The old man and the young boy exchanged a few light-hearted words before getting down to serious teaching.
Dumbledore began by assessing Ivan's magical skills. He discovered that Ivan had already mastered most of the spells in his textbook, which truly amazed him.
"When I was your age, I didn't know as much magic as you do," Dumbledore remarked with a thoughtful sigh. "So, Ivan, tell me, what do you believe magic really is?"
What is magic?
If we set aside the more abstract ideas, Ivan could sum it up in a straightforward way: "It's about making wishes come true."
"Exactly, making wishes come true," Dumbledore responded, pleased with Ivan's answer.
To demonstrate, he performed a spell silently and without using his wand, transforming a simple candlestick into a stunning, lifelike owl.
Ivan activated his magical eye and focused his spiritual vision. He observed the owl closely and noticed the magical aura surrounding it and the hidden traces of magic within its form. It was so detailed that it was almost indistinguishable from a real owl.
"That's amazing!" Ivan exclaimed, genuinely impressed.
He had always known that Dumbledore was incredibly powerful, but witnessing his magic in action left him in awe.
This type of magic was known as Transfiguration, a branch of magic that required a combination of thought, will, and magic itself.
From Ivan's perspective, Transfiguration had a very low starting point, meaning it was accessible to many, but it also had a very high potential for complexity and skill. He believed that many other types of magic were influenced by the principles of Transfiguration.
"This is the limit of Transfiguration that I can achieve. Do you understand what I mean by that?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Ivan with curiosity.
"Um... I think so," Ivan replied hesitantly. "It's still a fake owl, right?"
"Yes, that's correct," Dumbledore said, smiling. He was optimistic about Ivan's understanding.
Dumbledore's approach to teaching Ivan was completely different from Voldemort's methods. He treated Ivan with trust and sincerity, wanting to share his knowledge.
He explained without holding back, "The foundation of Transfiguration is changing form."
When Dumbledore referred to form, he meant the appearance of an object, which does not possess real functions or abilities on its own.
"Above that is the transformation of essence," he continued.
To illustrate this concept, Dumbledore explained that if a stone were transformed into a clock, it would be a real clock and could function as such as long as the magic was maintained.
"At even higher levels of Transfiguration, the mind plays a role," Dumbledore added.
This meant that the transformed objects could possess their own thoughts and personalities. Examples included the Sorting Hat, which sorts students at Hogwarts, and Ron's flying car, which had its own quirks. "For instance, look at the paintings around us," Dumbledore said.
He pointed to the portraits of previous headmasters adorning the walls. "These magical portraits can talk and have their own awareness; they are also products of Transfiguration."
Dumbledore believed that these three stages of Transfiguration were not too difficult for Ivan to grasp. The only real difference would be the time it took for him to master them completely.
"As for what comes after that..." Dumbledore said, glancing at Ivan, "Minerva mentioned that you can change your appearance?"
"Yes! The book explains that this is also a form of Transfiguration, a natural magical ability," Ivan replied eagerly.
Suddenly, it clicked for him: "So, are you saying that Transfiguration can achieve a higher level of transformation?"
"Yes! This is known as Permanent Transfiguration!" Dumbledore confirmed.
Before Dumbledore could elaborate further, Ivan understood that this fourth level was indeed different from the previous three: "When I change my appearance, it's a real change that doesn't require magic to maintain."
This meant that as long as Ivan didn't revert to his original form, he could live his entire life looking like someone else.
"You're very clever, Ivan," Dumbledore praised him. "Just as you thought, Transfiguration and Animagus Transfiguration are different. The former can completely change a person's appearance without needing constant magical support, unlike this owl, which will eventually revert."
Similarly, the animals that a wizard turns into through Animagus transformation can remain in that animal form permanently.
To explain further, Dumbledore used Professor McGonagall as an example. "Once she becomes a cat, she can still be affected by things like catnip. This is because, from a biological perspective, an Animagus completely transforms into that specific animal."
This transformation changes everything about them, even down to their very genes.
"Unfortunately, aside from Animagus transformations, wizards have never truly mastered the deeper meaning of Transfiguration," Dumbledore said with a hint of sadness.
"Except for..." he paused, allowing Ivan to guess.
"The Philosopher's Stone?" Ivan asked, his eyes lighting up with understanding.
Dumbledore looked a bit taken aback, surprised by Ivan's sharp thinking. He hadn't anticipated that Ivan would connect the dots so quickly.
Originally, Dumbledore planned to inspire Ivan's interest through today's lesson, hoping that he would take part in Harry Potter's adventures. However, he had no intention of letting Ivan actually join in since he was still quite young.
The challenges set on the fourth floor would be more like child's play to someone like Ivan.
Dumbledore hoped that Ivan could offer some assistance to Harry or at least keep an eye on him.
Unfortunately, the plan was derailed before it even got started.
"The Philosopher's Stone, created by Nicolas Flamel, has the extraordinary ability to turn stones into gold and produce elixirs that grant immortality."
The Philosopher's Stone, often referred to as the fifth element, represents the highest achievement in alchemy.
Just the ability to turn stones into gold is a permanent transformation at the material level, something modern wizards are incapable of achieving.
Following this topic, Dumbledore began to explain the very basics of magic to Ivan.
Yes, the basics—the essential knowledge that every wizard should understand.
Ivan didn't mind this. He listened attentively because this information came from Dumbledore, who had gathered valuable insights over many years of experience.
From Dumbledore, Ivan learned the principles behind how wizards cast spells, which greatly benefited him and even improved his wandless magic skills.
"Professor, is there a level above Permanent Transfiguration?" Ivan inquired, curious.
"Hmm..." Dumbledore considered this for a moment, but he didn't answer right away. Instead, he advised Ivan not to dig too deeply: "In the wizarding world, there's one significant challenge—magical transformation."
"What do you mean by magical transformation?" Ivan asked, puzzled.
Dumbledore smiled and replied, "Fawkes."
With a gentle wave of his hand, Dumbledore called over the dozing phoenix, Fawkes. The beautiful bird landed gracefully on the desk and began to sing a sweet, melodious song.
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