Merlin's Left What? / Hogwarts Transportation Security / One More Curse

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

Ali wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/39377>:

<< I've actually only ever heard the phrase in terms of "Merlin's saggy left bottom" when said completely, so maybe that's what Ron (thereby JKR) was going for. >>

Do you hang around with people who actually cuss by Merlin in real life? 

There's fantasy novel, THE GOBLIN TOWER, by L. Sprague de Camp, where the protagonist likes to vary his profanity according to a pattern; I recall 'by Imbal's iron pizzle' but can't remember the alliterative deities for 'brazen balls' and 'titanium testicles'.

Annemehr wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/39341>:

<< Actually, the whole Hogwarts transportation situation is pretty sketchy. It seems none of the kids ever use the floo, so mustn't the fireplaces be blocked? But in HBP, it seems not being able to fly in on a broom is new security, which makes me wonder why people like Fred and George seemed only to use secret passages. >>

Flying in/out by broom (or flying car) shares certain dangers with walking in/out on foot at ground level. One is the risk of being seen by patrolling teachers and any watch-beasts (like Kneazles) who report to the staff; the other is the risk of being attacked by wandering monsters even more aggressive than Snape and Filch. The Acromantulas might come out of the Forest to catch you on the walkway; the Threstrals might catch you on your broom. Also, it doesn't rain or snow as often in the tunnels.

Carol wrote in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/39342>:

<< My only question is who the other death (mentioned by Voldemort in the opening chapter) had to be. Were they planning to murder Mr. Crouch from the beginning? That doesn't make sense. He was already Imperiused. >>

As Zanooda pointed out in <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/39351>: << [Crouch Sr.] was not Imperiused in the first chapter, they didn't get to him yet. >>.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Bloomsbury, it says First Edition but I don't find where it says which printing, but I pre-ordered it from amazon.co.uk. In fact, I just noticed tht the pages are yellowing. Chapter One: The Riddle House.

page 15, ninth line: "come, Wormtail, one more obstacle removed and our path to Harry Potter is clear".

page 16, thirtieth line: "One more curse ... my faithful servant at Hogwarts ... Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail."

Whether the word is 'curse', 'murder', or 'obstacle', I don't understand the 'one more'. Surely there are TWO more obstacles to remove. The senior Crouch is not only an obstacle to collecting the junior Crouch ('faithful servant'), but also an obstacle to rigging the TOurnament: he might even have prevented the illegal fourth name drawn from competing. The real Moody is an obstacle to messing around at Hogwarts; he might even guard the Triwizard Cup with his paranoia so no Death Eater could tamper with it.

In the event, the next steps in they carry out are TWO Curses, Imperius for old Barty and something like Stupefy for poor Moody. 

Do you think it was that LV didn't know yet that DD had called on Moody to guard Harry for the Tournament year? So he thought he had to deal only with with Crouch Sr? Barty Jr would disguise himself as Barty Sr, rig the Tournament from his office at MoM, and be physically at Hogwarts less than half the time.