InsaneJournal

Animagi forms and Patronuses
A few days ago earth_magic posted a question about the Potter Patronuses and Animagi forms. I was actually thinking about the same thing when I was reading Deathly Hallows, so this made me think of it again.

I think that the shape your Patronus takes is connected to the Animagus form of your loved ones. It's really for a simple reason. The way I understand Patronuses is that they are an incarnation of your positive thoughts. They're meant to protect you, so their shape is something you think will protect you. I'd say that normal people most often connect the feeling of protection and security with the people they care about. And if you find the thought of specific people comforting, it'd make sense that the magic which produces a Patronus would create the shape of that specific person. But because the Patronus can only be an animal, the magic picks the closest animal shape to that person -- their (potential) Animagus form.

This theory makes sense in Tonks' case. Her Patronus was a werewolf. I know that Remus didn't have an Animagus shape, but we could say that the werewolf was his animal shape.

It makes sense in Dumbledore's case too, even though his Patronus didn't point to a person, but to an animal. We know that he didn't really have any family left, except for his brother with whom he didn't exactly have a good relationship, so Fawkes was his closest companion. So it makes sense why he'd have a phoenix Patronus.

Snape's Patronus, on the other hand, had a connection to a person. His Patronus was a doe. Harry mentions in the last book that his mother's was the same, although where he found that out I've no idea. Because of this there are two possible explanations. If Lily's Patronus was a doe, then it was so because her magic saw James as her protector. In Snape's case his Patronus was either a doe because Lily's was a doe as well, or it was a doe because he knew that James was a stag Animagus and so he thought that Lily was James' doe. Either way, I again see a connection to the Animagus forms of the caster's loved ones.

When it comes to Harry, there's a connection to the Animagus form again. His Patronus is a stag. When Harry cast the charm for the first time, he didn't know that his father was a stag Animagus, but I think that his magic did know. Because Harry found the thought of family comforting and safe, his magic made his Patronus into his father -- a stag.

I don't know if any of this makes sense, but I think it's an interesting theory. It certainly could give us some insight into people's personalities. For example, Ginny's Patronus is a horse, which, when you think about it, really isn't that far from a deer (they're both hoofed animals). It's possible that Harry's potential Animagus form is a horse (and he's been a horse Animagus in a few fanfics out there already). So you could see a connection to Harry in Ginny's Patronus shape. Or, if you're not exactly a fan of Ginny, you could think about her Patronus in a different way as well. Let's see… All little girls want a pony. Ginny's been "admiring" Harry since she was little, so her idea of Harry is probably a bit grander than what he really is. Deer are forest animals; they're wild, and also quite shy. Horses are domesticated. They're easier to handle, and they're also stronger. Although here you'd also have to say that your opinion of the person you think would protect you would influence the shape of your Patronus as well. But still. You can see where I'm going with this. :P

This theory also gives me all sort of cracky ideas. Aberforth, for example. His Patronus is a goat. I wonder why he'd find that comforting. Maybe he had a secret affair with somebody that was a goat Animagus, and that's where all those rumours of him doing inappropriate charms on goats came from. Not because he was actually performing charms on goats, but because he was performing charms on a goat Animagus (and that was a secret that they never told anybody). :P And think of other Patronuses too… Ron's Patronus is a Jack Russel. What does that say about Hermione? :D

Animagi forms and Patronuses in short
Tonks – Patronus = werewolf
Lupin – animal shape = werewolf
Dumbledore – Patronus = phoenix
Fawkes – animal shape = phoenix :P
James – Animagus = stag
Lily – Patronus = doe
Snape – Patronus = doe
Harry – Patronus = stag
Aberforth – Patronus = goat
Ginny – Patronus = horse
Ron – Patronus = Jack Russel

Edit #1: fiona_fawkes also pointed out that Hermione's Patronus (an otter) must represent Ron because he lives in Ottery St. Catchpole. :D

And I just remembered that Arthur Weasley's Patronus is a weasel which we could say represents his entire family. :)

Edit #2: More about Ron's Patronus --
From the Wikipedia article about Jack Russel Terriers:
They're working dogs, very vocal, very intelligent. They have a lot of energy and are good at problem-solving in the field. They're friendly, outgoing and inquisitive, although a lot of them show same-sex agressions. They do not even tolerate unintentional abuse. They can work tirelessly against often formidable quarry. They need something to occupy their minds all the time. And apparently a lot of them have a Napoleon complex. -- All of that sort of describes Hermione, doesn't it? :P