Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

“We can break down the spell casting process into two key steps,” Dylan said clearly. “The first step is to clarify your goal and make your will firm—for example, if you are sure you want to turn a match into a needle, you can’t hesitate at all. The second step is to cast a transformation spell on the match, so that the magical energy follows the direction of your will and completes the transformation.”

His gaze shifted to the curtain on the table, and he continued to guide everyone's thinking: "Now let's think back to these two steps of the transformation magic. Aren't they similar to the solution I just mentioned, 'using the audience to solve the blurry image'? The core is that 'clear goals and firm will' are at play."

Everyone lowered their heads, pondering Dylan's words carefully.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized he made sense—whether it was the levitation spell we discussed earlier or the "match to needle" spell taught by Professor McGonagall, they were the most basic magic, something almost every wizard could master after entering school, and their core logic seemed to be inseparable from "goal" and "will".

“Let’s continue from the perspective of transfiguration magic,” Dylan’s voice rang out again. “For example, the ‘guinea fowl to guinea pig’ that Neville and Hannah practiced together—compared to the most basic ‘match to needle’, aren’t these transfiguration spells obviously much more complex? Not only do they change the shape of objects, but they also give them life characteristics. The difficulty is on a completely different level.”

Those who were deep in thought nodded subconsciously.

Sitting to the side, Aberforth Dumbledore watched this scene, stroking his beard with a smile. He could clearly sense that the atmosphere of the meeting had subtly changed. It was less about discussing the technical challenges of live magic broadcasting and more like a lively lesson in magic theory.

However, Dylan's examples were quite simple, and even someone like him who hadn't studied magic theory in a long time listened with great interest and didn't find them boring at all.

“From ‘matches turning into needles’ to ‘guinea fowl turning into guinea pigs,’ the complexity of magic is constantly increasing, but the core logic hasn’t actually changed.” Dylan said, pointing to the glass on the table in front of him.

The next second, something magical happened. The transparent glass first shrank and became thinner, turning into a long, thin match. Then, under everyone's gaze, the match slowly transformed into a sewing needle that gleamed with a metallic sheen.

Then, the needle changed shape again, expanding and growing feathers, turning into a small guinea fowl. Finally, the guinea fowl flapped its wings a few times and turned into a round guinea pig, which was squatting on the table chasing its own tail in circles, looking very cute.

Seeing this series of incredibly smooth transformations, Aberforth's movements as he stroked his beard slowed down.

As a former top student at Hogwarts, he could naturally see the trick. Dylan's Transfiguration magic was not only extremely accurate, but he also cast spells without chanting or waving a wand. It was completely a wandless and silent spell. What was even more remarkable was that each transformation was seamless and the form transitions were natural and smooth. This was enough to show that his magical skills had reached a very high level.

Dylan opened his palm and gently lifted it, and the guinea pig that had been chasing its tail in circles jumped into his palm and sat obediently.

"If we follow the 'match turning into a needle' approach and delve into how to transform into a guinea pig, what do you all think we need to do?"

"You need to clearly imagine what a guinea pig looks like in your mind."

Neville, who had been listening attentively, spoke first, his tone confident, “For example, whether its fur is brown or black, the shape of its claws, the length of its tail, and the size of its ears—you have to think about these characteristics very clearly. This is the trick that Professor McGonagall told us in her Transformation class. The more specific the details, the easier it is to successfully transform.”

“You’re absolutely right, that is indeed the basic method Professor McGonagall taught.” Dylan nodded with a smile, then changed the subject, “But what I was talking about was ‘in-depth’—if we think about the shapeshifting guinea pig entirely in the ‘match turning into a needle’ way, then we need to do more than just imagine its appearance.”

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "We need to perform a more detailed and in-depth transformation—first, we need to construct the skeletal structure of the guinea pig in our minds, determining how many bones it has, the shape and length of each bone, and how they connect. Next is the internal organ system; the location, size, and shape of organs such as the heart, liver, and intestines must be accurately depicted, even taking into account the distribution of blood vessels and nerves. Only in this way can the transformed guinea pig be complete and alive."

As he spoke, the furry guinea pig in his palm began to change. Its fur gradually became transparent and disappeared, revealing a clear skeletal framework. The connection of each bone was clearly visible. Then, a red heart, a brown liver, and other internal organs slowly appeared around the bones. Blood vessels were distributed all over the body like fine red lines. Finally, muscles, skin, and fur covered it again, and the guinea pig returned to its original round and plump appearance, still obediently squatting in his palm.

This scene made everyone present hold their breath.

Neville and Hannah grew paler and paler, their lips pressed together. They couldn't tell if it was because the sight of bones and internal organs was bloody and eerie, or because the thought of the immense difficulty of transforming in this way was putting them under immense pressure and even making them somewhat fearful.

"No way? Dylan, you really can transform like this? This is outrageous! How did you learn it?" Fred and George couldn't hold back any longer and said in unison, their voices full of shock and disbelief.

“The library’s restricted section has many ancient books on biological anatomy, which record in detail the body structure of various animals,” Dylan casually explained. “Moreover, in Potions class, Professor Snape was very strict about the materials. Some potions required fresh animal organs as raw materials, so he would have me dissect them on the spot to ensure the freshness and integrity of the materials. Over time, I became very familiar with the internal structure of various animals.”

"My God, this is terrifying!" Fred and George shuddered, their faces showing exaggerated horror. "No wonder everyone said your Potions grade was 'O'. It turns out that behind it all is blood and tears. We can't learn that!" Their banter broke the tense atmosphere, and everyone couldn't help but laugh. Neville and Hannah's pale faces gradually regained their color, and their tense nerves finally relaxed.

