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Lesson 3: Animagus to Human McAiken unlocks the Transfiguration classroom. He walks to the front of the room and sets down his satchel and books. He walks to the counter to check on some supplies, then to chalk board. He stops there and ponders for a moment if he needs to write anything on the board. He decides no and takes his seat behind the desk to wait for the students to arrive. He picks up his teaching plans and reads over the points he wants to cover in the lesson. |
McAiken glances up as students begin to arrive for class. He greets some with words the others with nods. |
Kay entered the Transfiguration Classroom and took a seat near the front. She reached into her book bag and took out her materials for class, arranging them neatly on the desktop in front of her. She opened her Transfiguration textbook and began to read quietly. |
Amaris walked into the Transfiguration classroom and spotted Kay. She smiled at her but was unsure if she should sit with her. It might ruin her "relationship" with Mithos. Amaris walked up to Kay. "Um," she whispered. "Do you want me to sit with you or should I move down to that table?" She asked pointing at a table a few paces away. |
Kay looked up at Aramis and smiled. She patted the seat next to her and continued to read her textbook. |
Jaren entered the classroom and took a seat at the back solemnly, but, quite against his will, ended up depositing his bag on the table with more force than he usually did. |
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Nadia took a seat randomly from the row, ad for some reason not far from where Jaren was sitting. Nadia took wand and partchment and quill though not sure she wll use the first, and ready to caught up anything being said that could help her, in more than one area. Not that she had any hopes of it happening. As far as she knew, this would completely demostrative. There was only an animagus in the room anyways. |
Meghan walked in the Transfiguration classroom and had taken a seat in one of the middle desks. She took out her book and awaited for further instructions. |
Terry walks into the classroom and notices Professor McAiken sitting at his desk going over his plans for class. She would like to go over and greet him properly but decides she'd better not. Under the circumstances it's better if they don't appear to be too friendly. Terry find a seat in the center of class near Nadia, takes out her supplies, and waits for class to begin. |
Astoria walked into Transfiguration and sat down a few rows away from Kay and Amaris. She smiled to the two as she took out materials for notes. |
Gazing though a Transfiguration book, signal that she refused to give up, Nadia waited while the last of the students arrived. Noting just who had sat near her, though, she placed the black heavy book back in the table and her hand reached immeditely in her pocket for something in there. A cold, smooth surfice, no. A rough, hard one, not it. Ah, finally, she could feel the material of cloth and shape. Next she had taken a yellowish badge. She wasn't sure just how long it had been there. She was possitive, over a week no doubt. "Terry," she whispered to get the girl's attention, then pulled out her prefect badge and held it up for her to take it. "Here. In the previous History of Magic class. You, err, dropped it." She finished saying this and straightening up in her seat, with her voice low in volume. And, that was it. |
Liam entered the classrom took a seat up front, took out a quill and parchment and waited for class to begin |
Jen walked into the classroom and took a seat in the middle of the classroom. She took out a quill and parchment and waited for class to start. |
Bailey walked into the classroom and headed towards the front. After taking a seat, she pulled her textbook out of her bag and began to read while waiting for the lesson to begin. |
Zekk walks in, deciding to goto class without getting food. He goes over and sits with Kay and a gryffindor he hasn't met. "Hi, I'm Zekk, I don't think we've met." He says to the gryffindor with a smile. |
Jenna walked into the room eager for the lesson to begin. She sat down at a table towards the front of the room, and removed her notebook, inkwell, and quill from her bag. After organising these on her desk, she tore a page out of her notebook and began sketching. |
Skylar walked in and took a seat. She took out her notebook and started to write for the heck of it. She loved writing, always let her relax before a lesson that might make her a little tense. She took a strand of her strawberry hair with blond highlights and started twirling it absentmindedly while she wrote. |
Ayden walked into the room and took a seat next to Tori. "Hey," He greeted her shortly. |
Rave walked into the class room, nodded a greeting to Astoria and Nadia and took a seat in the middle of the room. |
Laurasia entered the classroom & smiled at Professor McAiken. "Good afternoon, professor." She noticed Jaren sitting in the back of the room, which was her preferred area as well, & decided to take a seat sit by him. While she was getting her things together for class she whispered to Jaren, so as to not disturb the rest of the students, "Good afternoon Jaren. I haven't had any luck getting in to see Mrs. Leiden at all. I think that I'm going to have to try another professor." She gave him a small exaserbated smile & a shrug. She just had to let the Headmistress know that the schools nurse was not doing her duties at all. |
