The three of them took their seats. Professor Dumbledore looked at him through his thin spectacles and waved his wand. "What would you like to drink? Pumpkin juice? Milk?" He then winked. "I also have fresh butterbeer here."
Professor McGonagall coughed expressionlessly.
"Ha! You're still growing, so how about a glass of milk?" Professor Dumbledore lightly waved his wand, and a steaming glass of milk floated in front of Allen.
Allen took a small sip. It tasted good.
After they had their drinks, the conversation got to the point.
"Allen, I thought I understood your previous situation very well, but what happened today still surprised me. Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Professor Dumbledore's cerulean eyes gazed at Allen through his half-moon spectacles.
Allen explained their discussion about flying class yesterday.
"Yesterday's discussion made me incredibly excited. I've never longed to fly so much. I even dreamt of flying last night! Oh, it was flying with wings. I think today's change might be related to that," Allen concluded.
Professor Dumbledore placed his hands in front of him, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Oh, strong emotions can indeed be a cause for mutation, but it doesn't seem to be enough."
"You had several strong emotional fluctuations when you were at St. Mungo's before, but we didn't see such a big change in you then, did we?" Professor Dumbledore added softly.
Allen tightly gripped the cup in his hand, recalling his time at St. Mungo's. The emotional fluctuations during the period right after he woke up were indeed much greater than yesterday, but there was nothing abnormal.
"Ah, don't rush. Think carefully. Perhaps your body has become stronger recently, and you've started to undergo more significant transformations. However, these explanations are not convincing enough. Think about it carefully; this concerns your future." Professor Dumbledore patiently guided Allen.
Allen's mind was also in a turmoil, his brain working rapidly. "What on earth is the reason? Could it be that being with Harry and the others sparked my friendship, and then the mutation occurred?" Allen, a former science and engineering student, quickly dismissed this idea. It was indeed a bit far-fetched.
Allen meticulously recalled every detail of last night and this morning. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall waited patiently.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Allen's mind, and he eagerly said to the two professors, "I've got it! This morning when I woke up, I found my hand gripping my wand."
"Uh... I cherish my wand very much. Every night before bed, I carefully place it in my bedside drawer, but yesterday I was too excited talking with my classmates, and I ended up falling asleep while talking. So the wand was just on the bedside, and this morning I found my hand resting on my wand on the bedside," Allen added incoherently.
Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall exchanged a glance, each lost in thought.
The Headmaster's office once again fell silent.
After a long while, Professor Dumbledore finally came back to himself.
"That seems to make sense," Professor Dumbledore organized his thoughts. "Do you know the history and purpose of wands?"
Allen responded with a bewildered look.
"Well, no one knows who invented wands, but the appearance of wands allowed many wizards to cast magic. Before wands appeared, wizards all cast magic wandlessly, which is a spell-casting technique that is difficult to master even now," Professor Dumbledore explained.
"The appearance of wands greatly lowered the threshold for casting magic, giving many wizards with less strong magical talent the opportunity to master magic."
"And your situation, this is my hypothesis: If we consider your daily random transformation as a spell, then you were previously casting wandlessly, and you hadn't truly mastered wandless casting, leading to the spell's effect not being strong, so it was limited to the transformation of head organs. But today, during this transformation, you were holding your wand, which greatly enhanced the power of your spell, so the transformation was not limited to your head," Professor Dumbledore quickly summarized.
This was a logical explanation, Allen thought, somewhat distracted.
Professor McGonagall stood up and looked at Allen's wings, her eyes full of admiration. "What marvelous magic! Allen, do you know? Since records began, no wizard has ever transformed such massive wings on themselves. You've done something no one in the magical world has ever done!"
Professor Dumbledore also observed Allen's wings and exclaimed, "Ah, look, these wings are truly capable of flight, because Allen's body, unlike birds, has not evolved for flight, such as weight reduction in various parts and hollow bones. Therefore, the transformed wings must be much larger than those of a bird of the same size to be able to fly. I never thought such magic existed!"
Fawkes, the phoenix, who had awakened at some unknown point and watched the long show, also let out a cry of agreement.
"You'd best not use these wings to fly. Birds fly by instinct, and you don't have that instinct. Although you have the conditions for flight, you should still be cautious about flying. At the very least, consider flying only after you've mastered the Levitation Charm," Professor McGonagall added with a hint of worry.
"Okay, I value my life more than anyone!" Allen promised Professor McGonagall.
"Professor Dumbledore, could you tell me more about the purpose of wands?" Allen's thirst for knowledge resurfaced.
"Wands, ah, current magical theory holds that the purpose of wands is to connect us more closely with this world," Professor Dumbledore said cheerfully.
Allen drank all the milk in his cup in one gulp. "Okay, thank you, Professor, for clarifying. I'll never sleep with my wand again after I go back!"
Professor Dumbledore crossed his hands, a scrutinizing look on his face. "Allen, please stop avoiding it!"
Allen froze, unsure what to say for a moment.
"Actually, I've been observing you for a long time, and I've noticed that you have a pessimistic attitude towards your condition, always wanting to avoid it. The best way to deal with your body is to confront it. Only when we have more samples of your transformations can we better treat you." Professor Dumbledore's cerulean eyes were sharp, showing no hint that they belonged to a centenarian.
Allen started to sweat a little, and he eagerly tried to defend himself: "I'm not avoiding it; I'm afraid of some bad transformations that might hurt me."
Professor Dumbledore interrupted Allen: "Why do you think this talent of yours will harm you? You must have learned the four elements of spellcasting, haven't you? And Transfiguration spells? Then tell me, what is the decisive factor in Transfiguration spells?"
"The caster's subjective intent for the spell's effect," Allen thought for a moment before replying.
"Ha, that's right! If we consider your random transformation as a spell, then this spell is influenced by your subjective intent!" Professor Dumbledore explained.
Allen hesitated after hearing this.
"Didn't today's events prove all this? You wanted to fly yesterday, and this morning you transformed into wings that could fly. This shows that your talent for transformation is influenced by your subconscious! Would your subconscious harm you? Do you have self-destructive tendencies? If not, then why would a transformation influenced by your subjective intent harm you?" Professor Dumbledore stared intently into Allen's eyes.
Allen opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
"So I suggest you bravely face all of this, strive to explore the mysteries of your body, don't avoid it, bravely face life, that is what a true Gryffindor does!"
Allen was convinced and also stimulated by Professor Dumbledore. He felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head and loudly said to the two professors, "I understand! The best way to eliminate fear is to face fear."
Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall showed relieved smiles. McGonagall cautioned, "Wand transformations seem to consume a lot of energy. Only transform when your body allows it, and be mindful of moderation!"
Although it sounded a bit strange, Allen still thanked Professor McGonagall for her concern, then bid farewell and left.
Shortly after Allen left, his wild roar came from outside the office:
"Oli-give!"
Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall exchanged puzzled glances...