Marauder's Map(wasWhere's the brain?

[catlady_de_los_angeles]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C7143
From: catlady_de_los_angeles
Subject: Re: Marauder's Map(wasWhere's the brain?
Reply To: [Yahoo! #7118] Where's the brain?
Date: 8/17/00 11:13 pm  (ET)

> Snape seems sure that it must be an object of powerful Dark Magic,
at least until he discovers who created it. Then again, he might have
been exaggerating. Still, how can these examples be explained against
what Mrs. Weasley said?

1) I don't think Snape ever really believed that the Map was an object
of powerful Dark Magic, and he didn't summon Lupin because of Lupin
being the DADA teacher. I think that Snape recognized that he had heard
some or all of the nicknames Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs before,
maybe remembered that he had heard them in connection with the Marauders,
and recognized that the insults about his big nose and greasy hair were
personal to him and had been said to him by the Marauders in times
past. And he summoned Lupin in hope that he could trick Lupin into
confessing that he had made the map and he had given it to Harry, which
Snape could then tell Dumbledore as proof that Lupin was trying to lure
Harry into danger. I then wonder how much of Snape's motivation was mere
hatred of Lupin and how much was sincere belief that Lupin was a danger
to Harry? Snape hates Harry but tries to protect him (from death, not
from unpleasantness!): is it because of Harry's destined role against V?

2)Not the paintings themselves, but the people in the paintings have
minds of their own (apparently rather feeble minds!), but we can see
where they keep their painted brains: right in their painted heads.

The Sorting Hat has (as much evidence of) a mind of its own (as the
book had) and no visible brain, but great wizards like Dumbledore and
his predecessors vouch for it, and they outrank Mr Weasley.

The Map also seems to have a mind of its own and no brain and Harry
thought of Mr. Weasley's advices when the twins gave him the map, but
decided to use it anyway. The twins are famous rule-breakers and that
wouldn't have been the first time they disobeyed their parents. I like to
believe that they are great enough wizards that they magically figured
out (reverse engineered) what the Map did and how to operate it. If so,
they can also have found out whether it was evil.

Mr. Weasley's advice was a guideline for his young children, not a law
of nature. Muggles tell their young children never to talk to strangers,
but it is not a law of nature that all strangers are evil.