Chapter 33: 33: McGonagall's Attempt

One weekend in November, most of the senior students headed off to the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, leaving the vast Hogwarts castle feeling empty. The first- and second-year students who remained behind mostly lounged in their common rooms, catching up on sleep. A few, however—such as a certain pair of red-haired troublemakers—ventured out into the snow for a lively snowball fight. Nolan Von Draugr didn't mind the cold. His body temperature was naturally low, and even when he exhaled into the winter air, no mist escaped his lips like it did for witches and Muggles. The crisp chill sharpened his mind, and in such weather, Nolan often found it unnecessary to sleep at night. "Let's give it a try, Mr. Von Draugr," said Professor McGonagall, her voice steady and authoritative. She and Nolan were in the Transfiguration classroom, where they had pushed all the desks and chairs into the corners to create a large, open space for their research into new Transfiguration techniques. "I'm not sure if the vampiric transformation technique will work for wizards," Nolan said softly. "Don't worry! If McGonagall goes feral after transforming, I'll just knock her out!" chimed in Felicia. She cracked her knuckles loudly, making her enthusiasm unmistakable. Nolan turned to McGonagall with a faint smile. "That's wonderful news, Professor. Now you don't need to worry about losing control." "...You have a point, Mr. Von Draugr," McGonagall replied with a sigh. She couldn't help but marvel at Felicia's lively personality. Despite being a centuries-old vampire, Felicia seemed more like a playful, energetic young woman than an ancient being. "Since you've had experience transforming into a cat, I suggest you attempt a feline form for this vampiric transformation. It should help you ease into the state and resist being overwhelmed by wild instincts," Nolan proposed calmly. He added, "In fact, if a vampire's first transformation is into a wolf, their second is almost always a dog. The overlap in behavior between wolves and dogs is significant. Some even say that dogs are simply domesticated wolves." McGonagall nodded in agreement and began her transformation. Channeling her magic into herself, she initiated the process, and her formidable magical energy began reshaping her body. Although McGonagall was no stranger to altering her physical form—being a skilled Animagus who had spent significant portions of her life as a cat—this transformation proved to be agonizing. Her aged body felt as if it were being torn apart. Nolan blinked as he observed the bizarre creature that materialized before him. It had the body of a sleek black panther, but one leg was a petite cat's paw, while the other remained unmistakably human. "A chimera!" Felicia's eyes sparkled with excitement. She clapped her hands in delight, exclaiming, "What an incredible creature! Is this McGonagall's transformation? It's so ugly, but I want to keep it!" Nolan shook his head. "I think she just failed. Oh, poor Professor McGonagall..." Indeed, McGonagall appeared to be in great pain. The panther half of her body was drenched in sweat, leaving its black fur damp and matted. Felicia cheerfully delivered a powerful punch to the panther's head, rendering it unconscious. Nolan quickly counteracted the vampiric transformation with his unicorn wand, reverting the chimera back into the form of an elderly witch. "This was a terrible idea, Mr. Von Draugr," McGonagall said half an hour later, after regaining consciousness. Reflecting on the experience, she admitted, "We should never have attempted to use vampiric power on a witch. During the transformation, I felt as though all the blood in my body was boiling, almost evaporating. Your kind's power undoubtedly stems from your blood. Wizards don't possess such an inherent force." "I had hoped magic could substitute for bloodlines," Nolan said thoughtfully. "It seems that isn't feasible. To achieve our goal, we have two options. The first is to create a magical artifact capable of converting magical energy into bloodline power. The second is to develop a potion that can temporarily grant non-vampires the attributes of our kind." Professor McGonagall pondered Nolan's suggestions, realizing that both avenues—creating magical tools or developing a potion—were theoretically feasible, though extremely challenging. Modern witches and wizards had few skilled artisans capable of crafting magical artifacts. The most commonly produced items were flying broomsticks and wands. As for creating new potions, sourcing the necessary ingredients was a significant hurdle. Nolan shared his perspective. "We can work on inventing the new transformation magic while also preparing a magical artifact and a potion to enable wizard-vampire hybrids. I'm confident this won't take too much time. Professor McGonagall, I'm the only one who can simultaneously wield vampiric abilities and wizarding magic. Please teach me the Animagus spell, and I'll use it as a foundation to develop this new transformation magic." Professor McGonagall hesitated. She worried about whether Nolan could withstand the process of becoming an Animagus. Even among experienced and knowledgeable wizards, some lost themselves to the animal instincts and became permanently trapped in their beast forms. In fact, the number of officially registered Animagi each year rarely exceeded double digits, highlighting how rare it was for wizards to master this ability. Nolan, however, remained unfazed. "I began learning vampiric transformation techniques at the age of seven. Believe me, that is far more challenging than becoming an Animagus. Being constantly influenced by a beast's primal instincts isn't exactly enjoyable." Felicia giggled mischievously. "Nolan's first transformation was into a lamb. There were several occasions when I couldn't find him, only for the maids to discover him kneeling in the grass, chewing on clover. At the time, he outright refused to believe he was a vampire and insisted he'd been born a lamb." A faint flush of color spread across Nolan's pale skin as he anxiously tugged on Felicia's gown. "Please stop talking..." "Why shouldn't I talk about it? While I still don't understand why turning into a lamb has any practical use, it was absolutely adorable. From that day forward, Nolan has always been a sweet little lamb in my heart!" Nolan glanced awkwardly at Professor McGonagall, trying to maintain his dignity as he mumbled, "My second transformation was into a wolf. Among vampires, it's not uncommon for someone to take the form of a herbivore. It's actually quite useful; we can disguise ourselves as harmless prey animals. After all, werewolves would never suspect their mortal enemies to appear so docile." "Of course!" Felicia chimed in with a mischievous grin. "They'd never expect it—but even if they don't suspect anything, they'd still happily gobble up a tender little lamb for lunch!" Nolan stared blankly at Felicia for a long moment before softly declaring, "Felicia, I dislike you." Watching their odd sibling dynamic, Professor McGonagall's lined face twitched as she fought back laughter. Finally, she managed to compose herself. "Very well, Mr. Von Draugr. I'll teach you the Animagus spell, but you must promise not to practice it unsupervised. Your skill in Transfiguration is the best in your year, and I'd hate to lose such a talented student—even if he's not a wizard."