Chapter 46: 46: Gamp's Law
"Wizards can't conjure up delicacies out of thin air, nor can they turn other things into food.
Even if you eat it, you can't absorb the nutrients, but will suffer from indigestion."
Professor McGonagall ignored the two little ones' flirting and continued, "But if you already have some food, you can transform it and make it bigger."
"Just like at the welcoming feast, the reason why there is food on the plate is not because it is conjured, but because the house-elves cooked it and then transferred it to the container on the table through the 'relocation spell'."
Even Hermione didn't know this, which solved a little doubt in her heart.
As for what house-elves are, Hermione only thought they were employees and chefs hired by Hogwarts, and didn't think of them as servants at all.
"Secondly, there is no permanent transformation between living things and dead things."
McGonagall continued: "We can turn a button into a scarab, but it cannot move forever. Once the attached magic power dissipates, it will return to a button."
"In addition, even if the transformed scarab has a breath of life, its essence is still a button. If you feed it to a bird, it will not fill its stomach, but will choke to death."
This also involves the problem of food transformation.
"Transfiguration cannot create magical items, such as automatic quills, self-stirring cauldrons, or even Galleons."
"The currency circulating among wizards has been enchanted by goblins. It will not oxidize, is not easily destroyed, and has the ability to automatically identify and count."
After saying so much in a row, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and continued: "Fourth, transfiguration cannot change the quantity, that is, you can't turn a table into two deer, or turn three quills into a shovel."
"But there is an exception. If the connected objects become a 'whole,' they can be changed by 'total transfiguration,' and even if they are turned back, it will not affect the arrangement and attachment of the original objects."
"That is to say, if I turn Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, who are wearing clothes, into a wild deer now, and then change them back, their clothes will still not stick to their bodies like fur."
Harry and Ron, whose names were called, instantly felt the malice from the older cat lady.
They were so scared that they couldn't help shrinking in their seats and secretly promised themselves never to be late for Transfiguration class again.
"Finally, and most importantly, 'Transfiguration cannot create something out of nothing.'"
"Perhaps you have seen senior students use their wands to conjure up a flock of birds or a bouquet of flowers, but these are definitely not Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall explained. "Those things may just be 'limited-time entity projections' summoned by spells, or they may have been conjured and hidden in the palm of their hands."
Ivan listened carefully, summarizing his doubts about the five exceptions.
"Does anyone have any questions?" McGonagall asked after she finished speaking. The classroom fell silent, and even Hermione had no immediate questions.
'Sure enough, I'll have to rely on you,' Ivan thought, seeing the expectant look in Professor McGonagall's eyes. He knew it was time for him to step in. "Professor, I have a question."
When the other students saw that it was Ivan, their surprised expressions quickly turned to understanding.
It had only been two days since school started, but the first-year students were already well aware of Ivan's talent.
This was a genius, operating on a different level from the rest of them.
"What's your question, Mr. Ambrosius?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"You mentioned the transformation between living things and dead things," Ivan began. "What I want to know is, if a beetle is transformed into a button, how does the beetle maintain its life state during the transformation?"
Not to mention eating and drinking, but even just breathing—how does a beetle that has been turned into a button not suffocate to death?
However, according to the principles of Transfiguration, the beetle can be restored by casting the counter-spell on the button.
Interestingly, even after one or two hours, the beetle is still alive.
So the question is:
Why is the beetle still alive?
Students: "This..."
"Yes, doesn't the beetle that's been turned into a button need to breathe?"
The little wizards hadn't considered this question before.
Even if they had seen their parents perform similar transformations between living and non-living things.
"Good question," Professor McGonagall said with a slight nod, appreciating Ivan's insightful perspective. "Magic is the power of the mind, and advanced Transfiguration can even grant emotions to inanimate objects."
Though turning a beetle into a button is something they would learn in the future, McGonagall gave Ivan an answer in advance.
The answer was simple: because of the wizard's intent.
"During the transformation, the wizard's intention is to turn the beetle into a button, not to kill it.
Magic can read the wizard's subconscious thoughts and maintain the life of the creature even when it has been transformed into an inanimate object.
They don't need to breathe or eat.
Even after three days, when the button is turned back into a beetle, the beetle's life state remains exactly as it was at the moment of transformation."
Of course, it's almost impossible for a single Transfiguration to last for several days.
"I see," Ivan nodded thoughtfully. 'Magic power and intent—the latter sets the goal, the former fulfills the wish.'
The reverse is also true. When a dead object becomes a living thing, where do the emotion and vitality of the living thing come from?
Since magic can give life to dead objects, it can naturally sustain that life, preventing it from suffocating or starving.
"Then, professor, under what circumstances will the effects of Transfiguration fail?" Ivan asked. "For example, if a transformed object is smashed, burned, or melted, where is the limit?"
"....."
Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, considering the question carefully before answering, "The boundaries between living things and dead things are not exactly the same."
With a wave of her wand, she turned a piece of paper on her desk into a lifelike owl.
She wasn't at all annoyed by Ivan's question.
In fact, Ivan's question prompted McGonagall to think further.
It had to be said—these were two very important questions worth exploring.
Even a master of Transfiguration like Professor McGonagall could gain valuable insights from them.
"Look, this is an owl made of paper."
McGonagall cast a Banishing Charm at the owl, causing it to stagger in the air and lose a large number of down feathers.
"Coo~~!!"
The owl screeched in panic before tumbling to the ground.
However, the owl quickly got back up and took flight again.
"Interesting," Ivan remarked, understanding the subtle detail McGonagall was demonstrating. "The down feathers that fell off were originally part of the owl, yet their loss didn't affect the transformation."
It was similar to turning a glass of water into wine—it wouldn't revert the wine back into water just because a few drops of wine were spilled.
This was distinct from Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, which dictates that the quantity of an object cannot be altered during Transfiguration.
But after the transformation, because the nature of the object had changed, the paper had become an owl. Naturally, the owl could now breathe, eat, and shed its feathers.
"Exactly," McGonagall nodded approvingly. Then, with another flick of her wand, she cast a Crushing Charm, turning the owl in midair into a pile of confetti.
As for the feathers that had previously fallen, they vanished the moment the owl was crushed.
Gulp!
This scene left all the young wizards in the classroom thoroughly shocked.
They had learned one very important thing: never offend Professor McGonagall.
With such a decisive spell, McGonagall had no hesitation in vanquishing the owl she had transfigured, displaying the courage and authority of a true Gryffindor lioness.
The young lions trembled in awe before the lioness.
"Hmm..." Ivan frowned slightly, contemplating the difference between using a Crushing Charm and a Banishing Charm.
"Professor, could you transform something into a plant again?" Ivan requested.
"Of course," McGonagall responded with a smile, recognizing that Ivan had grasped the key to understanding the boundary of living object transformations.
The piece of paper on her desk transformed once again, this time into a vine that rapidly grew toward the ceiling, the sight leaving the students amazed at this magical feat.
Bang!
Ivan was surprised for a moment, then raised his hand and cast a Banishing Charm on the vine.
As the green leaves scattered, the vine snapped in two, and the students could even see the light green sap seeping from the severed section.
"Reducto!"
Ivan then cast the Reductor Curse on half of the vine, shattering it into countless pieces of paper.
But what's interesting is that the remaining vine still maintained its transformation and did not exit the transformation state because the other half was destroyed.
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