Transfiguration is the ancient magic of changing something into something else. Although Transfiguration has been going on for centuries, precise date is unknown, artifacts that have been transfigured have been found in Muggle territories recently dating back to 5000 BCE Human transfiguration is difficult to master, as the unfortunate tendency to splinch (leaving parts of themselves behind after Apparating or Transfiguring). People who transform into only one animal are known as Anamagi. In Chapter 2, you will find a list of registered Anamagi.
It is illegal to be an unregistered Anamagi, and the Ministry of Magic revealed a few weeks ago that being an unregistered Anamagi is punishable by law and will serve a minimum of 5 to 10 years in Azkaban, and a fine of, at minimum, 900 Galleons. The reason behind the strict rules are clear. Transfiguration is a dangerous branch . Many people have half-transformed and killed themselves before the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad shows up.
Transfiguration comes in several different forms, the most popular being the "Wiliwani Method", after the late Argustus Wiliwani. The Wiliwani method of transfiguration is harder than normal transfiguration, but can be used more safely, and is used for responsible human transfiguration. The risk in most other methods are higher, but they are generally easier.
Although sounding fairly similar, Anamagi and human transfiguration are two pretty different things. An anamagi is usually someone who is either bitten by that animal (although most of the time anyone gets bitten by an animal, all you get is a mark, only on rare occasions do you become an Anamagi) or someone who had a bit of that kind of blood in the first place. Being an anamagi means that you take on the body, blood, ability, and (most of the time) personality of that animal. This is similar to being a werewolf, as the same things take place. The differences are that an anamagi can transform whenever he or she desires, but a werewolf always transforms only at the full moon. A list of registered anamagi follows:
Transfiguration is said to be one of the most versatile forms of magic. But then why could it only work on humans? The answer, most of the time, it doesn't. It is more than often that an object becomes something else, than in any other case. The first lessons for Transfiguration at most schools (with the notable exception of Durmstrang Institute) involves changing a simple match into an even simpler needle. Transfiguration is also a solution to several problems. If you were to have to avoid a dragon, you could merely transfigure anything nearby to a better bait, and run for it.
Many use transfiguration for dark things too. One example is the dark wizard Grindewald, who ruled over 50 years ago before his defeat by Albus Dumbledore. Grindiwald used transfiguration to turn everything in site-trees, buildings, and other things which crossed his path into giant fire breating dragons, and then moving them with his wand to areas where people were abundant.
Transfiguration can be done in three different ways:
Human transfiguration is very different, however. In human transfiguration, a person takes the body of an animal, but is no more than another body. Human Transfiguration will also give you the ability to do anything that animal can do, such as breathing underwater. Human transfiguration requires a permit from the Department of Controlled Human Transfiguration. However, at the following schools, permits have been given to practice human transfiguration under supervision:
Other schools may be given secial permission to do so if they aquire permission of the School Governers will give them a slip, in which the headmaster, the student, and at least one additional teacher must sign.
Williwani Spells: