[HPforGrownups] Transfiguration Question

[Taryn Kimel]

No: HPFGUIDX 59119

freddie_mac1 at yahoo.com:
> When I think about transfiguration, I have a sense that the
> outer form is changed, but not necessarily the
> inner/intrinsic aspects.  If you change a ferret into a
> human-shaped ferret, does the ferret gain human senses,
> reasoning, soul (for lack of a better term), or is the
> ferret simply reshaped into a human-like shape?

Brief Chronicles:
That's interesting. I have no specific canon lines to cite, but I've always felt that transfiguration only changes the outer appearance. Of course, changing Malfoy into a ferret, though you never get a word from Malfoy about the thoughts that went through his mind as a ferret, you do get the impression that he's still Draco inside that body, and he's not an animal at all. 

Me:
Here's some canon on that subject, but it goes against your theory:

"No spell yet devised enables wizards to fly unaided in human form. Those few Animagi who transform into winged creatures may enjoy flight, but they are a rarity. The witch or wizard who finds him- or herself transfigured into a bat may take to the air, but, HAVING A BAT'S BRAIN, they are sure to forget where they want to go the moment they take flight." [QTTA pg. 1, US Hardback, emphasis mine]

Brief Chronicles:
Also, when McGonagall is a cat the very first time we ever meet her, we see her eyeing Privet Drive, waiting for Dumbledore to appear. She doesn't behave like a normal cat; she's much more attentive and focused on her task of waiting for news of Harry Potter instead of chasing random bugs on the ground or rolling around in the grass. (not to imply that I think cats aren't intelligent -- I love cats)  :)

Me:
But Animagi transformation is different process than transfiguration. A wand is not required, the wizard retains his/her mental capacities (although Sirius does say that his emotions were simpler when in dog form, allowing him to slip by the Dementors), etc.

Transfiguring an animal to a human is a different question. Can wizards even /do/ that? I'd be inclined to think that the animal would not have human mental and emotional capabilities. Say you have a ball, and that's human or animal awareness/mental capabilities/whatever you wish to call it. If you put this ball in a room and collapsed the walls together, you could squeeze the ball into a smaller form, hence what happens when a human is transfigured into an animal. But when you make the room huge, that ball isn't going to get any bigger than it's original form.

--Taryn

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