yarg!
Right, here's the other one
It...it’s G…I feel ashamed.
No spoilers, sort of AU
He started trying on his own in sixth year. He got some books out of the restricted section and started reading. He read his way through everything the library had and a few things it didn’t. He spent hours in the room of requirement trying to fall into a trance, find his spirit guide, center his life-force into one-ness with the animal inside and all sorts of other stuff that sounded like new-age crap to him. Finally, early on in his final year, he went to McGonnagle. She raised her eyes in surprise at his request.
“An animangus, Potter? It’s a lot of work.”
Harry said he knew very well because he’s been working on it for a year and hadn’t even managed to find his animal. She began to quiz him, asking him what he tried, how much he’d read. She hemmed and hawed, pulled out her wand, waved it over him muttering things that made the hair on his neck stand up. Finally she sat down and looked at him appraisingly.
“I’m sorry Potter, but I can’t teach you to be an animangus.”
“Why not!” Harry exploded.
“Because you don’t have the knack of it Potter. I can’t do anything but tell you to read what you’ve already read and try what you’ve already tried. It takes a certain kind of wizard to manage it, and you were never very good at transfiguration.”
Harry spluttered for a moment.
“Isn’t there anything I can do?”
“No Potter, there isn’t, and I have to be off. I have work to do, and it’s likely that you do too, since you’ve been off reading on subjects that aren’t going to get you through your NEWTS.”
Harry started spluttering again.
“Well honestly Potter, if wanting it made it happen, any Wizard could just up and decide he’d like to be an animangus. It’s quite rare you know, there’s no need to get in a huff about it.”
“But I thought…”
“What? You thought that because you have one or two rare skills that you ought to have them all?” She gave a dry little laugh. “Now, I’m sorry Potter, but I’m really going to have to ask you to run along.”
Harry began to trudge despondently out the door.
“And don’t forget you owe me 22 inches of parchment on inanimate to animate transfiguration!” She called after him.
Harry waited until he was out of earshot, swore profusely and kicked the wall, then headed up to the common room to come up with some more “how to kill the Dark Lord” plans…because at least no one was going to tell him he couldn’t do that.
It...it’s G…I feel ashamed.
No spoilers, sort of AU
He started trying on his own in sixth year. He got some books out of the restricted section and started reading. He read his way through everything the library had and a few things it didn’t. He spent hours in the room of requirement trying to fall into a trance, find his spirit guide, center his life-force into one-ness with the animal inside and all sorts of other stuff that sounded like new-age crap to him. Finally, early on in his final year, he went to McGonnagle. She raised her eyes in surprise at his request.
“An animangus, Potter? It’s a lot of work.”
Harry said he knew very well because he’s been working on it for a year and hadn’t even managed to find his animal. She began to quiz him, asking him what he tried, how much he’d read. She hemmed and hawed, pulled out her wand, waved it over him muttering things that made the hair on his neck stand up. Finally she sat down and looked at him appraisingly.
“I’m sorry Potter, but I can’t teach you to be an animangus.”
“Why not!” Harry exploded.
“Because you don’t have the knack of it Potter. I can’t do anything but tell you to read what you’ve already read and try what you’ve already tried. It takes a certain kind of wizard to manage it, and you were never very good at transfiguration.”
Harry spluttered for a moment.
“Isn’t there anything I can do?”
“No Potter, there isn’t, and I have to be off. I have work to do, and it’s likely that you do too, since you’ve been off reading on subjects that aren’t going to get you through your NEWTS.”
Harry started spluttering again.
“Well honestly Potter, if wanting it made it happen, any Wizard could just up and decide he’d like to be an animangus. It’s quite rare you know, there’s no need to get in a huff about it.”
“But I thought…”
“What? You thought that because you have one or two rare skills that you ought to have them all?” She gave a dry little laugh. “Now, I’m sorry Potter, but I’m really going to have to ask you to run along.”
Harry began to trudge despondently out the door.
“And don’t forget you owe me 22 inches of parchment on inanimate to animate transfiguration!” She called after him.
Harry waited until he was out of earshot, swore profusely and kicked the wall, then headed up to the common room to come up with some more “how to kill the Dark Lord” plans…because at least no one was going to tell him he couldn’t do that.