What’s Your Harry Potter Animagus Form?

It’s a long and laborious path to becoming an Animagus – a wizard with singular shapeshifting ability. An Animagus is able to assume their animal form at the speed of thought, requiring no potion or incantation in doing so.

The process involves concocting a highly intricate potion, which must only be drunk while out in the open during a dangerous thunderstorm. It also includes repeating the ritual incantation – Amato Animo Animato Animagus – for months while waiting for the perfect storm to come.

Messing up even a single aspect of this ritual can be disastrous to the aspirant, which is why many wizards forego studying to be Animagi to pursue safer and more predictable interests. You can imagine the horror of the spell apparently succeeding, only to find out that you could no longer revert back to a human form.

For those who are patient and dedicated enough, however, they will be elevated as equals of only a handful of other legendary wizards, such as Professor McGonagall.

In their beastly aspects, Animagi can be extremely effective spies and infiltrators, perhaps even fooling such enemies as the Death Eaters with their acts of misdirection and subterfuge. Furthermore, Animagi whose forms were capable of flight made for excellent scouts, soaring far above to send important messages and gather reconnaissance.