Transfiguration In Battle-Discussion...Will be closing 6/30

Lifey smiled at her students as they entered her classroom one by one, each face eager for another year of learning. She recognized some from last semester, but others were new, and she looked forward to meeting them all.

"Welcome back to Transfiguration class! As you know this disscussion is worth up to 50 housepoints, so don't be shy and be active! I will not tolerate misbehaving of any sort, so if you find yourself drifting away, just think how pleasent it will be to loose points or have a nice chat with Filch during detention. Enough enough, lets jump right into the bussness of things.
"By now we all should have a firm understanding of what transfiguration is, and also an idea of how everyday transfiguration could be used. We've covered these topics so far."

Lifey stood by her trusty black board and wrote:

-The Basics of Transfiguration
-Everyday Transfiguration and how it affects wizard lives
-- Transfiguration at work

"Now our discussion last term (and i apologize for not covering as much as i would have liked last semester)covered how everyday transfiguration affects wizarding jobs. I would have liked to have had a unit on Household Transfiguration (let me know if you would like me to open a class on that!), but Transfiguration at work is very closly related to that. Mentioned several times by many of you was the profession of Auror. You said that Aurors would find Transfiguration incredibly helpful. This touches closely on today's topic.
"We will be discussing how Transfiguration could be used in battle, by both the 'good' side and the 'bad' side. To start us off...hands please...can i have some ideas thrown out there. Just what comes to mind if fine. Any ideas at all."

Lifey leand on the edge of her desk, looking for a hand.

Nancy walked into the classroom and smiled at her friend Lifey, the Trasnsfiguration Professor. "Hiya Lifey! Good to have another class going again!"

Nancy took a seat in the front row of the class and listened intently to her Professor. After Lifey had stopped talking Nancy raised her hand in the air.

"I think that transfiguration could be very useful in the final battle on both sides. One example is an Auror or Order of the Phoenix member could transfigure their opposing enemie's armour into something that would be less of a protection for them. They could also trasnfigure things in their surroundings such as large boulders, fences...ect. to become some kind of shelter or sheild to make them more protected form the curses thrown at them by the Death Eaters."

"You could also turn the tables and have the Death Eaters do the same things, using items around them and transfigure them into some kind of deterrant for spells cast apon them."

Well, most transfigurations can be used to attack both ways. For example, I believe I gave the example of ice in the last term. If you transfigure the land around you to ice and give yourself appropriate foot-wear, then the enemy cannot follow you as easily.

Katie who had been listening to everybody else's answers, was thinking hard. There were many things sge could say, but she was always a little shy. Finally she gained enough courage and punched her hand in the air.

When Kit finished talking, it was Katie's turn.

"Well, I agree. I definitly think it could be used on both sides, after all, Death Eaters have probably used it to trick others into joiing them, or as a showcase of there power. And the Order could use it more for attack on the Death Eaters."

Lifey grinned at her class. It was excellent to be teaching again!

"ah yes! Battle is closely related to dueling! I know many of you participated in the duels last term and had some unique collisions with Transfiguration.
What i'm hearing from you then, is that it can be used both as a deterrent, and directly on your enemy's physical body. Interesting."

Lifey turned to the board and wrote:

Defences
-Environmental
-Physical

She turned to check that her class was copying down notes from the board and continued speaking.

"So it is also a useful way to attack an opponent. Do you think Transfiguration would be mroe useful as an attack or a defence?"

Rigby walks into the room, late as usual. She takes a seat near the front and gives Lifey an apologetic grin. Looking at the board, she quickly catches up. Excited to join in her first Transfiguration class, she raises her hand to add her two cents.
"I think it would be best used as an attack first. For example, you could transfigure your opponent's wand into something useless, like a rubber chicken or a pillow. Then they would be defenseless and you could attack again quickly before they could respond."

Lifey gave Rigby an understanding nod with a 'try not to let it happen again' look.

"Good point. I never thought of actually Transfiguring their wand; do you think it would be too difficult to jinx such a powerful magical object though?"

Lifey wasn't sure about magic actually being performed ON a wand, but she supposed....

"It could possibly be an element Fred and George used on their fake gag wands that are mentioned in Goblet of Fire. Good point. Anythoughts about using Transfiguration on a wand, class?"

Seilin frowned as she thought. "Transfiguration can be used for both defense and offense, but I always saw Transfiguration as more useful in defense. For example, it is easier to transfigure something into a shield or something to defend, but if you want to transfigure something into a sword, for it to be useful, you would also need to know how to use the sword. Also, for Animagus transfigurations, it is easier to be reconnaissanse or spying, which is more defensive than offensive."