Martha walks into the classroom and notices that some students have already arrived. She heads towards the middle of the classroom, and takes a seat. She pulls out her wand and note-taking materials and waits patiently for class to begin. |
Annie walks into the classroom, nods and says hello to Professor McAiken, then sees Martha. She smiled and waved as she made her way around desks to take a seat next to her. As she set her bag on the ground, she smile and said "Hey there.." |
Erica rushes into the Transfiguration classroom, slightly flustered because she thought she was going to be late. To her immense relief, she wasn't. She waved at the few students that she knew that were already present before taking a seat in the front half of the classroom. She needed to pay attention badly as she seemed to be having the most trouble with this subject this term. |
Martha smiles at Annie and whispers, "Hi." She then opens her Transfiguration book and begins to read, patiently waiting for class to start. |
Astoria smiles as Ayden sits down. "Hi." |
Llewellyn stepped into the classroom, looking rather worse for wear. He carefully sat down in a random desk and began looking around the room, over his shoulder, and at random students, narrowing his eyes paranoidly as he did so. His eyes continued shifting focus rapidly and his fingers drummed heavily on his desk, his left hand holding his wand so tightly his knuckles were turning white. |
Tao walks in a bit sleepy eye'd and sits down next to Annie and Marth. She whispers 'hi' and begins to take out her things before class begins. |
Martha smiles and nods at Tao, glad that her friend has been able to come to class. She continues to read her text. |
Annie smiled and whispered hi to Tao as she leaned over to open her bag for a quill, ink and parchment. |
Martha finishes the chapter she has been reading and decides to close her book. She takes out a piece of parchment and begins to write a letter to her parents as she waits for class to start. |
McAiken looks up and see that the class is assembled. He makes a mental to reward them later for arriving in class in an orderly and calm manner. He is grateful they gave him a moment more to compose himself. He scanned the room and his mind thought about the decisions he make in dungeons. Yes, it was the right wrong thing to do. If he wanted to be here....McAiken shook his head slightly as if to scatter his thoughts and that was just why he did. The dungeon events were not important now, the students were. "Last class we focused on how the transfiguration to an animagus happens. Today we will focus on what a witch or wizard experieces while in the animagi form." McAiken as he spoke began to relax. "I'm going to ask you to think about that for a moment. What does the witch or wizard experience? Do they mentally become a cat, lion, rat, stag or even a Komodo Dragon. Think back on you magical history. One animagi spoke very clearly on this point. Who can tell me who this is?" |
Nadia straightened in her seat after she gave out the badge, to turn to the professor. She thought of the question, which took her long enough, then raised her hand to try, "Professor, could it be, Mr Sirius Black? He spoke about the difficulties of being a dog for so long. Like, I have heard you start thinking alike. However, the mental capacity of the animagus, different from a forced animal transfiguration, isn't tampered with. You pçkeep thinking striaght enough, as a human, to be able to turn back. "I have also understood anybody can turn their magical shape into animals but they would change their mental capacitites unless trianed, hence the animagi magic being so comlicated." |
"What differeniates an animagus from say someone who can just turn himself into an animal is the fact that an animagus retains his human mind whiile in animal form." Terry turns in Nadia's direction and takes her prefect badge back. "Thank you, Nadia, I had wondered where it had gotten to." She then turns back to the professor. Sirius Black did speak alot about how he escaped from Azkaban Prison using his animagi form, but Peter Pettigrew also spoke of his like as a rat while they were in the Shrieking Shake together during Harry Potter's third year." |
"Yes, Sirius Black is one of the formost debated animagi in the last 100 years. He was able to survive Azkaban by changing into a dog. He spoke about retaining his ability to think during his transfiguration. We also know that McGonagall was able to read and study maps in her cat form. Some wonder in the bouncing ferret of famed Mad Eye Moody was an animagus and the answer is no. Draco Malfoy was a simple ferret. His attempts of escape from Professor Moody were animal instinct, nothing more." McAiken paused for a moment and took a sip from a cup on his desk. "I can retain most of my mental abilities when I transfigure. Example I could recognize you if you entered a room, I would know how to get from point a to point b. I could use logic, and the list goes on. |
Liam took notes on that and listened again toany more of the lesson |
"Sirius's Padfoot had an animal conspiritor after his escape from Azkaban, with who he was able to communicate. Sirius was able to make him understand he was looking for the rat, Peter Pettigrew. Animagi have a way to communicate to other animal. Three Mauraders were able to protect and keep Remus Lupin out of trouble during his monthly transfiguration into a wevewolf while their were in their animagus forms. |
