"Sounds like something to do, yeah."

He resumes his reading, this time paying more attention and not just grabbing a more detailed description of what Dementors are.

The book continues to be about Dementors. It has an aside about the Patronus Charm and how it is done.

Good! More detail is good. Herding Dementors doesn't look impossible but the Charm is less useful than the quick blurb in the introduction chapter led him to believe.

"I read somewhere," says Karen, "that your Patronus and your Animagus form if you learn both are usually the same."

"Yeah, it says so here," he says, showing her the appropriate part of the book. "I wonder why we can't just choose our animagus form. It's really weird to me not being able to choose what I'm shaped like."

"Maybe you'd get to change your form, because you're a Metamorphmagus? I don't know."

He shrugs. "Maybe, but the only reason I'd really have to do it is to prove I can, and from what I've read it's a lot of work to become one, so meh. Not a priority. If I every find myself with an idle year I might do it."

"I'd only want it if I got a really cool animal, and even then there's probably higher priorities and the Patronus thing isn't perfectly reliable anyhow."

"What do you think you'd be? I read somewhere that it's related to your personality somehow."

"Not a clue. Maybe something that could fly, I don't know."

"I bet I'd be a chameleon."

"I bet you would. Which is cool conceptually but not very practical."

"Yeah. And besides—" Chameleon eyes and tongue. Tongue lick. Skin turns yellow then back. "—I have the coolest aspects already."

"Ew!"

"Ew!" agrees Karen.

Face normal again. "So, yeah, no animagic planned for me at the moment."

"Do you want to come with me to ask Professor Spukhafte about Patronuses?"

"Definitely!"

"Now?"

He closes the book. "Sure! Just need to check this out."

Miranda waits for him.

He promptly checks the book out, puts it in his bag, and leaves with her.

Professor Spukhafte is in her office!

"Professor?"