Dementors, Peter's killing curse, macchiavellist Slytherins, Snape DE

[keith.fraser at st-annes.ox.ac.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 22578

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., pigwidgeon37 at y... wrote:
> Elizabeth wrote:
> <I have always held the belief that if the Dementors ever came 
across 
> <Voldemort that they would be under orders to administer the Kiss 
to 
> <him.
> 
> Sorry, but I really don't buy that. The Dementors, and I think this 
> is somewhere in the books (which are all in my packed suitcase, so 
I 
> can't look it up) are loyal only to themselves and their appetite. 
> *If* there was the slightest hope of their administering the Kiss 
to 
> Voldemort as soon as they got near him, why is Dumbledore so 
anxious 
> that they will return to be V.'s allies after his comeback?

I agree, the Dementors are out for number one. However, I have a 
theory that the Dementors' Kiss is the only way to destroy 
Voldemort...
> 
> 
> Marie Antoinette wrote:
> <He worked for Voldemort.  He probably used a Killing Curse.  Come 
> <on, he has to more powerful than we think he is...that's the 
reason 
> <they used *him* as the Secret-Keeper.  They *thought* he was 
weak.  
> <He obviously isn't as weak and puny as we thought. 
> 
> During the first school week of GoF, there is the incident with 
> Malfoy, who throws a curse at Harry (and subsequently gets turned 
nto 
> a ferret). Harry has his back turned to Malfoy and just 
> feels "something white hot grazing his cheek", because Malfoy 
misses 
> him. (nitpicking: why didn't this curse hit any of the other 
students 
> standing round them, as the entrance hall was packed with 
students?) 
> Now, imagine Peter standing there, facing Sirius who stands some 
30m 
> away from him, holding his wand behind his back (we know that from 
> PoA). You can't aim very carefully in this situation. So Peter did 
as 
> well as he could, aiming more or less at Sirius, the wand (I think 
> this is logical, because otherwise the curse would have gone up 
> somewhere towards the sky) pointing downwards, and pronounced Avada 
> Kedavra. What happened? The curse went in the direction of the 
person 
> it was aimed at, but as the wand was pointing downwards, the curse, 
> instead of crossing the air and hitting Sirius, went straight into 
> the asphalt, hit a gas pipe, and, being hot, made it explode. Big 
> damage for the 13 Muggles who died, none for Sirius who obviously 
was 
> far enough away. I think that's why Sirius laughed and everybody 
took 
> him for a lunatic: It was a hysteric laugh of despair at the 
> absurdity of the situation. The first time this little twit of a 
> wizard had succeeded in doing a powerful curse by himself, he had 
> bungled it all, killing everybody around but for the person he 
> *wanted* to kill, but nevertheless obtained the result he desired: 
> Sirius wasn't dead, but put into Azkaban without trial and Peter 
was 
> believed dead, would be remebered as a hero and could even hide 
from 
> the remaining DEs.
> 
> 
Ah, but I think his intention *was* to blow up the street and 
incriminate Sirius. At least, that's what Sirius said, and Pettigrew 
didn't deny it.


> Meg Rose wrote:
> <I don't think that Gryffindor is favored, but the book DOES take 
> <Harry's Point of view and the Gryffindors is what he knows best.  
> <Think about it - members of different houses don't even know where 
> <the other common rooms are, let alone what goes on in their 
areas...
> 
> Does anybody have thoughts on *why* students of different houses 
are 
> kept so strictly separated? It doesn't exactly help to develop a 
> Hogwarts- identity, more of a Hufflepuff-, Gryffindor-etc.identity. 
> Why would anybody want this? It prevents students from making house-
> crossing friendships and favours the development of prejudice 
against 
> other houses.
> 
> 
This is often done in boarding schools. I think the idea is to foster 
team spirit and competitiveness. I agree with the comment, however.

Keith