Killing Black, Canon onion, scar, Gryffindor heir, Cars, Dark Mark

[dfrankiswork at netscape.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 30500

Can you tell I've been catching up?

Cindy, Krolik, Milz and others wondered how Harry would have killed Black.  Gwendolyn Grace said about 90% of what I wanted to say; I just want to add that by this time Harry is used to using a wand, and unconsciously or intuitively knows that whatever he wants to achieve will be amplified - so he goes for his wand.  Also Harry has 12 years' worth of anger built up for reasons that at that time he directly attributes to Sirius.  I believe that if Crookshanks hadn't intervened, there would have been some pretty spectacular fireworks.  After all, someone must have originally invented AK in this sort of way.

Mike the Goat produced a lovely onion!  Just one small comment: I believe that the US editions are not just translations.  For example, I understand the statement that Dean is black, which is in the US but not the UK editions of PS (Sorting Hat), is something approved by JKR, even if originally invented by Scholastic.  I think that would put them between the press releases and the school books in the layering.

MacGyverMagic speculated that the final sentence ending in 'scar' would concern a scar of Dumbledore's.  I wrote off to Sybill Trelawney, and when I saw her answer, decided to write this instead:

"Harry stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron and made his way to Oxford Circus tube station.  Fortunately, finding his way back to Paddington would be quite easy, as he had memorised Dumbledore's scar."

Several people speculated that Lily Evans was a descendent of Gryffindor.  I have no real view on this theory (except to note that JKR is generally anti the significance of physical descent), but it does raise an interesting possibility in a future book: "The door burst open, and a huge figure was framed against the sudden glare.  It knocked Pettigrew to the ground with a single blow, saying 'They thought they could conquer me, Dudley Dursley, in whose veins runs the blood of Godric Gryffindor himself.'"

Uma Heather says Arthur Weasley can requisition Ministry cars for personal use; he can't: the one time they use them (at the beginning of POA), Percy specifically expresses surprise.  The real reason, of course, is that Fudge wants to ensure Harry's protection from Black.

Gabriel Edson asked, about the Dark Mark: Why would you want a tattoo that says "bad guy?"
Ah, but they think they're the *good* guys, rescuing wizards from the Muggle-loving fools and Mudbloods. And it's apparent that Voldemort values risky expressions of loyalty highly: confessing him before the heathen is part of his quasi-religious setup.

David, now trying to get the picture of Quirrell lying back in the bath out of his head
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