Is Harry a Metamorphmagus?

[ginnysthe1]

No: HPFGUIDX 116592


Vivamus asked:

>If metamorphmagus is the same basic paradigm as an animagus, 
wouldn't it imply that the physical form does in fact change?<

Christopher replied:

>I've thought about that, and it's really a scary prospect if it's 
true.  It's stated in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ that 
there is no known spell which allows a wizard to fly unassisted. If a
metamorphmagus adopted the form of a bird, they'd be able to take
flight, correct? The two facts seem to be mutually exclusive.  ...of 
course, this could be more of JKR's masterful misdirection.  She 
could rebut such an argument with "But the metamorphmagus' ability 
isn't a spell; it's an innate talent".< 

Now Kim adds:

I'd wondered recently about wizard flight (in another post).  Thanks 
for sharing that quote from Fantastic Beasts.  It seems to me though, 
that JKR wasn't referring in that quote to transfigurations of any 
sort, including those that require wands or those that are innate 
talents. I think she just meant that a wizard couldn't zap himself 
with a wand (i.e. use a spell) and start flying around *in the form 
of a wizard.*  And from the few examples of Tonks' metamorphmagus 
abilities (and she's an old hand at it) in OotP, they don't appear to 
include the ability to turn herself into the form of an animal.  That 
would be too drastic, I think, and would be an overlap (or a kind of 
contradiction?) of animagus ability, wouldn't it?

On the other hand, animagus ability (which either requires a wand or 
doesn't -- I confess to being confused about this: didn't Peter 
Pettigrew need a wand to transform himself back into a rat in PoA?  
But McGonagall doesn't need a wand to turn herself into a cat, does 
she? So is it a spell for some and an innate ability for others?) 
could allow a wizard to fly, technically speaking.  IMO there's no 
reason that a wizard's animagus couldn't be a bird, and since most 
birds can fly, the wizard (in the form of a bird) would be flying.  
It's been discussed in another thread that if Dumbledore has an 
animagus (which would only make sense) that his might be a bumblebee, 
and so in that form DD could fly.  Of course DD's animagus abilities 
are still pure conjecture at this point.  And I realize that you were 
talking about metamorphmagi and not animagi, so you can take what you 
will (or not) from the points I made :-).

Christopher continued:

> ... It'd be rather frightening if a metamorphmagus could take any 
form they want. I'm forcibly reminded of shapeshifters from Star 
Trek -- *particularly* of their invasion of Earth in DS9 -- but I 
digress. Imagine a Death Eater impersonating Dumbledore, or Snape, or 
Sirius, or anyone else. Imagine that impersonator being an expert 
Occlumens & Legilmens and imagine them reporting what they've learned 
to Voldemort or anyone else.<

Kim again:

Polyjuice potion more or less works like that, doesn't it?  It's not 
as versatile as having an innate talent to change shape, but it made 
Barty Crouch Jr. into an apparent carbon copy of Moody in GoF. 

Kim