A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration is a textbook on Transfiguration by Emeric Switch. This textbook was used as an introduction to Transfiguration for young witches and wizards, it contained basic transformation spells. A copy of this book costs 1 Galleon at Flourish and Blotts.^[1]

History

It was a required textbook and as such was on the list of items needed by first years for Transfiguration classes in 1991 and 1992 for first^[2] and second year^[3] students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Before Ginny Weasley's first year at Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy managed to slip Tom Riddle's diary into her second-hand copy of the book in Flourish and Blotts, leading to the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets in that term.^[3]

Known content

When Transfiguring, it is important to make firm and decisive wand movements. Do not wiggle or twirl your wand unnecessarily, or the Transfiguration will certainly be unsuccessful.

Form a clear mental picture of the object you are hoping to create before attempting a Transfiguring spell.

Beginners should say the spell clearly. More advanced wizards do not need to say the spell aloud.

Incomplete Transfigurations are difficult to put right, but you must attempt to do so. Leaving the head of a rabbit on a footstool is irresponsible and dangerous. Say ‘Reparifarge!’ and the object or creature should return to its natural state.

Larger creatures are difficult to Transfigure except by skilled and powerful wizards. Know your limits.

• Reparifarge^[1]
• Snail to Teapot^[4]

Behind the scenes

• The book's cover is brown in the film but violet in the first game and red in Pottermore.
• In the PS1 version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, this book is titled A Beginner's Guide to Transformation.

See also

• Intermediate Transfiguration
• A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (PS2 version)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (As "A Beginner's Guide to Transformation")
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Gallery

The book in the Harry Potter films

The book on Pottermore

The book in the Fantastic Beasts films

Add a photo to this gallery

Notes and references

Transfiguration (class)
Branches of Transfiguration	Transformation · Vanishment · Conjuration · Untransfiguration
Known practitioners	Circe · Emeric Switch · Falco Aesalon · Mirabella Plunkett · Thaddeus Thurkell
Professors	Albus Dumbledore · Minerva McGonagall
Textbooks	A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration · Intermediate Transfiguration · A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration
Transfiguration spells studied at Hogwarts
Colour Change Charm (Colovaria) · Change of hair colour and style (Crinus Muto) · Hardening Charm (Duro) · Reparifarge · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Switching Spell · Vanishing Spell (Evanesco)
Conjuring Spells	Bird-Conjuring Charm (Avis) · Inanimatus Conjurus Spell · Orchideous · Snake Summons Spell (Serpentsortia)
Transforming Spells	Animal to Water Goblet (Vera Verto) · Beetle Buttons · Cat to Cauldron (Felifors) · Chair to cat · Cross-Species Switches · Desk Into Pig · Dinner plate to mushroom · Guinea fowl to guinea pig · Hedgehog to pincushion · Match to needle · Meddling Man to Monkey · Mice to Snuffboxes · Owl to Opera Glasses (Strigiforma) · Porcupine to Pin Cushion (Hystrifors) · Small Child to Rat · Small Object to Dragon (Draconifors) · Snail to Teapot · Target to Bird (Avifors) · Target to matchbox (Flintifors) · Target to Rabbit (Lapifors) · Teacup to Rat · Teapot to tortoise · White Rabbits to Slippers