Chapter 670
The Technology of Transformation
Chapter 670 The Technology of Transformation
In the dimly lit room, Moody's magic eyes spun wildly before suddenly fixing, both eyes fixed intently on the bound Filch.
He stared at the other person for a while, then grabbed their chin and moved it from side to side to examine it. Suddenly, he snorted coldly and let go.
“You’ve already figured it out, haven’t you, Dumbledore?” Moody muttered darkly, his tone clearly doubtful. “It’s not Transfiguration… he’s not like this because of magic.”
Moody then waved impatiently, signaling Snape to go and take a look as well.
The Potions Professor approached expressionlessly, his wand sliding out of his sleeve. He gently touched Barty's neck and whispered a few testing spells.
A moment later, Snape's dark eyes narrowed slightly. He grabbed Barty Jr. by the collar, pulled him closer, and sniffed carefully, his hooked nose twitching.
"It wasn't a compound decoction that was used."
He spoke in a cold yet resolute voice.
The two exchanged a glance, their brows furrowed.
At that moment, they even forgot their mutual dislike and the same question arose in their minds—
"It's neither a spell nor a potion, so how did this Filch manage to impersonate the real person so perfectly?"
Sirius asked bluntly.
Snape raised an eyebrow and asked in an unfriendly tone, "Are you doubting my judgment?"
Sirius sneered, "Who knows if you are..."
Just as the tension between the two was about to explode, a sudden thought flashed through Wade's mind, and he whispered, "Perhaps... he had plastic surgery for Muggles?"
"Plastic surgery?" Sirius frowned in confusion. "I think I heard Lily mention it before. It's a cosmetic procedure for Muggles... but aren't they only capable of minor adjustments like nose jobs or eyelid surgery?"
"He first made overall changes to his face, and then made minor adjustments little by little, right?"
"If we use potions to heal wounds quickly," Vader said. "This surgery won't take long either. And not many people will pay close attention to Filch's appearance; even if there are differences in the details, they probably won't be noticed."
Wade's gaze fell on Barty Jr., and in addition to pity, he even felt a bit of admiration.
Transforming into another form using magic might only take a few breaths, with no side effects other than the rather disgusting taste of the compound potion, and returning to one's original form takes only an instant.
But Hogwarts has Dumbledore, the most powerful Transfiguration expert of the time, so Barty probably wouldn't dare to show off his skills in front of an expert; and if he were to use potions, not only would he have to drink a sip of Polyjuice Potion every hour, but also how to obtain the potion ingredients would be a problem.
Stealing from the Potions Professor, or buying from Knockturn Alley, would increase the risk of exposure.
It was probably for this reason that Barty Jr. chose to use the Muggle method.
However, to achieve the desired effect, one would need at least five to ten surgeries, including procedures to loosen and darken the skin, remove facial fat to deepen nasolabial folds, shave off excess bone, and wear down teeth. The suffering involved would be considerable.
Wade couldn't help but sigh inwardly—Barty really loved Voldemort deeply.
Snape glanced at Wade, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly.
But he did not refute it. Instead, he bent down again, ran his fingertips across Filch's face, and then tore open his robe.
Filch always wore a drab gray robe, never exposing the skin below his neck, even in the hottest summer months.
Therefore, Barty Jr. was not so meticulous as to treat his skin to look like that of an old man. The exposed skin on his chest and face were completely different, with a very clear dividing line in the middle.
Snape straightened up and said with disgust, "Indeed... He used Muggle methods to turn himself into this."
“A clever move,” Dumbledore said calmly. “Unexpected…but it did evade magical detection and deceive our eyes.”
He turned to Wade, his eyes seemingly able to see right through people.
"Wade, do you know who he is?"
Wade shook his head: "He didn't mention any of this before he was caught."
He gently stroked his wand with his fingertips hidden in his sleeve—although he could still see Barty's name, he couldn't explain why he knew it, so he simply said nothing.
In any case, there are other ways to find out the imposter's identity.
“Severus, please fetch your most potent truth serum. I think we need to hear the story of this ‘Mr. Filch’.”
Dumbledore said swiftly, "Alastor, please go to the infirmary and find Madam Pomfrey, and bring back a vial of Restorative Essence."
The two nodded and immediately turned to leave.
Wade: "Reconstitute?"
He had never heard of this potion.
“A very obscure potion,” Dumbledore explained gently. “It is usually used to treat victims of dark magic, and sometimes when someone accidentally ingests a poor-quality Polyjuice Potion. I think it can also be used to restore a body that has been forcibly twisted by Muggle surgery.”
Wade thought to himself: Could it be that in the original story, when Hermione was turned into Catwoman by Polyjuice Potion, she was also restored using this potion?
No wonder it's unpopular—although Vader uses Polyjuice Potion as a regular potion, it's actually quite rare in the wizarding world, and most people wouldn't dare use it openly, otherwise they'd be warned or even arrested by the Ministry of Magic.
“Now, tell me.” Dumbledore pulled up a chair and sat down, gesturing for Wade and Sirius to sit as well, then asked, “How did you discover that Filch was suspicious?”
One more update
(End of this chapter)