Lesson Five: Lecture on Animagi
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."
