Transfiguration
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous
magic you will learn at
Hogwarts. Anyone messing around
in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
--
Minerva McGonagall, first lecture
to first-years
(PS8)
Transfiguration is magic which changes one object into another. It is possible to change inanimate objects into animate ones and vice versa. Some Transfiguration spells alter a part of something, such as changing a person's ears from normal into rabbit ears. At Hogwarts, Transfiguration is taught by Professor McGonagall. Fifty years ago, Albus Dumbledore was the Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts (CS13).
Transfiguration spells were cast in ancient times as well. Circe, a witch who lived in the Greek island of Aeaea, was famous for turning lost sailors into pigs (fw3).
The opposite of Transfiguration is Untransfiguration, which would be returning something to its proper form (OP29).
Transfiguration is subject to rules, such as Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, which has five Principal Exceptions, of which food is one, which means that food cannot be produced out of thin air. Food can be moved from one place to another by magic, or changed, but not created out of nothing (DH15).
transfigurations
McGonagall's Animagus Transfiguration (PS1)
McGonagall changes her desk into a pig (PS8)
students try to change match into a needle (PS8)
Hermione earning House points in class for knowing about Switching Spells (PS9)
students trying to turn a mouse into a snuffbox for their end of term Transfiguration practical - extra points for how pretty the snuffbox was, points off if it still has whiskers (PS16)
McGonagall Transfigured the chessmen to make them 'come alive' (PS16)
students turning a beetle into a button (CS6)
testimonial of a man able to turn his wife into a yak after a Kwikspell course (CS8)
gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office 'coming to life' when password is spoken (CS11)
students turning pairs of white rabbits into slippers (maybe you have to be familiar with bunny slippers to think this is funny) (CS16)
student accidentally changes his friend into a badger in class (CS11)
fat white rabbit changing into a top silk hat and back in the Magical Menagerie (PA4)
McGonagall's first lecture on Animagi, with demonstration (PA6)
Transfiguration practical: transforming a teapot into a tortoise, concerned over whether they had spouts for tails, breathed steam, or still had willow-patterned shells (PA16)
Padfoot Transfigures back and forth from Animagus form (PA20)
'Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret' (GF13)
Ron fantasizes about Moody Transfiguring Snape into a horned toad (GF14)
changing a hedgehog into a pincushion (GF15)
considering using Switching Spells to change a dragon's teeth into wine-gums (GF20)
transfiguring oneself to acquire extra powers (post-O.W.L. level) (GF20)
Cedric Transfigures a rock into a Labrador retriever to distract the Swedish Short-Snout (GF20)
students changing guinea fowl into guinea pigs (GF22)
cross-species switches (GF22)
wishing to be an Animagus to be able to breathe underwater as a goldfish or a frog (GF26)
Rita Skeeter revealed as unregistered Animagus (GF37)
learn human transfiguration in the sixth year at Hogwarts (GF26)
Vanishing Spells, among the most difficult O.W.L. material - working on invertebrates (snails) (OP13)
Conjuring Spells mentioned as N.E.W.T. level (OP13)
long essay for McGonagall on the Inanimatus Conjurus spell (OP14)
Vanishing Spells, starting on vertebrates (OP15)
mention of Skeeter's status as an unregistered Animagus (OP25)
looking for a book on Partial Vanishment in the library (OP26)
Healing requires at least an E on a student's Transfiguration O.W.L. (OP29)
Aurors frequently need to Transfigure or Untransfigure in their work (OP29)
McGonagall requires at least an 'E' on the Transfiguration O.W.L. for a student to enter her N.E.W.T. classes. Near the end of his fifth year, Harry was averaging only an 'A' (OP29)
series of diagrams in Intermediate Transfiguration showing an owl turning into a pair of opera glasses (OP31)
Griselda Marchbanks examined Dumbledore personally in Transfiguration and Charms when he did N.E.W.T.s (OP31)
Harry forgot the definition of a Switching Spell in his Transfiguration written O.W.L. (OP31)
Harry managed to vanish the whole of his iguana in his Transfiguration practical O.W.L. (OP31)
Hannah Abbott accidentally multiplied a ferret into a flock of flamingos (OP31)
Dumbledore brought the fountain statues 'to life' (OP36)
