Animagus properties,

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 117125



> Kim now:
> 
> In any case, to summarize what seems to be true about Animagi, yes, 
I 
> agree with you, they seem to correspond to the personality traits 
of 
> the wizard: Rita's a beetle, Peter's a rat, Sirius is a big black 
> dog, James is a stag, McGonagall's a cat -- is that the full list 
of 
> Animagi as we know it so far from canon?  Those animals all seem to 
> imply the personality type of the witch or wizard.  It would be 
nice 
> though to expound a little on why specifically a beetle fits Rita 
> Skeeter, a stag James, a cat McGonagall, etc. -- any takers??  It 
> also seems to be true on reflection, that so far Animagi animals 
> aren't "magical" or "WW-only" animals, such as dragons or blast-
ended 
> skrewts -- none that we know of anyhow. 

Finwitch:

Well, what little I know of rats: Survivor. Most important thing to a 
rat is to stay alive. (Rats leaving sinking ship, escaping flood 
etc.) They're very good at that, too. At a point of time, Black Rats 
were carriers of a flea causing a plague known as Black Death, due to 
high death-rate. Thus rat might be seen as bringer of death at high 
rates.

And how does this apply to Peter Pettigrew: 1) He _does_ care most 
about his own survival. The scene in PoA shows this most clearly.
2) Death-bringer. I suppose raising Voldemort in GoF appoints to 
this, as well as killing those 12 Muggles... He brings death.

Dog: Loyalty. Pack is more important than individual's survival. A 
well-treated dog eagerly obeys those above him in the pack; if 
mistreated by the pack, the dog is likely to leave. And, no dog likes 
to be isolated from the pack. Playful. Dogs want to play, serve etc. 
they won't take to boredom - they'll start barking. And they 
definately don't like indoors. In a full-canine pack, all adults care 
for the puppies. Of course, they also defend their territory etc. 
(And, while wolf isn't exactly a dog, it's close enough. In a wolf-
pack, only the leading couple mates).

Sirius: Well, isn't all this obvious? He DOES seek company most of 
all - he left his mistreating family to join James' family - he stays 
because he was told to, but eagerly waits for opportunity to serve 
his pack. He's immediately taking care of Harry (puppy of the pack), 
barks at 12 Grimmauld Place etc. And in the times Sirius was in 
school, James was the pack-leader, Sirius his second. Supposedly 
Remus was third, and Peter the lowest. I suppose Remus does have some 
canine traits as well - and his pack was the friends he had chosen 
for himself, friends who took all this animagi-trouble for him. (Mind 
you, I think that if Remus were not werewolf but animagus, his 
animagus-form WOULD be wolf). And in wolves, loyalty to the pack is 
even stronger than in dogs, as well as seeking approval of the pack-
leader...

Stag: Well... Prongs - or horns - is the crown an adult/puberty male 
has. They'll fight threats or other males by clacking horns together 
(even to death, sometimes) unless the other submits. They also chase 
after the females. Not that we know much of James, well - he 
DOES "clang horns" in two-male fight with Severus, he chased after 
Lily (took her lead into goodness--) and James WAS proud of his 
hair... Also, vegerarian, and prey to humans.

Dunno about McGonagall & cat, I'm allergic so I can't really observe 
cats... And beetles- annoyoing buzz is what comes to my mind. (I 
doubt JKR meant any reference to a band called the Beatles).

Kim:
> Then we're still not sure if Dumbledore's an Animagus or not (is he 
a 
> bumblebee as his name implies or some other bug?  Other posters, 
> myself included, have discussed DD's Animagus in recent past 
posts); 
> and we can't say Lupin's inner self is a werewolf since Lupin isn't 
> actually an Animagus.

Finwitch:

Well, bees - mainly the males stay in the hive, while the sterile 
female workers do all the work, and the Queen-bee lays eggs... All of 
them like sweets... and after the males do fertilise the Princess 
(specially treated female, that's fertile and will start a new hive) 
they die, because the workers won't have such useless beings in...

How about Demiguise? Would sure explain ability to become invisible, 
but of course, invisibility may well be gained by many other means.

Kim: 
> It's also been suggested by someone on the list (whose name escapes 
> me), and I concur, that Fawkes may be the Animagus of Godric 
> Gryffindor (or did I suggest that?  Yep, I think it was me).  
> Actually I think the other poster suggested that if Harry does turn 
> out to have an Animagus, that it might be a Phoenix.
 
Finwitch:

Well, I've speculated that Harry could become a phoenix-animagus. 
Still, NOW I think that Harry's a metamorphmagus who might become a 
phoenix upon taking a killing curse in order to save his friend. 

While Harry's mother did it out of love and parental protection, 
Harry would do it out of *loyalty*. Remember how Dumbledore 
emphasised how phoenixes make very _faithful_ pets.

Note that as I see it, becoming a phoenix in this fashion is NOT 
becoming an animagus (which JKR said is very difficult to do, and 
Harry doesn't really have that much time). It's becoming a phoenix. 
After all, the most noteable thing about a phoenix is their ability 
to die and be reborn out of ashes, thus being truly immortal. It's 
possible that after becoming a phoenix, before the second burning - a 
person about to be a phoenix would turn into a phoenix upon feelings 
of loyalty. After the second burning, however, the human-side is 
gone, and only the faithful phoenix will remain.

I mean really, why would an IMMORTAL being be so rare? If they're all 
infertile, where did all the phoenixes come from? But if a phoenix 
must be a result of a wizard/witch dying out of loyalty (and properly 
dying at that, no going back), particularly if the said wiz. must 
also be able to transform oneself at time of death (either as 
metamorphmagus or as animagus), well...

Speaking of that, we'll see if Sirius will return as a phoenix. After 
all, his loyalty to Harry (and loyalty is ALSO a dog-characteristic) 
may well see to his transformation.

Finwitch