Animagi

[Melody]

No: HPFGUIDX 45840

I originally said:
>>While the animagus wizard still has the mental
>>capacity of their human form, they are limited to the physical
>>capacities of the creature. (i.e. they can't talk as their animal
>>form, but are capable of reading a newspaper.) >


Julie wrote to counter:
>Sirius said when he transformed, that he had animal emotions rather
>than human emotions so the dementors were confused.

>Sirius also said he found a way to communicate with Crookshanks, but
>never details what it is.

>Also the 4 ran around town in animal form, surely they communicated
>together somehow. So I'm wondering what they're doing? Sign
>language? I would think they'd still be able to talk.


Let me see if I can explain what I meant before.

The animagus wizards still have the mental capacities of their human
form.  They still are able to discern situations and react in the
manors they would if they were human, but since they physically are an
animal, they are limited in their abilities to fully act human.  Hmmm,
still not convinced?  Ok, I'll go get my books.


In PS/SS (Ch1), we are introduced to cat animagus McGonagall first.
In cat form she was able to:

Read- "a cat reading a map" & "reading the sign that said Privet Dr."

Have McGonagall qualities- "gave him [Vernon] a stern look"

Keep to her mission- she was "sitting on his [Vernon's] garden wall"
all day "staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting 	for something"

Could react to Dumbledore's appearance on the drive- "tail twitched 	and
its eyes narrowed."

Even though she looked and reacted like a cat, she had her wits to her
and was able to continue her mission.  Though because she is just a
cat, she can only stare at Vernon to show her annoyance and twitch her
tail to show her excitement with Dumbledore finally coming to Privet
Drive.  Since physically she was restricted, Vernon had no reason
really to suspect she was anything else but a cat.  She had no "human"
qualities, like speech, to give her away to a muggle.

Now, In PoA (Ch 6), we see McGonagall in cat form during class.  She
transfigured to a cat and back.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall,
turning back into herself with a faint pop..."

As a cat, she could still observe the classroom and see that the class
was distracted, but only when she turned back into human form could
she address the class in English.

Now then, Scabbers.  Most of the time, we did not suspect the little
rat because he acted completely rat-like.  At no time did he talk,
walk on two legs, do a crossword puzzle, or even react period (well
except to bite Goyle's finger but that was still rat-like).  Yet, as
Black said, "I realized he was at Hogwarts...perfectly positioned to
act... PoA, (Ch 19)"  I take this to mean that Peter still has the
capacities to access the situations around him and plan accordingly.
As Scabbers, he could lie low, wait while still being completely
human, and keep watch.

Since he is physically a rat, his reactions are shown in rat-like
ways.  He starts loosing hair and weight once Black escapes.  When
Black and Lupin go to get Scabbers from Ron in Shrieking Shack,
"Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his
tiny eyes bulging in his head. PoA, (Ch 19)."  Now if Peter was human
at that moment, I am sure we would of seen the twisting and turning
become struggling and kicking and the squeaking becoming either
screaming or actual words.  Since Peter could only react by the
limitations of his rat form, his protest was only manifested as
twisting and squeaking.


But you did ask also, how did the Marauder's communicate between
themselves.  I tend to agree with what Audra wrote:

>Of course MWP&P communicated together somehow--the way animals
>communicate: non-verbally, by way of sounds, scents, touch, and body
>language. This was probably not too complicated.  As good friends
>already, they must have been accustomed to communicating with each
>other non-verbally as humans, knowing what one another thought and
>felt.

Since they were fifth years and had been friends for a while, I tend
to believe that they did not need to talk that much anyway.  Since
animagi still can pull off the non-verbal communication they have when
they are human (McGonagall's "stern stare" at Vernon), then I am prone
to believe that the Marauders could understand each other just as
easily.  They may not all speak the same animal language, but hey,
these are guys.  They often speak in grunts.  And I mean no ill will
to the guys of this site, but come on; most your sex does tend to
enjoy the simplicity of basic communication.

As to why it took a while for Black to communicate with Crookshanks,
Crookshanks *is* just a cat even if he is part-kneazle.  Since he only
thinks and speaks like a cat, Black had to figure out how to
communicate with him.  The passage reads (PoA, Ch19):

"It was a while before he trusted me...Finally, I managed to
communicate to him what I was after, and he's been helping me..."

So, it could be read that it took a while for Black to figure out how
to physically talk to Crookshanks, or the passage could mean that it
took so long for Black and Crookshanks to talk because Crookshanks did
not immediately trust Black.  Once he did, then they could talk...sort
of, in some realm of reality.

As your question about Black's animal emotions, let me see.
The quote reads (PoA, Ch 19):

"'...so when it all became...too much...I could transform in my
cell...become a dog.  Dementor's can't see, you know...' He swallowed.
 'They feel their way toward people by feeding off their
emotions....They could tell that my feelings were less -- less human,
less complex when I was a dog...'"

Hmmm, tough one there.  From examples before, it is obvious that the
animagus can still have the emotions they would have as a human.
Black in dog form even growled at Fudge in the hospital wing at the
end of GoF because Fudge suggested Harry was a bit unstable.  The
reason Black transformed into his loveable stray shape in Azkaban was
to drive away the dementors' emotional drain not release himself from
self-given emotional anguish.  As a dog, Black still felt the emotions
and thoughts, but it is the dementors that were fooled.  They could
only sense that a human was not there.

Maybe that gives strength to the fact that when an animagi wizard
transforms, they really transform to fool everyone.  That is why the
ministry wants to keep close tabs.  No one, not even non-humans, could
see that they were actually a wizard.

So to conclude this long windy path, I do believe that animagi wizards
are completely still human in mind but are limited in their "human"
reactions to the physical restraints of their animal form.  So, then
McGonagall can read a map, but not tell anyone what it says.



Oh and one last thing...

I wrote:
>>Given that we only have what...4,5,6...six examples of an animagus
>>wizard and they all are "muggle" animals, I do wonder if the animal
>>kingdom available to them also extends to the magical?

And GulPlum pointed out:
>err... I count five (Potter, Pettigrew, Black, McGonagall and
>Skeeter).  Who's the sixth? Or are you counting Lupin, who's a
>werewolf, not an Animagus?

Me: <blushing, dragging her toes in the sand>
Yeah...um...sorry about that.  I was counting Lupin before.  There
should be a warning on the cold/flu medication bottle to not operate
heavy machinery or try to count animagus wizards.

Melody