Jenna glanced up from her notes at the name McAiken had just mentioned. Remus Lupin... Her mind raced back to a story she had once heard when she was younger. Someone had mentioned his name and condition, although it was barely audible. Now that it had been mentioned again she was keen to learn more. She stared at McAiken, almost pushing him to go on about the subject. |
Martha puts away her letter and takes notes carefully, listening to every word Professor McAiken says. |
:: Ganymede was so out in space at the moment. All she heard was 'Blah Blah.. blah'. She played with her hair for a few moments before trying her best to pay attention. Slytherin was slipping rather sharply and she needed them to get back into the lead. Ganymede finally thought of a good question. She raised her hand and asked, "Professor, When one is an animagi, does the animal's appearance age along with the human form?" She decided to restate it in another way, "Such as, does the animal form go from kitten to cat to old cat as the human form goes from child to adult to old person?" She lowered her hand and waited. :: |
Jaren started taking notes rather rapidly, with a concentrated expression on his face. He'd spent a good portion of his fourth year figuring Animagi out, only to have it as an actual class lesson in his sixth year. But whatever gives. |
"That's a good question, and frankly that is a debated topic. As a wizard or witch gains magic powers in certain areas but their phsyical bodies age. Yet you have to remember we live much longer lives than muggles. As an animagus wizard or witch bodies age their animagus form adapts. But it doesn't age like a normal animal, if this were true Peter Pettigrew who remained a rat for thirteen years would have died. This proably doesn't answer your question but it the best we have at the moment. Magic grows, it changes. A wizard today can perform more spells, and brew more potions than a wizard a 100 years ago could. I mentioned Remus earlier and as many you know he was a werewolf. For many years he suffered terrible transformation at full moon and was very wild during them. Just before Remus taught here at Hogwarts, a potion was created that eases these times for werewolves. They are no longer a threat to others at long as they consume the potion. Who can name that potion?" |
Nadia took notes every now and then, pausing to look up and watch the professors. She was still slightly confused if she had gotten the question answer right. Nevermind that. At least she could review things she had read and also finally returned that item. Mind, she would have liked to use that excuse for something else but, well, whatever. And she didn't fail to notice the small change of mood in the profesor from where she entered to now. Well, at first she thought it was sad or mad, but now it proved to be nervous what she perceived, in contrast to this relaxed expression he now wore. |
"Wolfsbane potion, I believe?" Jaren replied. |
Kay raised her hand. "It is called the Wolfsbane Potion, sir." |
Nadia raised her hand, "The Wolfbane -" but, she was quite a bit too late. Happens when you have your concentration elsewhere. mind, she had never before blacked out completely from the class like this. It was a bit later, when she tried to recall what they were talking about as if the professor's words echoed in her mind enough for her to re-listen, that she could come up with the answer. But you always knew that. She lowered her hand slowly. |
Correct. So you see an animagus can still think like a witch or wizard but you need to remember one of the most important facts about becoming one. When I transfigure into my form, I lose the ability to perform any other magic besides that. The spell to transfigure uses all my magical talents for that time I stay in my animagus form. I can't so much use the simplest of other spells. So the spell is in some way dangerous. Example, James Potter was a stag, if he were in that form and a hunter tried to shoot him. James could not use the spell we learn in your first lesson this term to transfigure a large stone into a shield. He would have had to first transfigure into a physical human body." That brings use to how an animagus returns to their human form." McAiken stopped for moment, "Are there any question up to this point?" |
Martha looks over her notes again to make sure that everything is clear in her mind. She shakes her head 'no' and waits for the professor to continue. |
Nadia raised her hand, "If you are not able to use the simplest spell, how can you turn back to human which is another complicate transfiguration spell? Or it wouldn't matter because, umh, it's a wandless magic?" she asked a bit confused. |
:: Ganymede pondered a few moments and decided to ask another question. It was a bit off topic, but did have something to do with animagi. She raised her hand, "Professor, when one is in the animal form, does it eat just as the animal would? Would it thirst for raw meat if a Tiger?" She asked. :: |
Nadia, the only magic you have the ability to do is end the spell. You can't use other incantations until you end the animagus spell. Is that clearer. Most wizards rarely stay in their animagus form long enough to be hungry. Yet we do know Pettigrew nibbled at human food when he could get it and Sirius Black indicated he ate some strange things when he was on the run after he escaped from Azkaban. So I would said the choice of what you ate would be really based on what you could get." |
