Hermione Animagi - Harry POV

[Wiley Willowsbough]

No: HPFGUIDX 76496

One thing I was looking forward to in OotP was whether or not Harry 
and the others would begin studying to become animagi.  I am 
assuming that since Harry hasn't begun studies in his fifth year, he 
probably will not become an animagi before he graduates, as Sirius 
and James were clever and it took them several years to accomplish 
animagi-ism.  Harry is definately strong in DADA, but he isn't as 
strong in transfiguration.

However, while I think Harry and Ron are definately out of animagi-
ism before graduating, it would not be beyond JKR to have had 
Hermione privately studying to become an animagi on her own, or under 
Professor McGonagall's instruction.  Of course, if Hermione were 
studying on her own, she'd be completely breaking major laws, as 
she's very aware of the trouble Skeeter would be in if she blabbed.

So, that leaves private lessons with McGonogall, who has previously 
tended to Hermione's remarkable abilities with perhaps adventurous 
means ( a time-turner ).  Since the story is written from Harry's 
POV, there is much we don't know going on in the lives of other 
characters until it is presented to Harry (the whole Ginny-
personality-change is a great example of that). 

I'm HOPING that JKR returns to her writing style of the previous four 
books and utilizes the surprise twists at the end of her stories 
(with 
all the red herrings along the way), and I think that Hermione being 
an animagi (or animagi-in-training) would be an interesting twist.

Wiley o' Ravenclaw