Pansy walks in late as if this were perfectly normal, casually leaning against a wall and joining in the conversation. "I think transfiguration is great in both and they work too well together to pick just one," Pansy says, preparing herself to go into deeper explination. "Both of them as a combo could be spectacular. For example, you could turn your opponent into something as a defense, then attack it in many different ways and forms while transfiguring things. As I previously stated, I think they both work too well together to pick only one."

Stephy runs into the room and tries to catch up on the notes.As she wrights them down she thinks of something and raises her hand into the air. Once called on she started to say: "Not only could you make your oppents outfit less protective but you could make your own outfit more protective. I also think that it would be better to attack first because as you use a spell to weaken the others outfit they could send a spell at you that could hurt you or even kill you." Stephy then continues on with the notes and finally ctaches up and looks up to see if theres anything else shell need to add

Seilin frowned as she thought a bit more. "But can't some of these transfigurations be easily undone? Transfiguration takes a lot of magical power, and the hard ones would take more, leaving less strenght for the actual battle. The easy ones would be quick and let you have more strength for the fight, but they would also be easily undone."

June finished taking the last barage of notes and raised her hand. When she was called on, she said, "I agree with Seilin. But also, if you cast a lot of transfiguration spells, could they all be done away with one finite incantatem, or would your opponent, say a Death Eater, have to use multiple cancelling spells? Becuase if it's the latter option, then that would give you time to cast a bunch of defensive spells, for example, transfiguring a stick into a wall to block spells for you, or even transfiguring yourself into an animal or other... like an animagus."

Stephy then raises her hand and says "You would think a deatheater would have a way of making it so that you can cancel out a spell. Theyre suppose to come up with powerful spells that only a dark wizard can use. Like Avada Kedavra is a strong spell and theres no way you can defind yourself from it so youd think theyd do the same thing when it comes to Transfiguration spells."

"Do remember though that it helps to know exactly what spell was used to reverse it properly." Lifey pointed out to her class.

"But yes, you all bring up excellent points here. Cloaking and disguise would also be augmented with the use of Transfiguration, don't you think?"

//sorry...but what does augmented mean?\\

(Helped, but i'm not sure it's a real english word...i think i englishized a latin word)

// thanks!\\
"Yes," June said. "For example, if an auror didn't have an invisibility cloak, couldn't the auror transfigure something into a temporary one? Also, you can transfigure different parts of yourself to resemble someone you're not." As she talked, June's quill scritch-scratched as it took notes.

Rebecca quickly walked in, catching the June's statment. As Rebecca sat down she commented , "I don;t know. Could you really transfigure something into an invisiblity cloak? If you could, wouldn't everyone do it? I mean, almost everyone would want one, and if it was that easy to get your hands on one, even if it was temporary, people everywhere woould be unseen.'

"True..." June murmured as she bit her lip. "What if you transfigured say, a stick, into a big ferny plant, to hide you?"

"yes, that would be simple, wouldn't it? but it also would depend if the fern plant was common to that area, if you transfigure the twig and the plant is uncommon then it sticks out."

"But that could help the Order as well, say, if maybe a DE were to transfigure something into an uncommon hiding helper than they would be given away very easily."

June laughed. "Yeah, and it's not as if Death Eaters are likely to spend time researching different plants and the environment of a battle. But couldn't someone also transfigure themselves into say, a rock or something, and then change back when the danger's gone? Also, it would really help if the person was an animagus."

"Oh yes that'd help! I mean if you had people from say the order sneak up on DE's in their animagus form, and then sneak attack turniing back into regular human form...wow...."

Rebecca bit her bottom lip and then added , "But that could work both ways."

"True...," June said while she thought some more. "I still think that the transfiguring yourself would be a good idea. I mean, it's really rare to have be a Metamorphagus, so if you can transfigure your hair a different color and length and your eyes a different color and shape, then you'd be almost unrecognizable."

"Very true," Rebecca said thinking hard, "And of course it work even better if no one new that you were a metamorphagus...on your oppiste side, i mean. It work as an awesome disgiuse."

June vigorously nodded her head. "You're right. Couldn't transfiguration also help you if say a Death Eater was looking for you and you could transfigure yourself into part of the surroundings: you would just blend in.

"yes of course," Rebecca said and then thought about all of this.

"The thing about the invisability cloack is that i think i read somewhere that it is made from some type of magical creature's fur or something so maybe since they have to use the creatures fur that maybe you cant use a spell to make something invisable" Stephy added

Rebecca nodded at Elana and Oddie and commented, "Yes i do beleive invisiblility cloaks are made out of an animals fur...I can't remember which one though."

She paused and then added after Elana's comment, "Yeah, you'd have to be really advanced to be able to do an invisibility spell."

