Norman knew it was only a matter of time before someone brought up self-defence as a use for human to animal transformations, but he was pleased that it happened right off the bat. “Yes, self-defence is an excellent use.” he replied. The murder idea, not so much, but he wasn’t going to mention that. There was no telling who might be listening, and he doubted Rosier’s hooded horrors would take kindly to disapproval of murder.

The ethics question was also expected. “As far as ethics go, there are three main points to consider. Permission - does the other party know what is involved in the transfiguration process, and have they given their consent? This comes into play with human to animal transformations, as animals and inanimate objects can’t give their permission. When obtaining permission isn’t possible, we look at intent. Is the transformation meant to help or harm? Are you turning a chair into a cat so your neighbor can have a pet? Or are you turning your younger sibling into a monkey because they ate the last chocolate frog?” He trusted the students to figure out for themselves which of those scenarios was the example of good intent. “We also look at duration. Do you intend to untransfigure your target, and how long do you plan to leave them in their transformed state? Are you going to turn your dog into a mouse just long enough to get it unstuck from a fence? Or are you going to let the kid who insulted you in the corridor stay a teapot indefinitely as revenge?” Again, it should be clear which was the good example and which was the bad!



Donovan’s answer made a valid point! “Yes,” Norman replied, nodding in agreement. “That’s an important use for animal transformations. You can’t master a spell if you don’t practice it.” He hoped the students were listening to that last sentence; they would need to keep that in mind later on.



Someone was thinking strategically! Quincy’s answer got a nod in reply from Norman. “That could work,” he said, “as long as you keep an eye on them and have a way to prevent them from getting lost or hurt in their animal form.” Otherwise that could cause more harm than good!



Blaze’s idea had Norman conflicted. He saw merit to it, but he also saw the danger in it. “Theoretically yes,” he said, “but you shouldn’t transfigure just anybody who’s picking on you. Depending on where you are and who the bully is, that could create more problems than it solves.” Like, in a school overrun with hooded bullies, for example. He couldn’t have the kids thinking they should try to transfigure Rosier’s cronies!



Norman nodded to indicate that he accepted Connolly’s apology. As long as she learned from her mistake, there was no harm done. Her answer, however, called for a more verbal response. “That’s a creative idea, MIss Connolly,” he said, “though the process of untransfiguring oneself requires complex nonverbal and wandless magic, which the transfigured person may be unable to do. In order for that idea to work, there would need to be someone waiting on the other side of the door to untransfigure the person, and they would have to know that the mouse was a transfigured human.” Despite its flaws, he did give her idea credit for being outside-the-box!



Norman considered the Ravenclaw girl’s questions for a moment. “You could do that, yes,” he replied, “and no, a tranfigured flobberowrm wouldn’t change back if you used it in a potion. It would only change back if someone untransfigured it.”



Okay, he knew where this was going! While Norman appreciated Grantham’s tactical thinking, he couldn’t have students thinking they could take on Rosier. “There’s not much difference in the time it takes to transfigure someone else vs the time it takes to transfigure oneself,” he replied. “The changes happen almost instantly, not longer than a few seconds. In that situation, there are other things to consider. If you try to transfigure yourself, do you have the skills in nonverbal and wandless magic to change yourself back? If not, do you have a friend standing by to untransfigure you? If you try to transfigure the other person, how do you know you’re not walking into an ambush? Do you have a backup plan should things go wrong? If the answer to any of those questions is “no”, transfiguration is probably not the best option in that situation.” In other words, don’t try this at home, kids!



Here was another practical idea! Norman liked that. “That would work as long as you have either the skills to untransfigure yourself or a partner to do it for you,” he replied, nodding. Otherwise, it might be more useful to transfigure some other person into a mouse for that purpose.




This answer got the tiniest of smiles from Norman. While the execution was flawed, he had to admit it was a fun idea. “If you have the skills in nonverbal and wandless magic to change yourself back, you could do that,” he said. “Or you could take another friend with you to untransfigure you. Otherwise, the friend you intend to surprise wouldn’t know to untransfigure you, so you’d risk staying a bird.”



