Caribbean (was Kashrut / Languages / Merchandise / Flavors

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 6762

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Sara Ludwig" <sara.ludwig at t...> 
wrote:
> Isn't Lavender Brown Carribean?
> catrina

I don't recall ANYTHING in the books indicating that Lavender Brown 
is Caribbean, altho' the American version of Book 1 states (in 
the Sorting) that Dean Thomas is a tall Black boy, "even taller than 
Ron" and I have thought it likely that a Brit who is named Dean 
Thomas and is black is more likely to be of West Indian ancestry than 
of directly African ancestry.

Since 'Lavender Brown' is a silly name (two colors that don't go 
together), I had thought she must be from a wizarding family since 
the wizard folk seem to go in for silly names) until I noticed the 
scene in PoA where Trelawney sees the Grim in Harry's tea cup. 
Hermione looks outraged, Dean and Lavender look puzzled, but everyone 
else looks terrified. 

I deduced that everyone who was raised in a wizarding family grew up 
afraid of the Grim, and the Muggle-born may or may not have learned 
about the Grim from their friends at Hogwarts (as Harry and Hermione 
learned from Ron). Thus, the conclusion that Lavender Brown is 
Muggle-born. I would be MUCH HAPPIER if it had been Parvati rather 
than Lavender who had looked puzzled, as I firmly believe that the 
Patil twins are Muggle-born.

For that matter, I don't have GOOD evidence from the books that 
Hermione has Caribbean ancestry. In one book, where Harry meets up 
with her right after summer vacation (in France) and she was 'looking 
very brown', I always knew that meant she was suntanned more than 
usual, which in turn means that her winter skin color is not entirely 
dark (dark enough people don't get darker from sun). There are a mess 
of people telling me that the description of her hair as 'bushy' 
means something different than 'nappy', and I myself have met a 
family of very pale people who have big teeth. I think my opinion 
may be based more on Hermione reminding me of someone I used to know 
who had Caribbean ancestors.

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