From Alterations to Altercations: The Transfigurative Guide
written by Katherine Lutz
Companion to a Beginners Guide to Transfiguration, for First, Second and Third Year Transfiguration Students.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
20
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3,871
Draconifors
Chapter 7
Draconifors is one of four spells known as the mediatory spells, which are the foundation of all arts of transfiguration. The others are Avifors, Fera Verto and Snufflifors; together they wield the basic technique and proper use of the transfiguration world.
Draconifors grants ‘life’ to dragon statues, and for a period of time, the caster controls their capabilities and powers, as determined by the magician’s competency. The primary function of this spell is to provide a living, breathing entity that can emit the purest of flames, which is commonly required in the making of Goblin finery. These flames are unique in that they can be bottled, unlike muggle fire, and they will not extinguish until they have fulfilled a single purpose of the owner’s choice. Additionally, they will not cause injury to the beholder due to their magical properties. Commonly used in potions, most notably the Burn-Healing Paste, the flames work more as an antidote to the effects of energized flame, as opposed to an alternative. These dragons can also serve as loyal pets; the source of their loyalty stems from their master’s adoration of them, and as such, the stronger the bond between the two, the more powerful the creature will become. However, if the dragon ceases to exist of its own accord and reverts back to being a statute once more, it will become near impossible for the wizard or witch to perform the spell again until they have learnt the error of their ways. However, the spell may be reverted by the caster without consequence.
As a spell that demands fluidity and liveliness from an inanimate creation, Draconifors falls under Gamp’s Laws for Elemental Transfiguration, primarily because it is often debated about whether or not the spell grants true life to the dragon. Amongst the other mediatory spells, this spell grants the object the ability to breathe, think and move of its own accord, whilst all the time still being entirely under its master’s control. The reason that it does not become an exemption to this law is that the ‘life’ that fills the statue is nothing but an entity of magic. Through the use of the upwards sweeping motion of the wand, the spell seeks to unlock the magical components already residing within the statute and command them what to do. The ability for the statue to be reverted to what it once was is what disproves it as being a life-giving spell. The motion of the spell is also used to reflect the movement of a dragon’s wings, in that the caster, alike a dragon, uses the full muscles of the back in order to stretch down and then retract back to a standing position. Whilst performing this movement, as with all others, the spell must be annunciated; Not before and Not after. Performing the incantation either before or after can cause backfiring and is very dangerous!
Magical historians debate about the placement of this spell within the magical time frame as it is unknown when exactly the spell was created, though records show that a similar spell was used in the early 11th century, where wizards have recorded “scaled beasts with wings twice their span, breathing a heat which doth not burn, and with a perennial gaze the heart doth trust…”. Historians debate whether this is the spell or just a now-extinct species of dragon, for some modern dragons, such as the Antipodean Opal-Eye, are known for their wing span, translucent scales and trustful eyes. It is these eyes, in fact, which allow them to lure in their prey for capture. Recent testing, however, has revealed that when the spell is cast upon an object, such as a tree, the magic procures an entity in the air that contorts the very fabric of time and glows brightly in the middle of the air in the corporeal form of a dragon. Such findings have led historians to conclude that these must be the creations often cited throughout magical history as being the dancing flame upon a witch’s wand. Due to their tendency to revert form, it has become impossible for wizards to test the battle prowess of this spell, but they do agree that an entity residing in the mortal world for over five years could potentially wield the confidence in its master to attempt battle.
Draconifors grants ‘life’ to dragon statues, and for a period of time, the caster controls their capabilities and powers, as determined by the magician’s competency. The primary function of this spell is to provide a living, breathing entity that can emit the purest of flames, which is commonly required in the making of Goblin finery. These flames are unique in that they can be bottled, unlike muggle fire, and they will not extinguish until they have fulfilled a single purpose of the owner’s choice. Additionally, they will not cause injury to the beholder due to their magical properties. Commonly used in potions, most notably the Burn-Healing Paste, the flames work more as an antidote to the effects of energized flame, as opposed to an alternative. These dragons can also serve as loyal pets; the source of their loyalty stems from their master’s adoration of them, and as such, the stronger the bond between the two, the more powerful the creature will become. However, if the dragon ceases to exist of its own accord and reverts back to being a statute once more, it will become near impossible for the wizard or witch to perform the spell again until they have learnt the error of their ways. However, the spell may be reverted by the caster without consequence.
As a spell that demands fluidity and liveliness from an inanimate creation, Draconifors falls under Gamp’s Laws for Elemental Transfiguration, primarily because it is often debated about whether or not the spell grants true life to the dragon. Amongst the other mediatory spells, this spell grants the object the ability to breathe, think and move of its own accord, whilst all the time still being entirely under its master’s control. The reason that it does not become an exemption to this law is that the ‘life’ that fills the statue is nothing but an entity of magic. Through the use of the upwards sweeping motion of the wand, the spell seeks to unlock the magical components already residing within the statute and command them what to do. The ability for the statue to be reverted to what it once was is what disproves it as being a life-giving spell. The motion of the spell is also used to reflect the movement of a dragon’s wings, in that the caster, alike a dragon, uses the full muscles of the back in order to stretch down and then retract back to a standing position. Whilst performing this movement, as with all others, the spell must be annunciated; Not before and Not after. Performing the incantation either before or after can cause backfiring and is very dangerous!
Magical historians debate about the placement of this spell within the magical time frame as it is unknown when exactly the spell was created, though records show that a similar spell was used in the early 11th century, where wizards have recorded “scaled beasts with wings twice their span, breathing a heat which doth not burn, and with a perennial gaze the heart doth trust…”. Historians debate whether this is the spell or just a now-extinct species of dragon, for some modern dragons, such as the Antipodean Opal-Eye, are known for their wing span, translucent scales and trustful eyes. It is these eyes, in fact, which allow them to lure in their prey for capture. Recent testing, however, has revealed that when the spell is cast upon an object, such as a tree, the magic procures an entity in the air that contorts the very fabric of time and glows brightly in the middle of the air in the corporeal form of a dragon. Such findings have led historians to conclude that these must be the creations often cited throughout magical history as being the dancing flame upon a witch’s wand. Due to their tendency to revert form, it has become impossible for wizards to test the battle prowess of this spell, but they do agree that an entity residing in the mortal world for over five years could potentially wield the confidence in its master to attempt battle.
