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"I do hope they start right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it's supposed to be very difficult —"
— Description of Transfiguration[src]

Transfiguration was a branch of magic that focused on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, animal or person. It was taught as a core subject at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and other wizarding schools.

Nature[]

Horace Slughorn, disguise himself as a chair

Horace Slughorn disguised as a chair by the use of human Transfiguration

Transfiguration allowed a witch or wizard to change the form or appearance of their target via the alteration of its molecular structure.[1] Transfiguration could be done to most (if not all) objects and, as with most forms of magic, it included — but was hardly limited to — Transfiguration spells; it could be used to change an object into a completely different object, change a living creature into an entirely different species, as well as change inanimate objects into living creatures and vice versa. It was also possible to change things back. Conjuring things out of thin air, making things vanish into thin air, and making two things switch places were also elements of transfiguration. Transfiguration spells were distinguished from charms in that a charm added to or changed the properties of an object, while transfiguration changed the object itself; it focused on altering what the object was as opposed to what the object did.[2]

Transfiguration was a very difficult theory-based subject; a very systematic and exact magical discipline, deemed exceptionally hard work and regarded as more scientific than any other form of magic, working best for those of a scientifically-inclined mind. Furthermore, "when transfiguring, it is important to make firm and decisive wand movements. Do not wiggle or twirl your wand unnecessarily, or the Transfiguration will certainly be unsuccessful" as stated by Emeric Switch in A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. The practising witch or wizard had to get it exactly right for the transfiguration to be successful.[3] A stark contrast to Charms, which afforded a much larger margin for personal creativity.[4]

There were a number of factors a wizard had to take into account when carrying out Transfiguration spells. The intended transformation (t) was directly influenced by body weight (a), viciousness (v), wand power (w), concentration (c) and a fifth unknown variable (Z), as described by the following mathematical formula (as taught to first-years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry).[5]

Limitations[]

Whilst Transfiguration was an exceedingly useful branch of magic, it naturally had its own set of limitations, both legal and practical.

Backfire2

A poorly performed Transfiguration spell, in which the object is half-transformed

The first and foremost weakness of the art of Transfiguration was the difficulty of the art itself. When Harry Potter's class attempted to learn one of the simplest Transfiguration spells,[6] changing a match into a needle, in their first year, no one other than the prodigious Hermione Granger was able to make any kind of significant change to their match. Furthermore, if the spell was done improperly, the Transfigured object could have become half-Transfigured into a rather absurd form, or at the very least retain a few features from its original form (i.e. when turning a mouse into a snuffbox, it might still have whiskers afterwards).[7]

That being said, a wizard or witch attempting to perform a Transfiguration spell would often find it easier to transfigure one thing into something else when the targets original form was similar or had something in common with whatever it was to be transformed into (i.e. a statue of a dragon turning into an actual dragon, albeit the same size as it was when it was a statue). One also had to consider the overall mass and size of the object or entity to be transfigured; it was stated by Hermione Granger that it was extremely difficult to transfigure something as large as a dragon (the smallest breed having an average length of 15 ft),[8] even for a skilled transfiguration expert like Professor McGonagall.

Another limitation was that Conjuration was principally limited by the Five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. The first (and only known) of these was the restriction that one could not conjure food (though, pre-existing food could be charmed in certain ways — it could be enlarged, summoned from another location, or even multiplied. However, food could not be "made from thin air").[9] Similarly, Wizarding law set legal limitations on what one was and wasn't allowed to conjure.[10] Finally, even if it was both possible and legal to conjure something, it would ultimately never last.[10]

Strangely, whilst there were a variety of limits placed on Conjuration, the branch referred to as Vanishment seemed to be completely unrestricted (this also appears true of Untransfiguration).

There were also a number of practical and legal hurdles for a witch or wizard who wished to become an Animagus. The process of becoming one was not easy and allowed no room for error. Even if one did complete the process successfully, they would still only be able to transform into one particular animal species, predetermined by their inner qualities. Furthermore, after completing the process successfully, one had to register oneself at the Ministry of Magic (or face trial), due to the many potential uses of this kind of transfiguration in criminal activity.

Finally, while there were a multitude of spells for transforming inanimate objects into living creatures, the fact remained that the dead could not be revived via magic. Therefore, one could not "transfigure" the dead back to life, no matter how recently the death occurred.

