Third Years, Lesson Four: Lecture on Animate Transfiguration and Magical Creatures
"Today, we're covering Clashing Magic. Make sure to write that down as it may come up in your exam." Edward strongly hinted, his tone turning more serious as he stood to take a more formal stance in front of the class. "As witches and wizards, our magic is unique to us. It is innate, unchangeable, and inseparable. But remember, all magical beings, creatures and beasts possess magical abilities unique to them. For example, Professor Stark may have taught you that phoenixes heal with their tears and are reborn upon death. Demiguises can turn invisible and glimpse the future. Wizards can mimic some of these traits but will never fully replicate them." He explained, waving his wand which animated to take notes on the board, useful for anyone who needed the visual aid.
"Now, where does Transfiguration fit into this? Well. Have you ever heard of a unicorn animagus? A wizard transforming a lampshade into an Occamy? Or a muggle into a wizard? What about turning a dragon into a kitten?" He paused, letting the students mull over the questions. Naturally, none had heard of such occurrences. "No," he continued. "Because it’s impossible. We cannot give something magic. Nor can we take magic away from something that inherently possesses it. Magical creatures are highly resistant to Transfiguration because their own magic acts as a shield, counteracting ours and causing the spell to fail. This doesn't mean magical creatures are immune to our spells of course. Many charms, curses and the like will still work eventually, for example a dragon's hide is resistant to most hexes and jinxes, and it takes a large group of skilled wizards to subdue one." He explained, pausing to let students catch up with their notes as he had talked a lot. "Wizards, however, can transfigure each other because our magic is alike. Magic recognises itself and allows the transformation. Also non-magical creatures, lacking any defenses, are easily affected by our spells. For example we could turn a chicken into a duck, but we cannot turn a chicken into a phoenix" He shrugged on a technicality, "Well you could turn it into a red bird that looks a bit like a phoenix, but it wouldn't have any of the magical features of a real phoenix."
Edward paused again, giving the class a moment to absorb the information before concluding the lesson. "Clashing Magic is the fundamental limitation of Transfiguration and key to understanding what magic can and cannot achieve. I know this was a lot but I hope you guys managed to keep up. Does anyone have any related questions before I dismiss you all?" He invited a short Q&A session before finishing the lesson.
Homework: Roleplay the lesson. For extra credit, ask a relevant question at the end of the lesson.
Tag @Professor Edward Pirrip if you would like me to interact with your character.