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"Very well Harry. As you surely recall from my demonstration in class at the beginning of the year I am an animagus as well. I took up the challenge to further my understanding and abilities within my craft and art. I very much see Transfiguration as an art Harry, I think you'll find most people who hold a mastery in their fields will say the same. For me becoming an animagus was nothing more than an intellectual and magical exercise. I enjoyed the challenge and the experience was deeply satisfying. The reason I asked to talk to you is because you are the youngest person I have ever heard of becoming an animagus."

Harry wasn't surprised at all that she'd never heard of anyone younger managing what he had done. It was a rather obscure art and to be perfectly honest it wasn't a skill that was all that useful outside of certain situations, honestly how many people had to fight off a mountain troll at the age of eleven? Granted a lot of it would depend on the animal form a person's spirit guardian would take and every form had it's own ups and downs. His dad had once tried transforming inside the house only to have his antlers knock several things off the walls, shelves, and the tables in the room. His mum had made the poor guy sleep on the couch for three days after that even though James had been able to put everything back together again with a simple charm. "So what is it you wanted to ask Ma'am?"

"Well for starters who brewed you the potion you had to take and where did you get the wand to manage the transfiguration?"

"Uh?" Harry and his teacher shared a look between them each asking if the other was crazy. "Professor McGonagall I never took a potion and I certainly did not ever use a wand."

"Harry I assure that you must have taken a potion to reveal your animal form and you must have used a wand to manage the highly complex self transfiguration. It's the only way. It's how I learned, it's the only ministry recognized procedure for becoming an animagus, and no other way has ever been reported."

"Sounds like the way Prongs and Padfoot forced this Peter chap to become an animagus. Either way I'm reporting a different way. I never took a potion, I never used a wand, and my dad and Sirius each only used one or the other not both."

This was something she had not been expecting. She hadn't even dreamed that they would be discussing alternate procedures. She had at most expected a different mindset or type of visualization, maybe even an additional potion to make the changes easier and more acceptable. Those were the types of advances she could see Lily making; from there it wasn't to hard to think Harry got a hold of her notes and had Sirius help pull them off. If Harry had gone to his godfather it wasn't all that hard to believe that Sirius would be a bit irresponsible and let him try. She had expected the differences to be a small thing like the difference between a bicycle and a tricycle. Instead she might as well have been talking about one of those fangled flying contraptions muggles had come up with. She'd have to try a different tactic if she was going to get any answers at all. "Harry becoming an animagus is seen as a deeply personal process, would you be comfortable sharing your experience with me?"

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6980398/14/