I was recently thinking about Metamorphmagi and the differences of how they're portrayed in canon and fanon.

In fanon, it is usually shown to be a control over the human body - it's colours, shapes, proportions etc. Different stories do this to different extents - in some the changes are superficial, in others you can go so far as to heal yourself with it.

However, in canon, it is shown to be more than this. Tonks often changes her nose into that of a pig's. An animal's nose. Thus, human to animal transfiguration is within the powers of Metamorphmagi in canon. If a nose, why not a face, or an arm, or an entire body? And if a pig, why not any other animal (not including magical animals)? An if animals, why not other things, such as inanimate objects?

What I'm proposing is that the power of a metamorphmagus is complete self-transfiguration ability, including human, animal and inanimate objects.

Thoughts?

 

Well, if it is possible to change any part of your body into anything you want, then Tonks should be unbeatable at dueling.
A Death Eater shoots a Reducto at Tonks, she transforms her hand into something that couldn't be destroyed by a Reducto (Titanium or something similar) and blocks the curse. Then she transforms herself into a fly, flies very near the Death Eater, transforms back and slashes his head off with a very sharp blade that suddenly replaced her arm. Also, she could have apparated instead of transforming herself into a fly.

In my opinion, it would be too strong, but you can wish...

 

Hmmm... good points.

Maybe she can totally change her entire physical structure.

However, does that mean that she can change her mass as well? Or would Tonks turning into say... a pig... be a pig but only a pig that has tonk's mass. And would a Duck-tonks basically be just a big duck?

The reason I ask is because animagi appear to be able to change both form and mass... but if she can litterally change into ANYTHING at will... then it's pretty much an ultimate attack. She could turn into a Nundu and be incredibly hard to kill, or a giant, or a dragon, or hell... create a chimera of Dragon, Giant, and Nundu and be as massive and as powerful as whatever she could imagine up.

I agree with you that she can change her structure... the question is... what the limits are.

 

I've met people with a certain porcine quality to nasal passages before. I don't think it would be overly difficult to exaggerate such a deformity, yet still keep it within the realm of human genetics.

Does anyone else think that Tonk's clumsiness can be attributed to her constant rearrangement of her shape?

 

That is what I've always thought. In puberty people can turn into complete klutzes because of growth, imagine what it would be like to never have any of your body parts the same shape or size.

 

I've noticed that in Honks stories, or any other story where Tonks is in a relationship, the authors like to make their characters claim that Tonk's natural form is the most beautiful in their opinion. What I'm wondering is, does she know what her natural form is? I guess what I should be asking first is, is the change permanent, or temporary? Does she return to her natural form if she magically exhausts herself, or is this a permanent change? If it was a permanent change, it would explain why she's so clumsy. She has never gotten used to her form because it is not her natural body. And if it was a permanent change, I'd wonder if Tonks had ever seen her natural form. Sure, she can make herself look like her mother and father, but never exactly like she should have.

 

I lean towards the idea that Tonks has no "natural form". Perhaps not even a real gender (lol).

 

That brings so many disturbing thoughts to mind. The Honks ship will never be the same. I can see it now, authors have to put Female!Tonks just to assure everyone that it is okay to continue.

 

"I'm sorry he rejected you, Tonks, I always just assumed Remus was gay."

"So?"

Harry blinked and Tonks turned to look at him.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus." She made a circle with the thumb and forefinger of one of her hands and stuck the forefinger of her other hand through it, wiggling it.

Harry turned green. "Oh good god..."

 

I've always been under the impression that Metamorphmagi never actually physically change. Instead, they're just particularly adept at creating and maintaining glamours, possibly because their magic is just better suited for it.

If they actually do physically change, then it seems as if their power would have much more potential than evident in canon.

 

I've seen her natural form. It's like half man and half pig-bear.. Or half pig and half bear-man.. I dunno :/

 

It could very well not be an actual physical change, but I don't believe it is just them being particularly good at glamours. That would just be someone who is talented at charms or transfiguration (Depending on how you're changing your appearance). However, I can't think of any type of magical ability that would change your appearance besides glamours.

 

This is yet another point that isn't fully spelled out in canon, so anyone writing a fic can stretch it one way or the other as they please without the canon nazis jumping on them. Maybe she can just shift around a bit of mass to the forms of possible humans. Maybe she can twist and shape herself like a blob of clay. If she's got a base form, it might be a slightly plain girl-next-door type (rather popular in Honks stories), it might be her normal pink-haired form, it might be a shapeless blob of protoplasm.

Hell, she might really be a dude, and Remus is just in the closet.

 

I would like to think that at some time, likely before her powers manifest that she knew her natural form. If she truly wanted to, she could probably have someone age her face (we have technologies for that...) and take that form if she wanted to go the distance to find out if she truly didn't remember.

However, about that rather extreme use of magic (the one mentioned by Dante) wouldn't be impossible but highly improbable, even if her magics extended into human to animal transformations. The changes would probably make that highly painful and disorienting. Changing her hand into titanium would probably be impossible, but even skipping that. Changing into a fly would probably make her dizzy and the multi-sensoral section of eye sight alone would probably take long enough to adjust to that the death eater could continue to attack her, or seeing no immediate opponent flee.

I highly doubt she can use her powers to continue into animals, but even if she could i don't think it would be possible to turn into magical animals. They are magical for a reason, and her body (no matter what phsycial changes) would not be equipped with, nor-even if they somehow appeared- able to focus and use the magics of an unfamiliar animal. I don't doubt she could make herself into a very large panther if her powers exteneded to non-magical animals though. Big enough to be assumed to be a nundu, for a good psychological effect...

 

Heh, we know that J.K. puts gay references in her stories.

Maybe she also meant to put Lupin/Tonks Mpreg in DH, as a tribute to all the fanfictions she stole her plot from.

Hey, you never know.

 

I really would believe her capable of that too :/

 

Hell, she was probably writing the series as Harry/Hermione until she read enough fanfics to think "hmm, I might give Harry/Ginny a try..."












And the world wept.

 

Personally, I see it as being able to change the superficial structure/mass of the human body, but not skeletal structure (cartilage excluded). That allows for a modicum of change in height (as bones don't directly connect to each other) and would give them the ability to change the most prominent features on the face/arms/etc., since most of them are made up by fat and cartilage (the nose especially).

If you think of it as total control of the human body, would that not mean she could numb the nerve endings all over her body so that she couldn't feel pain. Or on the other side of the coin, that she could hyper-sensitise areas for pleasure? Hell, she could even control the chemicals in her body to release a massive amount of adrenaline in combat, which is no small thing, I tell you.

Aekiel

 

And how is this any different from self transfiguration?

 

You don't need a wand and you don't have to be a master in the Transfiguration field. And it looks easier to do it.