Chapter 3 Animagus
Camillo spent most of the rest of the day running around the house jumping for joy and screaming 'I won! I won!' Though she was not quite sure what exactly she had won because most kids are quite unhappy about going to a new school.
Her father went out for the day (probably to escape the screaming) and came back just before dinner time. And as he had hoped Camillo was quite calmer.
He had told her she was going to learn something else before she went to school but she was not exactly sure what he meant by that. How could she learn someting before she even got to school?
After dinner they sat in the living room as usual and played cards, a muggle game, which Camillo had grown quite fond of. It involves a pack 52 thin pieces of paper with numbers and suits on them. You can play all sorts of games with these cards and even do some pretty suave tricks. Camillo always carried a pack of cards wherever she went. They were a bit of an addicition for her.
As they sat playing cards darkness began to fall over London and the calmness of night emerged from the sun drenched city. Camillo loved the night. Night, she thought, is when everybody should be awake. So calm and peaceful.
Sirius felt this the perfect oppurtunity to tell Camillo what she had been dieing to know. 'Camillo,' he began 'I have decided to teach you (if you in fact can) how to turn into an animal. An Animagus.'
Camillo was in shock. She was full of mixed emotions. She had always wanted to be an Animagus but wasn't it illegal for underaged witches and wizards?
'Well first you need to know the basics,' said Sirius standing up from his chair and pacing around the room. 'As you probably already know, an animagus is a person who can turn into an animal. They are very rare but it is genetic so if I can chances are so can you. True, skilled wizards may transfigure themselves into animals but then they have the thought process and instincts of that animal. An animagus is in their right mind and knows exactly who they are at all times. Any questions?' Camillo shook her head. 'Good. Now what you need to do sounds simple but really is quite difficult to achieve. Muggles sometimes call it Nirvanha. It is a state of total awarness. So what you have to do is close your eyes (it helps) and don't think about anything. Completely close your mind to all human thought. It is probably easier if you sit down. You should feel a warm sensation over your body and feel as if you are floating. The moment that happens open your eyes.'
Camillo determined to do it right, sat down in her favorite chair and closed her eyes. She found it extrememly difficult to concentrate on nothing. She kept having very human thoughts like thinking about the room around her and the smell of the food in the kitchen or the feeling of the chair. But just as she was about to give up she gave one last try and sure enough a warm sensation came over her body and she did indeed feel like she was floating.
She opened her eyes immediately. It was a very odd experience. She was sitting on her chair but she was considerably shorter. She looked down and saw a feathered body and in front of her nose a long curved beak. She was an Osprey, a bird of prey. She looked around the room and saw every single detail. She could see a thin hair on the other side of the room without any effort and could hear a pin drop 3 rooms down the hall.
She was so excited she wanted to speak to her father so she perched on a kitchen chair and thought human thoughts. She thought about being Camillo.
The sensation came back only this time it was as if she was descending back to earth and was a bit chilly. She opened her eyes and fell with a thud on the floor. She looked up at her father and said laughing 'Remind me never to transform on the top of a chair again.'
Camillo spent most of the rest of the day running around the house jumping for joy and screaming 'I won! I won!' Though she was not quite sure what exactly she had won because most kids are quite unhappy about going to a new school.
Her father went out for the day (probably to escape the screaming) and came back just before dinner time. And as he had hoped Camillo was quite calmer.
He had told her she was going to learn something else before she went to school but she was not exactly sure what he meant by that. How could she learn someting before she even got to school?
After dinner they sat in the living room as usual and played cards, a muggle game, which Camillo had grown quite fond of. It involves a pack 52 thin pieces of paper with numbers and suits on them. You can play all sorts of games with these cards and even do some pretty suave tricks. Camillo always carried a pack of cards wherever she went. They were a bit of an addicition for her.
As they sat playing cards darkness began to fall over London and the calmness of night emerged from the sun drenched city. Camillo loved the night. Night, she thought, is when everybody should be awake. So calm and peaceful.
Sirius felt this the perfect oppurtunity to tell Camillo what she had been dieing to know. 'Camillo,' he began 'I have decided to teach you (if you in fact can) how to turn into an animal. An Animagus.'
Camillo was in shock. She was full of mixed emotions. She had always wanted to be an Animagus but wasn't it illegal for underaged witches and wizards?
'Well first you need to know the basics,' said Sirius standing up from his chair and pacing around the room. 'As you probably already know, an animagus is a person who can turn into an animal. They are very rare but it is genetic so if I can chances are so can you. True, skilled wizards may transfigure themselves into animals but then they have the thought process and instincts of that animal. An animagus is in their right mind and knows exactly who they are at all times. Any questions?' Camillo shook her head. 'Good. Now what you need to do sounds simple but really is quite difficult to achieve. Muggles sometimes call it Nirvanha. It is a state of total awarness. So what you have to do is close your eyes (it helps) and don't think about anything. Completely close your mind to all human thought. It is probably easier if you sit down. You should feel a warm sensation over your body and feel as if you are floating. The moment that happens open your eyes.'
Camillo determined to do it right, sat down in her favorite chair and closed her eyes. She found it extrememly difficult to concentrate on nothing. She kept having very human thoughts like thinking about the room around her and the smell of the food in the kitchen or the feeling of the chair. But just as she was about to give up she gave one last try and sure enough a warm sensation came over her body and she did indeed feel like she was floating.
She opened her eyes immediately. It was a very odd experience. She was sitting on her chair but she was considerably shorter. She looked down and saw a feathered body and in front of her nose a long curved beak. She was an Osprey, a bird of prey. She looked around the room and saw every single detail. She could see a thin hair on the other side of the room without any effort and could hear a pin drop 3 rooms down the hall.
She was so excited she wanted to speak to her father so she perched on a kitchen chair and thought human thoughts. She thought about being Camillo.
The sensation came back only this time it was as if she was descending back to earth and was a bit chilly. She opened her eyes and fell with a thud on the floor. She looked up at her father and said laughing 'Remind me never to transform on the top of a chair again.'