Dangers[]

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
— Minerva McGonagall lecturing first-years[src]

Due to the applied, precise nature of Transfiguration magic, there was a large potential for it to go disastrously wrong, even for the experts. This was especially true if the practitioner wasn't taking things seriously and/or punching above their weight (with respect to the magic they are attempting to perform). If improperly performed, the Transfigured object could become half-Transfigured or permanently stuck in one state (whether fully or partially Transfigured).

GOF Viktor partial shark Transfiguration second task

Viktor Krum limited to a partial shark transfiguration

Another danger was that if a human was transformed into an animal, they took on the mental state of that animal. If the animal species in question was a creature of lower intelligence (which was more likely than not), then one would be entirely dependent on someone else to change them back, which meant the Transfigured person could have potentially been stuck in that animal form forever (which is why it was not recommended to cast this type of transfiguration on oneself). The only known exception to this rule was an Animagus, a witch or wizard who had undergone a ritual to gain the ability (not to be confused with a spell) to transform into an animal and still think as they normally did.[11] Of course the process of becoming an Animagus was very long and difficult and had to be done in a very specific way. If not done properly, a worst case scenario might be that one could have been permanently transformed into a human-animal hybrid.

Curiously, during the Second Task of The Triwizard Tournament in 1994, Viktor Krum half-Transfigured himself into a shark. While in this half shark form, he appeared to still think as he normally did.[12]

Classification[]

Transfiguration was divided into four branches (though — whilst based on canonical information — the typology is conjectural); they were, in ascending order of difficulty: Transformation, Untransfiguration, Vanishment, and Conjuration. In these main four branches there were also sub-branches, such as human Transfiguration and Switching, which would be in the branch of Transformation.

Transformation[]

Main article: Transformation
Tortoise to Trumpet

A tortoise being transformed into a trumpet

Transformation or Transubstantial Transfiguration[13] was a branch of Transfiguration that focused on altering or deforming the physical features or form of the target in some way. In other words, changing something into something else.

It should be noted that whilst this branch of transfiguration was the first covered in the Hogwarts curriculum, containing simple transfigurations such as Match to needle,[14] it also pertained to the most complex and dangerous forms of transfiguration too.

The branch Transformation also had three sub-branches, each with their own divisions and all of which overlapped with one another to some degree:

Switching[]

Main article: Switching
Switching Spell

Hermione Granger performing the Switching Spell on an apple and an ink pot

Switching was a sub-branch of transformation magic that involved transfiguring two targets at once, magically exchanging physical features between them so that they would transform into each other, effectively making them switch places. It differed from a regular transformation in two ways: firstly, switching targets affected two objects simultaneously instead of just one; secondly, the change in one of the pair was dependent on a change in the other.

It is difficult to gauge the relative difficulty of switches compared to other types of transfiguration because the exact year in which they were learned isn't known. However, Professor McGonagall was impressed when Hermione knew about switches as a first year student,[14] but was disappointed in Neville for not being able to perform even simple switches by fourth year.[15] Therefore, students must have started learning switches in second, third, or (early) fourth year (most likely third), earlier than almost all the other branches of transfiguration apart from transformation.

Trans-Species Transformation[]

Trans-Species Transformation was a sub-branch of transformation magic in which one living organism was transformed into a living organism of a different species. It was noted one of the most difficult sub-branches of Transfiguration, with only Human Transfiguration noted to be more difficult.

This sub-branch included Cross-species Switches and hence had some overlap with switching magic.

Human Transfiguration[]

Main article: Human Transfiguration
Human transfiguration

Draco Malfoy is transfigured into a ferret

Human Transfiguration was a sub-branch of transformation magic in which one transfigured human body parts or an entire human being into another form, allowing the practitioner or the target to take on an entirely different form or make various individual changes to their appearance. This branch of Transfiguration was noted to be more difficult than any other and is only taught at N.E.W.T.-level. One of the spells learned in sixth year at Hogwarts was the transfiguration of the colour of one's eyebrows.[16]

Many general human Transfiguration spells existed, this category housed the following type of Transformation magic as well: Animagus (a wizard who had acquired the ability to turn into an animal while still thinking normally), Metamorphmagus (a wizard who had the rare ability to change physical appearance at will), and werewolves (victims of the disease known as Lycanthropy and changed into feral wolf-beasts every full moon).

