A bunch of misellaneous stuff

[Steve Bates]

No: HPFGUIDX 2368

I think Pippin's discussion of the line of sight in the hedges (2355) 
is about as complete and correct as we are going to get.  I agree 
that it would make sense for the cup itself to be in plain view of 
the crowd, but much of the rest of the maze ought to be hidden, 
otherwise 1) it would be too difficult for Crouch to sneak around and 
get rid of many of the obstacles, and 2) If Krum was seen using 
Cruciatus the judges would have intervened sooner.

<<But in the years since the Potters' deaths and Harry's 
survival, I would think that Dumbldore has tried to figure out WHY 
Harry survived and WHY  V. would want to kill Harry along with his 
parents>>  <<Voldemort cannot be the father or grandfather of any of 
the Potters. Voldemort has no descendants according to Dumbledore. In 
CoS, he told Harry that "Voldemort is the last remaining descendant 
of Slytherin." Putting aside age differences & the chronology, it 
simply isn't possible for him to have fathered any children who 
survived if we believe Dumbledore.>>
This is what I keep saying! It is virtually impossible that 
Dumbledore is lying about this, and almost as unlikely that he is 
just simply wrong, since he is probably the world's foremost expert 
on Voldemort.  He would have found out if Voldemort had had kids.
 
About what happened to Voldy's wand: I think we have established that 
he had to have had the wand when he killed Bertha Jorkins (since she 
was regurgitated along with Bryce and the Potters), so it can't have 
been reconstituted with him when Wormtail brought him back (I am 
talking about the first time, when he was in that snake/baby form).  
Wormtail was the only companion of Voldy's at this time, so it must 
have been Wormtail that brought it to him after escaping Hogwarts.  
But Wormtail could not have been carrying Voldy's wand with him in 
Animagus form for all these years (although I think it would have 
been physically possible for him to do so) or he would not have had 
to steal Ron's wand at the time he made said escape.  So, the wand 
had to have been hidden somewhere, and Wormtail would have had to 
retrieve it before meeting Voldy.  The only theories advanced so far 
that fit all the facts are: 1) Wormtail retrieved the wand from the 
Potters' house, hid it somewhere while he spent twelve years with the 
Weasleys, and then retrieved it after fleeing Hogwarts, or 2) Brooks' 
theory (2364) that the wand was being kept by the "good guys" but was 
stolen by Quirrell and hidden, then retrieved by Wormtail after Voldy 
told him where to look.

And now a new topic: what, exactly, is Arithmancy?  It's been 
mentioned a lot, but I don't remeber actually seeing what goes on in 
an Arithmancy class.  What do they study? Magical number theory?