Fun with arithmancy and divination

[justcarol67]

Sue Wartell wrote:
>
> I'm afraid my reaction to this is rather like Hermione's to some of
Prof. Trelawney's pronouncements (e.g., the one "about" Lavendar's
rabbit.)
> 
> When the range of characteristics is so wide, can you find anyone at
all to whom it does NOT apply?
<snip>
> 
> Perhaps the suggestion to add Snape's middle name would help.  If
the last part of the description came first, I'd say it fit Snape to a T.
> 
> Sometimes my logical side simply won't shut up...
> 
> Sue

Carol responds:
Well, yes, of course. You'll notice that I didn't include Snape in my
original post, but his was the first name I tried. And my reaction was
rather like Potioncat's: imaginative, creative, and loyal, yes--but
"sweet-natured"? And, of course, I noted that the first set of traits
is the polar opposite of the second set, like the two sides of a coin,
or heat and cold. (IIRC, cartomancy also has two sets of readings for
each card, but I have no idea how it works.)

Anyway, no one is suggesting that Arithmancy is really a means of
character analysis. I just posted the link to the site as a bit of fun
while we wait, and Potioncat was playing along. (If I were presenting
a serious theory or hypothesis, I'd have posted to the main site,
complete with canon.)

I do still wonder, though, why the logically minded Hermione would
find Arithmancy fascinating when she dismisses all other forms of
divination. I would have expected her reaction to be very much like
yours, but, instead, Arithmancy is her favorite subject. 

There must be more to Arithmancy than we find on this site, which,
again, I merely linked to to amuse us. (See the thread title.)

Carol, whose usually relentless logical side was deliberately
suppressed for the initial post to this thread