Alaric settled into his seat, resting his elbows on the table as he observed the fish in the bowl before him. It was a sleek, silver-blue creature with shimmering scales that caught the light whenever it darted about. Its gills flared rhythmically as it swam, its small, round eyes scanning its watery world with what seemed like an endless curiosity. He noted how effortlessly it moved, maintaining its balance and speed with quick flicks of its tail.

Right. Gills, movement, buoyancy, size, eyes, scales… he mentally listed, his fingers tapping idly against the desk. The spell seemed simple in theory, but he knew Transfiguration was rarely that easy in practice.

He adjusted his grip on his wand and pointed it at one of the pebbles in the bowl. Taking a deep breath, he pictured the silver-blue fish in his mind, focusing on every detail. Its shape, its scales, the way it moved. Then, with firm intent, he cast:

“Piscifors!”

A small flash of blue light erupted from his wand, and for a moment, he thought he had done it. But instead of a shimmering fish, the pebble only trembled violently before settling back down, unchanged.

Too much force? Not enough focus? Alaric frowned slightly but wasn’t discouraged. If anything, failure just made him more determined. He adjusted his grip again, this time rolling his shoulders back to relax.

“Piscifors!”

Another flash. This time, the pebble stretched and morphed, but instead of a fish, it turned into a… blob. A vaguely fish-shaped, motionless lump.

“Huh.” He tilted his head, poking it lightly with his wand. The blob gave a weak jiggle before dissolving back into a pebble.

“Alright, third time’s the charm.” He muttered, inhaling deeply. This time, he took an extra moment to really visualize the fish—how its gills fluttered, how it glided so effortlessly. With renewed focus, he aimed at another pebble.

“Piscifors!”

A brilliant blue flash. The pebble shimmered, stretching once more. Only this time, it solidified into a small, silver-blue fish identical to the one in the bowl. Its gills flared as it took its first breath of water, and then, with an eager flick of its tail, it darted forward, joining its twin.

Alaric smirked in satisfaction. Not bad. He leaned back in his chair slightly, watching the two fish swim side by side. There was still a slight variation in their movements—his transfigured fish seemed a bit stiffer at first—but it was nothing a little refinement wouldn’t fix with practice.

Still, for a first attempt? He’d take it.