Transfiguration 3:5

Lesson Five: Lecture on Animagi
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Leif knew there had been transfiguration professors who were Animagi before, almost wishing he could just ask one of them to give a guest lecture rather than teaching this lesson himself. He didn't think he was any less suitable to tell his students about the subject, but he would've loved for them to have the same experience as he had when he was a student. To walk into a classroom and see an animal that would turn out to be their professor. But alas.

"Today," He started his lesson, waving his wand to make a moving image of an eagle Animagus appear, watching for a second as the witch turned into an eagle and then back into her usual self every few seconds. "We'll be discussing Animagi. An Animagus is a witch or wizard who can change themselves into an animal as they wish. It's a choice that witch or wizard has made at some point. Learning to be an animagus is a lengthy and extremely tough ordeal to undergo. It takes many years of book and practical learning. Once a witch or wizard has succesfully gotten through the process to become an Animagus they must register with the Ministry. There are many regulations concerning this type of transfiguration to make sure that wizards and witches are using the skill properly. The Ministry does not want it to be used for the wrong reasons."

Leif paused to make sure he had his students' attention and allowing them a second to catch up before he could continue. "Someone who wants to become an Animgus, however, is not able to choose their own animal form. Want to be a wolf? Tough luck, your Animagus form might very well be a sheep. What determined your Animagus form is your true personality. If one is noble and brave, a lion is one possibility, but it could also very well be another animal with the same qualities. It all varies. You could potentially even simply become a sea cucumber." He said with a wink. "If you are an untrustworthy person, a slyer animal would be meant for you, like a rat or a snake," He continued.

"It is exactly this personalization that some people feel jeopardizes them when they register their animagus form. Wizards from all sides have fought against the registration of animagus. Some see it as an invasion of privacy as the information is on public record. If that's your believe it's important to remember that we live in a world full of limitless possibilities. If someone wanted to do harm in their animagus form, it's not difficult to conceal markings or other telltale signs registered with the Ministry."

He took a deep breath, before moving on. "I would like to briefly discuss the actual animagus form and transfiguration," He stated, motioning towards the image still moving in front of the blackboard. "Transfiguring into ones Animagus form does require a wand or vacalised intention, which is why it requires a lot of practice to get to that point. Once mastered it shouldn't come with too many difficulties.
While a person has transfigured into their Animagus form they are still able to control their thoughts but have some of the advantages that the animal has. The only way that you can distinguish an animagus from others of that species is through tell tale signs based on the human form." Professor Odegard explained, glancing around to see if his students were still with him. There was plenty more information he could get into but there wasn't any time for that. "With that, let's wrap it up for today. Please come see me if you have any questions. Class dismissed."

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy settled into his seat for Transfigurations which was a lecture on animagi. Teddy imagined what animal he might transform into if he were ever to become an Animagus. With his playful and competitive nature, he thought of a monkey, swinging from tree. As the lecture continued, Teddy chuckled at the idea of being a sea cucumber, imagining himself awkwardly flopping around on the ocean floor. But then again, maybe there was a certain charm in the simplicity and tranquility of such a creature. It might not be so bad if it suited your personality. Once the lesson came to a close, he headed out of the classroom and onto the next thing.

 

[Audrey Beauchamp]

It was another lecture lesson in Transfiguration, but Audrey wasn't upset about this. She really wanted to learn more about animagi. She often wondered if she could be one. Which did often devolve into daydreaming about the kinds of pranks she could pull as an animagus, or what cool things she could do as one. Fly as a bird, perhaps, or swim as a dolphin. Of course, as the professor reminded them, they couldn't choose. Audrey worried that if she somehow became an animagus, she'd become something unsightly like a toad. Or a fly. At least the toad had some prank potential, a fly would just be miserable. A spider wouldn't have been so bad, though. And you had to register it, which also stifled the prank potential a little. Still, it was something Audrey wanted to consider, maybe when she was a little older and had more magical power and control. Even if it meant she became a toad.

 

[Veronica Walden-Cade]

Transfiguration had another lecture waiting for her when she arrived in Professor Odegard's classroom. She was hoping that todays lesson would be more practical but it made sense the closer they got to the end of the semester and the upcoming exams that they would focus more on theory. Their focus for the lesson seemed to be Animagi, it was a concept Veronica was vaguely familiar with and one she was very much interested in the idea of, turning herself into an animal seemed like a very cool idea and as someone who wanted to study to be a magizoologist it seemed like a useful arrow to have in her quiver. perhaps she'd discuss it with Professor Odegard at the end of the lesson, or semester, she'd see how it went. She took out a sheet of parchment and took notes for the lesson on the ins and outs of being an animagi. It made sense to her that people would have to register themselves as animagi, the ministry couldn't have unregistered animagi running around. Once the lesson was finished Veronica finished up her notes and put them in to her bag. Once they were finished with the lesson she made her way out of the classroom.

 

[Millie Walden-Cade]

Millie always enjoyed a lesson that including a lecture because she felt like she learned more from them than the practical lessons. Once she had settled into her seat she took out a sheet of parchment and began to take notes on Animagi. She noticed that Veronica was paying particular attention, more than usual and it didn't surprise her as she suspected being able to turn into an animal would be something her sister would find value in, her not so much though the theory behind it was fascinating. She was certainly curious about the music behind the transformation, especially as the form you took wasn't determined by choice but instead by some innate quality in your personality, that was fascinating to her. She continued to take notes for the rest of the lesson and when it was over she packed away her notes and made her way out of the classroom.

 

[Dante Styx]

Dante Styx was glad that he was getting close to the end of the term, and that meant that he would not have to worry so much about getting perfect grades or even just half way decent ones. Dante was glad that the attention from there was on his older brother, Cassius, and not on him. He did not want such attention. The less he received, the better. Dante glanced at the time and saw that he needed to hurry and leave. He hated it when he felt somewhat down, but he did that week. He hurried and grabbed his stuff and rushed out of the Slytherin house. His tie was not even properly tied. How it stayed around his neck was a miracle by itself.

Dante walked in the Transfiguration classroom and sat down in his spot. Professor Odegard started to go over animagi. Dante was curious over them, but ultimately, did not have an interest in being one. He could turn into a wolf every month - without his choice but still. He took notes over being an animagus, and wondered why the ministry wanted people to register so much. It seemed like an invasion of privacy to him. The notes were soon finished, and they were free to leave. Dante got up and left the classroom to go enjoy the rest of his day.​