Snape, ghosts, mandrakes, etc.

[Jennifer Boggess Ramon]

No: HPFGUIDX 32076

At 6:48 PM +0000 12/21/01, ftah3 wrote:
>
>If Snape has such a jones for the DADA job, why doesn't he get it?

I've never seen any evidence from Snape's behavior in the books that 
he actually wants it; he just seems to think he could do a much 
better job than the one they currently have.  It's entirely likely 
that the students took "Snape thinks Quirrell's a dweeb and that he 
could do his job better" and turned it into "Snape wants the DADA 
position."  It helps that, as Quirrell notes, Snape certainly looks 
the part.

Snape is clearly (forgive the bad comics reference) the best he is as 
what he does.  I think he'd rather be the best Potions master in 
Europe than merely a good DADA instructor.


At 7:59 PM +0000 12/21/01, rachelrenee1 wrote:
>
>I know this is a little nitpicky, but as I was reading Chamber of
>Secrets to my husband, I began to wonder how exactly one would revive
>a ghost with a potion.  I mean, there is quite a lot of emphasis on
>the fact ghosts don't eat or drink.  So, um, how do they make
>him "drink" the Mandrake potion?  How would you make a statue "drink"
>a potion either, for that matter?  I guess it might suffice to just
>pour it over them.  But could you pour potion on a ghost?

They mention that they move him to the infirmary using a fan.  I had 
the idea, based on that passage, that he was sort of gaseous now 
instead of completely insubstantial due to the petrifying.  It seems 
to me that one could administer the mandrake potion to a ghost by 
spraying it over him; I had a sort of image of Madam Pomfrey holding 
a perfume spritzer over him.


At 5:02 PM -0500 12/21/01, Elizabeth Dalton wrote:
>
>Maybe the Mandrakes are clearly non-intelligent upon observation-- e.g. they
>might throw wild parties, but might not actually be able to speak, solve
>problems, fill in your favorite test of "intelligence" here.

Professor Sprout seems to be watching them for specific behaviors, 
much as she would a tree for its first blossoms, its first fruit, 
etc.  I don't think she thinks they're intelligent.  However, given 
how everyone in the wizarding world seems to feel about house-eleves, 
she might well be wrong . . .

-- 
  - Boggles, aka J. C. B. Ramon			boggles at earthlink.net
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