In this world, when one talks about Animagi, it's impossible not to mention a famous figure, Merlin.
In this world, Merlin is regarded by wizards in Britain and even globally as the greatest wizard..
Merlin is also one of the most astonishing Animagi in wizarding history—of course, alongside the current Alaric.
As he is the first Animagus of magical creatures—able to transform into various animals, including viruses, and converse with them.
Moreover, he is a skilled Metamorphmagus, capable of transforming into old men, women, and children.
In Alaric's original world, Merlin is seen as a worshiper and guardian of nature—a representative figure of Druidism. Druids themselves are closely associated with animal transformations.
From this perspective, there's a certain connection between the Animagi in the Harry Potter world and Druids, with their shapeshifting being remarkably similar.
However, in reality, the transformations of Animagi and Druids are entirely different, and this is precisely where the strength of Animagi lies.
Druids' transformations solely rely on the power of nature, so in some worlds,
Druidic spells are considered more akin to priestly miracles rather than magic—even if Druids don't worship a specific nature deity but rather nature itself.
This leads to Druidic transformations not being true shapeshifting; they merely temporarily alter their states.
But Animagi are entirely different; a skilled Animagus is like having another body.
In this case, Animagi aren't just spells but rather an ability, a state.
A typical example is that a wizard who misuses Animagus might permanently remain in an animal form, and when they die in Animagus state, they won't revert to their original form.
This situation is even more apparent in Alaric.
Since successfully transforming into a dragon by injecting dragon ether factors, his relationship with dragons has become even closer.
Specifically, his magical power has become immense, capable of producing true ether from his heart even when in human form—a power originally exclusive to dragons.
As his shapeshifting abilities become more proficient, he can even transform only parts of his body into a dragon.
At the same time, he feels his vitality growing stronger, and his lifespan gradually approaching that of dragons.
The most obvious manifestation is his age; his body's recent growth rate has slowed down, resembling that of a young dragon.
If he hadn't always been taller than his peers, he might even have turned into a perennial teenager—a fact that makes him somewhat regretful, wondering if he learned Animagus too early.
In other words, Alaric is gradually becoming a unique existence—both human and dragon, yet not half-human, half-dragon. Such a state is unparalleled in most other magical worlds.
Inspired by his own circumstances, Alaric had an idea: why not seek a method that could stabilize a person to become an Animagus of dragons?
In this way, he could enable those he cared about to become beings similar to himself, almost immortal and possessing the immense power of dragons.
Of course, not everyone could resist the extreme temptation during the process of transfiguring into a dragon, but initially, Alaric only stumbled into that state due to insufficient preparation.
Without experiencing such a state, at most, one could not grow like a Dragonborn, able to grow by consuming dragon souls, but it wouldn't affect becoming an Animagus of dragons.
Losing the ability to rapidly complete soul transfiguration might be unacceptable for those lacking the willpower of Alaric, but it wasn't impossible.
After witnessing the example of Nicolas and his wife, researching the method of becoming an Animagus of dragons became an important goal for Alaric.
He neither wanted to live alone forever nor watch his loved ones lose their youth.
However, relying solely on the dragons of the Harry Potter world couldn't provide Alaric with sufficient research material.
So, before researching this, he first needed to find a way to traverse worlds and then search for suitable dragons in other worlds.
Of course, Alaric's current priority was still to learn as much as possible from the Flamel couple before their demise.
Yes, both of them were about to die.
After losing the Philosopher's Stone, they lost the ability to produce the Elixir of Life.
The Elixir they had stored allowed them to live an additional two years, but now, their Elixir was running out, and the couple who had lived for centuries were about to face death.
As Nicolas once said, they had lived for too long. Now, death was a relief for them.
But even with thoughts of death, they still wanted to leave something behind, and the young but talented Alaric was brought before them by Dumbledore.
This very suitable young friend was regarded by them as the heir to their knowledge, even as the future academic leader who could further the field of alchemy.
Understanding this, Alaric earnestly absorbed the wisdom of the old man; he couldn't disappoint them.
So, he spent a short week in this mansion.
One Sunday morning, Alaric keenly noticed that something was amiss in the atmosphere.
The decorations in the room, usually simple and plain, had become elaborate, filled with various collections, each looking quite aged.
In the living room, an old-fashioned phonograph played an opera, the favorite melody of Nicolas and his wife.
During breakfast, they did not drink the unusually red tea as usual; their expressions appeared tired yet serene.
Throughout the morning, they didn't discuss magic and alchemical knowledge with Alaric as usual but instead reminisced about their own experiences when they were young.
Alaric remained silent, listening attentively throughout.
In the afternoon, Dumbledore suddenly arrived, looking somewhat sorrowful, and silently took Alaric away.
"Are they dying?" Back at the Leaky Cauldron, Alaric suddenly asked Dumbledore.
"You guessed it? Yes, their Elixir of Life is running out," Dumbledore said solemnly, "they are about to leave us forever, so let them enjoy their last moments together."
Although he had already guessed this, hearing it directly from Dumbledore still filled Alaric with sadness.
From the Philosopher's Stone to the week of intensive teaching, Alaric indeed owed them a lot.
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