small wonderings

[dfrankis at dial.pipex.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 20729

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., bess_va at l... wrote:
> Hi y'all, I'm new to this list (and I'm also the world's worst 
> speller), and have a few small questions. 
> 
> 1.) how does Ron get to keep Pig when he returns home for the 
summer? 
> 
> 2.) How do Fred and George design/develop their pranks if they're 
not allowed to use magic during the vacations? 
> 3.) where are Lily's girlfriends?  and particularly, where's 
Harry's godmother?  
> thanks for considering my questions, Bess

Hi and welcome - difficult questions!

1)"A friend of Harry's gave it to him, he's got Hedwig so he passed 
him onto me" - pretty well true (except I think Sirius mentions 
Ron).  But I think your'e right: Ron won't have thouht out an 
explanation with a straight face to go with it.  I think Ginny would, 
by naming and liking him (oops, did she show a flash of character 
there? perish the thought!), ensure that Molly would overlook it - I 
imagine that anything that makes Ginny happy would sway Molly a lot.  
Arthur wouldn't care as long as he knew where Pig keeps his brain.

2) I've always thought the MOM ban must be subject to some sort of 
parental override in wizarding households.  They are all familiar 
with broomstick riding, for example (or doesn't this count?).  In any 
case, Mafalda Hopkirk can only tell that magic is performed, not who 
did it.  It may not apply above, say, fifth year.

3) After PA, I thought Book 4 would give us this.  I still think most 
of one of the future books will be devoted to this, as PA was to 
James' friends (and Snape).

I don't believe in the significance of a godmother particularly.  
Practice varies by religious belief and afiliation, but in mainstream 
(ie non-religious) English culture, an the absence of brothers and 
sisters (Petunia might have turned it down), best friends are asked. 
In default of major events like death, godparently duties are limited 
to birthday and Christmas presents (and in my experience fall off 
with time).  As you say, Sirius has a legal responsibility but that 
might have been his alone.  We can speculate about his interrupted 
marriage plans to a putative godmother.

David, who believes all O is incompatible with H