Animagus is one of the highest achievements of human Transfiguration.
It allows a Wizard to transform into a specific non-magical animal, making it easier to hide one's identity or conduct espionage.
To perform Animagus, one needs to hold a Mandrake leaf under the tongue for an entire month (from full moon to full moon) without swallowing or removing it; if the leaf leaves the mouth, the entire process must start over.
At the second full moon, remove the leaf, fill a small crystal vial with saliva, and immerse the leaf in it, allowing it to receive pure moonlight (if the night is cloudy, a new Mandrake leaf must be found, and the process restarted).
Add a strand of one's own hair and a silver teaspoon of dew to the crystal vial illuminated by moonlight; the dew must be collected from a place that has had no sunlight or human contact for seven full days.
Finally, add a Death's-head Hawkmoth chrysalis, place this mixture in a quiet, dark place, and do not remove it until the next thunderstorm, nor should it be seen or disturbed in the interim.
The entire process involves a significant element of luck, and the waiting period can last for weeks, months, or even years.
Therefore, very few people in the magic world are able to successfully perform Animagus.
However, Luke was very confident in his luck, so after obtaining Animagus, he was very curious about what animal he would be able to transform into?
Luke looked at the full moon in the sky through the skylight, feeling as if luck was on him.
He immediately took out a Mandrake from his spatial bag, plucked its tenderest new leaf, and placed it under his tongue.
Although he felt a bit unaccustomed, it barely affected his speaking and eating.
Then Luke lay down again; after climbing mountains for so long and experiencing several battles, he was so tired he could fall asleep instantly.
As for the giant bear outside, Luke knew he was Beorn, the skin-changer, a righteous character.
So, unlike the Dwarves who were nervous and worried, he, like Gandalf, confidently allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep.
The next day, everyone woke up one after another.
Peeking through the door crack, the giant bear outside was gone, replaced by a very tall man who was wielding an axe to chop firewood.
Seeing this, Gandalf told the Dwarves to stay inside the house for now and to come out two at a time when he gave the signal.
This was because the owner of the place had no fondness for the Dwarf race.
Then, he walked out the door with Luke and Bilbo.
"Gandalf, you seem a bit nervous?"
Bilbo asked in confusion.
"Nonsense, how could I be nervous?"
Gandalf shook his head in denial.
Luke looked at the slightly uncomfortable Gandalf with amusement.
Yesterday, they had forcibly occupied his house and kept the owner outside; now, seeing the owner, they felt awkward.
The three of them slowly approached the three-meter-tall man.
The man was extremely tall, with black hair and a thick black beard, broad shoulders, and a bare upper body; as he swung his giant axe, his robust and developed muscles bulged, splitting a thick log in half with one stroke.
He seemed oblivious to the arrival of Luke, Gandalf, and the other, continuing to chop wood on his own.
"Ahem... Uh, good morning!" Gandalf greeted proactively.
The man did not turn his head, still chopping wood.
"Good morning!" Gandalf raised his voice and shouted again.
This time, the man stopped, turned around with his giant axe in hand, and looked at them coldly, as if ready to chop them like firewood at any moment.
"Who are you?"
"I am Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey."
"This is Black Robe Wizard Du Yi'er, and this is Bilbo Baggins."
Gandalf introduced them one by one.
"Never heard of you," the man said coldly, giving no face at all.
Gandalf's throat instantly hitched, and he explained again: "Perhaps you've heard of Radagast? He lives on the western border of Mirkwood."
"What do you want?"
"Just to thank you for your hospitality," Gandalf said without embarrassment. "You may have noticed, we took shelter in your room last night."
"Two Wizards, one Hobbit, what are you doing here?" The man looked at the three with suspicious, scrutinizing eyes.
"Uh, it's a long story, all thanks to the Orc in the mountains; we were entangled by them for a long time, and it's fortunate that Luke killed Azog, allowing us to arrive here smoothly..."
"Who did you say was killed?" The man instantly became agitated, rushing directly in front of Gandalf, ready to grab his collar and interrogate him.
Gandalf quickly stepped back a few paces and put Luke forward.
"You heard right, Mr. Beorn, Azog is dead, killed yesterday by Black Robe Wizard Du Yi'er Wizard before you."
Beorn's gaze instantly shifted to Luke, his sharp and wild eyes staring directly at him.
"Is what he says true?"
Luke shrugged, meeting his gaze without flinching, "Such a thing shouldn't be possible to lie about, after all, it's easily exposed, isn't it?"
Beorn stared at him for a good while before retracting his oppressive aura, revealing a not-so-pleasant smile.
"I believe you."
"The Orc have a grudge against me; if you killed the Orc leader, you are my friend!"
And just then, the Dwarves in the house mistakenly thought they had received Gandalf's signal and walked out in pairs.
Beorn, who had been friendly, instantly changed his expression, grabbing his giant axe and looking fiercely at the Dwarves.
"You brought Dwarves too!"
"Uh, I have to confess something... that is, a few of us are actually Dwarves..." Gandalf explained awkwardly.
"You call this group of Dwarves 'a few'?" Beorn questioned.
"Actually, it's only thirteen Dwarves, not many..."
But in the end, Beorn did not lay a hand on the Dwarves.
"I hate Dwarves; they are greedy and blind, but compared to them, I hate Orc more."
"My people were once the earliest inhabitants of the mountains, then the Orc came down from the North, and Azog the Defiler almost killed all my family, leaving only me."
"You are being hunted by the Orc; the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I allow you to stay here."
Everyone was re-invited into the house by Beorn and treated to bread, milk, and honey.
However, compared to the somewhat cool reception the Dwarves received, Beorn's attitude towards Luke was very friendly, and he invited him to sit in the closest position to him, then tirelessly inquired about Luke's account of killing Azog.
To this, Gandalf, sitting on Beorn's other side, occasionally supplemented some details.
Through conversations with Beorn, Luke gradually gained a deeper understanding of him.
Beorn could not only transform into a giant bear but also communicate with animals through growls.
So, in the entire manor, besides him, there were also some animal servants, including four white horses, several grey dogs, a charcoal-black ram, and several snow-white sheep.
Besides these, there were also cows, chickens, mice, bees, and so on, all obeying Beorn's commands, each with their own orderly division of labor.
It was truly like an animal kingdom.
Everyone was shocked by this scene.
And Luke was even more envious.
Beorn's abilities were very similar to those of the legendary Druids; he could not only transform into a giant bear but also communicate with animals.
One must know that he currently only mastered one language, Parseltongue, which was far inferior to Beorn's abilities.
More importantly, Luke had already begun practicing Animagus, but even if he succeeded, he would only transform into an ordinary animal.
However, the giant bear Beorn transformed into was not only enormous but also incredibly strong and had stronger defenses, exceeding the abilities of ordinary bears.
If he had the chance, Luke would very much like to study the secret of Beorn's bear transformation.
To see if he could combine it with his own Animagus and become the first Wizard in history to transform into a magical animal?
Of course, the prerequisite was that he first successfully mastered Animagus.