I've noticed that there's a few things that just "happen to you" in Harry's world. For example, Ollivander says that the wand always chooses the wizard. And, the Sorting Hat picks your house for you. Well, it would make logical sense that it's all about what's inside a person - what makes them unique. The Patronus is a visible ( if not physical) symbol of what wil make that the happiest. In Harry's case, having his parents would make him happiest. And I mean having them all along, and not just having them back among the living. Harry would never be able to pick between them, James or Lily, so his Patronus is a stag - like his dad's nickname - because they're both male. Possibly Harry had even heard James called "Prongs" when he was a baby and that was a memory just too far back for Harry to actively recall. This line of reasoning would surely explain why Tonks' Patronus had changed form - she wouldn't have had a werewolf Patronus until there was a real werewolf counterpart to make her want one.
I'm still a little fuzzy on animagus... this is what I have so far. These are all wizards and witches and the animals they can change into. But they don't match their personalities too well - not in every case, anyway. I mean, serere Professor McGonagall as a cat? More likely a Hungarian Horntail or a Sphinx, I think. And, with regards to Rita Skeeter, who deeply yearns to be a bug?
So, what if, when your doing the spell or whatever it takes to become an animagus, you have to have a specific reason or purpose for wanting to become one? Not that you had to actually voice that reason, just that the reason had to be really focused on... Like Harry needing to think really hard on a very happy moment to get his Patronus.
Well, then it becomes obvious why people become the animals they do. Mc Gonagall (I suspect) became one as a teacher (not as a student, herself) because it would be a great disguise within the castle if she needed to look in on the students unnoticed. There's already a whole lot of cats roaming the castle that the students brought from home. Skeeter, I'm sure, became a beetle because she's the fly on the wall. It would have occurred to her that that would be a great choice for anyone who wanted to snoop, and she always does snoop. But there must be something more personal that goes into it, too. Why does Skeeter become a beetle and not a fly or a mosquito? Mc Gonagall, I assume, became a cat - and not a toad - because a cat would seem much more dignified; she couldn't become an owl, I assume, because those don't go swooping through the castle halls unnoticed.
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