"The era in which Ulick Gamp lived coincided with the immediate aftermath of the Goblin Rebellion. To ease tensions with the goblins and preserve their right to mint coins, he incorporated currency into his laws of transfiguration—a perfectly reasonable decision."
"Moreover, goblin-forged coins carry powerful anti-counterfeiting charms that few ordinary wizards could ever undo. So, in a sense, it's not wrong to say that Transfiguration cannot affect money."
Dumbledore paused for a moment before continuing slowly.
"The third point, and the most crucial aspect of Gamp's Law of Transfiguration… is the conservation of matter and magic."
"Conservation of matter and magic?" Jon blinked.
"Yes. Matter and magic are conserved; the greater the transformation, the more complex the spell required." Dumbledore nodded. "I can easily conjure a flower from thin air, or transform a needle into a matchstick. But I cannot create a mountain out of nothing, nor turn a stone into a castle—or a mountain into one—because that would require a change far too great."
"Perhaps I'm being a bit overconfident, Jon…" Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "But since even I cannot do it, I doubt any wizard in the world could."
"Conversely, the smaller and more similar the objects, the easier the transformation?" Jon asked.
"Exactly! Very true." Dumbledore nodded, then continued, "Fourth, Transfiguration cannot affect the soul."
"Transfiguration can alter the structure of matter, but it cannot change the soul. For example, if a loved one were to pass away, you could transform something—or someone—into her likeness, but she would only ever be an empty shell."
"Similarly, if I were to transform Fawkes into a dragon…" Dumbledore caught the phoenix's displeased glare and hastily added, "Of course, that's merely a metaphor."
"…she would still possess the soul of a phoenix. If the transformation were brief, there would be no problem. But if it lasted too long, there would be two possible outcomes. In most cases, she would die from being unable to adapt to her new form. In extremely rare instances, however, she might gradually warp into a magical creature that exists somewhere between a dragon and a phoenix."
"The latter would amount to creating an entirely new magical creature—like Hagrid's 'Blast-Ended Skrewts' last year. In fact, most magical creatures were formed through Transfiguration, including those born from wizards' experiments in the art. That's why such transformations are strictly forbidden."
"Therefore, animal Transfiguration must strictly limit transformation time. There is only one form of Transfiguration that stands as an exception—one that has long been regarded as the highest achievement of the craft."
"Animagus?" Jon asked softly.
"Precisely. An Animagus allows a wizard's soul to fuse perfectly with an animal's body." Dumbledore nodded. "That's why it's extraordinarily complex, dangerous, and requires a bit of luck."
"Luck?" Jon repeated, sounding surprised.
"Yes. Take me, for instance—I lacked that bit of luck." Dumbledore said with a solemn expression. "I was never destined to become an Animagus. When I was fifteen, I was devastated for quite some time."
"Why?" Jon's voice turned slightly hoarse. "Because your Patronus is…"
"Yes. An Animagus's form is linked to their Patronus, since the animal revealed by the Patronus is the one most closely attuned to the wizard." Dumbledore shook his head regretfully. "But my Patronus is a magical creature. To take the form of a magical creature as an Animagus carries immense risk. Their souls are far more complex than those of ordinary animals, making it nearly impossible for a wizard to retain control after transforming into one."
"In history, there have only been two recorded cases of wizards whose Animagus forms were magical creatures—a Kneazle and a Crup. Though magical, both are very similar to ordinary animals. My Patronus, however, is a phoenix. Their souls are even more complex than those of wizards. So for me, it's virtually impossible."
"What if someone chose a different animal instead of their Patronus?" Jon asked again.
"You'd have to be an absolute fool…" Headmaster Phineas Black's voice rang out again. "Choosing a completely unfamiliar body would lead to only one outcome—your soul being torn in two during your very first transformation!"
Noticing every pair of eyes in the office turning toward him, Phineas Black's face stiffened.
"I was asleep!" he blurted, quickly covering his face with both hands as the other headmasters glared at him.
But that didn't stop over a dozen of them from crowding around his portrait—the sight was almost pitiful to behold.
"Phineas is correct," Dumbledore said gravely, nodding.
Jon bit his lip and sighed softly.
"Let's move on to the fifth point. The fifth point is that Transfiguration cannot affect time."
Dumbledore continued, "This one is actually quite simple to understand. The principle of Transfiguration is based on the conservation of matter and magic—including the existence of time."
"If you try to shorten time, even by a single second, then every soul in the world would have that second instantly compressed onto you. No wizard could withstand such a burden of time. Their soul would tear apart in an instant, and their magic would collapse."
"Likewise, if you attempt to extend time—even by a single second—the time required by every soul in the world must be drawn from your own. No wizard possesses that much time to give."
"Mhm." Jon nodded and began jotting notes in his notebook.
...
Dumbledore continued to share bits and pieces of knowledge about Transfiguration.
Jon listened attentively and took notes, though he no longer asked questions.
"He seems rather downcast," Headmistress Dilys Derwent said worriedly as she watched him.
"Understandable…" Headmaster Everard nodded solemnly, then sighed.
"Hmm, is someone knocking outside?" Headmaster Armando Dippet asked. "I'll go check."
He disappeared from his portrait—
—and reappeared seconds later inside the Headmaster's Office.
"Albus!" Armando Dippet cried. "McGonagall and Potter are outside! They're looking for you, but that stupid gargoyle won't let them through! Potter's shouting that he saw Arthur Weasley attacked!"