I think its quite simple; when you transform, you chose whether or not to take your clothes with you. If yes, they get stored in the same magical storage place where all of the Room Of Requirement's shit goes when its not part of the room you need, and when you transform back, you get the clothes back. Simple.

 

It's magic!!

 

I'm going to ask this one just to piss you off:

Where do the unused things in the RoR go? Lulz, I'm just kidding...

Or am I?

SmileOfTheKill: I said I didn't want that answer!!

 

Then what do you want to hear? We can't give a better answer than that because that is what the answer is!

 

I know, I know... Stupid JKR making up random shit and not explaining it...

 

Sesc, I was agreeing with that before the scene near the end of PoA. If it really has nothing to do with it, why did Peter shrink right out of his clothes? Sirius didn't do that.

Anyway, I was just sating my desire to figure out some things on this matter, and I wasn't focusing on where "the key in his right pocket" went, I was focusing on the big things and how they disapear. Perhaps if I gave it a more pronounced subject it might make more sense:

Harry has a hawk animagus form; while carrying the sword of Gryffindor he transforms. I just find it a bit hard to believe that that would just vanish into thin air.

I'm not pushing this any further because I've gotten the answers I was hoping to get. No need to get all pissy, and the retard comment was completely uncalled for.

EDIT: What exactly does TL;DR mean?

 

That was a movie-only thing, if I recall correctly, and it was probably just for style. Sirius had to transform back to a human later on for the big Dementor scene, so his clothes didn't disappear.

And TL;DR is Too Long; Didn't Read.

 

TL;DR = Too long; didn't read.

You know what I have a hard time believing? People turning into animals. If you can accept that Harry can turn into a hawk, then you need to accept that some old-ass sword can disappear.

 

There isn't one. Thanks for the translation. You misunderstood me Sesc, I wasn't talking about whether the items shrunk with them, and then where they went. I was asking whether the items shrunk with the transformation, or went away to some containment area.

Oh, I apologize about that, I was kind of drunk last night. You know, New Years in all...

Oh yeah, Happy 2010.

I thought the sword would be different because of all the charms and wards over it. Exp: It only lets certain people wield it.

Sorry for the confusion

 

Just for the record, that's when I started carving a hole in my coffee table with my forehead. Doing good so far.

MattSilver repeated it, as it went unnoticed the first time around; so just to be sure I'll drive the nail home and say again that no, this time, there is no inconsistency in the books. Animagi transform with their clothes and wand; no exception. As a consequence, this thread is about speculating on the mechanism of clothes-keeping while transforming, and not about an actual canon point.

It's not the kind of point I'd spend time on, as a fanfiction writer, but if you intend to write about a theory of magic or about the process of becoming an Animagus, why not...

And that's what really motivated me to post. This shit annoys me to no end. JKR introduced a concept that was part of the world she'd created; it was there, it existed, it was cool, but it didn't need to be explained thoroughly. A detailed explanation would have been out of place in JKR's plot.

Generally speaking, all the "random shit" (why 'random', anyway? you do remember that the entire plot of PoA is based on that "random shit", right?) she makes up (that's called 'creating' in her case, by the way) doesn't necessarily need to be explained in these books. I know she used to talk about an Encyclopaedia she may write someday, where she'll be able to write about her world without making huge digressions to her plot. That's where a detailed explanation of Animagi belongs.

As for McGonagall and Skeeter being Animagi "just to make it seem more authentic" -- oh come on. McGonagall has been shown as an Animagus since book 1, that hardly sounds like an 'afterthought' to me. She doesn't need to justify her being an Animagus by using her skills in a significant way, plot-wise. On the other hand, a full subplot in GoF and OotP exists thanks to Skeeter's ability. That doesn't sound much like an afterthought either, or like a point existing just to back up another point.

Look, I'm not saying JKR is beyond reproach or anything of the sort. But it would really be nice if you people stopped moaning about faults that don't exist.

 

I couldn't stop my smirk at the forhead thing, but I'm sorry if it came off wrong to you. Well, no, nevermind, I'm not.

I said I believed minerva to be an afterthought because I'm under the impression she had a lot of her series planned out when she wrote the book. Though, looking at it your way, she probably didn't.