June nodded her agreement. "I think invisibility cloaks are made from the fur of Demiguises. And those are supposed to be really rare because they can turn invisible at will," she mused. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Is there something, kinda like an invisibility cloak, but that just disillusions you? Like a portable cloak with a camouflaging charm on it? I don't think they'd be as rare as invisibility cloaks, and so it might be easier to transfigure something into one of them. THat is, if they exist at all."

"I think there is already a spell that camouflases you... I think it was use in the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phonix when Moody put that charm on harry so he couldnt be seen." Oddie added

"The disalusiment charm or something like that,"
Rebecca said.

"Ahh yes Demiguises arfe the animals!" Becca exclaimed as June refreshed her memory.

"Yeah, I know about the disillusionment charm," June said. "I was wondering if there is a cloak that incorporates that."

"There might be if not you could invent it" Oddie joked

June laughed. "Yeah... what a dream. But is one invented already?" she asked, looking around.

"I did some resurch and some reading and found nothing so you can go right on ahead and invent it" Oddie joked

Lizzie, after sitting in the back of the class silently the whole time, finally raises her hand. "Back to the animagus. I was thinking about the scene when Narcissa is going to Snape's and Bellatrix is following. She hears a noise and ends up killing an inocent fox, because she thought it might have been a spy animagus. Well from that, I think atleast the Death Eaters are aware and prepared for animagus to spy on conversations and things." Liz paused thinking it over. "On the subject of the disillusionment charm. I think that even if it were difficult, which it probably is, I think it would definately be worth learning. I also like the idea of the disillusionment cloak. That would be great! If it would be made of something more common. But the problem is that then more people on both sides would have them and I'd rather see my enemy than wondering if he's right next to me and if I'll be dead any minute. Also the disillusionment charm works so that you'll look like a piece of your surroundings so if you move to fast or are running away you will look like a blur and your enemy might see you and follow. I think it would be safer to transfigure some item into something to block you from view and then put a disillusionment charm on yourself so that they don't see the blur of you moving and then if they come look behind it you can stay still and they won't think anything is there or just transfigure yourself, which is difficult, into something (like Slughorn did when Harry and Dumbledore were coming to ask him to be potions master.)"

"I say just use an invisablilty clock and that would solve most of the problems that would would run into" Oddie said

"Yeah it would be nice if everyone could pull out an invisability cloak whenever they needed it, but they're rare and its not likely that you would have one when you needed it." Lizzie said in reply.

"Well thats whats transfigyration is for you just turn something into something else to help ya get through something. Like you could turn yourself into a dog or something and get through unnoticed that is if no one knew you were an animagus and also you would have to be an animagus too...." Stephy said as she started to trail off

Frahs has just become a new member and barges into class, and to compenstae for all that he has missed brings up a great point. "couldn't we just transfigure the Air into an Imperviable wall when an opponent is following us, making it impossible for them to get to us and attack? or you could just Transfigure their heads into chickens." This awsome point that frahs has brought up starts many people to talk and wonder, "why couldn't we do just do that?"

I just realized they could apparate to the other side of the wall, so i'd like to change what i meant slightly, a round wall that surrounds you, that is only small enough for you, so that the deatheater can't aparate in otherwise u guys would be smushed, and he'd have trouble with the three rules of aparating if he didn't even know exactly what it looked inside this small little imperviable room you made.

"That would be a good idea but it would probably requir a lot of knowledge of transfiguration to change something so small like the air's particles into something much bigger like a solid wall" Stephy said. "As for turning thier heads into chickens if you were going to turn something into a chicken why not turn thier whole body into a chicken and also i believe this too would reguire a lot of knowledge and practice."

Wanting to get back into the discussion, Rigby jumps right in, "I imagine that transfiguring your enemy would be quite a lot harder than changing a smaller or inanimate object. The degree of skill required would probably be much highter than the average witch or wizard's capability, because otherwise I think we would have seen it more in Harry Potter. If it were easier to do I think that it would be a great first attack- rendering your opponent to something as harmless as bunny rabbit would first of all take away their ablilty to use their wand, and secondly make them easy to dispose of with a second spell. But that brings up the question, when wizards are transfigured, how much of their human selves do they retain? Would it be dangerous to stay transfigured too long? I am ruling out animagus because that is a self-performed, hight skilled transfiguration".

Well done to everyone that participated. We kind of got off topic there for a bit...and there were quit a few one line posts. Hopefully with the next discussion...we can change that! Otherwise...everyone had great thoughts. I might use some of the discussion for future classes or discussions. Housepoints are as follows...


Ravenclaw-
Stephy-40
Elana-35
Rigby Dumbledore-35
kit-30
dumbledoresgirl7-25
frahs-20


Gryffindor-
RhiannonMei-40
The4Potters-40
KatieBellaTrix-20


Slytherin-
Snapes_girl-25
Pansy-20