[HPforGrownups] More Animagus

[Amanda Geist]

No: HPFGUIDX 45847

bboy said:

> I tried to find the Animagus thread or post where someone speculated
> that  you don't get to choose your animagus animal. While I tracked
> several threads, couldn't find it. I think that is a commonly held
> belief, at least sufficient that I don't need the original post
> stating it.

It is based on a comment by Jo Rowling in an interview, which suggests
strongly that personal choice does not come into play. I bopped over to the
Lexicon and found the interview (how I *love* the Lexicon Master!):

Q:  If you were Animagus, what kind of animal would you be?
A:  I'd like to be an otter - that's my favourite animal. It would be
depressing if I turned out to be a slug or something.
(interview at http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript2.htm)

The interpretation of this, and the consensus of the list, has thus been
that you *don't* get to pick. When someone has mastered the spell, it
interacts with the caster in such a way to transform him/her into an
appropriate animal form for who they are, on a personality/self level.

> First, let's look at the Mauraders (Padfoot, Prongs, & Wormtail; big
> dog, stag deer, & rat). If the transfomation to an animagus, a true
> animagus, was somewhat random, that is, you can't pick it, it's
> determined by your personallity, then how did the Mauraders know that
> they would transform into animals that were useful?

They didn't. They had no idea. This is one reason that Lupin was so
astounded and touched that they made such an effort--put years into
something that was not necessarily going to work, simply out of friendship.

> If they had all turned into rats, or say a rat, a squirrel, and a
> rabbit, (or pick three small furry animals of your own) they would
> have undergone a very dangerous and illegal tranformation only to find
> the they had become animals that weren't capable of handling a
> werewolf. Being able to control Lupin as well as keep him company
> while he was a werewolf was the whole point of doing it.

And that would have been a true bummer, I'd bet (although, given their
personalities, I think they'd have found redeeming aspects of whatever their
forms were). But as I said before, I believe they undertook the task knowing
darn well that (a) it was dangerous and illegal; (b) they might well not
succeed (and Pettigrew almost didn't); and (c) if they did succeed, they had
no control over what their form would be, and it all still might have been
for naught. Hence Lupin's disbelieving gratitude, still showing strongly
after everything, there in the Shrieking Shack.

> I will agree that the choice you make is a reflection of your
> personality. In that sense, it is determine by who you are. But, if I
> was going to become an animagi, I would probably have some purpose in
> doing so. The Ministry probably tracks this, among other reason, to
> make sure people don't have some evil intent behind their desire. So,
> I certainly wouldn't go through all that risk and trouble unless I
> knew in advance what it was going to get me.

Which is what I'm trying to say, kind of; the Marauders had no idea and did
it anyway.

> The point I'm making is that becoming an animagi is kind of pointless
> unless you have some control over what you become. I just can't see
> people going through all that to become a random and possibly useless
> animal.

We have no idea of the repercussions of being able to cast the spell. We
have no idea what other spells might build on the knowledge. And there are
plenty of other types of people in the world (such as Hermione) who simply
like to *know* stuff, who would cheerfully undertake the effort to see if
they could, or to see what it felt like, or to see what they were. I'd do
it.

~Amanda