The Ravenclaw common room was unusually quiet that evening, save for the gentle crackling of the fireplace and the occasional rustle of parchment as students pored over their books. Moonlight filtered through the tall, arched windows, casting a silvery glow on the room's blue and bronze decor. A few students were whispering in the corners, absorbed in their own academic pursuits, but in the center of the room, Vera Sinclair sat at a table, frustration clear on her face.
Before her lay a ceramic teapot, stubbornly refusing to turn into a tortoise. Her wand was gripped tightly in her hand, her brow furrowed in determination. She flicked her wand once more and muttered, "Veraverto."
The teapot shuddered violently, its spout retracting slightly, but instead of morphing into a shell, it simply quivered and emitted a faint squeaking noise.
Vera groaned and dropped her forehead onto the open pages of Intermediate Transfiguration: A Practical Guide. "This is ridiculous," she muttered into the book.
A soft chuckle made her look up. Arnit Shukla had taken the seat beside her, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement. "I think that's the first time I've ever heard a teapot beg for mercy," he said, leaning in to inspect her work.
Vera rolled her eyes but couldn't help a small smile. "If I were you, I'd be impressed by my ability to make a teapot squeak instead of transform."
"But you have already started learning intermediate transfiguration. You must be really gifted in transfiguration," Arnit said smoothly, praising her.
"Says the boy who can do it all!" replied Vera in sarcasm.
"Hey! It's not my fault that I am so talented." siad arnit in a mock pride, his nose high in the air. Vera burst out laughing seeing Arnit's antics.
After stopping her laugh, she turned toward arnit and said in a serious voice, "after studying for one month beside you, one thing became quite clear to me that you are the best wizard, at least in our year. So, many students are trying to surpass you. After all, we are Ravenclaws. We pride ourselves on being the best academically. And in my case, while I am average at best in other subjects, in transfiguration, I will surpass you."
Arnit had a sheepish smile the whole time while listening to Vera.
After listening to her, he sighed, but faced her with some serious expression, "Fine. But I must tell you, it will not be easy. And don't expect any kind of mercy for me when trying to challenge me."
"Never expected it." Vera retorted
"But I will never shy away from helping anyone. Even that person hates my guts. So let me help you ." Arnit said sincerely, a smile on his face.
"Fine!" sighed Vera. "Tell me, what's wrong with my process then?"
Arnit tapped a finger against the page of her book. "You're overthinking the process," he said. "You're focusing too much on what the teapot was rather than what it should become."
Vera frowned. "That's the point, isn't it? I'm trying to force it into the shape of a tortoise—"
"And that's exactly the problem," Arnit interrupted gently. "Transfiguration isn't about forcing an object into another form. It's about guiding the magic in a way that allows the object to accept the transformation naturally."
He took out his wand and gestured toward the teapot. "Watch carefully." With a precise, fluid motion, he flicked his wand and said, "Veraverto."
Immediately, the teapot shimmered, its porcelain surface rippling like water. In a matter of seconds, its spout receded, the handle flattened into four tiny legs, and the entire structure reshaped into a small tortoise. The creature blinked lazily up at them.
Vera sighed. "It looks so easy when you do it."
"It is easy once you understand it," Arnit said. "You're tensing up before casting, which means you're unconsciously resisting the change. Try it again, but this time, visualize the tortoise first, not the teapot."
She bit her lip but nodded, taking a deep breath. She held her wand a little looser this time and let the image of a tortoise settle in her mind—its shape, its texture, the way it moved. Then, with a smooth flick, she said, "Veraverto."
The teapot trembled for a moment before its form melted and reshaped. The transformation was slower than Arnit's, but soon enough, a small, slightly lopsided tortoise with faint traces of a porcelain sheen sat on the table.
Vera's eyes widened. "I did it!"
Arnit grinned. "You did."
The tortoise blinked at her before suddenly twitching—and, with a pop, its shell sprouted a tiny porcelain lid.
Vera groaned. "Oh, come on."
Arnit chuckled. "Well, it's progress. At least it's a tortoise with a teapot lid, not a teapot with tiny legs."
Vera let out a laugh, shaking her head. "Thanks, Arnit. You really do make this seem easy."
He shrugged. "That's what friends are for. And besides, Transfiguration is just as much about patience as it is about skill." He tapped the tortoise's shell lightly. "Try again, and this time, no lid."
Vera smirked. "Challenge accepted."
Again Vera tried the spell and this time it was better than her previous attempts. But again the teapot reverted back to its original form after a few seconds.
He spoke after observing her attempts.
"You know the principles and theories behind the process, right?" Arnit asked suddenly.
Vera faced arnit, blinked twice before turning her face. "No!" came out a soft reply from her mouth. Arnit sighed again.
"You know that magic theory is as important as its practical." Arnit rebuked her, his voice still soft.
"But I managed to do it, right?" Vera said in defiance, her voice is low with no confidence.
"You might achieve this small feat but in the long run, it will create problems." explained Arnit to Vera.
"Let's start with the basic, Gamp's law of Elemental Transfiguration." said Arnit.
"I know that!" said Vera with indignation. She continued, "Law dictates that certain things, like food and life, have magical limitations."
Arnit nodded at her explanation, while further elaborating, "since a teapot is an inanimate object and a tortoise is a living creature, the transformation is not just a change in shape but also involves the introduction of life. This suggests that the magic involved doesn't create a true living tortoise but rather a temporary, animated version with tortoise-like qualities."
After letting her digest the knowledge, he spoke again, "Do you know about the principle of correspondence?"
Vera nodded, explaining, "this principle states that objects with similar properties can be transformed more easily."
Arnit smiled at her answer, nodding, "and that's why it's easier to transform a teapot into a tortoise because of its similar shape."
He continued "What about Conservation of mass and volume? How do you think that applied here?"
Vera answered slowly, her brows scrunching in concentration while thinking about the answer, "I think the teapot and the tortoise must maintain roughly the same mass during the transformation."
"Yes, if the teapot is too large or too small compared to a tortoise, the transformation might fail or result in an unnatural-looking creature." explained Arnit patiently.
"You should know that the spell does not truly create life but rather mimics biological function through enchantment. Magic does not create something out of nothing; it repurposes existing energy and matter. It also depends on materials. Some materials are more resistant to Transfiguration than others. The ceramic, the one you are using, might be easier to transform than a metal one because ceramic has more natural flexibility in magical transformations. But the most important thing in transfiguration is visualization and intent. If your intent is strong enough, you can transform things without any spell, just like Professor McGonagall."
Vera was nodding all this time while twirling her wand in her fingers.
And with that, the two continued their study session, the flickering firelight casting long shadows as they practiced Transfiguration well into the night.