Minister of Magic - Marauder's Map - Eton - good/evil - Loopy Lupin - Robes - Apparation - McGonagall's Spouse - Dementors

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 24429

Eric Oppen wrote:

> If the Ministry of Magic is like other
> cabinet-level positions in the British government, 
> it would change hands whenever a change of party 
> control in Parliament occured. (snip) I do think, 
> though, that wizards are British subjects like 
> any others, just with special institutions to 
> deal with their special powers. 

Me, I think that the wizarding community geographically located in any
country is not under the Muggle government of that country, and they
consider themselves to be citizens of their own wizarding country (such
as wizarding Britain or wizarding Bulgaria) rather than subjects or
citizens of the Muggle country. Imagine Muggle-haters like the Malfoys
considering themselves to be ruled by a Muggle Parliament! We have
nothing but our disagreeing personal opinions until someone gets JKR to
answer this question in an on-line chat. But you have given me a scrap
of argument for my side: Fudge seems to have been Minister for years,
regardless of changes of Muggle government.

Edis wrote:

> But perhaps the map is actually dangerous and 
> wilfully unreliable? In short maybe from time 
> to time it has its own agenda, or the agenda of 
> some outside power.  (snip)
> Anyway, Harry and co are coming up to the age of 
> MWPP when the map was devised. Getting perhaps to 
> the level of magical skill where they too can hack 
> up original magical objects.  Wonder whether the 
> opportunities and dangers of magical hacking come 
> into future plots.

This is a "Wow, what a good idea! I never thought of that." post.

Edis wrote:

> For those who really really want to know abut Public 
> School entrance in Britain This is how it is done at 
> Eton College. See the Eton homepage at
> http://146.101.4.41/Splash.asp

Thanks, some of the info on that site is relevant to our discussions of
Hogwarts. I clicked on Entry to Eton and Registration and got
http://146.101.4.41/default.asp 
which says: "Boys normally enter the School in the September after their
thirteenth birthday, having taken the Common Entrance Examination that
June. A boy with an August birthday may come at just over fourteen if
that can clearly be shown to be in his best interests."

 THE SEPTEMBER AFTER THEIR THIRTEENTH BIRTHDAY, ***NOT*** the September
of the calendar year in which they have their 13th birthday.

Robyn Herald Talia (is that an SCA name?) wrote:

> He is also acting out of extreme selfishness,
> which seems to be the essence of evil (snip) 
> Good is selflessness, a giving up of self for 
> others. Evil is the opposite.

Wise, scholarly, virtuous, and personally heroic people have stated that
definition, but I find it defective. If 'good' = 'giving up of self for
others', than 'good' = a young and healthy and not at all suicidal
person who enjoys life shooting himself in the brain on the front
doorstep of a hospital so as to make his organs available for
transplant.'

Stephanie sdrk1 wrote:

> But, you would think that calm, loving Lupin would stop 
> and think, "Hang on, if we turn Peter in, Sirius is
> free..."  Instead, he's ready to commit murder 

Still, Peter's freshly dead middle-aged body with one missing finger
would be persuasive evidence that he hadn't been blown to smithereens
twelve years earlier.

> I think, "Now are these the kind of robes wizards
> wear?"  Are they long and full to the ground?  Do 
> they wear other clothes under them?  Are they open
> or closed in the front?  

The world is full of artwork of fantasy-tale wizards and witches, and
NONE of it except the HP movie shows the robe as a scrap worn over
Muggle clothing. Usually the bottom (visible) layer is a robe that is
like a long dress, floor length and closed in front, and robes that are
open in front may be worn over it for warmth or to show off the
beautiful embroidery. Often they wear a belt over their robes. I will
digress to mention that Tim wears TWO belts with his leine (lan-ya, an
ankle length medieval Irish shirt). He puts his plain belt around his
waist and pulls off the leine so that it is knee-length, with the excess
fabric blousing over the belt, and then he puts his fancy belt around
his waist over the bloused fabric. 

Robyn Herald Talia wrote:

>  is there a distance limit on Apparating? 

Quidditch Through the Ages page 48: "Before that time [1935], wizards
preferred to take ships rather than trust broomsticks over such
distances [crossing Atlantic Ocean]. Apparition becomes increasingly
unreliable over very long distances, and only highly skilled wizards are
wise to attempt it across continents."

Not Specified wrote:

> I think it's possible McGonagall could have lost 
> a spouse. Perhaps her stern attitude and severe 
> appearance (tight-bun, spectacles, etc.) are simply 
> her way of coping with the loss of her husband.

I guess it's been long enough that I can once again state my conviction
that McGonagall and Hooch (Minnie and Hoochie) have been a couple since
some time in the 1940s.

Mindy wrote:

> I still don't understand why the Dementors were 
> dismissed and the danger declared over, if Sirius
> escaped the second time.

The Dementors had clearly tried to Kiss Harry, thus showing even Fudge
that Harry and the other students were in more danger from the Dementors
than from Sirius.

------------------------------------------------------------------
R ighteous
A dept
V aluable
E nlightened
N atural
C lassic
L ewd
A mazing
W ise
------------------------------------------------------------------

          /\ /\                                          ___  ___
           + +     Mews and views                       ( @ \/ @ ) 
         >> = <<         from Rita Prince Winston        \ @  @ / 
                                                          \ () /  
                     ("`-''-/").___..--''"`-._             \  / 
                     `6_ 6  )   `-.  (     ).`-.__.`)       \/ 
                     (_Y_.)'  ._   )  `._ `. ``-..-'
                    _..`--'_..-_/ /--'_.' ,'
                   ((('   (((-(((''  ((((