MWPP Animagi / addresses on the Letters / Ginny's name

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 44029

Aloha wrote:

<< James and Sirius needed to become large animals to keep Remus in 
line (and just barely, at that, Sirius says in PoA how many close 
calls there were). But it was also necessary to have a smaller 
creature to deactivate the Whomping Willow. >>

I am sure that wizards and witches who become Animagi do not get to 
choose their animal form. They don't know what animal they will get 
the ability to transform into until they get the ability and try it 
out. (There is canon for this: JKR interviews in which she confirms 
that the Animagus's animal form is a reflection of his/her 
personality.) (See my posts #38420 and  #39272 for citations.)

They couldn't have KNOWN that any of them would become big enough 
animals to control a full-grown werewolf. Presumably their original 
plan was just to transform into animals so they could hang out 
with him IN the Shrieking Shack, because the werewolf doesn't go 
crazy with blood lust at the scent of animals as it does when it 
scents human, and possibly also because it may be the case (canon is 
not clear) that an animal bitten by a werewolf doesn't turn into a 
werewolf as does a human bitten by a werewolf. They were planning 
only to keep him company, not to go out on adventures.

They also COULDN'T have known that one of them would become a small 
enough animal to press the button on the Whomping Willow. They 
must have planned on taking human form and pressing the button 
with a long stick, as Madam Pomfrey and Remus did when she escorted 
him to his moon-hiding-hole, as Sirius told Severus to do, etc. 

(From my post 40621): *HOWEVER* I have never heard of any wizard who 
became an Animagus then going through the whole process again in hope 
of getting an additional animal form, so I don't know what would 
happen if one did try. Could he/she have another innate animagus 
form? 

Another thing I wonder is, if Remus became an Animagus, could he 
avoid his werewolf transformation and its accompanying madness by 
transforming into his animal just before the scheduled time for his 
transformation or just after his transformation?

Jeff doffy99 wrote:

<< HOW Did the school know where Harry was? They always did. First 
under the stairs, then the hotel and finally the cabin. They even had 
specifics like "the Floor" and "the cabinet under the stairs" or "the 
smallest bedroom." >>

I never thought that the addresses meant that the school knew where 
Harry was, nor even that Hagrid knew where Harry was. Owl magic knew 
where Harry was: we have canon for owls being able to deliver the 
letter (find the recipient) even if the only address written by the 
sender is the recipient's name. How is it that the Ministry doesn't 
find escaped convict Sirius by owling him and following the owl? I 
say, post owls travel via another dimension where humans cannot follow 
them. 

I always thought that Hagrid did some magic on the envelopes so that 
they would show the address; those silly addresses seem to me to suit 
Hagrid's sense of humor, and he SAID that he welcomed the opportunity 
to do bits of magic provided by his errand to fetch Harry. I guess it 
would have to be a spell that tapped somehow into the owl magic. 

How is it that the Ministry doesn't use the spell that I imagine 
Hagrid to have used, to capture in writing the owl's knowledge of 
Sirius's whereabouts? Maybe that spell is something that only Hagrid 
could do, with his animal affinities. Maybe not, but the addresses 
only appeared on the letters when they were delivered, and it 
wouldn't have helped the Ministry to find Sirius for them to send a 
letter that would tell SIRIUS where he himself was.

The letters that rushed down the chimney in bulk and were found 
inside the raw eggs were clearly created by magic. I mean, rather 
than being delivered by owls in the normal way.

On another tentacle, Hagrid DID find where Vernon had taken Harry 
(the silly island), and presumably not be questioning Muggle 
eyewitnesses for whether they had seen a car with Vernon's license 
plate... 

bboy_mn wrote:
<<  the only other name I can think of that could have Ginny as a 
nickname is Genevive or Genevieve >>

Alina replied:
<< I still think it's Regina! >>

Genevere, Iphigenia, Imogen, Eugenia, Gennara (from San Gennaro = St. 
Januarius), Giovannia = Gianna = Ginny, Echinacea (so it's a flower 
name!) = Chinny = Ginny, Genista ("broom plant" like planta-genet), 
Gentiana (gillyflower) ...