Animagus

An Animagus (pl. Animagi) is a witch and wizard who can transform into an animal and back at will.^[1]

About[]

There is only a small fraction of Animagi in the wizarding population. Whenever an Animagi is in their Animagus form, they lose the ability to use human speech.^[2] They will however keep human thought and reasoning. The form of an Animagus retains distinctive markings and further similarities to their human appearance, e.g. Minerva McGonagall's tabby cat had spectacle markings around her eyes^[3]^[4], and Peter Pettigrew's rat was missing a toe after he severed his finger.^[5] If a witch/wizard is able to turn into an Animagus, they have to register their name at the Ministry of Magic and inform the authorities of their distinction markings for identification^[1], to prevent disguise or concealment.^[2]

A human in Animagus form can be in the company of a werewolf. Their presence will lessen the werewolf's pain and they will turn docile enough to wander without going rogue or attacking people. If an Animagus is big, they can restrain a werewolf.^[1] Because an Animagus is technically an animal, they can go undetected by Dementors because their sense for animal feelings is weaker and so they have less of an effect.^[5]

History[]

The earliest potential record of an Animagus is a fictional one in The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The author shows the character of Babbitty Rabbitty apparently transforming into a white rabbit to escape her pursuers. Due to the rabbit's ability to talk, which Animagi can't do, Beedle had likely only heard of the ability and did not know its limitations. It is thought that the character was based on the witch, Lisette de Lapin, who in the same century is thought to have escaped her jail cell by transforming into a white rabbit and then fleeing to the court of King Henry VI.^[2]

In the late 20th century, only seven witches and wizards had registered their Animagus.^[1] At least four people were known to have hidden their ability; James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew^[1] and Rita Skeeter.

Potter, Black and Pettigrew trained to be Animagi in their second year at Hogwarts after discovering their friend, Lupin was a werewolf. Whenever he had a transformation, he had to be chained in the Shrieking Shack and they wanted to be able to go and keep Lupin company. They trained for three years in secret. After their training, they adopted nicknames that were related to their animal form: Prongs (stag), Padfoot (dog) and Wormtail (rat).^[1]

Being secret Animagi proved useful to Black and Pettigrew later on in their lives. Pettigrew was able to escape arrest and live in hiding for thirteen years. Black was able to escape Azkaban, go into hiding and sneak into Hogwarts Castle. Lupin didn't tell anyone of Black's ability because he thought breaking the law was wrong, and felt guilty for deceiving his professors who had been kind to him even though he was a werewolf.^[1]^[5]

Vernon Dursley once spotted Minerva McGonagall in her tabby cat Animagus form reading a map. He was very confused by the cat's ability to apparently read.^[3] Third year students at Hogwarts study Animagi in Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall often performed her skill by transforming in front of her students.^[4]