Conjuring and Conjecture

Harry's Room, Feb 27th

Few would recognize the change in Harry Potter after his detention with Ivan. His grades remained top notch, he still spent exorbitant amounts of time in the library, and he still remained friendly with only two people. However, for those two people, it was obvious that something had happened to their friend. It was only after a few weeks that Calypso could put her finger on what it was.

"You're utilizing Occlumency a lot more these days."

"Yes," Harry replied softly, not lifting his eyes to meet his friend.

"Why?" Calypso did her best to keep the question innocuous, but something about it made Harry tense suddenly.

"I need to get better at it."

Blinking in confusion, Calypso said, "You're already –"

"I need to get better at it."

Harry didn't shout, he didn't even raise his voice, but Calypso pulled back somewhat. The finality of his statement weighed heavily on the atmosphere in the room. They read in silence until Calypso happened to spot an owl just outside the window.

"You have a letter."

Closing his book, Harry saw that indeed there was a small owl looking expectantly at him from outside. Opening the window, he pulled the bird inside and removed its letter.

Calypso looked curiously at the owl. "Who's it from?"

"I don't know," Harry said, not recognizing the owl or the elegant loopy handwriting on the front of the letter. Curious, he opened it.

Harry,

I was having the most pleasant lunch with your mother the other day, and she happened to mention your rather ambitious final project for Transfiguration.

Now, while I normally refrain from giving too much advice to students – it could easily be seen as favoritism if I were to do such a thing – your mother pointed out that you, sadly, are no longer attending Hogwarts. Something, I admit, I find myself deeply regretting, but that is a subject for another time. Now, since I know a little bit about Transfiguration, I hope you will indulge this old man's ramblings long enough for me to give you some pointers.

There has, for the most part, always been one school of thought in regard to conjuring. It has been long believed that size and complexity matter a great deal when you first start learning how to conjure. In fact, as I'm sure you are aware, most Transfiguration masters would suggest that you start practicing on smaller objects, such as beads, buttons, and needles, and once you've been able to conjure them, begin moving onto larger objects.

I, however, have long disagreed with this school of thought. It is my belief – and I should point out that no one is infallible – that it is best to first start practicing conjuring on something that you have a lot of knowledge about or an emotional attachment to. For example, if I were to start relearning how to conjure, the first thing I would attempt would be a copy of my favorite pair of socks since I have had them for many years and possess an intricate knowledge of their appearance, size, and texture.

Also, you should always remember to take your time as you begin to study conjuration. At your age, I know you want to quickly learn and master every bit of magic, but conjuring is not something that can be successfully mastered in a year's time. Even one as old as I still have much to learn about conjuring and its limits. I would also suggest that you try to avoid conjuring multiple objects until you have spent at least a year or two learning the skill. The more objects you attempt to conjure, there is a larger chance of something going very wrong with the magic involved.

Now, I suggest you go through your trunk tonight and take out several items. Notice the unique way each items feels. Their difference in weight, texture, appearance, and anything else you can think of. Then, find an item that you feel stands out to you a great deal. Spend some time committing it completely to memory. Once you are confident you can perfectly imagine it in your mind, attempt to cast the spell Inanimatus Conjurus. I'm certain the result will be to your liking.

I do hope this small letter is of some help to you as you further your study in Transfiguration

All my best,

Albus

"It must be nice," Calypso said wistfully as she read over Harry's shoulder, "to have the foremost master of transfiguration explain conjuring to you."

Harry could feel a tide of emotions building, and he struggled to stay calm. After several steadying breaths, he did his best to smile. Not noticing as Calypso looked on in concern. "Professor Dumbledore has been like a grandfather to Nathan and me. It was kind of him to do this. I'll have to write him back and say thank you."

"Are you going to write him back now?"

"No," Harry said, summoning his trunk. "Now, I'm going to try his way of conjuring."

Calypso did her best to subtly observe her boyfriend as he set about incorporating Dumbledore's advice. Harry said the right things, he smiled and appeared happy when he managed to improve upon his conjurations, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.