In another world, this was almost the signature spell of mages, leaving an indelible psychological shadow on countless non-magic users.
Transfiguration into a sheep, just like the Transfiguration spells in the world of Harry Potter, transforms the target into another creature. At the same time, this spell prevents the person who has been transformed from controlling their own body. This means that even if the person remains mentally conscious, they are unable to control the sheep's body to make the correct decisions, such as running away.
Once hit by this spell, you are truly at the mercy of others. They can do whatever they want to you.
Of course, this spell is not truly invincible. In any world, such spells come with very strict usage conditions.
Transfiguration into a sheep also has numerous prerequisites. For most ordinary people, although the success rate is relatively high, the duration is short, so it's mainly used as a disruptive spell.
For magic users with high energy sensitivity and strong resistance to various spells, or powerful individuals, the chance of this spell failing is much higher than the chance of success.
However, when the power gap between the two sides is as vast as that between a human and a god, and the caster is the dominant side, there is only one outcome: the target is successfully transformed into a sheep.
Watching Sirius, now turned into a sheep, circling around and bleating "baa baa baa," Dumbledore, Lupin, and Snape had not expected the duel to end this way.
In this short time, Dumbledore also realized that Ethan hadn't cast a normal Transfiguration spell. People affected by regular Transfiguration spells only experience changes in appearance and do not lose control of their bodies. But Sirius was clearly not voluntarily spinning in circles and foraging like a real sheep.
The few onlookers were still shocked by the effects of Ethan's spell when the next change took place before their eyes.
Dumbledore had deliberately chosen an abandoned classroom to avoid drawing attention from those with ill intentions.
But in the blink of an eye, they were standing on a lush green grassland. A warm breeze carrying a hint of sea air brushed across their faces.
"This... when? No, how was this done?"
Lupin and Snape's first thought was that Ethan had used Apparition to bring everyone out of Hogwarts. But they immediately remembered that Hogwarts had special restrictions, and Apparition spells could not be used within the school.
Of course, another explanation could be that Ethan's power was so overwhelming that the restrictions in Hogwarts were ineffective against him.
Only Dumbledore noticed something different. He observed the surroundings carefully, his expression filled with surprise and interest, as if the grass and soil were rare magical items.
In a way, he wasn't wrong.
This grassland truly was rare, because everything in it had been "created" by Ethan.
Compared to the past, when he could only project an identical mirror space, Ethan could now modify the internal environment of a separate space as he pleased.
Especially after his continuous research into the structure of all things, he could now use his magic power to reshape the environment within the Mirror Dimension. This green grassland was entirely created by Ethan's magic.
As for why he did this...
Sirius, now a sheep and unable to control his actions, followed instinct and happily lowered his head to eat.
Lupin, watching from the side, immediately covered his face, unable to look. Snape, standing next to him, had long since dropped his cold expression as if the world owed him thousands of Galleons. He simply burst into laughter.
Given his past relationship with Sirius and his group, there was no need to hold back. Not stepping on him while he was down was already being generous. What harm was there in a few laughs?
Dumbledore said nothing, because Ethan had kept his promise and hadn't really harmed Sirius, only made him deeply realize the vast difference in power between them.
Under such circumstances, what could he say? Besides, Dumbledore could see that the grass was essentially made of magic. Eating it wouldn't harm anyone. Even if it were real grass, eating a few blades wouldn't be a big deal. Wizards brewed potions with even stranger ingredients and still drank them when necessary.
The spell didn't last long, and Sirius soon returned to normal. Though his posture upon recovery wasn't exactly graceful—he was lying on the ground with his face buried in the grass, still biting a mouthful of it. He even had some dirt and grass he hadn't yet swallowed.
"Ptooey, ptooey!"
After regaining control, Sirius immediately spat out the contents of his mouth and looked at Ethan as if he had seen a ghost.
"What was that just now?"
"Transfiguration into a sheep. If you didn't like that, I also know a Pig Transfiguration. Want to try that?"
"No, thank you."
Sirius had never raised his wand so quickly, but this time it wasn't to cast a spell, just to express his refusal.
"I surrender."
He didn't even know how or when the spell had been cast. Everything had happened in a daze, and then somehow they were in this strange place... where was this, even?
No matter how he looked at it, the power gap was just too enormous. Continuing this fight would be asking to be humiliated.
Though Sirius had become more short-tempered after his long years of wrongful imprisonment, he wasn't stupid. Why make things difficult for himself and go out of his way to suffer?
Seeing the slightly disappointed look on Ethan's face, Sirius felt he had made the right decision.
"Looks like I don't need to worry about Harry's safety."
Even putting aside that bizarre Transfiguration spell, just the ability to silently transport a group of people to another location was enough to ensure Harry's protection.
As for his own humiliation? That didn't matter. Sirius, having gone through so much, had developed a shorter fuse, but he wasn't an unreasonable person. If he were in Ethan's shoes and was still questioned despite such power, he would have wanted to teach the other party an unforgettable lesson too.
Furthermore, in the next second, with a wave of Ethan's hand, the grass underfoot turned back into pure magical energy and dissipated. In fact, it was reabsorbed by Ethan. The scene was clearly meant to let Sirius know that he hadn't actually been forced to eat grass.
The surrounding environment also returned to the Hogwarts classroom. Except for Dumbledore, everyone believed that the previous scene had just been a magic-induced illusion.
"So, we didn't actually leave Hogwarts?"
"No."
Dumbledore looked around. He could sense that this area was still filled with Ethan's magic power. This was still the space Ethan had created, and they had not yet returned to the actual Hogwarts.
More importantly, he could use Apparition here, while under normal conditions, this spell absolutely could not be used within Hogwarts (in the films, Dumbledore does sometimes Apparate in the school, likely due to his privileges as headmaster or knowledge of a bypass).
But that wasn't the main point. The key was that even when he tried to Apparate, he realized he couldn't truly leave this room. It was a sealed space, created by a spell.
As Ethan raised his hand and gently clenched his fist, a shattering sound echoed out. The space around them collapsed like broken glass, revealing the same classroom as before.
"Now we've truly returned to Hogwarts."
Wizards in the Harry Potter world also have significant knowledge of spatial magic. The most common example is spatial expansion spells, which allow a small tent to hold a space large enough for more than a dozen people.
Spatial folding is also commonly used to hide or distort the true location of places, making them seem like they don't exist.
What Ethan used just now was likely a similar type of spell. The difference was that while other wizards required long preparation and specific tools or construction to achieve the effect, Ethan could instantly create a sealed space and trap everyone inside it without a sound. That was what truly shocked them.
The people present were all top-level wizards in the magical world. Their judgment wasn't poor, and they could understand the implications. That was why Sirius no longer doubted Ethan's power and finally believed everything Lupin had said.
"To be honest, at the time, I really thought you were joking with me."
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed there was a wizard who could do all that."
The duel ended just like that. Although Sirius had been thoroughly humiliated, he didn't feel any resentment or dissatisfaction toward Ethan. After a few words with Lupin, he sincerely offered an apology to Ethan.
"No need to apologize. I understand."
Ethan had already shown his strength during the fight. There was no need to act superior.
Although he wasn't here to make friends in this world, he didn't go out of his way to offend people either. Since Sirius had taken a step back, he was willing to say a few more words to reassure him completely.
"I can guarantee you that absolutely nothing will happen to Harry."
Even if something truly unexpected happened, even if Harry was killed by Voldemort, Ethan had a way to bring him back.
(To be continued.)