Things You Didn't Know About Animagi

Draco Malfoy is turned into a ferret by Barty Crouch Jr., which is an example of human transfiguration; however, it's not the same as becoming an Animagus. Malfoy was turned into a genuine ferret, in that his human mind was gone.

Animagi take on the same characteristics of the animal they turn into, but their mind and spirit remain that of a human being. Animagi's lifespan remains intact, meaning they will live as long as a human being does even if they perpetually remain in animal form.

Morgan le Fay is considered among the very first dark witches, having lived in the Middle Ages. She was the half-sister to King Arthur and ended up becoming the wizard Merlin's archenemy.

Merlin is credited as the greatest wizard to have ever lived, but Morgan wasn't too far behind - she became the queen of the island of Avalon through her dark magic powers and was also an Animagus.

Morgan's Animagus form was of a bird, which enabled her to fly at a time when magic was still not as developed as it is in modern times. Morgan's Animagus abilities were so great history books make sure to mention them as part of her incredible achievements.

The primary reason why so few wizards become Animagi is due to a variety of factors that are nearly impossible to achieve or predict. There are seven steps for someone to qualify as an Animagus:

1. The person has to keep a single mandrake leaf in their mouth for a whole month from one full moon to the final one without swallowing the lead at any time. The leaf then has to be kept in a crystal phial that receives moonlight; the wizard needs to add their hair to the phial as well.
2. A teaspoon of dew is required from a place no human has stepped on and no sunlight has reached; after that, the cocoon of a death's-head hawkmoth should be added to the phial during a seven-day waiting period. The phial has to be kept in a quiet, dark place, and the wizard has to wait for an electrical storm.
3. The incantation "Amato Animo Animato Animagus" has to be repeated each day at dawn and dusk in the lead-up to the electrical storm, all the while keeping the wand tip at the tip of the heart.
4. When the wizard starts to feel two heartbeats, lightning should appear in the sky. Then it's time to retrieve the crystal phial, which should have changed into a blood-red colored potion.
5. The wizard needs to recite "Amato Animo Animato Animagus" and drink the potion.
6. The wizard will feel extreme fear because the transformation will start - they will see the creature that represents them at this point.
7. A wand should be kept around since the person will be in their Animagus form and won't know how to become human again. Once they revert back to their real appearance, the person will have become an Animagus.

Animagi gain additional abilities once they turn into their animal forms, which includes the ability to be in communication with genuine animals. Sirius Black does so when he arrives at Hogwarts, somehow telling Hermione Granger's cat, Crookshanks, exactly what he wants, and the latter even reports back to him as Sirius's spy.

Peter Pettigrew communicates with other animals when he looks for Voldemort in Albania, who tell him about a forest they steer clear of where a dark entity possesses animals. It's not known if such abilities are retained after transforming back into a human, although the knowledge the person has is retained.

The Wizarding World population is extremely limited in comparison to Muggles, seeing as only around 300 students attend Hogwarts each year. The number of Animagi is even less, estimated to be about one person among 1,000 wizards.

The fact the wizarding school Uagadou has so many Animagi in abundance means the statistic is primarily boosted by Uagadou's numbers, which indicates other countries' Animagi are extremely low in numbers.

Of course, the statistic doesn't include unregistered Animagi, so it's possible there are more Animagi than the Wizarding World knows about.

Britain doesn't have many Animagi, with some like the Marauders and Rita Skeeter not even registered as such. However, the rest of the world contains a lot of Animagi, and they are invited to an international symposium.

It's not known exactly what goes about in the symposiums, but the general idea is to showcase the talents of the Animagi from countries worldwide in order to enhance relations between people from different backgrounds.

The wizarding school Uagadou has a tradition of bringing along all the Animagi students it has, which has stirred some controversy since it means there are many underage wizards.