Hogwarts: From Luna's House to Godhood Through Intense Competition

"First, Animagus spellcasting is characterized by the fact that it does not require spells or wands. Second, it is free to do as one pleases, and the entire transformation process is very flexible."

"However, I think these characteristics are similar to wandless spellcasting and silent spellcasting; they all require frequent practice to achieve such effects."

“Excellent!” Professor McGonagall nodded in approval. “Anything else?”

“There’s also some information I’ve found,” Vizette continued. “Animagus retains a special mark in their animal form, which the Ministry of Magic registers…”

"Mastering Animagus is inherently fraught with danger and uncertainty; in addition to regular practice, a bit of luck is also needed to complete the entire process..."

Professor McGonagall nodded repeatedly, a slight smile playing on her lips, revealing a satisfied expression.

Vizettes took it to heart and searched for many things related to Animagus.

Piecing together relevant information from fragmented knowledge in books is no easy task.

In addition to these compiled materials, Wizette also had some new insights, stemming from the conjecture that Professor McGonagall, after transforming into a tabby cat, would tease the ball of yarn.

"Professor McGonagall, if one becomes an Animagus, will some animal instincts emerge?"

“Of course!” Professor McGonagall nodded. “It’s a strange state, and you need to overcome this instinct. You can’t… try not to act on your instincts.”

“Animal instinct…that’s quite an amazing perspective!” Vizette habitually began to make connections. “Thinking about magic from an animal’s perspective…wouldn’t that offer a different perspective?”

"If I could transform into a magical creature, like a dragon... what would be the difference between the dragon's breath and the fire-starting spell cast by a wizard..."

Professor McGonagall's eyelids twitched; she was still amazed by Vizette's divergent thinking.

However, in the matter of gaining control of the Animagus, she wanted to make Vizette realize just how dangerous it was to have such thoughts.

She tapped the table lightly and looked at Vizette seriously, saying, "Vizette, I must reiterate, the risks involved in completing Animagus are considerable."

Professor McGonagall waved her wand and summoned a somewhat old parchment scroll.

The parchment was slowly unfurled on the table, revealing an incredibly detailed hand-drawn illustration of a small, thin monster with a massive bull's head.

"This is a wizard from ancient Greece. You may know his name through some Muggle stories—the Minotaur."

"He lives on the island of Crete and is an Animagus. In a magical experiment, he wanted to further transform himself and make himself more powerful."

"The Minotaur set his sights on the Reem bull, but unfortunately the magical experiment failed. He could no longer turn back into his original form and could only remain in this half-man, half-bull state until the end of his life."

Based on the hand-drawn illustrations before him and the descriptions in the materials he had consulted, Wizette came to a conclusion.

“Professor McGonagall, can I understand it this way: the Animagus's ability to transform is limited to ordinary animals?”

“That’s right! This is very important!” Professor McGonagall nodded emphatically.

"Even if you are very familiar with Animagus, if you want to transform further and change yourself into a magical creature, it will bring unpredictable consequences."

"Not only the Minotaur, but also the Sphinx, now defined as a magical creature, is rumored to have been transformed from a group of ancient Egyptian sorcerers."

"These wizards wanted to acquire the magical talents of cats and leopards in order to try to transform into cats and leopards. Unfortunately, their magical transformation failed, and they were forced to continue to reproduce in a half-human, half-lion form."

Her expression was very serious. "You have a great talent for Transfiguration magic; but you must be extremely careful when dealing with Transfiguration magic, especially Animagus magic!"

"Wizards can study various magical creatures and thus develop magic similar to their talents, but there will always be some differences between the two."

"Wizards have difficulty discerning the true nature of magical creatures, so these differences are magnified infinitely by the Animagus, leading to irreversible consequences."

Have we seen through the root of the problem?

Wizette's mind raced as he recalled his experience at noon.

Through the Ancient Magic: Soul-Controlling Spell and the Eye of Magic, he was able to see into the little elf's magic circuits. I wonder if this could be considered... a glimpse into the essence of magical creatures?

Now is not the time to think about these things; laying a solid foundation is the key.

……

Wizette began her formal studies at the Animagus under Professor McGonagall.

Mastering Animagus involves a long wait, various uncertainties, and tedious procedures.

The first step is to hold a mandrake leaf in your mouth. The wizard needs to start from the first full moon and continue until the next full moon, for a full month.

It is important to note that the wizard cannot swallow or spit out the leaf; otherwise, this step will need to be repeated at the start of the next full moon.

During the time it takes for the second full moon to arrive, the wizard will also need to prepare various auxiliary materials, including a sufficiently clear bottle, a teaspoon of dew, and a hawk moth pupa.