:: Ganymede nodded and thought, Ok now give me some house points! She shrugged and hoped some points would atleast be given to Nadia. Just out of pure frustration, Ganymede turned her hair a slightly darker brown. It was hardly noticable. She was getting very well at controlling her awesome gift. :: |
Zekk is taking notes as fast as he can. Soon he just listens deciding he will take more notes in a few minutes. |
Martha yawns and politely covers her mouth while doing so. She was starting to get a little hungry, her stomach beginning to growl. She tries to concentrate, and focuses her gaze at the Professor. |
Laurasia took her notes & listened intently to everything that was being said. The topic of Animagi was truly fascinating to her. Hearing Professor McAiken request any further questions, she decided to ease her curiosity & raised her hand. "Professor McAiken, I know that you have mentioned the Animagus incantation is extremely difficult to learn & takes many years of practice. That being said, I was wondering at what age you would suggest that a student begins to practice the incantation? Would you suggest that a first-year, like myself, start practicing now if they hope to master the incantation?" |
* I wonder what form I could take if I were to become an Animagus..* Crystal ponders as she takes her notes for class. She then hears Laurasia's question and looks up, waiting for the professor to answer, as she is rather interested in the answer herself. |
Astoria kept taking notes, only stopping to rest her hand, since it was cramping from writing so fast. |
"The earliest known full transfigurations would be the Marauders. It is said they first transfigured some time in their fifth years here at Hogwarts. Their age at the time would have been at least 16. I've introduced the spell and discussed the spell with third years. As you know in your four and fifth years you begin to perform more complex magic. Your magical talents are growing and it is the fifth year that if I noticed the talent I would try to focus a student. We have one fifth year student who has shown some indicates she might success in becoming an animagus. While I will continue to work with the all OWL and NEWT students, but I'll do private lesson with any student who shows potential. There is also a third year but it is really to soon to know about her. |
Jenna continued writing notes, but in a more distracted way. She gazed at the parchment, her hand seeming to have a mind of its own as it wrote down the information McAiken had told the class. |
Nadia took notes though her mind seemed to distanciate from everything as she heard about. She could very well tell who those two people were, but most importantly, she couldn't guess... She raised her hand again, "What makes these students more apt to become an animagus, if Animagi Magic is not something you are born with?" Like with Metamorphagi Magic. In short, she was asking if there was any needed inborn ability to become one. |
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'Animagus may be born in sense they are able to perform the spell at some given time in their life, but Metamorphagi are able to change from birth. I would really say to become an animagus you would need excellent skills in transfiguration. It boils down to talent and magical ability is that area. Almost every witch or wizard can perform some transfigurations but they can't do all of them. Why not? Who knows. Magical ability varies in each witch or wizard. Each of you sitting here have magical talents but are those the same? No, they are uniquely different. I can brew potions but I am not a Potions Master like say Snape was. I can do some but not all nor with the ease a Potions Master does them. This is no different than in the Muggle world. Many muggles play sports, like baseball or soccer but they do not all perform on the same level. Some are just recreation player, some play in high school, some are good enough to play in college, but only a small percentage are able to play professional or for their country's team in the Soccer World Cup." |
Nadia listened to the answer and took notes, a bit bewildered with this information. Indeed, she had heard that wands sometimes were particularly good in some areas rather than others. Hers? She didn't remember ever been told to be expectacularly good at something. She doubted it would be narrowed down to interests. She loved Charms and yet her weakest spot was in Locking and Unlocking Charms. Potions? Sure, she wasn't that bad but neither was born with an inborn facility. Her inner eyes was as developped as her common eye. Herbology? No rather. Muggle Studies? How so? Could you be good at Astronomy or Ancient Runes? This was giving her a headache. She even wondered if there was a single thing she was somewhat good at, with a sinking feeling in her stomach. If she had mouthed said feeling it would have been expressed with a kind of groan, no doubt. |
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Laurasia, highly interested, listened to the professor & took her notes. Being a first-year she was not yet sure in which area she would later excel, however she knew which areas she hoped they would be in. Unfortunately, the current terms courses for most of those subjects were definately not helping her to learn anything about most of those subjects. She sighed deeply as she thought about that fact. She pondered the notion of asking Professor McAiken about some tutoring regarding one of those subjects. However she realized just how busy all of the professors that were actually teaching classes were with simply trying to run their own classes, without needing to tutor students on other subjects as well. Disheartened a bit at this realization, she decided to focus her energy on excelling at the classes that were being taught effectively; even if many of them were not classes that she had been hoping to major in throughout her academic career. |