Untransfiguration[]

Main article: Untransfiguration
Animagus reversal spell GIF

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin untransfigures Peter Pettigrew

Untransfiguration was a branch of transfiguration that dealt in reversing a previous transfiguration and changing the target back to its original and rightful form. As such, it was therefore considered both a transfiguration and a counter-spell.

Reparifarge was a general spell used to counter the effects of a Transformation spell that was poorly performed and only partially transfigured the object in question. This spell was covered in A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration.[17] It was known that untransfiguration for failed transformations was taught early.

Vanishment[]

Main article: Vanishment
Vipera Evanesca GIF

Severus Snape vanishes a snake

Vanishment was a branch of transfiguration that was used to make things Vanish into thin air; to "make things go into non-being, which is to say, everything". The difficulty of the Vanishment to be performed correlated with the complexity of the organism to be Vanished (for example, snails, as invertebrates, were easier to Vanish than mice, which are mammals).[18] Vanishment was moderately difficult — learned in fifth year — and was considered one of the hardest transfigurations to be tested on in one's O.W.L.[19]

Strangely, only one incantation was needed to Vanish any object - Evanesco , Latin for "disappear" (with the intent of the caster alone directing it), unlike conjurations (which could require a variety of complicated incantations). Of course, there were other Vanishment spells intended for specific targets, like the Snake-Vanishing Spell.

Conjuration[]

Main article: Conjuration
Serpensortia

Draco Malfoy conjures a live snake

Conjuration was a branch of transfiguration that allowed a witch or wizard to conjure things out of thin air ("bringing things into being") and hence was the opposite of Vanishment. It was more difficult than its counterpart, being a N.E.W.T.-level feat, and was taught to sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts.[20][21] It was also considered to be very advanced magic, though some conjurations, like birds and snakes, were considered simpler then others.[22]

There were numerous restrictions (both in Law and Nature) placed on the art of Conjuration, unlike Vanishment which appeared to be unrestricted. For example, something that was conjured would not last (or, "remain in being"), but it is unknown whether or not something that was vanished could forever remain in non-being if left to its own devices.

Known Transfigurations[]

Human Transfiguration[]

"They had just embarked upon the immensely difficult topic of human Transfiguration; working in front of mirrors, they were supposed to be changing the colour of their own eyebrows."
Harry Potter regarding the difficulty of Human Transfiguration[src]

Prior to 1991[]

Caster(s) Date Notes
Unknown 1473 During the Quidditch World Cup of 1473, all 700 fouls were committed, including one of the players transfiguring one of the Chasers on the opposite team into a polecat.
Thaddeus Thurkell 1600s During the 1600s, Thaddeus Thurkell had seven sons, all of whom were Squibs. Thurkell was so angry he transfigured them all into hedgehogs.[23]
Mirabella Plunkett 1800s During the 1800s, it is possible that Mirabella Plunkett transfigured herself into a haddock in order to live with her merman lover, although it may be possible that she was an Animagus.[23]
Gellert Grindelwald 1926 Using entirely the power of Human Transfiguration, Gellert Grindelwald disguised himself as MACUSA auror Percival Graves.[24]
Circe ? Circe, a witch who lived in ancient times, was famous for turning sailors into pigs.[23]
McCliverts According to legend, after Quintius MacBoon, head of the MacBoon clan, killed the head of a the rival McClivert clan, Dugald McClivert, in a drunken duel, the MacBoons were attacked by the McCliverts and the entire family was transfigured into Quintapeds.[25]
D.J. Prod D.J. Prod stated that he was able to turn his wife into a yak after he took a Kwikspell course.[26]
Harry Potter 31 October, 1981 After travelling back in time Harry and Hermione used a transfiguration spell to disguise Harry as Lord Voldemort.[27]
Hermione Granger
Merula Snyde 1989–1990 Attempted to transfigure herself into a Thunderbird to impress the Sphinx Club and establish her reputation as the most powerful witch at Hogwarts. The spell went wrong and transformed her into a flobberworm instead.[28]
Jacob's sibling 1989–1990 Attempted to return Merula to human form after her flobberworm transformation, succeeded only in transforming her into a puffskein.[28]

1991 to 1998[]

