CoS: Another thought about the Singing Valentine

[Indigo]

No: HPFGUIDX 15936

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., catherine at c... wrote:
> I think that what you are saying is possible - I just have a query 
> over the persistent dwarf.

> You say that Riddle may have threatened the dwarf - How?  Riddle is 
> controlling Ginny's actions, and forcing her to kill cockerells, 
> paint warnings on walls etc. but he doesn't actually take on solid 
> form until the end of the book, when he is able to do so by sapping 
> all of Ginny's energy, and in the process killing her.

This is true. But Ginny also has four older brothers at Hogwarts, two 
of whom are notorious troublemakers, pranksters, and ne'er-do-wells.  
So even if all Riddle had were Ginny's resources, he still knew his 
own nasty tricks, and had the fallback, "I'll get my big brother on 
you!"  But he had her wand too, and could use it I daresay as well as 
he could've used Harry's --though we know using a wand that isn't  
yours has unpredictable results. 

> If he was threatening him though Ginny, and miserable old dwarf is 
> hardly going to take notice of a small girl (ferocious as she can 
> be  at times).

> Secondly, (just a minor point) it's the dratted Harry POV again. We 
> don't actually hear anything much specific about how the other 
> valentines are delivered, but I seem to remember that the teachers 
> were annoyed because the dwarfs were delivering in lessons.  I 
> think  this is probably just as embarrassing, as the dwarf would 
> have the  undivided attention of the whole class!
> 
> Catherine

This is true. But I imagine if Ron or Hermione or one of the Weasleys 
or any of Harry's contemporaries had been attacked by a persistent 
dwarf, it might've got a passing mention. 

i.e. 

"Harry winced sympathetically as a dwarf lunged for Lee Jordan's 
knees and tackled him to the ground, procuring a captive audience for 
the reading of the Valentine." 

True, Harry doesn't notice *everything* and couldn't, even. But the 
dwarves were being a big distraction and they were hard to miss 
dressed up like ugly little Cupids. 

=====================

And Milz said:

I've read it over too, and I get the feeling that Malfoy sent the 
Valentine as a way to embarrass Harry AND Ginny. Earlier in the book, 
Malfoy makes some comment that Harry has a girlfriend, blah blah. And 
it's Malfoy again, who goes on about Harry and Ginny, during the 
Troll 
scene.

:-)Milz


That's possible too; I hadn't considered that.  Would Draco go to 
that much trouble to embarrass Harry, though? His MO usually consists 
of impersonations, cruel jibes and snide remarks about how poor the 
Weasleys are.  Besides which, Draco's known to belabor a point to the 
point where he's driven it into the ground, and he didn't do so here. 

Hmm. It still bears more thinking about, though. 

Indigo
[I LOVE this crowd!]