Animagus properties, Thestral guts (was Re: Is Harry a Metamorphmagus?)

[ginnysthe1]

No: HPFGUIDX 117084


Hi!  Kim here, back in the discussion after a few days off (and after 
reading the replies of Steve, Jcb54 and Ladyramkin).


In reply to my question about how animagus transformation can happen 
without it being innate or using a wand or potion, Imamommy wrote:
 
> I don't quite know what it's like; maybe like gaining fluency in a 
foreign language, so that eventually the person can read, comprehend, 
speak and even think (and dream) in that language?  But different.  
It seems to me that there is definitely a point where one *becomes* 
an animagus, but I wonder what must be done to get to that point.<

> On a side note, do you think a person's animagus animal must always 
correspond with their patronus animal?  James is the only person I 
remember knowing this about, but I can't think of any contradictions 
to this theory.<

Kim replies to side note:

My thoughts on this (and I think Steve/bboyminn says something 
similar) is that in James's case, his stag Animagus was Harry's (his 
son's) Patronus.  It seems to suggest then for the general rule to be 
that your Patronus animal is the Animagus of your father (or other 
protector).  But that would provoke more questions, like what was 
James's Patronus animal?  Would we assume it had to be the animagus 
of *his* father (i.e. Harry's grandfather) and so was Grandpa 
Potter's animagus also a stag?  Not necessarily, right?  Because if 
that's so, then what would inspire the Patronus of a witch or wizard 
whose father/protector was incapable of Animagus transformation, such 
as the Muggle parents of Hermione?  It seems that all the DA kids 
were pretty much able to learn the Patronus charm in OotP, weren't 
they, but their parents couldn't all have had Animagus ability, so 
where did their Patronus animals come from?  And we can't assume that 
all the DA kids will end up with Animagus ability, so their future 
kids won't be able to use their parents' Animagi for Patronuses 
(Patroni? ;-)).   I wish they would all become Animagi, because that 
might be really cool reading, but I've read other posters saying that 
JKR has stated that the 3 mouseketeers (H, H, and R) *won't* become 
Animagi.  Although even that statement seemed not to be totally 
definitive depending on how you interpret JKR's words... isn't she 
the dickens? ;-)

Anyway, I think Imamommy has a good idea, that maybe once you learn 
to transform yourself into an animal, perhaps in the manner Steve 
suggests (which makes sense -- definitely pitiful if you were to 
become a may fly; though Rita Skeeter's beetle was risky enough -- 
imagine if someone had spotted her and smashed her with a book!), 
you'll eventually become proficient enough to transform at will, so 
that wands are no longer necessary (and a potion never was).  And 
it's true that other witches/wizards wouldn't always be able to do 
that, the same way some people in the Muggleworld can pick up 
languages with ease whereas others are more or less hopeless at it 
(though in the case of language acquisition, I think almost anyone 
can become fluent in a second language if they start studying it 
before the age of 12 -- or so I read once upon a time; but maybe that 
doesn't apply to Animagus ability).

I hope my reply doesn't sound too rambly and confusing.  

Imamommy continued:

> Off this topic completely, if Thestrals are fleshless, do they have 
guts and, if so, what holds them in?  If not, how do they digest the 
meat that they eat?<

Kim here again:

This question and the ensuing discussion thread have inspired me to 
go back and read up on Thestrals.  I always love any excuse to re-
read parts of OotP, my favorite book in the series.  So thanks!

P.S. I bet I'm not alone in having animal preferences -- I'm 
intrigued by thestrals, hippogriffs, the Animagus animals, Fawkes the 
phoenix, the mail owls, among others, but you can keep blast-ended 
skrewts and flobberworms!

Kim