"Harry turned and saw something monstrous cutting through the water toward them: a human body in swimming trunks with the head of a shark.... It was Krum. He appeared to have transfigured himself — but badly."
— Description of Viktor Krum's use of human Transfiguration [src]
Caster(s) Date Notes
Rubeus Hagrid 1991 Rubeus Hagrid gave Dudley Dursley a pig's tail in response to his father insulting Albus Dumbledore. Hargid later told Harry Potter that he was attempting to turn Dudley fully into a pig but was unsuccessful. This may have been a joke.[29]
Unidentified boy 1992 A Hogwarts student accidentally changed his classmate into a badger.[30]
Fred Weasley 1994 Fred and George Weasley invented the Canary Cream, a prank item which, when eaten, automatically transfigures the eater into a large canary, which they used on Neville Longbottom.[31]
George Weasley
Bartemius Crouch Junior Bartemius Crouch Junior transfigured Draco Malfoy into a ferret,[32] and in 1995, transfigured his father into a bone.[33]
Gwenog Jones ? Gwenog Jones, captain of the Holyhead Harpies, was particularly skilled at transfiguring anyone who disagreed with her into wood lice.
Viktor Krum 1995 While competing in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum attempted to transfigure himself fully or partially into a shark; ultimately, only his head was transfigured, the shark's teeth were misplaced.[12]
Horace Slughorn 1996 Horace Slughorn transfigured himself into an over-stuffed armchair in order to avoid detection by Death Eaters. Was discovered by Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter.[34]
Ron Weasley During a Transfiguration lesson in 1996, Ron accidentally transfigured a moustache on to his face.[16]
Harry Potter In a Transfiguration lesson Harry Potter transfigured his eyebrow bright yellow.[16]
Hermione Granger 1998 Hermione Granger used human Transfiguration to disguise Ron Weasley as "Dragomir Despard" before breaking in to the Lestrange Vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.[35]
Percy Weasley During the Battle of Hogwarts, Percy Weasley shot a jinx at Pius Thicknesse, transfiguring him into some sort of sea urchin.[36]

Transformation[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
Squibbert ? Transformed a teapot into a ferret.
White rabbit 1993 Fat white rabbit changing into a top silk hat and back in the Magical Menagerie.[37]
Fred Weasley Change Percy's badge to read 'Bighead Boy'.
George Weasley
Cornelius Fudge 1996 Transfigured a teacup into a gerbil, while trying to prove to the British Prime Minister that he was a wizard.[38]
Hermione Granger 1997 Trying to transfigure the mould off bread when at 12 Grimmauld Place.[39]
Minerva McGonagall 1990 Transfigured the chessmen guarding the Philosopher's Stone to giant size.[7]
1998 Turned Snape's black snake to smoke and then transformed the smoke to daggers.[40]
Albus Dumbledore 1992 May have transfigured the Slytherin banners in the Great Hall to become Gryffindor banners when he awarded Gryffindor last minute points.[41]
Cedric Diggory 1994 Transfigured a rock into a Labrador retriever to distract the Swedish Short-Snout.[42]
Severus Snape 1998 Transfigures McGonagall's fire into a black serpent.[40]

Vanishment[]

"At least he managed to Vanish the whole of his iguana, whereas poor Hannah Abbott lost her head completely at the next table and somehow managed to multiply her ferret into a flock of flamingos, causing the examination to be halted for ten minutes; while the birds were captured and carried out of the Hall."
— O.W.L practical exam for Transfiguration[src]
Wizard(s) Date Notes
Harry Potter 1991 Accidentally vanished glass at a Muggle zoo.[43]
1996 Vanished the whole of his iguana during his O.W.L. exam.[19]
1997 Vanishment to rid himself of a snake that had crossed this path during his Hunt for Horcruxes.[44]
Severus Snape 1992 Vanished a snake summoned by Draco Malfoy at the Duelling Club.[30]
1995 Vanishment as a means to get rid of Harry Potter's failed Draught of Peace potion.[45]
Minerva McGonagall Introduced Vanishment to her class in her very first Transfiguration class with fifth year students.[45]
Hermione Granger The only student that could vanish objects by the end of the lesson.[45]
Albus Dumbledore 1996 Vanishment to counter Voldemort's fiery snake during their duel.[46]

Conjuration[]

Before 1991[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
The Three Brothers Unknown In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the three brothers conjured a bridge to get across a river.
Appleby Arrows supporters pre 1894 Appleby Arrows supporters used to fire arrows onto the Quidditch pitch to support their team by use of the Arrow-shooting spell, however, the spell was banned in 1894 when referee Nugent Potts was pierced through the nose with a stray arrow.

