In the Harry Potter Without Harry Potter

Chapter 25: Change

Jon's first thought was that this ring could replace his wand and allow him to cast spells in the circumstance where he didn't have a wand.

And as the thought came to his mind, he asked it out.

"Will it allow me to discard my wand?"

"No, no, no, Jon, in fact when you have such a thought, you are misinformed."

Slughorn said, shaking his head.

"Wands have never been a constraint on wizards, it is a means of enhancing a wizard's magic, besides there are many parts of this world where wizards do not use wands as a means to cast spells, for example, some tribal wizards in Africa, they have always adhered to the tradition of hand gestures to cast spells. It is not difficult to learn such techniques, although they are complicated, so why don't European wizards learn from them? In fact, this question is like asking why we have to use a knife and fork when we can just simply use our hands to eat."

"It's not that wizards can't do it, it's just that casting spells with a wand is what we think is the most effective and efficient way of casting spells, as well as the most logical one. It's not as if no one has tried to replace the wand with some other magical tools, such as rings, crystal balls, books and so on, but the reason none of these has become popular is that what we are using is the best."

Jon looked at the ring in his hand with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, Professor you said it would allow me to learn a way of casting spells that no one else was able to learn, right?"

"According to your understanding, what is the magic that wizards use?" Slughorn looked at Jon with a smile.

Jon had certainly thought about this question in private, and without hiding it, he spoke bluntly about his understanding of magic.

"A wizard with magic can use his or her will to cause a change in the world."

"A very simple yet straightforward understanding."

Slughorn sat up straighter, his manner becoming noticeably more serious.

"It means you've figured out two of the most fundamental things about magic by thinking that way, Jon. Magic and will, that's the basis of what makes a wizard a wizard. Only will without magic, makes you a muggle; only magic without a will, makes you an Obscurial, a person whose magic has become Obscurus; and someone who has both magic and will, but has no way of linking the two together, is known as a Squib in the wizarding world."

"All spells, whether in the form of transfiguration, charms, potions or prophecies, the necessary elements to perform them are magic and will, the rest, whether wands or incantations or hand gestures are all aids to spellcasting, they help the wizard to perform magic better and more easily, but their lack does not mean that the wizard will lose the ability to cast spells. "

What Slughorn was saying now was exactly what Jon had thought of before, but it was obvious that all this was just a prelude, the key point lay in what he had said later.

"The will to cast spells depends solely on the individual wizard, and the wizards who have a strong will are generally considered to be geniuses who have a great talent for learning magic, whose strength grows with age. The wands and incantations are created to assist the wizards, and the study of magic has always been the focus of the vast majority of wizards from ancient times to the present. But like you said earlier, a wizard with magic can use his or her will to cause a change in the world, so what is more important besides magic and will?"

Jon stared blankly at first, but soon a light flashed through his head!

"Do you mean the change?"

Hearing Jon's answer, Slughorn showed enthusiasm.

"I'm glad to hear the right answer from you, Jon. Yes, even if Filius hasn't taught you a single spell yet, you should have seen this line written by Miranda Goshawk in 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1' - 'Charms differ from Transfiguring Spells in the following manner: a charm adds certain properties to an object or creature, whereas a transfiguring spell will change it into something utterly different.' Her intention in leaving this sentence in the book was so that beginners to magic could clearly distinguish the difference between charms and transfiguration, and it could, equally, explain the utility of magic itself."

"Change, that is the ultimate objective for which all magic is created. A levitation charm can make an object lighter, a transfiguration spell can turn a match into a needle, and a potion can change otherwise ordinary porcupine quills or Dried nettles into a potion that can cure a boil. These are all changes, and this is how magic affects the world."

"But there is a unified rule to all such changes, Jon, and perhaps you have been exposed to magic for a too short period of time to have discovered this rule - the wizard uses magic out of himself, but all that magic can change is the world, but not the wizard himself. "

Slughorn looked very serious as he spoke these words, and he stared into Jon's eyes without blinking as if he had stated the only supreme truth of the world.

Jon was frozen as he carefully recalled all the magic he knew, and indeed none of it worked on the wizard themselves.

Wait! Many can do that.

He took a deep breath, weighed his words and spoke.

"I didn't mean to contradict you, Professor, it's just that I've been spending my time in the library whenever I've had a spare moment since I arrived at Hogwarts, and in one of the books on Transfiguration, I learned about an advanced human transfiguration spell called 'Animagus', isn't that the magic that wizards use in order to transform themselves into something else?"

Upon hearing Jon bringing up a counter-example, Slughorn's face didn't show the slightest sign of displeasure, rather he looked even more pleased.

"I'm really glad Jon, I was actually hesitant to talk to you about this before I made up my mind about whether or not to tell you this, but now it seems you're excellent! Magic like Animagus is something that even Ron and Neville, two kids who grew up in wizarding families, might not have heard of, and you've only truly been exposed to magic for less than two weeks, yet you've actually managed to know about it already!"

"You're not wrong with that example, Animagus, a high-end transfiguration spell, is indeed an ancient wizard's attempt to change himself with magic, but it's actually a product of a failed attempt."

"A failed attempt?" Jon's eyes widened.

"Yes, a failed attempt." Slughorn said with emphasis once more, "Since you have seen Animagus in the book on Transfiguration, surely you should also be aware of the greatest limitation of this transfiguration spell-"

Jon pondered as he caught the point that Slughorn was trying to make.

"Transfiguration cannot transform you into any magical creatures with magical powers."

"Right! The change that Animagus brings to a wizard is merely a transformation into different ordinary species, but essentially, what is the fundamental thing that magic does in producing changes in the outside world? A change in magic! But an Animagus can't do that, so it's just a failed transfiguration spell! In that respect, perhaps even the existence of werewolves is far more successful, but you should also be able to guess what the werewolves lose when they transform, right?"

"They will lose their will, they have no ability to mobilize their magic to cast spells after they transform!"

Slughorn now looked at Jon with what could be called complete satisfaction to the extreme.

"Excellent point! Even with the existence of the Wolfsbane Potion, which allows werewolves to suppress their beastly nature during the full moon, they still have no way to use any magic, their will and magic are isolated, and although this is slightly more successful than Animagus, it is still imperfect, and because of this imperfection in terms of functionality it doesn't perform even as well as Animagus."

At this point, Jon had basically understood what Slughorn was actually trying to say.

He looked down at the ring in his hand, and his eyes dazed out.

"So, this ring."

The excitement on Slughorn's face shrank, and he grew incredibly grave.

"It will allow you to change your own magic for the better. Not the kind of change that is superficial and just formal, but the most essential change about magic!"

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