The reason I classified it as random shit is because she didn't even give us a brief overview of it. Her explanation was "only certain people can get it and it is a very special talent" sure there might have been a coupl sentences about how "it reflects your personality" and all that stuff, but that is pretty much it.

It is not in the entire movie, the movie is about Harry's godfather breaking out of prison and proving to Harry he's innocent, mixed with Lupin and Pettigrew. It only briefly touches down on the concepts of animagus forms.

I will agree it would have clashed a bit with the plot to go into a full explanation, but I feel it might have been nice to at least introduce the basic concepts of it in HBP during the NEWT studying, or even in GoF or OotP.

I get the feeling I annoy you, am I correct?

 

Nope, she did not. It's implied (the traitor being a rat and all that) but all she said is, "it's the ability for a wizard to turn into an animal at will". It really is that simple.

Reading between the lines, I can also say it's a difficult process (because there were only about 20 registered Animagi during the last 100 years), that it's carefully controlled by the Ministry because of the potentialities it offers (the registration thing), and that the Marauders achieved it because they were Just That Talented; and they helped the one that wasn't. It took them three years. Technical details.

Sometimes, things really are that simple. The theory is interesting, but it does sound simpler than, say, the theory behind the animation of Inferi, the origin of Dementors, the society of werewolves hinted at in... OotP or HBP, can't remember which.

If you want to complexify it, fine. As far as I'm concerned, the information she gave was largely enough -- if I want to make it subtler, I have an imagination and a computer.

Doesn't mean details are required, or missing. That is a personal opinion (the fact that you think it's more complicated than it is, is a personal opinion; because it sounds simple enough to me. I can't see how she "drove that idea into the ground" personally. She just left it as it was).

First off... book. Please.

Second: how did Sirius escape? Animagus. How did he enter Hogwarts? Animagus. Why was he found guilty when he wasn't? Because the culprit was an Animagus who used his ability to fake his own death. What bond did the Marauders share? By which I mean "what do they have in common, what makes their friendship stronger, what did they seal it with?" You know, the Marauders, their friendship, the thing that was in the background for the entire effing book? Could it possibly be that they were Animagi?

Briefly touches down, indeed.

I am ashamed to admit it. Somewhere between the clone accounts (you ask why you annoy me, it's one of the reasons, your justifications notwithstanding), the generic JKR-hatred (saying she's stupid because she doesn't detail something not all that relevant to the plot is generic JKR hatred on these boards)and the fanboyish Lily/Harem-lurve (which is just short for Lily AND Harem lurve, not Lily WITH Harem lurve; except I had already used "and" so for clarity I used a slash. Given the conversation we've had in your intro thread, I didn't think I needed to specify it), you ticked me off.

 

First, I'm going to call bullshit on the whole marauders point. They became animagi because they had a bond and wanted to help Remus. Like you said, they were friends long before they became animagi.

You said they were, quote/unquote, "Just That Talented". This, I'm afraid, has nothing to do with it. If Voldemort decided one day that he wants to be a basilisk, will he suddenly become an animagi (even if it does take years)? I think not.

It's a gift, not something you can earn through hard work. Let's look at something entirely different.

If Harry one day decides he wants to be a metamorph, will he be able to train himself to morph?

Before you get on me saying they are entirely different, they're really not. They both change the human body into different shapes, the details are just different. Neither are really explained so you can't accurately argue the point.

The answer is no, he couldn't. They are special gifts and have nothing to do with talent.

I'm not saying it may not be that simple, I'm just saying I'd like to explore the possibility it isn't.

Ugh, yes, yes, book.

Exactly, it mentioned these as their abilities. I said it briefly touched down on the concept and theory behind it. Mentioning it over and over and not knowing what it is is what I was pointing out.

I'm sorry to see I'm not the easiest person to get along with.

This right here, coupled with my hangover, almost made me vomit. You have got it completely ass-backwards.

I enjoy HARRY/HAREM when done correctly. I like HARRY/LILY/NOBODY ELSE, which doesn't make me a fanboy. I enjoy the pairing, and see her worthy of Harry, like many other ladies in the world (just a little bit more than the most ).

Lily + Anybody But Harry =

I'm serious, I hate the stuff. I'm not a "Lily is a goddess" fanboy, I'm a "Lily looks great with Harry" supporter.

Already responded to this, I'm not going to repeat myself.

