Lesson 2: The Four Types

Chapter 2

INTRODUCTION - The four branches (transformation, vanishment, conjuration, and untransformation) were created in 1651by a German tranfigurist, not sure who created them though - One guy who claimed to create them, Fritz Holtz, died in a fire the day before a conference about transfiguration - Others who claimed to be the creators got their notes stolen or destroyed TRANSFORMATION - The most common form and is usually what people think when hearing the word "transfiguration" - This is a form that causes things to change from their original state into another, or alters the form of them - Transformation contains some of the darkest transfiguration knowledge - 3 sub branches: 1. trans-species transformations 2. switching 3. human transformations - Switching spells are the physical location of two items or one essential detail of an object - a trans-species transformation is transformation that to some degree changes the species of the target - Human transformation is the transformation of the human body - One form of human transformation is a crossed species switch, used by Viktor Krum to transfigure his head into a shark to breathe underwater - Other forms of the human transformation like the animagus, metamorphmagus, and werewolf transformations ANIMAGI - Animagi are human beings with the capability of fully turning themselves into an animal at will while keeping human sentience; completely voluntary and can be a learned skill but very difficult - In order to become an Animagi, you have to hold a leaf of a mandrake plant under your tongue for a month - Only able to turn into one form of animal for their shape and this animal will bear some identifying marks related to their human features - Any significant damage to your body, like a cut off toe will show up in your animal form (like Peter Pettigrew with the missing toe) METAMORPHMAGI - Human beings with the capability of changing parts of their appearance at will; inherited within your genes, cannot be learned - Don't require a wand or potion to have the ability to do so WEREWOLVES - Don't have the choice in their transformations - Forced to change at every full moon - When the change form, they loose their brain, which means they are very dangerous and will attack anybody in sight - There is a potion that allows someone to keep their mind while in werewolf form, but it won't actually stop the transformation: called the Wolfsbane Potion created by Damocles VANISHMENT - allows the tranfigurist to cause an object to disappear from the world - Many theories about what happens when they vanish 1. disappear all together and can never be returned 2. objects disassembled and the particles scattered throughout the world 3. They are broken down so much that they no longer "exist" - Can't truly cease due to the law which states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed; the more complex it is, the harder it is to vanish - cannot be undone - technically only one spell CONJURATION - formed by pulling together the particles around us to create the object we desire - extensive laws restricting what can and cannot be conjured and things that are conjured won't last forever - disappear naturally over a matter of time UNTRANSFIGURATION - a series of spells that allow you to undo previous transfigurations - mostly for transformations as a vanishment cannot be undone and things that are conjured disappear naturally over a matter of time