"Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus."
At dawn, Murphy recited this spell to himself for what felt like the umpteenth time.
As he chanted, he also further detailed his desires in his mind.
Both the Curse Study and Transformation Research groups believed that reciting the spell to oneself, while applying willful guidance, would better induce the Animagus potion to mutate, steering it towards the desired direction.
"Maintain my original human form, without altering my appearance, retaining the wizard's original abilities, having a neuron density similar to that of birds for increased intelligence and agility, no adverse mutations, no deformities, no diseases, no cancer, more stable genetic structure, night vision, farsightedness, the ability to fly, enhanced physical condition..."
This almost sounded like another "spell" he had used before.
The human verification test for high-level Animagus transformation was not yet complete, but to save time, Murphy's Animagus process was conducted simultaneously with the verification test.
Over the past month, he had repeated this process dozens of times, usually without any noticeable change.
But this time, when his mental depiction was less than halfway through, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Then, a subtle throbbing echoed deep within his chest.
"At some point, you will feel a second heartbeat within your body..."
Murphy immediately recalled the steps of the Animagus transformation.
In fact, he was much later than the wizard who was verifying the process alongside him, who had felt the heartbeat a week ago.
Murphy thought this might be because his spell was more complex, with more requirements...
Now was not the time for distractions. Murphy suppressed the various chaotic thoughts in his mind and continued to flesh out his mental depiction, "No loss of function, no change in body structure, maintain the status quo in case of conflicting demands, no malignant mutations, health as the top priority..."
...
Time sped on, and September arrived amidst a whirlwind of progress.
That day, the Transformation Research Group finally brought Murphy some good news.
"Director! It worked! Wizard Winston successfully became a high-level Animagus through the guidance of his Patronus!"
Murphy had been waiting a long time for this news. After feeling the second heartbeat, he had been waiting for the verification from the other side.
With the "voluntary help" of Dwarf Peter, the Transformation Research Group quickly completed the theoretical verification and calculated the success rate. By adding a compound potion to capture the "essence" of the wizard and thus increase the success rate, they reduced the potentially fatal probability to below 5% and then applied for human trials.
Murphy announced a recruitment for willing wizards within the researchers, promising rewards substantial enough to elevate any wizarding family to the upper class. Many researchers signed up.
Murphy selected the most outstanding wizard who had shown the highest degree of commitment to the research institute—coincidentally, his former classmate Winston Robinson. The Wood siblings had higher loyalty, but their transformation talent was insufficient, so Murphy did not involve them.
"Notify Newcastle, no need for artificial rain anymore. Let the clouds accumulate; I need a storm."
Murphy placed his potion in Newcastle, the UK city most prone to thunderstorms. However, to wait for Winston's verification results, he had Umbrella Corporation communicate with the local Muggle government to find reasons for frequent artificial rain. Once cumulonimbus clouds began to gather, they would make it rain beforehand to prevent thunderstorms.
"What's the recalculated probability of fatality now?" Murphy asked.
"Less than 3%. The probability of success is higher than 76%, with the probability of a perfect transformation without side effects also increased to 9%, and the probability of failure but not fatal is 21%."
"Hmm."
This was not far off from the original theoretical values, the best state they could achieve at the moment.
A 3% fatality rate, though a small probability event, still carried danger. But eliminating this 3% chance would require at least ten years of research, and he couldn't wait.
If you're unwilling to take any risks, how can you achieve what you desire? Come on, let the storm rage more fiercely.
...
"Amado, Animo, Animado, Animagus."
In a countryside villa in Newcastle, Murphy once again recited the spell to himself and described the "spell" in his mind again.
Feeling the throbbing in his chest, now more intense than his own heartbeat, he knew it was almost time.
Stepping outside, he looked at the approaching dark clouds, feeling a slight thrill.
Today was the day of the storm. They had been dispersing cumulonimbus clouds through artificial rain, but repeated suppression seemed to have angered nature. According to the weather forecast, today might see a once-in-a-century downpour.
As the moment approached, Murphy calmed himself down. He ate dinner unhurriedly and then went to the attic, sat down, and began to meditate.
He didn't continue
to dwell on the "spell"; he had made all the necessary preparations. Over-pursuing "perfection" could lead to anxiety. He preferred to face the moment with tranquility.
Before nightfall, the sky had already darkened completely, and then the wind started to pick up.
The wind grew stronger, howling as if all of nature was lamenting.
Then it began to rain, initially just a few drops, but within half a minute, it turned into a torrential downpour.
The storm seemed to envelop the entire world, with darkness reigning outside.
This made Murphy reflect; even if he became a high-level Animagus, became stronger, or even one day matched wizards like Dumbledore or Voldemort, he would still seem insignificant in the face of nature's ferocious power.
He still had a long way to go.
With these thoughts, he gradually calmed down, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in a state of serene emptiness, feeling lighter as if his body had become weightless.
Outside, the storm raged on, but he felt an unprecedented peace.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated his mind, and he abruptly opened his eyes to see bright flashes outside the window.
It was time!
"The moment the first lightning strikes, rush to where you've placed the potion."
This step flashed through his mind. Before the thunder reached him, he prepared to Apparate with his wand but then realized he was already standing in the rain.
Somehow, he had appeared on a mountaintop, not far from the cave where he had placed his potion.
This...
Apparition without a wand? What had happened? But there was no time to ponder. He entered the cave and saw a huge metal door, resembling a bank vault, which he unlocked with a password. Opening the vault, a silver light poured out, illuminating the entire cave.
A silver raven stood in the pure black, ultra-clean chamber, with a crystal bottle fixed by seven brackets on a pure silver workbench beneath it.
As Murphy looked, the potion inside the crystal bottle gradually changed from pure black to blood red.
"Thank you," he extended his hand, and the silver raven Patronus landed on his palm, then dissipated into a wisp of smoke and vanished.
Murphy, holding the potion, walked out of the cave into the open field, raising the crystal bottle towards the raging elements.
"A tribute to magic."
With that, he drank it down in one gulp.
___________________
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