Chapter 98: The Animagus Transformation

"Bilbo, are you certain you want to do this?" Kael hadn't expected Bilbo to volunteer so readily, and he reminded the hobbit with grave seriousness. "The dragon has awakened, and it might be waiting for us to walk into its trap right now. If you go, it will be extremely dangerous. You could even die!" Facing the worried and disapproving attitudes from both Gandalf and Kael, Bilbo smiled brightly, his eyes twinkling with determination. "After all, isn't this exactly what I came here to do?" "My luck has always been pretty good. Maybe I'll find the Arkenstone immediately upon entering, without even encountering the dragon!" Regarding Bilbo's words, which seemed to comfort both them and himself, Gandalf was filled with worry and even felt some regret for having drawn this innocent hobbit into such perilous trouble in the first place. However, Kael noticed Bilbo unconsciously slipping one hand deep into his pocket, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. Although Bilbo spoke comforting words, wasn't he also confident in himself? Or rather, confident in that One Ring hidden in his pocket? Since Bilbo, the main party involved, had agreed, Kael and Gandalf naturally had no reason to oppose him further. But before Durin's Day arrived, the full moon night came first. Kael carefully took out the mandrake leaf that had been under his tongue for an entire month and placed it in a small crystal vial filled with his own saliva. The leaf had taken on a translucent quality after its long sojourn in his mouth, and it glowed faintly in the moonlight. Then, under the silvery moonlight shining on the crystal vial, he added a strand of his own hair and a silver teaspoon of dew that sparkled like liquid diamonds. The dew had been collected by Kael when they passed through Mirkwood earlier. The precious liquid had to be gathered from a place that hadn't been touched by sunlight or human footsteps for seven full days, and Mirkwood had plenty of perpetually dark and unreachable places perfect for such requirements. Finally, Kael added a death's-head hawkmoth chrysalis, its dark surface seeming to absorb the moonlight. After completing all the ritual components, he now only needed to place this mixture in a quiet, dark, undisturbed place until the next thunderstorm arrived, then dig it up and drink it all at once to complete the final Animagus transformation. But thunderstorms couldn't be predicted, so the wait for a storm could last weeks, months, or even years. This was also why Animagus transformations were so difficult to achieve. The success rate depended entirely on luck and timing. However, this step wasn't actually a problem for Kael. If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain. Since the arrival of thunderstorms couldn't be predicted, he would simply go to a place where thunderstorms were frequent and bury the crystal vial there, eliminating the need to wait painfully for storms to arrive naturally. And Kael knew exactly such a place. So Kael bid farewell to everyone that very night, used a Reparo charm to repair a damaged fireplace in Dale, connected it to the fireplace in Rivendell through the Floo Network, scattered a handful of Floo powder into the emerald flames, and transported himself to Rivendell in a whirlwind of green fire. In Rivendell, Elrond hadn't returned yet from his council business. After briefly greeting the elven twins Elladan and Elrohir, Kael mounted his flying broomstick and soared toward the towering peaks of the Misty Mountains. His destination was the High Pass in the Misty Mountains. There were frequent thunderstorms there year-round, making it the perfect place to bury the crystal vial and wait for nature's electrical display. Kael rode his flying broomstick smoothly through the mountain air to the High Pass. The stone giants that had once played their destructive games there were no longer present, leaving only scattered traces of the chaos caused by hurled boulders and cracked mountain faces. Kael found a quiet, dark, and undisturbed spot in the pass canyon and buried the crystal vial deep in the rocky earth. He also set up magical protections around the burial site, weaving protective charms just in case any curious mountain creatures decided to investigate. With all this preparation complete, he now only needed to wait quietly for the thunderstorm to arrive. Kael looked up at the cloud-covered sky with anticipation, watching the dark clouds roll and churn ominously overhead. Given the perpetual stormy weather conditions here, it wouldn't be long before a thunderstorm would crash through these peaks. Then Kael left the place, returned to Rivendell on his broomstick, and went back to Dale through the fireplace connection. "Did everything go smoothly, Kael?" Gandalf asked as soon as Kael emerged from the fireplace, brushing soot from his robes. Kael nodded with good spirits and smiled broadly. "Very smoothly. Now we just wait for the next thunderstorm to appear." "That should be soon. I remember the Misty Mountains have many thunderstorms during this season," Gandalf said with a knowing chuckle. "I think I'll be able to see your Animagus form soon. How exciting!" "I'm really curious what animal you'll become. Besides the Beornings, this is the first time I've seen magic that can transform someone into animals." Kael was also quite curious about what animal his Animagus form would be. Although an Animagus form usually matched one's Patronus, this wasn't an absolute rule. Some people's Patronuses changed with dramatic shifts in their personality or life experiences. For example, Severus Snape's Patronus changed to a doe after Lily Evans' death, reflecting his eternal love and grief. So while the Patronus had some reference value, it didn't necessarily mean he would transform into the same animal. Of course, if his Animagus was an owl, that wouldn't be bad either. He could fly and had exceptional night vision, perfect for stealth missions or infiltration work. The only slight regret was that Animagus transformations were usually limited to non-magical creatures. Transforming into magical creatures would have unpredictable and potentially severe consequences. Otherwise, if one could have a phoenix, dragon, or thunderbird Animagus, that would definitely maximize the potential of the Animagus ability. Thinking about this, Kael couldn't help but remember Beorn, who could transform into a giant bear. Beorn's bear form wasn't an ordinary bear. It was massive, incredibly strong, and had super-strong defensive abilities. It could truly be called a giant earth bear, towering above normal bears like a mountain above hills. According to Gandalf, Beorn's people, the Beornings, were originally just humans living in the Misty Mountains who gained the ability to transform into giant bears after receiving the blessing of ancient nature spirits. Kael was very curious about this phenomenon. If he had the chance, he wanted to study the mystery behind it to see if it could be applied to Animagus transformations. If he could upgrade his Animagus to transform into a magical creature, that would be a huge gain! But such matters couldn't be rushed. He hadn't even completed his basic Animagus transformation yet, so he put this ambitious idea aside for now. As Durin's Day approached, the group set out once again. This time, Kael acted as the transportation provider, carrying everyone around to the back side of the Lonely Mountain. However, he didn't have Gandalf's patience to ferry people back and forth one by one in multiple trips. So he directly cast a Levitation Charm on everyone, then tied them all together with a long rope, with the other end securely attached to his broomstick. Then, amid a chorus of frantic screams and startled protests, Kael flew toward the Lonely Mountain like someone flying a kite, pulling a group of floating people behind him through the air. Gandalf, sitting behind Kael on the broomstick, found this scene quite amusing and regretted not thinking of this efficient trick earlier. On the back side of the Lonely Mountain, starting from the foot of the mountain, there was a zigzag staircase carved into the living rock that extended all the way up to the mountainside. Kael rode his flying broomstick directly to the end of the staircase. Here was a flat stone platform with no visible path leading further up the mountain face. [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? 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