The old man and the young wizard exchanged lighthearted words before moving on to the formal teaching.
Dumbledore first assessed Ivan's current level of magic and found that Ivan had already mastered most of the spells from the standard textbook ahead of time, which left him thoroughly impressed.
"When I was your age, I hadn't learned nearly as much magic as you have," Dumbledore remarked with a sigh, then asked, "So, Ivan, what do you think magic truly is?"
What is magic?
Excluding the idealistic aspects, Ivan's understanding could be summarized in one simple sentence: "It's the realization of one's wishes."
"Yes, a wish come true," Dumbledore agreed, not withholding any of his knowledge. He demonstrated a silent and wandless spell, transforming a candlestick into a lifelike owl.
Ivan activated his magic eye and spiritual vision to carefully observe the owl. He saw the magic aura radiating from it and noticed the traces of magic intricately woven into the creature's body.
It was so delicate and complete that it was nearly indistinguishable from a real owl.
"Amazing," Ivan muttered. Although he had always known how powerful Dumbledore was, seeing it firsthand still left him in awe of the old wizard's mastery over magic.
This was Transfiguration—magic that required the integration of thought, will, and magical energy.
In Ivan's view, Transfiguration was a branch of magic with a very low entry point but an incredibly high ceiling. Many types of magic involved some element of Transfiguration.
"This is the limit of Transfiguration that I can reach," Dumbledore said, looking at Ivan. "Do you understand what I mean?"
"Well..."
Ivan asked, "Because it's fake after all, right?"
"Yes," Dumbledore smiled and nodded, clearly optimistic about Ivan's understanding.
In his approach to Ivan, Dumbledore adopted a strategy entirely different from how he treated Voldemort, using trust and sincerity. The old man held nothing back and explained openly, "The foundation of Transfiguration is the alteration of form."
Form, as he explained, refers to the appearance but lacks true function or essence.
"Beyond that lies the transformation of essence," Dumbledore continued. For instance, turning a stone into a clock where, with sustained magic, the clock functions like a real one.
"At an even higher level of Transfiguration, the mind is involved," he added, referring to objects that, once transformed, have their own thoughts. Examples of this include the Sorting Hat or Weasly's flying car. "Take the paintings around us," Dumbledore gestured to the portraits of former headmasters hanging on the surrounding walls, "Magic portraits that can talk and have self-awareness are also products of Transfiguration."
Dumbledore explained that the three stages above weren't difficult concepts for someone like Ivan. The only real difference was how much time Ivan would need to fully master them.
"As for what comes after that..." Dumbledore paused, giving Ivan a careful glance. "Minerva told me that you can change your appearance?"
"Yes, the book says it's called Metamorphmagus' Metamorphosis ability, a natural magical ability," Ivan confirmed.
Suddenly, Ivan realized, "You mean, Metamorphosis is a higher form of Transfiguration?"
"Exactly!"
Before Dumbledore spoke, Ivan had already understood that the fourth level was different from the previous three levels: "When I change my appearance, it's a real transformation. It doesn't require magic to maintain it."
This also meant that if Ivan didn't choose to revert to his original form, he could live his entire life in someone else's appearance.
"You're very sharp, Ivan."
Dumbledore complimented him.
"As you've figured out, Metamorphosis and Animagus Transformation both involve complete, lasting changes. Unlike this owl I transformed, which is bound by a time limit, permanent changes don't require ongoing magic."
In a similar way, when a wizard uses Animagus Transformation, they can stay in the animal form indefinitely.
More than that, Dumbledore gave Professor McGonagall as an example. After she transforms into a cat, catnip has the same effect on her as it does on real cats.
'Something to note' Ivan chuckled in his mind.
From a biological standpoint, the Animagus transformation alters a person into a complete animal, even down to the genetic level.
"Unfortunately, except for Animagus, wizards have never been able to master the true meaning of Transfiguration."
"Except..."
Dumbledore hesitated, and Ivan immediately guessed what he meant.
"The Philosopher's Stone?"
"..."
Dumbledore was a bit surprised, not expecting Ivan to figure it out so quickly. His initial plan was to gradually pique Ivan's curiosity through the lesson, hoping to get him involved in Harry Potter's upcoming adventure.
Of course, Dumbledore would never truly involve Ivan in the dangerous part of the Philosopher's Stone events, as Ivan was far too advanced for the challenges set up on the third floor.
To Ivan, the traps were no more than child's play. Dumbledore's only hope was that Ivan could give Harry a bit of support or perhaps keep an eye on him if needed.
However, that plan seemed to be falling apart before it even began.
Dumbledore continued, "The Philosopher's Stone, created by Nicolas Flamel, can turn any material into gold and produce the Elixir of Life, granting immortality."
The Philosopher's Stone, also known as the Fifth Element, represented the pinnacle of alchemy.
The ability to turn ordinary stones into gold was a permanent transfiguration at the material level—something modern wizards had yet to achieve.
As the conversation followed this thread, Dumbledore began teaching Ivan the fundamentals of magic. These were not just basic lessons but core principles drawn from Dumbledore's own experiences and insights over the years.
Ivan listened intently, even though they were called "basics." He understood that this knowledge, coming from one of the greatest wizards of all time, was priceless.
Through Dumbledore's explanations, Ivan deepened his understanding of the principles behind how wizards cast spells, which in turn refined his own abilities.
His level of wandless spellcasting improved significantly as a result.
Ivan was particularly curious about the boundaries of magic and asked, "Professor, is there anything beyond permanent transformation?"
"Hmm..." Dumbledore pondered for a moment, not giving an immediate answer. He cautioned Ivan not to dive too deeply into this: "In the wizarding world, there exists a problem that even the greatest wizards cannot overcome—the concept of magical transformation."
"Magical transformation?" Ivan repeated, not entirely grasping what Dumbledore meant. "What do you mean by magical transformation?"
"Fawkes."
Dumbledore called over the dozing phoenix Fawkes, who landed on the desk singing a sweet song.
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