Reposted from Main List: The SNEAK Mark, Scarlet Letters, and Megan's Law

[pippin_999]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Haggridd" 
<jkusalavagemd at y...> wrote:
> As for hermione's mark, I don't think it is analogous either to a 
> scarlet letter or rto egistering sex offenders, but it doesn't 
bother me that Marietta will have to put up with a few pimples for 
her betrayal of trust.  Hermione didn't twist her arm to join the 
DA.<

Pippin:
It is very likely that Cho did some arm-twisting though, and from 
what she says, she wouldn't have done it if she'd known that 
Marietta was risking such retaliation if she wavered. 

The kids weren't invited to the meeting with the idea that they 
were going to fight Voldemort, they were told they were going to 
practice for OWLs. Hermione should have let them know the real 
purpose of the group before she got them to the meeting. After 
all, what if Marietta had refused to sign? Was Hermione planning 
to obliviate her?

I don't think the scarlet letter is analogous to Megan's law at all 
though. My memory of the book is hazy, but wasn't the 
expectation that Hester would slink away to some place where 
she was unknown, leaving her past and her letter behind her? 

The purpose of Megan's law is the opposite--the ex-offender 
can't lose himself in another town.

Pippin