HOGWARTS - HARRY

"It's okay, Mom. I don't need any gifts. I hope Santa Claus can bring you gifts when the time comes."

Dylan looked at his hesitant parents and offered comfort.

After all, he had the golden finger, and his admission to Hogwarts was a foregone conclusion.

He was eager to confirm whether the owl had taken his letter and was even more anxious to visit Diagon Alley as soon as possible.

"Oh my God, my baby is so adorable!" Maeve was touched.

By Christmas, she must save enough money to buy her son a decent gift!

Just as Hubert was about to say something to comfort his son, a sudden tapping sound came from the window.

Startled, they turned toward the sound and saw an owl perched outside, tilting its head and staring at the letter on the table.

"Owl?" Maeve exclaimed. "Is it here to collect the letter?"

"Knock, knock."

Seeing that no one had opened the window yet, the owl stretched out its beak and pecked at the glass again, producing a crisp knocking sound, almost like someone knocking on a door.

"Hubert, open the window quickly!" Maeve urged, looking more anxious than Dylan.

As soon as Hubert reached out and opened the window, the owl outside didn't fly away. Instead, it hopped inside and landed on the envelope, gripping it tightly with its claws.

"Knock, knock."

At that moment, there was another polite knock on the door.

The three of them exchanged glances before turning their attention to the door.

Hubert and Maeve felt a wave of nervousness.

Dylan, however, stood up and strode toward the door, taking a deep breath.

Who could it be? Which professor had come to visit?

With a soft click, the door opened.

The first thing Dylan saw was a dark green robe.

Slowly raising his gaze, he met the stern yet composed face of a middle-aged woman wearing square glasses.

"This is our first meeting. Sorry to bother you. I couldn't find the doorbell, so I had to knock," she said.

Dylan: "..."

A slight smile formed at the corner of his mouth. "It's okay. May I ask who you are?"

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

Upon seeing Dylan, Professor McGonagall's eyes softened slightly. However, a flicker of something unreadable passed through her gaze.

Was it just her imagination?

Why did she sense a trace of magic from this young wizard?

"Hello, Professor McGonagall. Nice to meet you. I'm Dylan Hawkwood. Please, come in."

Dylan had thought he could remain calm, but upon seeing Professor McGonagall in person, he realized his emotions were surging uncontrollably. Excitement and nervousness intertwined—after all, he was standing before a master of magic.

Despite possessing three powerful Unforgivable Curses, he still found himself feeling unsettled.

Fortunately, Professor McGonagall seemed accustomed to such reactions. She didn't dwell on his expression for too long. Instead, she followed him inside, greeting Hubert and Maeve with a gentle smile.

"Professor McGonagall?" Hubert echoed, his voice filled with uncertainty. "To be honest, we're still struggling to wrap our heads around all this magic..."

After inviting the elegantly dressed professor to sit down, Hubert couldn't help but voice his thoughts.

"Of course, I completely understand. That is one of the reasons for my visit," Professor McGonagall replied with a reassuring smile.

"In fact, if Mr. Hawkwood hadn't responded to his letter, the school would have sent a professor to guide young wizards from Muggle families to Diagon Alley a few days before the start of term."

As she spoke, she pulled out her wand and gave it a slight wave.

A notebook resting on the table instantly transformed into an alarm clock, its hands ticking rhythmically.

"Ding ding ding!"

The alarm clock suddenly rang, startling Dylan, who quickly reached over to turn it off.

Hubert and Maeve, witnessing this unbelievable scene, were finally convinced—magic was real!

Even Dylan was momentarily stunned. After silencing the alarm, he looked up and asked, "Professor McGonagall, is this the Transfiguration spell you'll be teaching me at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "You will learn it once you begin school."

"Can Transfiguration spells alter living beings? Do these transformations create real life forms, or are they merely illusions without true essence?" Dylan inquired curiously.

A glimmer of surprise flashed through Professor McGonagall's eyes as she studied Dylan for a moment.

"Magic cannot truly change the essence of life," she explained, "but we can attempt to influence it."

"In other words, this alarm clock may look like an alarm clock, but at its core, it remains a notebook?" Dylan asked, blinking in curiosity.

"That's a fair understanding," Professor McGonagall nodded.

"But then, why does it make a sound?" Dylan pressed further.

"Because an alarm clock is supposed to make a sound," Professor McGonagall replied.

"What do you mean by 'supposed to'?" Dylan frowned slightly. "Could you explain in more detail, Professor?"

"The essence of Transfiguration is the combined effect of consciousness and magic," she elaborated. "I willed it to become an alarm clock capable of making sounds. Therefore, it produces a ringing noise, as an alarm clock naturally would."

Professor McGonagall frowned slightly before adding, "Honestly, this is something I should explain more thoroughly after you start school."

"But since you're interested, I can offer a brief explanation."

"The key to Transfiguration lies in having a thorough understanding of the object in question—whether it is a living thing or an inanimate object. Without this knowledge, any transformation will remain superficial and lack realism."

"If you want to transform a living being, you must also consider its natural reactions and instincts," she continued.

"Magic serves as the foundation of transformation, while your consciousness determines its success."

Consciousness and magic?

Dylan, having lived two lives, quickly grasped her explanation.

He also bore the weight of three maximum-level Unforgivable Curses, which made it easier for him to comprehend her words.

In essence, consciousness was like a musical score, and magic was akin to various musical instruments.

Casting a spell could be compared to performing a piece of music.

A wand and an incantation acted as the conductor's baton.

If the score was incorrect, the melody would be distorted.

If the instrument was damaged, the performance would be flawed.

It was just like how Professor McGonagall had transformed a notebook into an alarm clock.

The concept of "change" was akin to the composition of the music.

The true difficulty of Transfiguration lay in executing the transformation perfectly, like playing a musical piece without missing a note.

When casting a Transfiguration spell, the clearer the image of an alarm clock in the caster's mind, the more complete its functions would be. If the visualization was perfect, the alarm clock would work as expected—able to display time and emit sound.

However, if one only focused on the appearance of the alarm clock, the result would be a hollow shell devoid of any real functionality.

(End of Chapter)