Norman was pleased with Turov’s answer because not only was it practical but it also avoided the problem of having to untransfigure oneself. “Indeed you might,” he said, nodding in agreement. “And in that case, the person who transfigured you could also untransfigure you once you’re safe.”



Norman was wondering when this idea would come up. When Grimm mentioned spying, he nodded in reply. “It is,” he said. He knew from experience, having used transfiguration for that very purpose a few times in his Auror days. “It takes some coordination, but it can be done. Before you transfigure yourself, you’d need to confer with a friend and set up a rendezvous point. That way, if you lack the skills to untransfigure yourself, you’ll meet up with your friend, and they can do it for you.”



Norman caught the eyebrow raise from the elder James. Did she not understand that they could be watched at this very moment? Did she not understand that if they were, Rosier’s hooded horrors could interpret her words to mean they would be more pleasant if they were turned into capybaras? Had she asked, he would’ve explained, but since she didn’t, he focused on her answer to the next question. “Yes, some people might find that funny,” he replied, the tiniest smile playing at his lips. “In that situation, it’s best to ask your sister - or whoever your target is - for permission first.” That or know your target well enough to know their sense of humor.



Here was another valid, though slightly dangerous idea. “Yes, depending on the situation, that’s certainly possible,” Norman replied. Not always advisable, but possible.



Norman blinked. Do penguins laugh? What kind of off-topic question-? Then he remembered the elder James girl’s response from a few minutes ago. Oh. “No, not in the way humans do,” he replied. “Though if someone did happen to find something funny while they were transformed into a penguin, they could show it by making penguin sounds.”



Norman was growing more concerned for Flamsteed by the minute. The boy didn’t look well, and if he seemed this nervous now, Norman doubted he’d be able to handle the practice. Maybe he should send him to the healer? He gave Flamsteed a small smile of encouragement. Nothing to say? Okay then, moving on...



This answer, or more accurately answers, sounded along the same lines of what Quincy and Song had said earlier, but it was no less valid. “Right,” Norman replied. “If you’re turning something into an animal to hide it, you need to keep track of the animal.” He didn’t have much to add to her other answer that he hadn’t already said, so he acknowledged it with a nod.



Now here was an answer Norman wasn’t expecting! The more he considered it, the more plausible Kingsley’s idea seemed. “That would work,” he said, nodding, “as long as you could guide the animal in the direction you wanted to move the object.” A practical solution and a creative one; he liked that idea!



Another one for the spying bandwagon. That was fine. Norman knew that some answers were bound to be repeated. He nodded in reply to Rivers’s answer. “Yes, you could,” he said. “When using animal transfigurations for spying, it’s important to consider the type of animal you’re using. Small, mundane animals like rats, birds, cats, dogs, and most types of insects are least likely to arouse suspicion.”



Norman blinked, unsure whether this one actually believed in aliens or was just looking for attention… though he was leaning toward the latter. Either way, this answer was exactly what he was talking about when he said to leave behind all shenanigans! “That’s… a thought,” he replied, neither confirming nor denying Simpson’s idea. He’d found that the best way to handle these situations was to not react.



After that last answer, Norman was prepared for anything, but he was pleased when Blackthorne’s answer went in a much more practical direction. He nodded in reply. “Yes, you can learn a lot about animals that way,” he said.




Another practical, if slightly flawed idea. Norman nodded, “Yes, you could do that if you had the skills to untransfigure yourself,” he said, “or if you were stranded with a friend who could ride on you in winged horse form and untransfigure you once you reach your destination.”



This answer got a very slight smile from Norman. "Yes, I suppose there's some truth to that logic," he replied.

Originally Posted by Blackboard

Human to Ferret spell:
Incantation: Migalifors
Wand Movement: point wand at target
Light: Orange

General Untransfiguration Spell
Incantation: Reparifarge
Wand Movement: gentle upward flick
LIght: White