What *Really* is the Purpose of Transfiguration?

[aldrea279]

No: HPFGUIDX 39676

Greg said:
> Through 4 years of school, I've only seen the trio learn a single 
> bit of Transfiguration I'd like to know how to do, and that's the 
> very first one they learned.  On occasion, buttons pop off & I can 
> never find a needle, but they learn how to make one w/ a match & 
> those are usually much easier to find.  But from there, they just 
> learn more and more useless stuff.  And Professor McGonagall on the 
> first day of the class they ever had showed them something that    
> they 
> may one be able to do, turn their desk into a pig.  I'm not sure 
> about anyone else out there, but really, I have never looked at my 
> desk & thought to myself, well that's fine and good, but what I 
> really need right now is a pig. 

I have to agree with you there.  And it seems that they deal with 
animals alot in Transfiguration also, eh?(could this be get them used 
to dealing with animals, and so prepare them a little more incase any 
ever decide to become Animagi?)  Buttons to beetles, tea pots to 
turtles, porcupines to pincushions, desks to pigs... I mean, really, 
what use is there to turn some inanimate object into an animal(other 
than distracting a dragon :)?  But I do have this feeling that there 
IS a use for it, I just have yet to see it.  I think someone will 
come along and make a post that will so obviously say why 
Transfiguration is useful, I will feel the urge to slap my forehead.  
But, then again, perhaps it is just utterly useless and only used to 
strengthen the young wizards and witches magic.  But to stand up for 
Useless!Transfiguration, I don't think it can be entirely so- 
Dumbledore, after all, seems to find something good about it.
 

> Write me back & tell me why 
> I'm wrong.

Hmm...I don't think I can.  Transfiguration does seem to be pretty 
useless, except for the Animagi Transformation- I think that would be 
a great skill to have.  Also, Marina has a point with the 'unable to 
find an object? Just use Transfiguartion!" thing.  But when compared 
to the rest of the required clases, Tranfiguration does seem as 
though it's a slight waste of time.

Heidi:
> Hmmm...this is intersting. Why don't the Weasley's just transfigure 
> all of their stuff into newer/better stuff?

CAN you Transfigure something old looking into something new looking? 
If that were true, you wouldn't have much of a division between the 
appearances of poor wizards and rich wizards.  Thus, money wouldn't 
have that much of an influence, since you can transfigure things so 
that they look good. Hmm...

~Aldrea, who's posts now seem to pop up right after she posts them 
instead of taking hours to do so.