[Cl: At] Term 1: Animagi: Introduction

[Faye Vedette]

"It sounds as though you have it all planned out, Grace," she said. "But I hope you do not intend to fly away from your problems." she rubbed Grace's shoulder as she stood up. "A bird it shall be, by any means. Perhaps it will interest you to know that the very first Animagmus was an Ancient Greek. His name was Falco Aesalon and he was - quite suprising to his name - a falcon. I do believe his face is now on a chocolate frog card," she laughed, amused.

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace smiled. "I actually am using his card as a book mark," she said, picking up her book and showing Vedette the card inside.

[Henry Boggleworth]

Boggleworth grinned happily "well don't you know I'd like to be a wolf or an eagle! Quelle surprise! This is going to be difficult be hey a great challenge." he laughed

[Faye Vedette]

Faye raised her eyebrows in suprise at Grace. "Well excellent! At least someone in this class is definitely going to be interested in a little history!" she said enthusiastically, clasping her hands together.

Standing up, the professor moved forward to the front of the room. "I should tell you, Boggleworth - all of you, actually - that if it comes to be that your forms are what the ministry consider dangerous, then you may find your leisure time in your transfigurations, shall we say, watched." She clapped her hands together, causing the flames in the torches to leap further towards the ceiling, casting a better glow over the students. "I tutored one young African wizard who became a lion..."

Faye turned to face them all, her eyes solemn. "He was shot and skin by his own tribe."

[Henry Boggleworth]

"Oh how lovely!" grimaced Boggleworth "but you need not worry my middle name is careful, also mischeveous, rascal, chatty and I could go on and on!"

[Faye Vedette]

Faye smiled, thankful that the prospect of being hunted down or imprisoned in zoos was not too strong a repellent for her new students. "I'll remember those as best I can, Boggleworth." she smiled.

[Henry Boggleworth]

"and you can even make up your own! So shall we get on with this then!" he said enthusiastically rubbing his hands together with glee.
"shout out your orders!" he grinned going next to Grace and smiling broadly at her.

[Faye Vedette]

Faye realised she had been chatting for far too long, and was suddenly nervous. She had never taught beyond a one-on-one before, and the sight over so many eyes looking at expectantly was a little daunting. She swallowed bravely and cleared her throat. "Firstly, I wish to help you gain a few points," she smiled. "Who can tell me the difference between a regular transfiguration into an animal, and an Animagus transfiguration?"

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace smiled. She did so much enjoy history. And when the professor mentioned points, her ears pricked up. She frowned in thought and lifted a hand slowly, "ma'am, isn't it that anyone can transfigure you into an animal and that an animagus does when he or she feels so inclined? And isn't anigagus transfiguring a rare talent, where as regular ones are well regular?"

[Faye Vedette]

"You're half right, Grace, an Animagus does indeed transfigure by their own free will, and you're half right again by saying that they are not ordinary animals, so I shall award you five points for trying." she smiled. "The main answer I was looking for is that an Animagus has control over their own instinct while in animal form. If you were to turn me into a snake right now, I would post probably bite in defense, but if I were to turn to my Animagus form, I would be completely of my own mind. I would know who you were, and I would have my memories and personality and feelings. I would be human in spirit."

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace grinned in feverish excitment. She pulled out a note book and a quill and wrote down all that the professor had said. She looked up from her notes with a slight frown, "but then if, for what ever reason, you had to stay in that form for a very long time (say years) would you still retain that clarity of mind?"

[Faye Vedette]

Faye titled her head to one side. Wonderful, she is thinking, she thought proudly. "It has always been an argument, the idea that a long term tranformation may addle the mind into accepting some sort of basic instinct, or begin to loose it's human sharpness and stability. There are no registered Animagus lost in their forms, but here is another question for you."

"At the time of Harry Potter the Great, which traitor of Harry's father and follwer to Lord Voldemort the Merciless remained hidden in the Weasley family for over a decade in his animal state - and what animal was he?"

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace's hand shot into the air, quill still in her hand, and answered proudly, "Peter Pettigrew, and he was a rat." Grace was sure of that.

[Faye Vedette]

Faye clasped her hands together. "Superb, Grace - you knew both! Have ten points for Hufflepuff!"

She began to pace slowly back and forward across the room, watching them. "Peter Pettigrew was a very unlikely candidate for becoming an Animagus, as it usually takes those with a strong will and intelligence to achieve the rare state of part beast, part human. As you know, all Animagus forms have distinctive markings that resemble the transformer's physical identity. This may be a tricky one - as it is not well known - but what what was Pettigrew's defining feature?"

[Prof Grace Marks]

Grace wrote down strong will and intelligence to achieve the rare state of part beast, part human and looked up at the professor. "He was missing a finger, wasn't he? I don't remember which hand it was on."