1991–1992 school year[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
Rubeus Hagrid 31 July, 1991 Nonverbally conjured a fire in the grate in the Hut in which the Dursleys and Harry Potter were staying to avoid the barrage of Harry's Hogwarts letters.
Hermione Granger 1991–1992 Hermione conjured Bluebell Flames to keep herself, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter warm during the winter months, as well as setting Severus Snape's robes on fire and to fend off the Devil's Snare which was attacking them.
Filius Flitwick December, 1991 Nonverbally conjured gold bubbles for Christmas decorations.
Quirinus Quirrell 4 June 1992 Nonverbally and wandlessly conjured ropes to bind and gag Harry Potter by use of the Incarcerous Spell.

1992–1993 school year[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
Draco Malfoy 17 December, 1992 Conjured a snake by use of the Snake Summons Spell, while dueling with Harry Potter during the Duelling Club.
Minerva McGonagall 1 September, 1992
Nonverbally conjured a fire in the grate in Severus Snape's office by use of the Fire-Making Spell Spell.
18 December, 1992 Nonverbally conjured a fan after the attack of Nearly Headless Nick and instructed Ernie Macmillan to "waft" him up to the Hospital Wing.

1993–1994 school year[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
Albus Dumbledore 1993 Dumbledore may have conjured a stretcher and then 'magicked' Harry onto it when he fell from his broom.
Nonverbally conjured hundreds of purple sleeping bags for students who were taking refuge in the Great Hall after Sirius Black's break-in to Hogwarts
Nonverbally conjured a chair for Sybill Trelawney to sit in at the Christmas feast in the Great Hall.
Cornelius Fudge July, 1993 Nonverbally conjured two large glasses of amber liquid, one for himself, one for the Prime Minister.
Remus Lupin 6 June 1994 Conjured a wooden rod and bandages to help support Ron Weasley's broken leg by use of the Bandaging Charm.
Nonverbally conjured ropes to bind and gag Peter Pettigrew in the Shrieking Shack, by use of the Incarcerous Spell
Severus Snape Nonverbally conjured ropes to bind and gag Remus Lupin in the Shrieking Shack, by use of the Incarcerous Spell
Nonverbally conjured ropes to bind and gag Sirius Black when he found him unconscious next to Hermione Granger and Harry Potter under the influence of Dementor.
Nonverbally conjured stretchers to lift Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Sirius Black.
Sirius Black Nonverbally conjured manacles to bind Peter Pettigrew to Remus Lupin and Ron Weasley.

1994–1995 school year[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
Arthur Weasley August 1994 Conjured a fire in the Dursley's fireplace by use of the Fire-Making Spell.
Nonverbally conjured candles to light the darkening garden in the The Burrow.
Bill Weasley Nonverbally conjured tablecloths for the tables to prepare for dinner.
Garrick Ollivander November 1994 During the Wand weighing ceremony, Mr Ollivander conjured wine to test Harry Potter's wand by use of the Fountain of wine Spell.
During the Wand Weighing ceremony in, Mr Ollivander conjured a flock of birds to test Viktor Krum's wand by use of the Bird-Conjuring Charm.
Also during the Wand Weighing ceremony, Mr Ollivander also conjured flowers to test Fleur Delacour's wand by use of the Orchideous Spell.
Fleur Delacour 24 November, 1994 Conjured water during the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, by use of the Water-Making Spell.
Albus Dumbledore January 1995 Nonverbally conjured a tea tray at Hagrid's cabin.
24 June, 1995 Nonverbally conjured ropes to bind and gag Bartemius Crouch Junior after Polyjuice Potion with Alastor Moody's hair stopped working and he revealed by Veritaserum that he escaped from Azkaban and helped Lord Voldemort to capture Harry Potter.
Peter Pettigrew 24 June, 1995 Nonverbally conjured a fire under Voldemort's cauldron in the Little Hangleton graveyard.
Nonverbally conjured ropes to bind and gag Harry Potter to Tom Riddle Snr's gravestone by use of the Incarcerous Spell.
Lord Voldemort 24 June, 1995 Nonverbally conjured a silver hand for Peter Pettigrew to replace the one he sacrificed for his rebirth.

