Order of the Phoenix

[joym999 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 22173

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., prefectmarcus at y... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Glenda and Danny Millgate" 
<millgate at a...> 
> wrote:
> 
> > Katie decided that Dumbledore must also be an Animagus 
[snip] 
> 
> I doubt it.  I base my doubts primarily on one thing.  Animagi are 
> supposed to register.  If he used his ability to teach his class, 
word 
> would certainly get back to the ministry.  Hermione has checked the 
> registration list at least twice that I know of and didn't mention 
> Dumbledore being on it.  Also, I highly suspect Dumbledore to be a 
> law-abiding magical citizen.  Sure he might bend a rule now and 
again, 
> but being an un-registered animagus appears to be a serious offense.

I have never understood this argument.  Why does everyone assume that 
Hermione would necessarily mention it if she saw Dumbledore's name on 
the list of registered animagi?  There are lots of reasons why 
Hermione might not have mentioned it:

1. Both times she checked the list there was an awful lot of stuff 
going on, so maybe she just didn't see fit to add, ''Oh and by the 
way did you know Dumbledore is an animagus?''   

2. Or, maybe everyone at Hogwarts already knows that he is an 
animagus, so why state the obvious?  

3. Or, maybe it is considered impolite in wizarding society to 
mention someone's animagi status unless they are very open about it 
themselves.

4. Maybe JKR just doesn't want us to know this fact just yet, and in 
a future book when Hermione is once again talking about the list of 
registered animagi she will read it out loud -- '' Yes, here is the 
list of all the animagi this century.  Here is M. McGonagall, of 
course, a cat, and A. Dumbledore, of course, a bumblebee (allright, 
maybe a phoenix), and Lucius Malfoy, a weasel, and Gorgonzola Goyle, 
a cockroach......''

--Joywitch