Professor Flitwick then began teaching the use of the Lighting Charm. Allen, having already mastered this spell, started to lose interest and his mind began to wander, but fortunately, Professor Flitwick didn't notice.
Thus, the first Charms class at Hogwarts came to an end.
Allen and his roommates quickly adapted to the study life at Hogwarts.
This afternoon was Allen's most important class: Transfiguration. This subject was crucial to his very existence, so he couldn't afford not to take it seriously. He had already read the textbook, "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration," several times before coming to Hogwarts and had tried the Transfiguration Charm a few times, but the results were not very good. He found Transfiguration much more difficult than he had imagined.
Professor McGonagall taught Transfiguration. She was different from the other professors; students could tell at a glance that she was not to be trifled with. She was strict and intelligent, and she immediately gave them a stern warning as soon as they sat down for their first lesson.
"Transfiguration is the most complex and dangerous branch of magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone who messes around in my class will be asked to leave and never allowed back in. You have been warned."
Then, she transformed her desk into a pig and back again. The students were captivated, eager to start learning immediately, but they soon realized that it would take a long time to transform furniture into animals.
"Please raise your hand if you have read the entire Transfiguration textbook after receiving it!" Professor McGonagall scanned the class sternly.
A few students in the class hesitantly raised their hands. Hermione, sitting in the front row, raised her hand the highest. Allen also quietly raised his hand, while Harry, Ron, and Neville, sitting nearby, couldn't withstand Professor McGonagall's stern gaze and lowered their heads, avoiding her eyes.
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, indicating that her good mood was deteriorating. "I hope you all take Transfiguration seriously. This will be the most helpful subject for you in the future, whether in life or work, mastering Transfiguration will allow you to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"We will start from the very basics. Please turn to page five of your textbooks." Professor McGonagall pushed up her glasses.
"I'm sure those of you who have previewed the textbook have already noticed that the entire book contains only one spell, and that single spell is what you will be learning and mastering over the next few years."
Professor McGonagall waved her wand, and a line of text appeared in mid-air: "Vera Verto" (Note 1)
"This is the most core spell in Transfiguration, bar none!"
"Half of 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration' is dedicated to this spell, and the remaining half of this book, as well as your Transfiguration textbooks for the next few years, are all about how to use this spell precisely, safely, and efficiently to achieve your desired transfiguration effects."
"But don't underestimate this spell. Its precision and complexity are very high. If the target object is not handled properly, it may only achieve partial transfiguration, or even become permanently fixed in a certain state, unable to revert, resulting in permanent complete transfiguration or permanent partial transfiguration," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
Allen felt Professor McGonagall's gaze linger on him for a moment after she finished speaking, and then he noticed that the entire class was secretly glancing at him, at his ears...
Well, today Allen had randomly gotten a pair of rabbit ears of an unknown breed.
Feeling the pressure of the class's gaze, Allen couldn't help but slump onto his desk, burying his chin in his arms, hoping to reduce the pressure from others' stares. At the same time, he felt his ears rapidly heating up and flushing.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that his pair of ears were actually drooping at this moment...
"WTF! I'm clearly not feeling shy, so why are these things changing so much? Do they get shy on their own?" Allen thought to himself.
Harry, sitting next to him, gently patted Allen's shoulder and whispered, "Allen, don't worry too much!"
At this point, Professor McGonagall also noticed that the class discipline was getting increasingly chaotic. She waved her wand, creating a loud bang. "Please, everyone, bring your attention back! No doing other irrelevant things! Students, listen carefully!"
The students were intimidated by Professor McGonagall and all began to pretend to listen attentively. Allen also lifted his head, ready to listen carefully, but then he noticed Hermione Granger, sitting in the front row, stealthily turning her head to look at Allen's ears, her eyes sparkling. Allen could only glare at her fiercely, and Hermione quickly turned her head back.
"I believe Professor Flitwick has already taught you the four elements of a spell in your Charms class. 'Vera Verto' is a very magical spell, and we primarily achieve various transfiguration effects by changing the third element of the spell—the caster's subjective intention for the spell's effect."
"Now, let's learn the pronunciation and wand movement for this spell. Please pay attention to my pronunciation and movement, and repeat after me: Vera Verto." Professor McGonagall recited.
"Vera Verto!"
...
Half an hour later, seeing that everyone had basically mastered the pronunciation and movement of the Transfiguration Charm, Professor McGonagall handed each of them a matchstick and had them try to turn it into a needle.
"Now you have a matchstick in your hand. Concentrate, visualize a needle in your mind, then wave your wand at your matchstick and utter the incantation. Remember, confidence is key, and firm, decisive wand movements are extremely important. Also, avoid unnecessary swaying or rotating of your wand, otherwise, Transfiguration will not succeed!" Professor McGonagall instructed everyone.
Then everyone began to cast the Transfiguration Charm on their matchsticks.
Allen looked at his matchstick, constantly imagining a needle in his mind, then waved his wand and uttered the incantation, but nothing happened. He wasn't discouraged at all, he waved his wand again, uttered the incantation...
"Don't have any reservations, everyone. Although Transfiguration is very dangerous, it is also a very difficult spell to cast. It's very hard for you to cast a complete Transfiguration Charm right now, so don't have any reservations in your mind. Wave your wand firmly and decisively, and utter your incantation!" Professor McGonagall walked around the classroom, guiding the students.
The students tried hard, waving their wands, but with little effect, and they couldn't help but feel a bit disheartened.
Professor McGonagall keenly sensed the change in the students' emotions. "Be more confident, everyone. Confidence is also very important in Transfiguration. Turning a matchstick into a needle is simpler than you think. Cheer up, everyone!"
"Commonality is the bridge between the initial state of the transfigured object and the target state of the object after transfiguration. The closer the initial state of the charmed object is to the target state of the transformed object, the simpler the transfiguration process. The shapes of a matchstick and a needle are so similar, it's really not that difficult! Be more confident, everyone! Clear your minds of distractions!" Professor McGonagall said.
Allen pondered the four elements of the spell, trying to clear his mind of distractions. He kept outlining various details of a needle in his mind: "Silver stainless steel, one end pointed, and a needle eye..." After a period of self-suggestion, Allen confidently waved his wand again and uttered the incantation. But at that moment, the "needle" from The Wandering Earth flashed through his mind, and as expected, he failed again.
However, at this point, the matchstick had changed. It had become a bit larger, and it seemed to have become a bit rounder as well.
Ron leaned over: "Are you trying to make a needle for a giant to sew clothes with?"
Allen rolled his eyes at him: "Yours hasn't changed at all yet, go and work on yours!"
Allen concentrated again, cleared his mind of distractions, and continued to give himself psychological prompts. This time, he successfully made the matchstick undergo a pleasing change: the matchstick turned silver, one end became very sharp, but there was no needle eye...
Right up until the bell rang for the end of class, Allen still hadn't managed to create the needle eye, but he was already the best in the class. Among the others, only Hermione Granger had managed to make some changes to her matchstick.
Note 1: This spell was invented for the movie and is not in the original book. It appears in the second Harry Potter movie during the Transfiguration class, where Professor McGonagall uses it to turn a macaw into a goblet. Since no Transfiguration spells could be found in the original book, this spell was chosen for this book.