This teaspoon of dew requires special care; it can only be collected from dew that has not been exposed to sunlight or any living creatures within the past seven days.

Once these preparations are complete, if the second full moon is cloudy or rainy, then the first step needs to be restarted.

……

If everything goes well, we can proceed to the second step.

The wizard would take out a bottle, shine it in the moonlight, and stuff it with mandrake leaves, pure dew, hawk moth pupae, and his own hair.

After completing this step, bury the bottle to ensure it is not disturbed in any way.

Once the bottle is dug out, or exposed to the light due to some unforeseen event, then it needs to be started all over again.

……

The third step is a long wait, during which you need to take out your wand and point it at your heart while chanting the spell, "Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus," at sunrise and sunset.

You may experience abnormal heartbeats during the journey, whether they are strong or weak; these are all normal phenomena.

Most importantly, the wizard must control his curiosity. The bottle containing hair will have a strong attraction, constantly tempting the wizard to look inside.

This waiting process is extremely long, and choosing a suitable burial location is crucial.

……

When the storm arrives and the first lightning flashes in the sky, the wizard must immediately go to the location where the bottle was buried to proceed to the fourth step—digging the bottle out.

If all the steps go smoothly, all the materials in the bottle will disappear, leaving only a blood-like liquid, just the right amount to be swallowed in one gulp...

Chapter 98 In Search of the Inner Soul

Professor McGonagall spent a considerable amount of time just outlining the four steps of the preparation work.

Looking at the steps and additional points and precautions in his notebook, Wizette couldn't help but sigh that mastering Animagus was indeed no easy task.

Vizette considered her understanding of ritual magic to be somewhat superficial, but she had already mastered the method of casting the water-making spell through learning ritual magic.

Therefore, based on these steps, he was able to conclude that this was a complete ritual magic.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and said, "Let's take a short break!"

Unlike traditional lectures that involve questioning and interaction, the preparation steps for Animagus require detailed explanations of the key points.

This elaborate ritual magic greatly reduces the difficulty of the learning process and increases the safety of the final transformation step.

After going through all these preparation steps in one go, she felt her throat was a little hoarse.

Looking at the densely packed contents of Vizette's notebook, she nodded slightly.

Being able to deliver all the content in one go, with the audience fully following along and taking ample notes, is certainly a kind of ease, isn't it?

Professor McGonagall picked up her wand and tapped the table lightly.

A tea set appeared quickly, with black tea already poured into the teacups, emitting steam.

She stood up and took a round tin box out of the drawer.

Open the lid, and you'll find all sorts of cookies inside, with the most numerous being fish-shaped cookies.

Black tea and cookies are her favorite afternoon tea combination.

When she had free time on weekends, she would find Sprout and enjoy some rare leisure time together.

“Vizet, relax,” Professor McGonagall said kindly, placing the cookie box beside the tea set. “It’s the weekend, have some tea and a snack!”

"Thank you." Vizet picked up the teacup, blew on it, took a small sip, and focused her attention on her notebook.

He had already briefly outlined the preparation steps and listed out all the materials that would be needed.

"So? Do you have any questions about the materials used?" Professor McGonagall glanced at the notebook. "Pomona told me that you've dabbled in ritual magic."

“I think you should be able to see that the whole set of Animagus steps is actually a complete ritual magic.”

“Yes, Professor McGonagall. I have a rudimentary understanding of ritual magic.” Vezel nodded. “I just find the materials used in these rituals very interesting.”

“I have summarized the ritual magic I have encountered before. Those ritual magics are usually used externally, which is somewhat different from this ritual magic.”

"Oh?" Professor McGonagall took a sip of her black tea. "What do you think is different about this ritual magic?"

“First of all, this…” Vizet turned the notebook sideways so Professor McGonagall could see it more easily, “For seven days, it has not been exposed to sunlight or the dew of any living creature.”

The books Ollivander had recommended earlier had taught him a lot about potion ingredients and what intentions they might have when used in ritual magic.

He combined this existing knowledge with a re-examination of the materials needed in the preparation steps.

“Dew itself has the meaning of protection and purification, and seven is a magical number. In ritual magic, there are few such strict requirements that require the use of such pure dew.”

“Dew that has not been touched by any living creature represents its connection with nature, the purest connection; seven days is a complete natural cycle, which can further enhance this characteristic.”

"By combining the two, one can achieve inner cleansing and rebirth, while also providing protection, thereby completing the transformation of body and soul..."

"You've come to this level of understanding?" Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses, a hint of surprise in her voice.

She first mastered the Animagus technique before studying the steps and deducing their significance.

What Wizette is saying now is almost identical to what she has deduced.