After receiving the letter, Albert decided to visit Hagrid in his hut to boost his confidence, and also by the way... well, his main purpose was to take a few photographs of Buckbeak. Transforming a Hippogriff using a Transfiguration spell was no easy task.
Albert first attempted to transfigure a piece of wood into a scale model of Buckbeak, making sure its appearance closely matched the real creature so that flaws wouldn't be easily spotted.
Of course, a mere model wasn't enough; the lifeless object needed to be turned into a living creature. This wasn't actually all that difficult—as early as their third-year Transfiguration classes, Professor McGonagall had taught them the transformation spell, specifically the one that turned a teapot into a turtle.
Chapter 680