, it can be magically enlarged, multiplied, or transported. For example, the food that appears on Hogwarts' dining tables is prepared in the kitchens, then sent upstairs using the Transportation Charm."
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2. Limits on Living Transformations
"There is no permanent transfiguration between living and non-living things. You may transform a button into a beetle, but once the magic fades, it reverts. No matter how realistic it looks, it's still a button in essence."
"If you feed such a 'beetle' to a bird, it won't provide nourishment—it may even choke the bird."
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3. Magical Items Cannot Be Created
"Transfiguration alone cannot produce magical items. That requires complex alchemy. Auto-writing quills, self-stirring cauldrons, and even wizarding currency like Galleons must be crafted by skilled artisans or goblins. These items have unique magical properties that cannot be replicated by simple spells."
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4. Quantity Cannot Be Altered
"You cannot change quantity through transfiguration. A single table cannot become two cats, nor can three spoons become a teapot."
"An exception exists for connected items, however. For instance, you may transfigure a uniform and its wearer into an eagle. When reverted, both the person and the clothes return to their original form—though I wouldn't recommend using this technique during OWLs."
Professor McGonagall chuckled softly.
"In fact, let's use an example: if I turn Mr. Ronald Weasley, wearing his usual outfit, into an eagle and then back again, rest assured—his clothes will not have become feathers."
The class laughed—except Ron, who flushed red.
Those who had read the Daily Prophet caught the inside joke immediately.
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5. No Creation from Nothing
"Transfiguration cannot create something from nothing. You may see upper-year students conjure flocks of birds or bouquets of flowers, but those are spell-based illusions—either time-limited magical projections or transformed items hidden in advance."
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Finally, at 11 o'clock, class came to an end.
Professor McGonagall assigned homework, but remained at her desk afterward.
Before she could say anything further, nearly everyone swarmed around Harry.
Clearly, they all wanted to hear the real story behind Rita Skeeter's newest scandal.
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