Transfiguration 1:2

Lesson Two: Transfiguration and the Ministry of Magic
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As he had done last week, Leif was waiting outside of his classroom for his first years to arrive. He leaned against the wall and was counting heads in his mind as the kids made their way into his classroom. Some more on time than others. He was sure all of his students had made it into the room but didn't close the door entirely, just in case.

"Welcome back." He smiled at the kids, flicking his wand towards the blackboard behind him to make a piece of chalk come to life and start writing in a much nicer handwriting than his own. Transfiguration and the Ministry of Magic. "As you might have understood from last week's lesson: transfiguration is a powerful branch of magic. It's complex, but vast in it's capabilities, which is what also makes it dangerous. Especially because there are people who choose to follow darker paths and use Transfiguration as a weapon." Leif explained, pausing for a second to make sure all of his students could keep up with what he was saying. "As such, the Ministry has rules and punishments in place for the misuse of Transfiguration. Using this type of magic on another human, or even an animal, with the purpose of harming them or entertaining yourself will lead to said punishments." He continued, hoping these kids understood this was a serious situation. "There are also laws for using Transfiguration on yourself. People who have mastered Transfiguration to the point of altering their physical selves into an intelligent creature that represents them are known as Animagi. They must be registered with the Ministry of Magic. This registration must include both their Animagus form as well as any special markings that can help identify them."

Leif paused again, waiting until every student that was writing had stopped, meaning they had either caught up or given up. "Even inanimate objects can be dangerous. Most weapons are inanimate objects. There are also some objects that are classed as 'muggle artifacts' - things created by non-magical people that are specific inventions of theirs. Meaning that if we would like something like that, we would have to obtain it the non-magical way. Waving a wand in the hopes of requiring it without any effort given would not work. This muggle class is the reason flying carpets are outlawed in most countries, but broomsticks are not. At the end of the day, there are numerous ways to abuse Transfiguration and each of its branches, which we'll be covering more in-depth in future lessons. Unfortunately, that's all we really have time for today. If you're interested, you can read up on more about it in the library. Class dismissed!"

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Roleplay the lesson for full marks.

 

[Alana Cosgrove]

After her first lesson with Professor Odegard Alana expected that her wand would be staying firmly in her robe once she arrived for her latest Transfiguration lesson and she was soon proved correct. She took her seat and took out a sheet of parchment to begin taking notes as the professor began his lecture on Transfiguration and the ministry. It made sense that the ministry would implement rules on what was acceptable in the field, Transfiguration had the potential to be a very dangerous type of magic and it could do a lot of damage to people. Alana was glad to hear that using Transfiguration with the intent to harm a person or animal would lead to punishment, it should, she didn’t understand why anyone would want to be so cruel but she knew even students could be horrible people, she remembered her father telling her about a kid when he was a student who set another student on fire. It sounded horrible and Alana hoped nothing like that happened while she was at Hogwarts.

Alana spent the lesson taking notes on what Professor Odegard told them about Transfiguration and its relationship with the ministry and regulation. It was definitely an important lesson, even if it was a little boring. People needed to know what not to do when it came to Transfiguration and it was just as important as what you can’t do. Once the lesson was over Alana rolled up her notes and placed them in her bag and made her way out of the lesson once they had been dismissed.

 

[Rosalind Montgomery]

Rosalind made it to the classroom running a little late. She'd just gotten up to an exciting part in the novel she was reading, and unfortunately lost track of time. She rushed into her seat, getting out her supplies, and readying for a lesson that wasn't entirely her favourite. Rosalind listened carefully to the professor as he began to speak, learning all about rules and laws. She knew a bit of this already from her father's work but it was mildly interesting nonetheless. Rosalind thought animagi sounded cool but she knew it was hard work and the fact you had to be registered? That made sense but she also thought it was a bit constrictive. Once the class was over she packed away her things.