Random Parseltongue questions

[katzefan at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 24195

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Natalie" <natabat at c...> wrote:
> IIRC, Parseltongues can actually control serpents, right? So, if 
there was a
> snake animagus, could a Parseltongue make him do whatever 
he (the
> Parseltongue) wanted?
> 
> Also, (and hopefully this hasn't been discussed too much 
before)
> Parseltongue seems to work on dragons. During the first task, 
the Horntail's
> head is swaying "like a snake before it's charmer." "'Come on,' 
Harry
> hissed, swerving tantalizingly above her, 'come on, come and 
get me...up you
> get now...'" And then she rears. What with the snake imagery 
and the hissing
> (and obeying), it seems obvious to me that Harry was 
speaking Parseltongue.
> But I also think that JKR would have mentioned it in the book, 
especially
> since it was only obvious to me upon closer examination. Of 
course, it's
> possible that I'm just slow and it went without saying.
> 
> One last thing. Do you think there is such thing as a 
Parseltongue for an
> animal other than serpents? Obviously, it wouldn't be called
> Parseltongue....
> 
> Natalie
> natabat at c...
> http://www.natabat.barrysworld.net


That's an interesting point. JKR may not have mentioned it 
because she (I think) likes occasionally to see how wide awake 
her readers may be, and it wasn't (at least in this instance) as if 
the reader would miss something major if they missed this. I'll 
be interested to see, though, whether it comes up again in a 
future book.