58 Chapter 58

"Fortunately, I upgraded Transfiguration to level 2 after we started, otherwise I could not understand a large portion of it," Albert thought as he listened to Professor McGonagall's explanation.

The Ravenclaw boy who won 'Transfiguration Today' award for Most Promising Newcomer, Selwyn, had a solid theoretical base for the study of everything related to animagus but could not perform the ritual to become one under Professor McGonagall's insistence. McGonagall stated he had a better theoretical basis than most of the registered animagus in Europe and if given a decade or two, he could revolutionise the method of becoming an animagus so the common populace could become one.

To summarise the article: Animagus is a complex and. niche area is Human Self-Transfiguration mixed with a bit of rituals, arithmancy, divination (sort of), and potions. It is the ability to transform into an animal and transform back without your wand. To become one, bit a long and arduous process that requires the help of a Potion Master, a Ritual Master, and a Divination Expert and talent in Transfiguration. The current method was very, how do you put it? Inefficient. Only a few people who tried succeeded. Also, the reason for the scarce number of animagus around the world. That's the reason for Selwyn's proposed method was receiving the hype it was. The article summarised they streamlined the process and improved its chances of success. Again, theoretically. That's why Professor McGonagall said, given a decade or two.

But hearing this made Albert ponder. How on, in Merlin's saggy balls, did the Marauders became animagus? First, they needed a Potion Master. Well, they had access to one. Either through Slughorn or Snape. He wouldn't put it past a bully and a teenage girl obsessed with a 'bad boy' to make use of a potion prodigy's love for one of them to make it for them. And Slughorn, he was practically in love with Luly's all-round talent.

Transfiguration Expert? Professor McGonagall said that James Potter was a one in a century talent in Transfiguration and Flying. So that two down, what about the test? Albert speculated it was either the protagonist halo helping them or Dumbledore had a hand in it. They were potential members of the Order of the Phoenix, and he probably didn't want them to die.

While he was thinking, the familiar chime of the system rang again. A new mission. Wah, hey.

{The Secret Life of Animagus

Mission Description: You have come across a section of Transfiguration called Animagus. Animagus is a subdivision of Human Self-Transfiguration that very few have mastered.

Mission aim: Successfully complete the ritual to become the youngest Animagus.

Mission Reward: Animagus skill level +1, 10,000 experience points }

"What are you thinking about?" Field, the person sitting beside him, said as he interrupted Albert's thinking.

The girl from Gryffindor was looking at the boy next to her curiously. She seemed very curious about how much Albert understood. She thought he was relatively new to this branch of Transfiguration, so he should be able to understand most of it.

"It sounds arduous. It's sort of similar to Human Self-Transfiguration but different," Albert said. "I don't get why people don't transfigure them self more often than trying to become an Animagus. The process in ling and you would have a tiny chance of actually succeeding. However, Animagus is better and less dangerous in use than transfiguring yourself. So that could be a reason."

"The self Transfiguration you mentioned has one key flaw. You need someone to undo the spell. If you transform into an animal without disposable thumbs, you cannot hold you wand and undo the spell. You would be stuck in that form until someone undid it," Field explained, "I am surprised that you understood some if the content and know about Human Transfiguration."

"Have you ever thought of becoming an Animagus?" Albert asked.

"No. I don't have the time or money to do it. And It's a tad little difficult for me to understand the concept and I don't want to risk the side effects of me failing," Field said as he shook his head. "However, given a year or two, you might become an Animagus."

"Ahem," Professor McGonagall, who heard the conversation, coughed dryly. "You will do no such thing during you tenure at Hogwarts unless you have the express permission from the Headmaster, the four heads of house and an Unspeakable to lay out the ritual schemes," Professor McGonagall said before turning around to retrieve something and spoke to everyone in the room. "The last time a group of student tried, they almost failed. Without Dumbledore having to intervene and that potion to slow down the side effects, those three boys would have died. If they failed, they would turn in mindless half-man, half-beast abomination that will attack everything it sees move. Something similar or much worse may happen if you try on your own. So, do not try it by yourself. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," every student said at once.

"What do you mean by 'that' potion?" a Slytherin boy asked.

"It was a potion that someone had brewed. It was about three times more effective and much more stable than the one some potion masters could make. We asked Professor Slughorn, the potion professor at the time, if he brewed it, but he said he didn't. We don't know where it came from and the boys refused to admit who supplied it to them. They feared once the supplier found out who would use it for and how it saved their life, the brewer would goad over them and hold it above their head for the rest of their lives. It doesn't matter because they still own the brewer their life because if wasn't for that potion Dumbledore wouldn't have had enough time to treat them," Professor McGonagall said.

That fills in a lot of gaps in my story about how the Marauders became Animagus. It seems like James asked Lily to ask Severus to make some vials if potion for a project, maybe. Severus, because Lily asked, spent a lot of time researching and optimising the potion and, as a result, it was more stable and effective. Lily then have it to James who used it with Sirius and Peter but there was a mistake somewhere, most likely the ritual matrix, and that almost caused the ritual to go haywire. As they were potential members of the Order, Dumbledore monitored them and he came to help when they needed it the most. So Dumbledore won their loyalty, and they joined the order. That sounds like what Dumbledore would do. But the biggest thing is that Professor Snape was the one who most likely made the potion, excluding the Potter family Potion Masters, and this means that he could have written it in his potion book. Albert was shocked at the potential implications of this. If it was in the book and he found the book, the mission that was issued would likely to be done will little chance of backlash as long as he correctly drew the ritual matrix.

Putting his speculation in the back of his mind, he focused on the mouse in front of him. Professor McGonagall, while speaking, placed one in front of everybody. She then said for everyone to use the general purpose Transfiguration spell to turn the mouse into a plant pot with a small plant in it.

The club spends most of the session on applying what they learned from the group read but as they could put nothing related to Animagus into practice, so for the last forty-five minutes, Professor McGonagall asked them to practice their use of the general language Transfiguration spell.

Albert tried but sound it very hard to use the general purpose Transfiguration spell to turn an animate object into an animate and inanimate objects. He couldn't turn an animate object into another animate object with specialised spells. McGonagall saw him struggling, so she handed him her old fifth-year textbook with her notes in it so Albert could use it to practice and learn.

Albert couldn't believe his luck. He was just thinking about Professor Snape's old potion book and now he received McGonagall's old textbook. This means that with this book, he can improve his Transfiguration level at a faster level.

Once he received the book, he turned to the chapter about summoning objects and tried it a few times. He failed, but after practicing and referring to McGonagall's notes for half an hour; he succeeded. As a result, the system recognised it as a spell he could perform just before the end of the session.