Taking this opportunity, Dylan brought the topic back to the core: "As you all have probably noticed, transforming into a guinea pig doesn't actually need to be that difficult. When we practice, we never need to worry about the number of bones or the location of the internal organs. We just need to imagine its external features to successfully complete the transformation."

"The core reason for this is that our inner world, our will, plays a crucial role. Learning any knowledge or magic is a process from easy to difficult. In the daily learning and practice, our magic level improves imperceptibly, and at the same time, our will is constantly strengthened."

"When we decide to transform into a guinea pig, our will makes us believe that with our current level of magic, we only need to imagine the appearance of the guinea pig, the color of its fur, and its expression to successfully complete the transformation."

This unwavering belief will become a powerful aid in the casting of magic.

"During this process, our will will actively mobilize various memories in our minds, such as pictures of guinea pigs seen in books, the transformation techniques that Professor McGonagall taught us in class, and even the appearance of guinea pigs that we have seen in real life. These memories will cooperate and complement each other, 'communicating' with the transformation magic, so that the magical energy can complete the transformation from guinea fowl to guinea pig according to our will, without us having to deliberately break down every detail."

"Now that you mention it... I think I suddenly understand!" Sirius slapped his thigh, a look of sudden realization on his face, the confusion in his eyes vanishing. "The text on that screen was actually providing the audience with the memory and guidance of 'how to cast the spell'!"

The more he thought about it, the clearer it became. He continued, "When all these elements are complete—clear written instructions, a clear method of casting the spell, and the expected visual effects—the audience, upon seeing the instructions, will subconsciously follow the guidance and mentally simulate the casting process. It's as if they are unknowingly applying auxiliary magic to the curtain, thus enhancing the effect of the curtain's 'mirage spell,' thereby making the transmitted image clearer. This idea is just too ingenious!"

But after only a few seconds of excitement, Sirius frowned again, as if he had suddenly thought of a crucial problem: "However, this seems to leave a loophole. The freshmen haven't gone through the gradual learning process from simple magic to complex magic like we have. They haven't even mastered the basic spells yet, and they know nothing about the 'Mirage Charm'."

He looked at Dylan, his tone tinged with worry: "Even if we write down the method of casting the mirage in great detail, and even provide magical photos so they know what the final image will look like, the mirage itself is a much more complex spell than the Levitation Charm or the Transfiguration Charm. Can the new students really make the spell work just by reading the text? Isn't that too much of a stretch?"

“Sirius, did you ask similar questions when you were in school? About ‘Can you learn complex magic without a sufficient foundation?’” Dylan didn’t answer directly, but instead posed a counter-question, his eyes carrying a hint of guidance. “Although there’s one person you might not be willing to mention, I still have to help you recall—what was the final outcome when you faced a similar predicament?”

"Oh! I remember now!" Fred and George exclaimed almost simultaneously, exchanging a glance and seeing excitement in each other's eyes. "Sirius, it's the notebook you left behind back then!"

“Yes, Sirius! How could you forget something so important!” Fred leaned forward and said urgently, “It’s the notebook you used to record your Animagus learning process when you were in school! You even used pseudonyms back then, afraid that the professor would find out.”

“That’s right! It’s that Animagus notebook!” George quickly added, afraid he was a step behind. “It details the process of the three of you learning Animagus, and the problems you encountered.”

"You mean... Peter Pettigrew's Animagus learning experience?" Sirius's eyes widened instantly upon hearing the words "Animagus Notes." He turned sharply to look at Lupin beside him. Their eyes met, and they both saw surprise and reminiscence in each other's eyes. That long-forgotten past had almost been forgotten deep in their memories.

“Yes! It’s Peter Pettigrew’s Animagus!” Fred and George nodded repeatedly, saying with certainty, “You all thought he might not be able to learn it, but he succeeded in the end.”

"I practically memorized that notebook to study the recipe for a magical cookie that could aid in transformation!" Fred patted his chest proudly. "I remember you guys explicitly wrote in the notebook: 'Peter's progress is the slowest, and his control over animal forms is the worst. I'm afraid his Animagus training is going to fail'—those were your exact words back then!"

George chimed in, "In the end, he ended up like you, successfully mastering Animagus transformation and turning into a rat. This was recorded in his notes, and you were quite surprised at the time."

“That’s right. The day Peter completed the Animagus transformation, I specifically asked him how he did it, since he had been stuck on the last step and couldn’t even do the most basic form change properly.” Sirius’s thoughts returned to his student days, his tone filled with a touch of nostalgia. “He said he didn’t know why he suddenly succeeded—when he tried to transform for the last time, he almost lost himself in his animal instincts, his mind was in chaos, and he almost forgot who he was.”

"Just when he was about to give up, he heard James and me urging him on, and we were calling his name. He immediately came to his senses, regained control of his consciousness, and finally successfully completed the transformation."

“Now it’s clear, isn’t it?” Dylan looked at the group lost in their memories and slowly began to speak. “Back then, your will, your trust in Peter, your expectation for his success, and your urging and encouragement from the sidelines—in fact, indirectly interfered with Peter’s Animagus transformation process, essentially injecting him with an external force of will. It was with the help of this will that Peter broke free from his animal instincts and ultimately succeeded in mastering Animagus.”

He paused, then steered the conversation back to the previous example: "Remember the levitation spell example I gave earlier? I said I could lift a table with the levitation spell, and after hearing that, you immediately felt you could do it too—that's the power of willpower. My success story strengthened your resolve, making you believe you could accomplish the same thing." (End of Chapter)