"Professor McGonagall, please don't worry."
Liam smiled reassuringly.
"Wasn't this the result of our research together? We've both examined every detail repeatedly."
He tapped the thick stack of parchment on her desk.
"I genuinely don't think there are any major flaws left."
McGonagall looked unconvinced.
Liam quickly continued.
"Besides, we've already developed a reversal spell."
That was the most important safeguard.
Unlike ordinary Animagus transformations, magical creature transformations carried enormous risks. If something went wrong, the wizard might become trapped in a transformed state forever.
Many aspiring Animagi abandoned the process entirely after learning that possibility.
Liam certainly had no intention of spending the rest of his life as a magical beast.
That was why he and McGonagall had spent weeks creating a specialized counter-curse capable of forcibly restoring a transformed wizard to human form.
"If anything feels wrong, you can immediately use the counter-curse."
He looked at her seriously.
"I trust you."
McGonagall sighed.
She knew there was no changing his mind.
"Very well."
Her expression became stern.
"But the moment you feel something unusual, you stop."
"Agreed."
"And if I tell you to stop?"
"I stop."
Only then did she reluctantly nod.
"Proceed."
Liam stepped into the center of the classroom.
Then he closed his eyes.
The modified Animagus transformation process immediately began.
McGonagall watched silently.
Beneath her concern, a small spark of anticipation remained.
No wizard in recorded history had successfully transformed into a true magical creature.
Many had tried.
None had succeeded.
If Liam somehow accomplished the impossible...
Even she struggled to imagine the significance.
Minutes passed.
The classroom remained completely silent.
McGonagall resisted the urge to interrupt.
The traditional Animagus process could take months to complete.
Compared to that, a few minutes was nothing.
Then it happened.
A crushing pressure suddenly filled the room.
McGonagall's eyes widened.
The sensation wasn't magical power in the ordinary sense.
It felt like standing before a higher life-form.
An instinctive pressure.
A natural dominance.
The kind of overwhelming presence that demanded submission.
The air itself seemed heavier.
At the center of the classroom, Liam's human form disappeared.
Silver light exploded outward.
Something enormous began taking shape.
McGonagall stared.
A silver dragon emerged from the radiance.
Its body was considerably smaller than the colossal dragon that had once appeared above Hogwarts, but otherwise it was identical.
The elegant scales.
The silver glow.
The overwhelming majesty.
Everything matched.
For several seconds, McGonagall forgot how to breathe.
"He actually did it..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"He really transformed into a magical creature..."
Then the impossible became even more impossible.
The dragon dissolved.
Silver flames erupted.
The pressure shifted.
Before McGonagall's stunned eyes, the dragon transformed again.
A magnificent silver phoenix landed gracefully upon the classroom floor.
McGonagall froze.
Then she nearly shouted.
"Two forms?!"
Her voice echoed throughout the room.
"A double Animagus transformation?!"
No.
Even that description felt inadequate.
This wasn't merely an Animagus transformation anymore.
Liam had somehow crossed into completely uncharted territory.
Her heart pounded.
At this point, she wasn't even worried anymore.
She was fascinated.
If Liam could return to human form without requiring the counter-curse, then they had succeeded.
The silver phoenix tilted its head.
Then another wave of transformation washed across its body.
Silver feathers vanished.
Flames disappeared.
A moment later, Liam stood in front of her once again.
"It worked!"
His excitement was obvious.
"Professor McGonagall, we did it!"
For perhaps the first time in months, Liam looked like an ordinary child celebrating a victory.
McGonagall laughed.
Then, to Liam's surprise, she grabbed both of his shoulders.
"My boy..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"You're extraordinary."
Liam's success wasn't merely personal.
Together, they had rewritten centuries of magical theory.
But Liam's attention was elsewhere.
The transformation had granted him far more than expected.
When he became the silver dragon, he immediately noticed a dramatic increase in magical power.
Using his magical perception, he had observed something astonishing.
His second layer of magical power had evolved.