"Think for moment, even in class the lot of you do not perform the same. Some of you are outstanding students, you work hard and those will fly through their OWLs and they will wipe out the NEWTs. Some of you will simply pass as acceptable. To be top notch in anything whether you are a witch, wizard or muggle takes a combination of things. Things like talent, study, practice, efforts, courage, and a host of qualities. Not every one of you are a Dumbledore or Harry Potter but you may be a McGonagall or Snape. Now let's move on to who an animagus returns to human form. There are two ways. The Animagus can end the spell or you can be forced to reveal yourself as Sirius and Remus forced Peter to do those many years ago in the Shrieking Shack. When an animagus retakes human form it appears as if you see things growing from the animagus form until you see only the human. It is a much easier transfiguration if the animagus end the spell than if you are force to chance. When I end my spell it is of course wandless magic. I used Finite Incantatem to return to my body. Simple and effective. I concentrate and remember who I am, how I look, and focus on those as I end the spell." |
Nadia smirked to herself. It was amusing how this professor related everything to past history, and the story of Harry Potter. Mostly this nervous amusement was to hide the anxiousness of a speech about self expectations. With some luck, Nadia thought, she would receive a couple Exceed Expectations or just scratch. She was terrified of her NEWTs. Sure, the OWLs weren't that bad after all but the NEWTs... Taking notes about what was being said, Nadia considered the professor's words with some edginess. Finite Incantatum? So simple? It was surprising that such simple spell would be able to end such powerful, complicated magic as the Animagi magic. Quite impressing. And with forced changing-back? Nadia could perceive this was the part following, so she waited for the professor to go on and clear her doubts. Sure, you could end another wizard or witch's spell with Finite Incantatum, but was it powerful enough? |
Llewellyn hurriedly took notes down on his parchment. Every now and then he would look up at somewhere and squint, trying to make out some impercievable detail. he then returned to his writing, taking rather lengthy notes in some made-up form of shorthand. |
[QUOTE]...but you may be a McGonagall or Snape.[/QOUTE] The Professor's words echoed around in her head. He can't think that would be a lesser thing can he? Professor Snape is one of my idols after all, she thought to herself. To become a Potions Master of his caliber would be a dream come true for Laurasia. |
Jenna left her gaze and began furious notetaking. They were simple, but worthwhile. "Finite Incanatem--simple & effective Remus and Sirius--->Peter became human.." Curious... She thought is this Remus they speak of. So....different from Sirius Black. She had heard of Black (even these many years later), but of course, who hadn't? But She wasn't so familiar with Remus. Like Romulus and Remus? Drifting upon the myth. Was he a wolf-child? She would venture to the library next time she had a chance and do some research. |
Just to clear my comment up about Professors Snape and McGonagall a bit, I'll explain it. I meant to show that while Albus Dumbledore was the greatest of the age and Harry a hero on all accounts, these two professor were in their own rights the top of their area of study. In her time Aunt Minerva was second in Transfiguration to no witch or wizard except Dumbledore. She trained under him and succeed him as professor in that subject. Snape's potion brewing was the best of his age. He was a wizard who had few counterparts in that area. Each of us excel in something, yet we are still different. I hope that is clearer. Now back to the subject at hand. Some of you might think Finite Incantatem to be so simple it lacks power and that just isn't the case. It is strong magic, which ends most spells. Rarely can wand or wandless magic not be ended with this incantation. Of course in some cases a witch or wizard might not process the strength to override the wizard or witch who cast the spell. Simple does not equal weak. I would prefer to duel a wizard so sure of his self that he tried to use the most complex magic against me. It is the witch or wizard that doesn't forget the so called simple spells that will survive a duel most times. Think about it. You might wonder how Sirius and Remus were able to force Peter to show himself. Yet, remember that Remus was a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and Sirius was one of the most talent students Hogwart has ever seen. It is doubtful that without their help and James's help Peter would have become a animagus to begin with. Their combined skill and talent could force almost any animagus to show him or her self. Their strength against Peter was overwhelming for him. It time for homework, check the homework board outside my office where you find it posted by tomorrow morning. It will be due 5 days after it is posted. I will go through this lesson and award points for answers, and questions also. You thought I had forgotten but I have not. Have a good day, class dismissed." |
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