Ah, I found it! In PoA, when they’re all in the shrieking shack, Professor Lupin is telling the story of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. He says:
[spoiler]“They became Animagi.” … “It took them the best part of three years to work out how to do it. Your father and Sirius here were the cleverest students in the school, and lucky they were, because the Animagus transformation can go horribly wrong - one reason the Ministry keeps a close watch on those attempting to do it. Peter needed all the help he could get from James and Sirius. Finally, in our fifth year, they managed it. They could each turn into a different animal at will.”
The fact that they had to work it out indicates that it’s learned, unlike Parseltongue (a born trait) which Harry wasn’t even aware he had until people witnessed it and Ron told him.[/spoiler]
I think the reason they picked common beasts is because they had reasons for wanting to go unnoticed. Exotic beasts would draw unwanted attention to themselves.
There’s nothing to stop him from following in his father’s footsteps and becoming one illegally. He’s already shown that once he sets his mind to something he’ll do it, rules be damned. I was just pointing out that it’s not something in his heritage, it is a learned skill.
I’ve never even considered that they get to choose what they become. IMHO, what they transform into probably has to do with their innate personalities.
Professor McGonagall is a cat–seemingly stern, stand-offish personality, but hiding a big softie heart underneath which is revealed if she is “rubbed” the right way. (Remember her almost crying when she thought Harry & Ron wanted to go see Hermione when Hermione was petrified?)
Petter “Wormtail” Pettigrew is a rat–'nuff said. Who would choose to be a rat? And Harry sees him as having rat-like features, even when in his human form.
Sirius Black is a dog–Um, he’s extremely loyal, and he sometimes plays a bit rough. Okay, I might be reaching with that one. But with a name like that, what else would he be?
James Potter is a stag–We don’t know enough about James to be sure, but in my mind a stag has always been a noble, brave creature. Seems to fit what we know so far about him.
Okay, so none of these are rock-solid proof that the animagi transformation just brings out your “animal” personality. But it’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
I’m glad you posted that hypothesis, Oreo, because it saved me the trouble of doing so. I don’t even think the James Potter/stag connection is that tenuous. Watching Bambi with my daughter over the weekend caused me to recall that the stag is not only a noble-looking beast, he’s also the leader and protector of his group.
And Rita Skeeter, with her crawled-out-from-under-a-rock scruples is absolutely appropriate as a beetle (I wonder what form her Patronus would take, shoud she be capable of summoning one? :)).
[sub]The poster wishes to express his apologies to any actual beetles who may have felt offended by his words, above.[/sub]
It may also be that more exotic beasts require even greater expertise to master, with possibly greater chances of disaster if a mistake is made. Pettigrew may have chosen a rat because it was easier than a dog or stag, while Skeeter’s choice made her job much easier (though the job choice may have been a result of the transformation, and not the other way around).
Yes, I did notice what Lucius Malfoy was trying to do to Harry in the last movie. Creepy.
Back to the OP- nobody has mentioned Percy yet! He is being set up as ferociously ambitious, and without the warm family feeling shared by the rest of the Weasleys. He is ripe for corruption, even more so than Ron. (However, much is made of Ron’s dissatisfaction with his place in his family and in the world, and he is ripe for the picking too…but he has Harry and Hermione, who know exactly where they stand, supporting him all the time. Percy is pretty much a loner who lives for work.)
My very humble prediction? Percy will rat out his father, Harry, or both for a promise of power.
Ah, but Percy was clearly worried about his brother at the 2nd task of the tournament in the 4th book. Once Ron had been pulled out of the lake, he ran over to him (in a rather undignified, un-Percy-like fashion, if I remember correctly). He’s not quite as heartless as he may appear.
He does, however, have those pesky problems with kissing up to superiors and craving power. That will get him in some serious trouble. To actually, knowingly turn in a family member (or someone close enough to be family) to get power? I don’t think that’s too likely. But certainly he could lead his family into trouble unknowingly if he met up with the wrong person.
But didn’t Rita Skeeter choose to turn into a bug so that she could listen in on conversations as the proveribal fly on the wall? Not that a bug isn’t like her though.
I’ve always thought that Harry was the offspring of Mama Harry (I don’t remember her name) and Voldemort, hence the resemblance and wand from the same pheonix tail. Perhaps Mama Harry never told Tom Riddle. It could explain why he couldn’t kill Harry, because it’s his son.
It’s a bit too Star Wars for my taste, but it’s a possibility.
My fiance theorizes (humorously, I hope) that Harry will reveal himself to be the devil in the end of the series and prove all those parents who don’t like the witchcraft aspects of the book correct. I’m pretty sure he’s joking.
We don’t have the official answer yet. However, it certainly does seem that the animal form always matches the person’s personality. Also, some of the animal forms would not seem to be something that a person would voluntarily choose. Peter Pettigrew is a perfect example: it’s hard to believe that he would choose to be a rat. Also look at Sirius Black: his dog form is really scary and tends to frighten people who see it. Considering that he’s a wanted criminal, you’d think that, if he had a choice, he’d turn himself into a cute, friendly-looking dog that wouldn’t attract so much attention.
My educated WAG is that you don’t have a choice in what your animal form looks like.
As for the possible relationship between Harry and Lord Whatsis name…
We don’t know anything about Harry’s dad’s side of the family, so it’s possible that Tom Riddle was Mr. Potter’s half-brother, which would make him Harry’s uncle.
—Ah, but Percy was clearly worried about his brother at the 2nd task of the tournament in the 4th book.—
Again: he’s another candidate for Rowling’s whole “it’s isn’t really about right vs. wrong for most people, it’s about doing what’s right vs. what’s easy” bit.
—I’ve always thought that Harry was the offspring of Mama Harry (I don’t remember her name) and Voldemort, hence the resemblance and wand from the same pheonix tail.—
The problem, however, is that James Potter looks so much like Harry that Harry confuses HIMSELF with his father in Book 3.
Oh hey: did anyone else gets shades of Gollum in Book 3 when Dumbledore makes a big deal about Harry sparing Peter Petrigrew’s life? What’s up with the recycled storyline?
And I’m not sure I buy it either. If Harry had killed or at least stopped Peter, then Cedric, Barty Crouch, and that one Muggle would be alive for starters, and Voldemort would still be screwed. I don’t see what makes up for that, unless Dumbledore WANTS Voldemort back for some reason.
Voldemort is not a Muggle-born (and I can’t believe that y’all are using such rude words as M******d in here! Really, children might see! ).
As he points out himself at the end of Chamber of Secrets, he’s a halfblood - one Muggle parent and one magical one. So is Seamus Finnigan, whose mother is a witch and whose father is a muggle. So is Harry - he has one pureblood parent and one Muggle-born parent.
We’re never told how many generations away any Muggle ancestry has to be before one is considered a pureblood, although apparantly nine generations is enough (one of the Hufflepuffs so protests to Harry when everyone thinks he’s the Heir of Slytherin). Different parts of the wizarding world probably have different standards - I imagine the Malfoys adhere to the one-drop rule, for instance.
J. K. Rowling reads one too many slash fanfics she’s found on the Net. She starts to write a story where Voldemort magically transforms Harry into an 18-year-old (or maybe not!) and then has sex with him. They’re joined by every other male character in the series, with the underaged ones magically transformed into 18-year-olds (or maybe not), and they all have a giant orgy. Finally Rowling dies of a brain aneurysm after spending 8 pages writing about Arthur Weasley’s greased cock. The publisher tries to replace her with a team of Japanese writers: “Harry Potter and Super Happy Tentacle Buki Buki Mystery” doesn’t sell well, though it gains a considerable cult following among the nerdkind.
).