Chapter 80: Animagus

Animagus was one of the highest achievements in human transfiguration. It allowed wizards to transform into a specific non-magical animal, making it convenient for hiding their identity or conducting covert operations. To perform Animagus transformation, one needed to hold a Mandrake leaf in their mouth for an entire month—from full moon to full moon—never swallowing the leaf or removing it from their mouth. If the leaf left the mouth, the entire process would have to start over. On the second full moon, the leaf would be removed and placed in a crystal vial filled with saliva, allowing it to receive pure moonlight. If that night was cloudy, one would have to find a new Mandrake leaf and start over. Under the moonlight shining on the crystal vial, one would add a strand of their own hair and a silver teaspoon of dew, which must be collected from a place that had not been touched by sunlight or human contact for seven full days. Finally, a Death's-head Hawkmoth chrysalis would be added, and this mixture would be placed in a quiet, dark place until the next thunderstorm arrived, during which it could not be looked at or disturbed. The entire process involved a great deal of luck, and the waiting time could last weeks, months, or even years. Therefore, very few people in the wizarding world could successfully transform into an Animagus. However, Kael was very confident in his luck, so after obtaining the Animagus transformation technique, he was curious about what animal he could transform into. Kael looked through the skylight at the full moon in the sky, feeling that fortune was on his side. He immediately took out the Mandrake from his space bag, plucked the most tender new leaf from it, and placed it under his tongue. Although it felt a bit uncomfortable, it barely affected his speaking and eating. Afterward, Kael lay back down. After climbing mountains for so long and experiencing several battles, he was so tired he could sleep the moment he hit the ground. As for the giant bear outside, Kael knew it was Beorn the skin-changer, a good character. So unlike the dwarves who were nervous and worried, he, like Gandalf, confidently allowed himself to fall into deep sleep. The next day, everyone gradually woke up. Looking through the door crack, the giant bear outside was gone, replaced by a very tall man wielding an axe to chop firewood. Seeing this, Gandalf had the dwarves stay inside the house first, waiting for his signal before coming out two at a time. This was because the owner here had no fondness for the dwarf race. Then he went outside with Kael and Bilbo. "Gandalf, you look a bit nervous?" Bilbo asked puzzledly. "Nonsense, how could I be nervous." Gandalf shook his head in denial. Kael looked with some amusement at the slightly uncomfortable Gandalf. Yesterday they had forcibly occupied someone's house and kept the owner locked outside. Now seeing the owner, they felt embarrassed. The three of them slowly approached this three-meter-tall man. The man was extremely tall, with black hair and a thick black beard, broad shoulders, and a bare upper torso. As he swung his giant axe, his muscular physique bulged, splitting a thick wooden stake in half with one blow. He seemed to ignore the arrival of Kael, Gandalf, and Bilbo, continuing to chop wood on his own. "Ahem... uh, good morning!" Gandalf took the initiative to greet him. The man didn't turn his head and continued chopping wood. "Good morning!" Gandalf raised his voice and shouted again. This time the man stopped, gripping his giant axe and turning to look 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 Kael the Black-robed, and this is Bilbo Baggins." Gandalf introduced them one by one. "Never heard of you," the man said coldly, showing no courtesy. Gandalf's throat immediately caught, and he explained again, "Perhaps you've heard of Radagast? He lives on the western borders of Mirkwood." "What do you want?" "Just wanted to thank you for your generous hospitality," Gandalf said without embarrassment. "You may have noticed we took shelter in your house last night." "Two wizards and a halfling, what brings you here?" The man looked at the three with suspicious, scrutinizing eyes. "Uh, it's a long story. It's all because of the Orcs in the mountains. We were entangled with them for a long time. Fortunately, Kael killed Azog, and we were able to reach here safely..." "Who did you say was killed?" The man immediately became excited, rushing directly to Gandalf and about to grab his collar to interrogate him. Gandalf quickly stepped back several paces, pushing Kael forward. "You heard correctly, Mr. Beorn. Azog is dead, killed yesterday by this Black-robed wizard Kael before you." Beorn's gaze immediately shifted to Kael, his sharp and wild eyes staring directly at him. "Is what he said true?" Kael shrugged, meeting his gaze without flinching. "There's no point in lying about such things, since lies would be easily exposed, wouldn't they?" Beorn stared at him for a long while before withdrawing his oppressive aura and showing an unattractive smile. "I believe you. The Orcs are my enemies. You killed the Orc leader, so you are my friend!" Just then, the dwarves in the house mistakenly thought they had received Gandalf's signal and came out directly in pairs. Beorn, who had been friendly before, immediately changed expression, grabbing his giant axe and looking fiercely at the dwarves. "You brought dwarves too!" "Uh, I have to confess something... there are actually a few among us who are dwarves..." Gandalf explained awkwardly. "You call this group of dwarves 'a few'?" Beorn questioned. "Actually, it's just thirteen dwarves, not that many..." But ultimately, Beorn didn't attack the dwarves. "I dislike dwarves—they're greedy and blind—but I hate Orcs even more. My people were once the earliest inhabitants of the mountains. Later, Orcs came down from the north, and Azog the Defiler killed almost all my family. Now only I remain." "You were hunted by Orcs. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I allow you to stay here." Everyone was invited back into the house by Beorn, who treated them with bread, milk, and honey. However, compared to his somewhat cold attitude toward the dwarves, Beorn was very friendly toward Kael, inviting him to sit in the closest position to himself, then tirelessly asking Kael to recount the process of killing Azog. Gandalf, sitting on Beorn's other side, occasionally supplemented some details. Through conversation with Beorn, Kael gradually learned more about him. Beorn could not only transform into giant bear form but could also communicate with animals through low growls. So throughout the estate, besides himself, there were some animal servants, including four white horses, several grey dogs, a coal-black ram, and several snow-white sheep. In addition, there were cows, flocks of chickens, mice, bees, and so on, all obeying Beorn's commands and working in an orderly division of labor. It was like an animal kingdom. Everyone was shocked by this scene. And Kael was even more envious. Beorn's abilities were very similar to the legendary druids—not only could he transform into a giant bear, but he could also communicate with animals. After all, he currently only mastered Parseltongue, which was far inferior to Beorn's abilities. More importantly, Kael had now begun practicing Animagus transformation, but even if he succeeded, he would only transform into an ordinary animal. Beorn's giant bear transformation was not only enormous but also possessed great strength and stronger defense, already exceeding the capabilities of ordinary bears. If there was an opportunity, Kael would very much like to study the secret of Beorn's bear transformation. To see if he could combine it with his own Animagus, making himself the first wizard in history to transform into a magical creature. Of course, the prerequisite was that he first successfully master Animagus transformation. [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? Check out my Patreon for: ✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories ✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics ✓ Early access content www.patreon.com/meowthtl ???? Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter! Thanks for reading and supporting the story!