Self-Transfiguration

Self-Transfiguration is a branch of Transfiguration in which one Transfigures oneself into an animal, in order to obtain said animal's form, abilities and skills while retaining one's mind. It is an advanced branch of Transfiguration and therefore is a N.E.W.T. level spell and taught to sixth-years and above. It is unknown whether it is possible for a wizard or witch to turn themselves into an object, however, this is unlikely as as they would not be able to Untransfigure themselves back into their original form without the intervention of another wizard or witch.

There is a distinct difference between an Animagus and Self-Transfiguration, the difference being that an Animagus is a rare wizard born with, or in some circumstances, has obtained the ability to transform into an animal at will. Self-Transfiguration is simply Transfiguring oneself into an animal, and so a wand is necessary to perform the precedure, and can be performed by any wizard skilled enough.

Known instances of Self-Transfiguration

 * In 1995 while competing in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, Viktor Krum attempted to Transfigure himself into a shark, however, he only gave himself a shark's head.
 * It was mentioned in 1996 that Aurors have to Transfigure and Untransfigure themselves on a regular basis.