Chapter 257: The Profound Art of Transfiguration

“That’s fascinating!”

Marcus exclaimed loudly, his face beaming with joy.

He had just heard a young wizard’s evaluation of his cooking—nothing pleased a chef more than praise for the flavor of his food.

“Try this…”

Marcus, emboldened, handed Xieen a strangely shaped object resembling a soft loaf of bread.

After taking a bite, Xieen immediately deactivated his brooch, plunging the dining table into an eerie silence.

Xieen silently met Marcus’s gaze; the elderly wizard’s face flushed red:

“Ah, I must’ve misjudged the timing. Next time, next time it’ll be fine.”

…

The appearance of the Literal Translator restored Xieen’s linguistic ability, but this did not always prove beneficial.

Exposing one’s inner self completely makes it easy to hurt others—or to be hurt oneself.

The Literal Translator is like a Truth Serum: though the wizard must consent to use it, once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back—so one must think carefully.

Xieen often kept it deactivated, using it only occasionally.

While chewing mandrake, Professor McGonagall frequently came to explain to Xieen the precautions necessary in Animagus transformation.

For instance, during the wait for a storm, at every sunrise and sunset, one should perform the following: point the wand’s tip toward the heart and recite the incantation:

“Amato, Animo, Animato, Animagus.”

The incantation must be flawless; any error could trigger unpredictable changes.

For example, if one repeatedly recites the incantation at sunrise and sunset, there will come a moment when, as the wand’s tip touches the chest, a second heartbeat is felt—this is normal, indicating the wizard’s prior actions were correct.

At this point, one must not panic or fear. Everything must proceed unchanged. The incantation must be spoken the exact number of times, with no omission.

Professor always stayed with him; Xieen mostly flipped through his notes on ancient Runes in the Transfiguration section, while Professor McGonagall wrote articles for “Today’s Transfiguration.”

Faint patches of light scattered across the parlor; beech trees cast blurred outlines beneath the slanting, warm sunlight.

Marcus studied his endlessly elusive baking, occasionally locking eyes with Xieen, who remained silent after tasting—then his old face flushed red again and again.

Three little McGonagalls ran about, sometimes even appearing not in human form.

Their parents, Professor McGonagall’s nephews and nieces, always spoke of some young wizard—or the special article in the Daily Prophet.

Professor McGonagall had not felt this at peace in a long time; this was only the second time in many years she had returned to McGonagall Cottage.

Though fewer people were present, the noise remained.

During those dark days, she had believed only Hogwarts accepted her—but now she felt a sudden realization: part of her had always remained here, and someone had always been waiting for her.

And the wounds that had pained her had kept her from noticing this for so long.

Her gentle gaze fell on Xieen; the young wizard, still immersed in knowledge, met her eyes with the dazed look of one newly emerged from a world of learning.

“Top-tier Transfiguration involves certain incantations—you may begin with the section on Vaganda.”

She said.

“Vaganda? I understand, Professor.”

Xieen’s brooch emitted a mature tone, creating a striking contrast with his youthful face. Professor McGonagall noticed the sunlight outside had grown even brighter.

Xieen quickly found the section on the Vaganda wizard in his notes.

【Students of Vaganda excel in Transfiguration. Wands are a European invention; African witches and wizards did not regard wands as useful tools until the twentieth century. Thus, in Vaganda, many charms are cast through fingers or gestures.】

【In Vaganda, even fourteen-year-olds can transform at will into elephants and leopards.】

【This compels us to wonder: where does the mystery of Transfiguration truly lie?】

【Incantations? Gestures? Wand movements? Or is it willpower—or the wizard’s own spiritual level?】

This passage captured Xieen’s attention; he curiously continued reading.

【The mystery of Transfiguration stems from deeper forces within the wizard; incantations, wands, and gestures are merely auxiliary tools.】

【But tools still fulfill their proper function.】

【On the path to uncovering Transfiguration’s true mystery, using tools is not shameful—it is, in fact, highly intelligent.】

【It is said that Vaganda wizards have mastered the secrets of Transfiguration incantations and gestures, enabling them to perform wandless magic.】

Incantations and gestures?

Hogwarts had never taught Transfiguration incantations; even gestures were mentioned only in the most basic terms.

Xieen immediately thought of spells—they too involved incantations and gestures, and were far simpler than Transfiguration.

The clearest example: young wizards could cast Lumos on their first day, but on the first Transfiguration lesson, apart from Xieen, only Hermione had turned the matchstick into a needle.

Vaganda is truly a wondrous place,

Xieen thought,

their magic is pure.

This made Xieen begin to look forward to the next opening of the Fairy Workshop.

One month later.

Professor Professor Tela still appeared occasionally, and some Vaganda wizards came to purchase items.

Xieen had many opportunities to learn about their extraordinary Transfiguration.

Vaganda wizards excelled in Astronomy, Alchemy, and Transfiguration. It seemed they dabbled in every profound magical field… was this merely coincidence?

Time slipped away as Xieen waited; July had already passed halfway.

The farm felt no passage of time; its lazy atmosphere urged one to sleep one lazy nap after another.

The little McGonagalls did exactly that—sometimes transforming into cats, running out into the fields to play, then falling asleep.

Eventually, Marcus would find them in the rice paddies and gently carry them back.

The old wizard never scolded them; instead, he happily took photos with his camera.

When they woke and saw their embarrassing pictures, they would scramble up his body, clawing and pleading for him to delete them.

During this time, Xieen received a letter from afar.

“White Owl”—ah, now it should be called “Bai Yi”—stood on the window frame, watching Xieen open the letter:

【To Xieen:

Have you contacted Harry, Xieen? I’ve sent him many letters, but he hasn’t replied to any.

Ron and Hermione told me they’ve had the same experience. I suspect something unknown has happened.

Xieen, if you have any information or thoughts, please let us know.

—Yours faithfully, Jia Jia Siting】