1995–1996 school year[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
Albus Dumbledore 12 August, 1995 Nonverbally conjured two armchairs, for himself and Arabella Figg, during the disciplinary hearing of Harry Potter.
17 June, 1996 During the Duel in the Ministry Atrium,Dumbledore conjured a fiery rope which he sent at Lord Voldemort by use of the Flagrate Spell.
Arthur Weasley January 1996 Nonverbally conjured a number of chairs for his family and friends while they were visiting him in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Minerva McGonagall December 1995 Nonverbally conjured three draws up straight-backed, wooden chairs, for herself, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley
Dolores Umbridge 17 June, 1996 Conjured ropes which bound Magorian the Centaur, after she insulted them in the Forbidden Forest, by use of the Incarcerous Spell.
Lord Voldemort During the duel in the Ministry Atrium, Lord Voldemort conjured a silver shield to block one of Albus Dumbledore's spells.

1996–1997 school year[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
Cornelius Fudge July, 1996 Nonverbally conjured two large glasses of amber liquid, one for himself, one for the Prime Minister.
Hermione Granger December 1996 Conjured a flock of canaries to keep herself company, by use of the Bird-Conjuring Charm.
Albus Dumbledore July 1996 Nonverbally conjured a dusty bottle of oak-matured mead and five glasses.
30 June, 1997 Nonverbally conjured a goblet to drink the Emerald Green Potion in the Horcrux cave.
Harry Potter Conjured water to give Albus Dumbledore in the Horcrux Cave by use of the Water-Making Spell, however, the water disappeared due to a protective curse.
Conjured ropes which bound an Inferius in the Horcrux Cave, by use of the Incarcerous Spell.
Conjured ropes in a failed attempt to stop Severus Snape fleeing from Hogwarts during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower
Conjured water by use of the the Water-Making Spell to douse the fire which Thorfinn Rowle had created.
Rubeus Hagrid
Thorfinn Rowle Conjured flames to set Rubeus Hagrid's cabin on fire by use of the Fire-Making Spell during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower.
Poppy Pomfrey Nonverbally conjured a chair for Minerva McGonagall in the Hospital Wing.

1997–1998 school year[]

Wizard(s) Date Notes
Antonin Dolohov 1 August, 1997 Nonverbally conjured ropes to bind and gag Ron Weasley during the Luchino Caffe Duel by use of the Incarcerous Spell.
Hermione Granger 31 July, 1997 Nonverbally conjured purple and gold streamers to decorate Harry Potter's seventeenth birthday party.
4 August, 1997 Nonverbally conjured a fire in the grate in 12 Grimmauld Place by use of the Fire-Making Spell.
While interrogating Mundungus, Harry Potter accidentally set his eyebrows on fire. Hermione Granger conjured water to put the fire out by use of the Water-Making Spell.
October, 1997 Conjured blindfold over the eyes of the Portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black to prevent him from seeing her, Ron Weasley's and Harry Potter's hiding place by use of 'Obscuro.
1997-1998 Conjured Bluebell Flames in order to keep warm and to cook with.
24 December 1997 Non-verbally conjured a wreath of Christmas roses to place on the graves of Lily and James Potter at the Godric's Hollow graveyard.
Hermione conjuring flowers GIF
2 May, 1998 Conjured a crystal flask to hold Severus Snape's memory.
Minerva McGonagall 1998 Conjured a silver rope and a net to restrain the Carrows.

Conjured a fiery whirlwind similar to a fire rope in her duel with Severus nape.

Harry Potter During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry tried to douse Vincent Crabbe's Fiendfyre curse with the Water-Making Spell, to ill effect.

Other[]

Wizard(s) Notes
Healers Healing requires at least an 'Exceeds Expectations' on a student's Transfiguration O.W.L.
Gargoyle statues outside Dumbledore's office 'coming to life' when password is spoken.
Harry Potter Considered using Switching Spells to change a dragon's teeth into wine-gums.
Wished to become an Animagus in order to breathe underwater as a goldfish or as a frog.studying for Transfiguration O.W.L.[47]

Transfiguration spells[]

Unknown incantation[]

Known incantation[]

Notable practitioners[]

Wizard(s) Notes
Albus Dumbledore Celebrated Headmaster of Hogwarts. Former Head of the school¨s Transfiguration department.
Minerva McGonagall Celebrated Headmistress of Hogwarts. Former Head of the school¨s Transfiguration department.

