The Old Crowd /naming The Marauders and the Tri....?

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 16879

Steve said:

<<I may have missed a post or three on this topic, so if this has already
been mentioned, I apologize. But notice that the "old crowd"
 is not capitalized in the book. It isn't necessarily a group in any sort of
official way. Dumbledore could very well be simply saying "Go
get, you know, everybody we know are on our side from back in the Bad
Years." Maybe they were just drinking buddies.>>

I agree.  It's a bit like someone saying to a former workmate, "Remember the
old gang from Grunnings?  Didn't we have a blast playing strip poker in the
toolroom every lunchtime?"  There is no implication that they are all the
same age; just that they all kicked around together in some shape or form.
IMO, the fact that the phrase "old gang" is all in lower case doesn't
preclude a gang of misfits, united against a cause, or with a common
interest.  The Order of the Phoenix could be a special group of people, in
which case the old gang might have been part of it or linked with it,
instead of representing its totality.

Steve also said, lexiconically:

<<On a vaguely related note, I wonder sometimes as I write things for the
Lexcicon if the term Marauders was ever intended by JKR to be a name for the
foursome of James, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew, or if it's meant as a
description of the map only: A Map To Use for Marauding, and if you use it
for that, you're a Marauder. >>

I've often thought about this.... er, well, let's say I've *sometimes*
pondered on this (don't want to seem *too* obsessed).  I think the readers
have taken the 'Marauders' name as a handy shorthand for the makers of the
map, but that it was intended exactly as per your description above.  The
main evidence for this is that it's called The Marauder's Map and not The
Marauders' Map, i.e. aimed at the single user not the four creators.  The
fact that the four of them used the map means they *were* Marauders, but
then Fred, George and Harry would also qualify as Marauders, since they used
the map: Marauders: The Next Generation?

As for Harry, Ron and Hermione, there really is no satisfactory name, is
there?  Let's see - we have:

(a) the triumvirate, which sounds rather religious or mythological
(b) the trio, which makes them sound like singing triplets
(c) the threesome, which leads some fanfic authors to think they are
sleeping together
(d) the three 'whatevers' (insert your own description)
(e) the trinity - again, too holy
(f) the gang of three - political prisoners
(g) the triploid - an alien with three heads
(h) the trisect - wear indigo robes and chant mantras
(i) the tritagonists - pretentious, moi?
(j) the triune - excuse me?
(k) the trine - the thing Eliza Doolittle catches to work
(l) the tripartite - ("now, this is getting silly!")
(m) the trilby ("that's a hat, you fool!")
(n) HRH - um, like, duh!  Her Royal Highness?

Any other suggestions?  Um, I think I've dragged this into OT Chatter
material...

Neil
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