The cyan magical energy within his body had transformed into white magical power.
A higher level.
A stronger level.
And with that transformation came new understanding.
For the first time, Liam felt capable of instantly casting the Ancient Forbidden Spell: Eternal Frozen Earth.
The dragon form appeared to possess an innate connection to weather manipulation.
That affinity dramatically reduced the burden of casting ice-based magic.
The phoenix form brought an even greater surprise.
Rebirth.
Not metaphorical rebirth.
Actual rebirth.
An innate magical ability similar to the legendary phoenix's resurrection through flame.
Ashes to life.
Death to renewal.
Just understanding the mechanism left Liam stunned.
The transformation had exceeded every expectation.
If he encountered Voldemort now, victory was no longer a distant possibility.
He couldn't guarantee success.
But for the first time, he was confident he wouldn't lose.
After calming down, Liam looked toward McGonagall.
"Professor."
"Hm?"
"There's something important I'd like to discuss."
McGonagall adjusted her glasses.
"If it doesn't violate my principles, I'll help."
Liam nodded.
"When I transformed into the phoenix, I discovered a form of immortality."
Her expression immediately changed.
He continued.
"Voldemort isn't dead yet."
The room grew quieter.
"I don't want this version of the Animagus transformation becoming public."
His voice was unusually serious.
The reasoning was obvious.
When people thought about immortality, phoenixes were among the first magical creatures that came to mind.
If Voldemort somehow learned of this improved transformation...
If he somehow succeeded in replicating it...
The consequences would be catastrophic.
The odds might be one in ten thousand.
But Liam had no interest in taking that risk.
McGonagall listened carefully.
Then she smiled.
"The choice is yours."
Liam blinked.
She tapped the manuscript.
"This research belongs to you."
"You helped."
"I advised."
She shook her head.
"You achieved the breakthrough."
Liam disagreed.
"Without your guidance, I wouldn't have succeeded."
That wasn't false modesty.
McGonagall's expertise had been invaluable.
"If this ever becomes public, you deserve a Merlin Order."
McGonagall laughed softly.
To her surprise, she found herself less interested in medals than she once might have been.
"My greatest reward would be something else."
Liam tilted his head.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I hope you protect Hogwarts."
The smile faded slightly.
"And I hope you never become the next Voldemort."
There it was.
The concern she had carried for months.
The more talented Liam became, the more frightening that possibility seemed.
A powerful dark wizard could devastate the world.
A powerful Liam would be even more dangerous.
Fortunately, his answer came immediately.
"I'll protect Hogwarts."
There wasn't a trace of hesitation.
This castle had taught him the Patronus Charm.
It had given him the opportunity to improve the Animagus transformation.
It had provided teachers, resources, and safety.
Naturally, he intended to protect it.
McGonagall visibly relaxed.
"Good."
She smiled.
"As for the Merlin Order..."
She waved a hand dismissively.
"At my age, recognition isn't particularly important anymore."
Liam suddenly grinned.
That expression made McGonagall suspicious.
"Professor."
"What?"
"I think you should learn the phoenix transformation."
McGonagall blinked.
"...What?"
Liam stepped closer.
"If you fully understand the phoenix's rebirth ability, eternal youth might be possible."
Silence.
Complete silence.
For perhaps three seconds, McGonagall forgot how to speak.
Then her eyes widened.
No witch in history had ever been completely immune to the words eternal youth.
Not even Minerva McGonagall.
Liam continued mercilessly.
"Of course, there is one small problem."
Her expression immediately became cautious.
"What problem?"
"When a phoenix undergoes rebirth, it returns as a baby."
McGonagall's smile froze.
Liam coughed.
"You'd probably retain your memories and magical power, though."
Several seconds passed.
Then McGonagall started laughing.
A genuine laugh.
The kind that rarely escaped her.
"It seems..."
She adjusted her glasses.
"...that I'll have to learn this transformation after all."
After all, immortality was one temptation that very few people could resist.
....
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