She was also a registered Animagus.

Horace Slughorn Successful at human transfiguration. Could take the form of an armchair.
James Potter Successfully became an Animagus (unregistered). James became a stag, Sirius a large black dog, and Pettigrew a rat.
Peter Pettigrew
Sirius Black
Remus Lupin As a victim of lycanthropy was successful at Trans-species Transfiguration.
Hermione Granger A capable student who could perform Professor McGonagall's tasks successfully on the first or with few attempts. She later became the Minister for Magic.
Harry Potter Took the subject at N.E.W.T. level. Later became an Auror and head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Ron Weasley Also took the subject at N.E.W.T. level. Later became an Auror, until he retired to work in a joke shop.
Rita Skeeter Successfully became an Animagus (unregistered). Took the form of a beetle.[48]
Nymphadora Tonks A natural Metamorphmagus
Teddy Lupin
Lily Evans Successfully transfigured a lily petal to become a fish when Slughorn found it.[49]
Viktor Krum Partially transfigured himself into a shark.[12]
Lord Voldemort Transfigured Dumbledore's rope of fire into a serpent[46] and created a silver hand for Peter Pettigrew.[50]
Bartemius Crouch Junior Transfigured Draco Malfoy into a ferret.[32]
Gellert Grindelwald Transfigured himself into Percival Graves for an extended period of time,[51] transfigured himself into Abernathy during his daring escape, transfigured the reins that carried his carriage into living snakes, and conjured a tongue for Abernathy.[52]

Transfiguration books[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. JKR on the difference between Transfigurations & Charms, accessed 28/7/2011
  2. J.K.Rowling Official Site - Extra Stuff
  3. J.K. Rowling at the Royal Albert Hall, 26 June 2003
  4. J.K. Rowling on the nature of Transfiguration, accessed 28/7/2011
  5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
  6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 7 (The Sorting Hat)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 16 (Through the Trapdoor)
  8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
  9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 15 (The Goblin's Revenge)
  10. 10.0 10.1 JK on the limitations of Conjuration, accessed 28/7/2011
  11. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 6 (Talons and Tea Leaves)
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 26 (The Second Task)
  13. Quidditch Through the Ages (real)
  14. 14.0 14.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 8 (The Potions Master)
  15. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 15 (Beauxbatons and Durmstrang)
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 15 (The Unbreakable Vow)
  17. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
  18. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 15 (The Hogwarts High Inquisitor)
  19. 19.0 19.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 31 (O.W.L.s)
  20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 13 (Detention with Dolores)
  21. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 14 (Felix Felicis)
  22. Wonderbook: Book of Spells
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
  24. JK Rowling FAQs - 5. Why did ‘revelio’ undo the effects of Polyjuice Potion?
  25. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  26. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 8 (The Deathday Party)
  27. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
  28. 28.0 28.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Side Quest "WELCOME TO THE SPHINX CLUB"
  29. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 4 (The Keeper of the Keys)
  30. 30.0 30.1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 11 (The Duelling Club)
  31. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 21 (The House-Elf Liberation Front)
  32. 32.0 32.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 13 (Mad-Eye Moody)
  33. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 35 (Veritaserum)
  34. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 4 (Horace Slughorn)
  35. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 26 (Gringotts)
  36. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 31 (The Battle of Hogwarts)
  37. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4 (The Leaky Cauldron)
  38. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)
  39. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 11 (The Bribe)
  40. 40.0 40.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 30 (The Sacking of Severus Snape)
  41. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 17 (The Man with Two Faces)
  42. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 20 (The First Task)
  43. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 2 (The Vanishing Glass)
  44. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 12 (Professor Umbridge)
  46. 46.0 46.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 36 (The Only One He Ever Feared)
  47. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 28 (Snape's Worst Memory)
  48. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 37 (The Beginning)
  49. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
  50. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 33 (The Death Eaters)
  51. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
  52. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay

See also[]

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