It's quite obvious that Harry's animagus form is the golden snidget.

 

I liked the idea of a panther but my personal biases are shining through.

 

I agree with Jormungandr, I think a mongoose would be pretty ironic. I got a bit interested and googled around, and this is what I found in a website.

"When killing a cobra, the mongoose crushes the serpent’s skull with its jaw, and then eats both the venom glands and the head, as it is immune to the poison. Symbolically, this means that the mongoose is not only strong, agile and clever enough to defeat its powerful enemy, but by eating the cobra it also takes on the very qualities which gave that enemy power."

While Harry has been known to be clever occasionally, I think the part about taking on the very qualities that give the enemy power is highly appropriate.

 

Dragonfly?
And, with that bit of self promotion out of the way...

Why, obviously, he's a Merlin Hawk.
Where else do you think Rolls Royce got the name for their engine?
Don't let the nickname 'lady hawk' put you off; they don't mean it's "a ladylike hawk," they mean it's "a hawk for the ladies" (oh yeah).

Part of me agrees wholeheartedly... while the majority of me says that Harry needs an identity that isn't so wishy-washy as to be completely and totally reliant on the existence of his enemy.

I mean, symbolism is nice and everything, and people are big into the whole duality of existence thing: "Oh, there's a god, you say? Then, clearly, there must be a devil!"
Eh...

"So, that's mine. What would your superhero name be?"
"Anti-Voldemort Man."
"Uh... kinda specific, isn't it, Harry?"
"Yeah, but I'm kind of a loser that way."

 

One thing that's getting kind of annoying in fanfics these days is the age old - 'Keep my animagus form a secret' - thing.

It'd be refreshing to read a fic where he just goes "Fuck it!" and registers his form so he can do whatever the hell he feels like whenever he wants in it. Like personally I've always been jealous of how dogs and the like can get so comfortable so easily in like any position.

Can you imagine the lulz of a Jaguar!Harry sleeping on the couch in Gryffindor common room?

 

Well, Voldemort's after his life, so keeping his animagus form a secret sounds like a pretty sound plan in my opinion.

 

It's a bit like what Warlocke said above in my opinion. Voldemort shouldn't define everything about him..

 

Keeping his animagus form from everyone and their mother is hardly letting Voldemort define everything about him. It just makes sense to keep valuable intel from any enemy. Never know when it might come in handy.

That's not to say you need to keep it from everyone. Tell your friends of you want, but registering it at the MoM seems like a bad idea given their track record.

 

Might just be me. But if I could do it, I'd want to transform whenever I felt like it. Worrying about Voldemort getting the info ad thus hiding it from everyone renders alot of the fun that could be had with the form mute.

It's an accomplishment to be proud of aswell. And being unable to use it whenever and wherever you want seems like a waste to me. But then again, that just may be me and that's wha I mean by Voldemort defining his choices.

 

He also helped kill a huge fucking Basilisk, something worth being proud of imo, but he doesn't run around telling all who'll listen. Not that I recall at least. Why should this be any different? Even the Marauders were able to keep the fact they were animagi mostly to friends.

 

This isn't exactly a question that one of us is going to be right or wrong about. Just our preferences and the like clashing. Yes keeping it a secret could be useful in the long run and that's of the good. But does that outweigh the fact that he could enjoy his life more if he didn't have these self imposed restrictions? Again, there's no right answer to that.

It's kind of a lesser form of what Dumbledore says to Sirius - "We both know that it is more important he safe, than happy." - or something along those lines. There's no right answer.

 

When your parents were killed by a mass murdering psychopath who also happens to be obsessed with killing you as well. When you end up in near death situations on a less than yearly basis. When you are either being glorified or vilified by every wizard in the country based on the fickle whims of a self-serving government.

Then, I think, you probably have more important things in your life than making sure you get maximum 'coolpoints' for turning into an animal at every opportunity.

Basically, Harry's been dealt a shitty hand. If he managed to become an animagus, well, he suddenly has an ace up his sleeve. He'd be an idiot to go around shouting that from the rooftops.

It also rather depends on his form. As a bird or other smallish creature it's basically a 'get out of jail free' card if he plays it right, and it may even work multiple times. As a big creature it's less useful (I stand by my assertion that no sensible animagus form is as dangerous as an actual wizard) but it's still way more useful if it's a surprise.

If Harry's form was a giraffe, then, perhaps, it would make sense to register it straight away and have fun. Anything vaguely useful is made significantly more useful if it is not common knowledge.

 

I'm more partial to Harry being more of a predator animagus. And yes those would be useful in some situations. But I'm thinking along the lines of a feline like say a panther or Jaguar Harry sleeping in his form somewhere. But the likes of those are supposedly high level predators that are brilliant with stalking prey and hiding from them to get the jump on them.

It may just be me, but I'm totally jelly of animals like that and how they can sleep in like any position and always be comfortable. But then, I'm a lazy bastard so it's probably alot different for you guys.

 

I do concede to Warlocke's point, but I can't help but wonder - can Animagus forms change as well? Nobody even knows what the magic behind it is, or why each person is a specific animal.
Could it be like the Patronus Charm? Immense emotional upheaval or a life changing experience could possibly change a person's Animagus form then, meaning that - and this is a very old cliche - that Harry could possibly have two different forms, one before he defeated Voldemort, and one after he did (and died in the process, which counts as life changing in my book).

 

Harry Potter's animagus form is the cattatafish.

 

Sirius Black found out he contributed significantly to the deaths of his best friend, due to the fact that one of his other close friends betrayed him for the person who stood for everything Sirius stood against, before he spent 12 years having the happiness sucked out of him by demons. His form didn't change. To me, that suggests Animagus forms are permanent.

 

I don't remember what fix it was from, but one theory about the transformation was that it was related to movement, or possibly the mindset that you had relating to motion. Peter was always scurrying along in the shadows of others, so a rodent. Sirius was exuberant (or is that fan fiction talking again) when he underwent the transformation- it shows in the long bounds of a dog. James was, (if his primary rival is to be believed) uncommonly proud. If this was carried over in how he carried himself as he moved, hen a stag would be appropriate.

Not sure about how this relates to McGonagall, though her carriage later in life has possibly changed from when she learned the transformation, with Dumbledore's "I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly in all my life!" coming to mind.

Rita scuttles around an digs into other people's shit. The beetle suits her.

All that to say, if I went by this for Harry's animagus form, I would say that the way that he carries himself and moves is more canine, so a dog of some sort. He hangs back as an abused dog might, follows his friends loyally, and has a strong sense of purpose once he finds himself.

 

If we are looking for bad ass animals then Harry needs to be a Honey Badger. Those things are tough as nails.

 

No, just, no.

 

Not really adding anything, but Harry's animagus form being a mongoose is perfect. There's the whole thing with it being badass vs cobras (extrapolate that to vs all snakes. Don't be a jerk.)

But for real, they're just awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdg9gkmWsEA

"But again and again, the mongoose dances just out of reach [of the cobra], but when the mongoose attacks, it doesn't miss."