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"Can anyone demonstrate what I just explained?"
Professor McGonagall looked at the students and spoke slowly.
The students either stared blankly at her or lowered their heads. In short, no one raised a hand.
The lesson she was teaching was somewhat difficult: turning a teapot into a bat. Under normal circumstances, this was generally not studied until fourth year or above.
In Transfiguration, turning one inanimate object into another inanimate object was relatively simple. For example, turning a stone stool into a wooden stool or a candlestick, or turning a wooden stick into a needle. As long as they mastered the basic principles of Transfiguration and practiced diligently, students could basically do it.
Next came turning living things into inanimate objects, such as turning ladybirds into buttons or mice into snuffboxes. Besides mastering the principles, this required a great deal of practice and a little talent. Many students could not do it well. Either the Transfiguration was incomplete, leaving part of the target's body exposed, or they could only change the shape, such as producing a snuffbox-shaped mouse.
The most difficult was turning one living thing into another living thing, or making an inanimate object into a living thing. For example, turning a frog into a sheep, turning a person into a ferret, or, like Professor McGonagall had demonstrated in the first lesson, turning a desk into a pig. At that level, relying only on a great deal of practice was not enough. The most important thing was sufficient talent.
Talent was very important.
Dudley slowly raised his hand. Hermione, sitting beside him, paused and prepared to raise her hand as well. She had only just extended it when she hesitated and lowered it again. She could turn a teapot into the shape of a bat, but that did not count as completing the Transfiguration. Harry faced the same difficulty. He could transform bat wings, but the other parts were still beyond him.
This was where Transfiguration at this level was difficult. After becoming a living thing, it also had to possess the traits of a living thing. Otherwise, it could not count as a successful Transfiguration.
Professor McGonagall looked at Dudley with slight surprise. In her class, he generally rarely performed demonstrations. Most of the time, he answered theoretical questions. Even during weekend tutoring, Professor McGonagall rarely saw Dudley, because he generally chose Potions or self-study.
Professors paid close attention to good students, especially outstanding ones.
"Then please have Mr. Dursley demonstrate."
Professor McGonagall was very happy that Dudley had become active in her class.
Hearing this, Dudley stood. One hand gently picked up his wand, and the fingers of his other hand brushed along the side of it, feeling the touch of the brand-new wand.
He pointed at the teapot on the desk.
Sparks flashed at the tip of the wand. In the next moment, a magical scene unfolded. The teapot's form gradually began to change, and its color shifted from bright and colorful to dull gray.
In the end, a creature with large ears and broad wings appeared before everyone.
The little fellow's round eyes looked around at everyone. Under the students' gazes, it seemed to be frightened. Its expression became somewhat panicked, and it let out a shriek. Amid the students' cries of surprise, it flapped its wings and flew to the ceiling, hanging upside down from the chandelier.
It was practically no different from an ordinary bat.
"Perfect Transfiguration. Ten points to the disciplinary group."
Professor McGonagall looked very happy, and her generous awarding of points made that even clearer.
Usually, she awarded points one or two at a time.
'Perfect Transfiguration. In the O.W.L.s, this would earn at least an O.'
Professor McGonagall thought this inwardly.
Dudley truly was worthy of being the most outstanding student at Hogwarts in recent decades.
Mm. The most outstanding student. Almost every professor who had taught Dudley believed this.
Dudley looked at the wand in his hand and put it away with satisfaction.
In the past, forget casting advanced Transfiguration like this. Even the simplest Aguamenti could not be released smoothly by him. Even though he had magic within his body, for some unknown reason, he could not release it in any form. He had tried many times, all without effect.
The books he consulted would have classified him as a Squib. But Dudley knew he was not a Squib. There was an essential difference between him and Squibs.
Now, with this wand, he could cast spells smoothly, just as he had now.
The modified wand had one more key factor.
Guidance.
After Magic Armor Modification, the wand could guide the magic within his body out bit by bit, thus achieving the effect of casting spells.
The key point lay in those magic circles on the side of the wand.
One of them bore the function of guidance.
Knowledge granted by the system, the core part of Magic Armor Modification. The inner sides of the red-and-white balls at Dudley's waist were also engraved with magic circles, only the principles were different.
This kind of modification was simply a blessing for groups that had magic in their bodies but could not cast spells smoothly.
Dudley thought of a special group in the wizarding world.
Squibs.
Both Mrs. Figg, whom he had first encountered, and Filch, the current castle caretaker, were Squibs.
According to Dudley's investigation and research, as well as the display of the Data Eyes, Squibs also had magic in their bodies. Then could Squibs use a wand modified by Dudley to cast spells?
This question mattered. If it could be done, it would be a groundbreaking achievement, and it could also give Dudley a group of staunch loyalists.
Regarding this point, Dudley would slowly research it when he had time in the future.
Now, returning to the wand, its advantages were far from limited to guidance. Look at that sapphire-like magic crystal. It could continuously provide energy when Dudley's own magic was insufficient.
Even spells with enormous consumption could be cast easily.
But only before the magic stored inside was exhausted. After it was used up, it would need to be replenished before continuing.
Of course, there was also the emerald that had originally been on the diadem. That was a very rare treasure called the Stone of Wisdom. Under the Data Eyes, Dudley discovered that it could slightly increase the user's spirituality.
The claim that Ravenclaw's Diadem could increase wisdom was probably somewhat related to this gemstone.
This brand-new wand had one crucial ability.
Owner recognition.
Some wands made by Ollivander rejected use by people other than their master. This was related to the materials used. Only, this rejection was not especially obvious, and the effect was limited. Most of the time, they could still be used normally.
But if someone else obtained Dudley's wand, then sorry. Forget releasing spells. The wand would guarantee them a very large surprise.
In truth, Dudley had wanted to add some other abilities to it. But due to limited materials, this was all he could do for now. He could add more when he had the chance in the future.
He could finally cast spells smoothly.
He had originally thought he would be very excited. After all, casting spells had been his dream. But after truly succeeding, it felt oddly ordinary.
It was not even as joyful as when he broke through in Hamon Energy.
Because this did not count as being a true spellcaster?
Perhaps. After all, he was using a tool. It was still somewhat different from the image of a spellcaster in his mind.
No matter what, in the eyes of others, he was now already a qualified wizard.
'Actually, I can use magic too.'
Dudley thought.
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