An animagus is a
witch or wizard who can transform into an animal (and back) at will; they have
only one form, which is a representation of their inner self or personality.

A number of other similar concepts exist. Many Muggleborn or
half-blood readers may be familiar with the concept of daemons, popularized by a recent fantasy book and movie (The
Golden Compass). The human cannot turn into this animal, but rather has
this animal as a talking companion – a part of their souls physically
manifested as a creature. One could assume that a person's daemon and animagus
forms would be the same, as both represent personality and behavior.

Familiars are a
somewhat – but not entirely – unrelated topic. Today we know them as animals
which we keep as pets, often to aid our magic. In times when Muggles and
magical folk lives together, however, and when there was great tension in Europes between the Christian Muggle majority and magical
practitioners (who were, ironically, often also of the same faith, meaning no
harm, and simply unable to hide their poorly-trained magic) a
"familiar" was the evil, demonic animal a witch or wizard could
transform into. It used to have very negative connotations. So the two ideas
have gotten a bit jumbled along the way.

The Patronus charm
is another somewhat-related topic: one's Patronus takes the form of either a)
an animal representing one's inner self, like an animagus form, or b) an animal
representing something or someone which is deeply important in the caster's
life right now. For example, one's Patronus might take on the form of their
lover's.

Also popular in Muggle culture – but stemming from the
practices of magical groups all around the world – is the idea of a spirit animal or totem. This animal is not necessarily a representation of one's
inner self – it may just be a protector, of one individual or the whole family.
But in many modern instances it's interpreted as more personal.

So, how does one realize what animal is a representation of
their inner selves?

There are spells
to reveal one's animagus potential and form, but most are high-level magic,
with a strong component of focus and intent. Most have an aspect of meditation,
wherein one has to see inside themself. As most of these are off-limits to a
first-year – or, even if a book teaching the spell can be found, very difficult
to pull off – my journey so far has been spent analyzing my own personality as I try to come to a revelation
without the help of magic.

Either way, self-awareness
is a hugely important aspect of becoming an animagus. How well do you know your
own personality?

Rona Thompson

April 24, 2014