I know that all of you have watched Sirius, James, and McGonagall (whom are animagi) saying that you’d love to be like them. This article is written for all of you! Enjoy it! 

First of all, Hogwarts students learn about Animagi in their 3rd year of study and specifically in the course of Transfiguration. If a witch or a wizard wants to reach this level of magical abilities, they must declare it to the Ministry of Magic. Otherwise, if they become an animagus and have not declared it (and this becomes known), they can be punished even with imprisonment in Azkaban. Of course in many cases (ex. Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs), there is an important personal reason why the wizard or witch does not want to declare that they have acquired this ability.

The process by which someone becomes a Animagus is quite complex and the first step requires you to keep in your mouth a mandrake leaf for a whole month. That means you can't take the leaf out to eat or sleep, or you'll have to start the process all over again. :(

Then, on the next visible full moon, the witch or wizard must place this leaf in a vial that can be seen by the moon's rays. If the moon hides for a while behind the clouds, the process should be repeated from the beginning, with a new leaf. In addition to the moon's rays, the vial needs other ingredients, such as dew from plants that have not seen sunlight and have not have someone set foot around them for at least 7 days.

If a wizard actually reaches this level of preparation, then they must hide the vial with the potion under creation to a place where the sun will not see it at all. After the potion has been hidden for some time, then the witch or wizard must be ready to take it out of its hiding place when an electrical storm starts, in particular when lightning strikes. Until that moment, however, every dawn and every sunset the witch or wizard must say the following spell: Amato Animo Animato Animagus. This is a process that can continue for a very long time, until the wizard  has prepared psychologically for his transformation, which will take place (if all is done correctly) when he drinks the potion and repeats the above spell. According to Rowling, the wizards mustn’t panic if something goes wrong in the process.

For the record, the first recorded Animagus was an ancient Greek whose name is attributed in English as Falco Aesalon (scientific name of the nanogera), who could be transformed, of course, into a hawk.

 Finally, according to Rowling, you can't choose the animal you're going to transform into, because that's connected to your personality. Thus, for example, James Potter was transformed into a stag, as he was brave and rebellious, while the noisy and indiscreet Rita Skeeter was transformed into a beetle. Of course, the Patronus and the animal in which one is transformed can be identified, as in the case of Minerva McGonagall, who transforms into a cat, which is the form taken by her Patronus.

Source: https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/web-how-do-you-become-animagus

- By Claire Angelina Herkins, HDN Writer and Public Affairs Manager