…Or, the Twimble Method
Even in the early 20th Century, wizards were aware that some people are a different gender than their body would suggest. It has not been unheard of for wizards to attempt to correct their physical sex through magic. While it is possible, sexual reassignment magic comes with some difficulties.
The key to sexual reassignment is transfiguration, by changing the inherent nature of the body to match that of the mind and soul. Typically this is achieved through the Partial Transformation Spell. However, the spells effects almost invariably wear off after a time. It takes a true transfiguration master to manage a permanent transformation, and even then it is difficult to manage.
Thaddeus Twimble
Healer Twimble is a wizard in his sixties, with a face covered in just as many smile lines as worry lines. He had a sister growing up, though many would say he had a brother. Leopold Twimble — or Leona, as she preferred — never felt like a boy, and suffered for many years, due both to her own internal struggles and the torment she faced from small-minded people. Eventually the stress was more than she could bear, and she took her own life.
Thaddeus was crushed by the loss of his sister. It took many years to recover from his own grief, but when he did, he vowed to find a way to give people like Leona the gift he could never give her. It took decades of research, but eventually the Twimble Method was born.
Thaddeus is known to be a bit eccentric, and rather introverted. He spends most of his time in the lab, relying upon his team to deal directly with his patients. When he does meet his patients, he treats them with grandfatherly warmth. (OOC: In other words, don't expect IC appearances… but you never know!)
Of course, there are few transfiguration masters in the world, and even fewer offering their services for such a thing. Many transsexual wizards must settled for regular treatments from non-masters, having the magic repeated before the spell wears off. As one would expect, there is always a risk of something going awry, particularly with transfiguration. Needless to say, sexual reassignment magic has generally been considered insufficient and somewhat dangerous. As a result of the problems with using transformation spells to reassign sex, the Ministry has passed laws prohibiting such treatment upon minors.
In 1935, a glimmer of hope arose for transgender wizards. After a decade of research, a Healer named Thaddeus Twimble developed what he believed could be a safe, permanent method of reassigning physical sex — a series of potions, tailored to the individual patient, would begin to "convince" the body that it is another sex, bringing about a gradual transformation that would take years to complete. Twimble's theory is that the reason there are so many transformation mishaps is because so much is being altered about a subject's nature all at once. By slowing the process to a crawl, it becomes safer and easier to spot problems long before they cause lasting harm, as well as allowing the subject to grow accustomed to the new shape as it changes, rather than the shock of a sudden transformation. The one major drawback of Twimble's treatment is that so far it does not seem to have any impact on a subject's actual genitalia. However, he believes that after undergoing his treatment, the necessary transformation spells will be easier to cast and far less traumatic for the patient.
The Twimble Method is still in the experimental stage, though Healer Twimble and his team have begun human trials. He even secured special permission from the Ministry to allow testing on transgender minors (with the consent of their legal guardians, of course). The trials began in 1935, but others have joined the study since then. The results have been very promising thus far. Some subjects seem to have already completed the transformation; different subjects seem to change at different rates. It remains to be seen whether any reversion occurs in humans that cease treatment.
OOC Commentary
This is intended as background material to provide a lore-based avenue for trans characters to seek sexual reassignment. If it isn't obvious, this potion treatment is meant to resemble modern-day hormone treatments and HRT, just as the use of transformation spells to alter sex are akin to sexual reassignment surgery. That said, keep in mind that the magical approaches are not identical to the mundane techniques.
Any player that wishes for their character to be a part of Healer Twimble's trial group is welcome to do so. Likewise, Healer characters are welcome to be part of the research team; those with specialties in Potions are the most likely candidates, but Twimble will accept any skilled Healer that shows a passion for this work.