"Animal Transfiguration is so hard. Can we really learn it before the task starts?" Harry looked at the full page of key points Professor McGonagall had written for him and felt his head might explode.
"You're the one who needs to learn it, not us," Tris corrected him.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Harry stared at Tris in shock.
Tris wasted no words. He waved his wand, quickly recited an incantation, and shook himself, turning into a plump little honking bird. Well, all right, a fat penguin.
"What? You already know how?" Harry looked stunned.
"I learned it in third year." Tris nodded after returning to human form.
"Oh, God. What am I going to do?" Harry slumped against the back of his chair, looking utterly hopeless.
"Learn it. Didn't you say you've found mastering magic a lot easier lately?" Tris said casually. "Oh, right, your dad was apparently especially good at Transfiguration. Couldn't he do that Animagus trick of Professor McGonagall's? Sirius too. You could consider asking them for advice."
"Animagus..." Harry rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I've already asked Sirius. That magic is too complicated, and you can't reliably choose what you turn into.
"If I put in all that effort and end up turning into something that can't swim, wouldn't it all be a waste of time? Ugh, I'd better just stick to studying Animal Transfiguration. What do you think I should turn into? A penguin?"
"A penguin is an option. Mainly because it's the right size, and it works both in the water and on land-though it's a bit clumsy on land. I think anything similar would work. A seal, a sea lion, that sort of thing. A dolphin would work too," Tris said after some thought. "Actually, you don't