This right here, miss, pisses me off. First of all, I don't hate her, I'm angry with her for coming up with an amazing idea, making a great build up, and then running it into the ground. (IN MY OPINION TINN, okay? IN MY OPINION)

Perhaps it's generic to you because those are the most glaring flaws and I chose not to dig even deeper into the source of my disgust. This, apparently, makes me a generic JKR hater.

I disagree, saying "ZOMG, YOU DIDN'T PAIR HARRY WITH _____!!" or some other such nonsense is what I perceive as generic JKR hating.

I may hate Ginny, but I didn't let that pairing kill the whole series for me, I let all the other plot-holes and rip-offs do that for me.

Hope this isn't TL;DR material, just making a point.

 

Premise one: NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION TO MAKE AN ARGUMENT.
Conclusion: I'M RIGHT.


How the fuck did you get from that premise to that conclusion?

 

I'll just answer to this. The rest of your post is a misreading of mine, so I clarified all that needed to be clarified in my original post. In yellow-green, so it stands out.

If you say that Animagi are born, not made, then the rest of your thread suddenly makes sense.

Indeed, it's odd that three boys that happen to be friends also happen to be born Animagi.

It's even odd that JKR didn't expand on it; she could, at least, have stated that becoming an Animagus wasn't just something achieved by hardwork but required a gift...

... Wait, maybe she didn't state it because it isn't so.

If anyone with motivation, dedication and talent for Transfiguration could become an Animagus, then it's not so odd that the three boys did become Animagi. It's a decision they took together, a work that they did together and a feat they achieved together. They had the motivation; they had the dedication; and James and Sirius were said to be very talented.

Likening Animagi to Metamorphmagi works to an extent. Metamorphmagi are specifically said to be born, not made. Nowhere are Animagi said to be born. If you absolutely want to go deeper in theory, Metamorphmagi are way more complex than Animagi, who have one alternative form and one only; they can't change any feature at will.

So yes -- if Voldemort wanted to transform into a big serpent, it would take him time, but he'd probably succeed. It could be just that he was too busy making himself immortal and taking over the world to spend time giving himself one alternative, Muggle-animal form.

 

Virail: I didn't mean it in that way, I meant if Harry wasn't born with the ability to be a metemorph (which I'm 99 percent sure he wasn't), he couldn't just decide to be one and get the ability.

Tinn: First, you said all three were good at transfiguration, this is untrue. James, yes, Sirius is said to be a slacker in school with a talent for charms (or maybe DADA), and Wormtail is said to have been an all around below-average wizard.

Secondly, IIRC, there is a potion made specifically to identify if you have the potential to become an animagi. If it was really just a matter of dedication and hard work, don't you think there would be more than 20 in the last century?

It sounds like a very useful ability for aurors to have to me.

I said basilisk, which I am 100 percent sure is not a muggle animal. Several dozen feet long and a killing gaze/venom? Sounds like something Tom would go for.

I apologize for the misunderstanding, but I must point out that I only like very good Harry/Harem fictions, I usually only enjoy two people relationships.

But that's just me.

Was that an insult to my IQ? :awesome

Sesc: While that was amusing, I'm going to try to defend myself. I say something "completely different" because Tinn misunderstood what I said, I was saying it didn't explain the concept, not that it didn't mention it enough.

The Potter Law part made me snicker, because once again, I only like it when done right, and I never read a Harem fiction with more than 3 girls. Saying I'm a virgin fanboy because I occasionally read them is a hilarious stereotype.

I never said animagi was an afterthought. I said I was under the opinion that making the was largely influenced by Remus being a wearwolf, I said Rita and Minerva struck me as afterthoughts.

Tinn asked why I thought the marauders were so close, maybe because they were animagi? I disagree with this. I believe that helping Remus strengthened the bond. But, if they had found some other way besides animagi to stay with Remus, I believe the relationship would be largely the same.

Tinn is right in that JKR never said you needed to be born with the talent, but she also never said it could be achieved through hard work.

You once again misunderstood me on the entire argument. Three people said it was just magic, I opened this thread to see if maybe it was something deeper and more complicated than that.

The whole thing that drove me to make this is JKR and all of you saying the Wizard/witch's possession all just disapeared. Yet when Peter did it he just shrunk straight out of his things.

I may suck at debating, but that doesn't mean I'm going to curl up into the fetal position and cry about it.