Crookshanks

[Indigo]

No: HPFGUIDX 14435

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Horst or Rebecca J. Bohner" 
<bohners at p...> wrote:
> Spoiler space...
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> Okay, in FB we have this description of the Kneazle which, based on 
> the physical description and the information that Kneazles are 
> living Sneakoscopes and can interbreed with cats, makes us think 
> that Crookshanks is at least part Kneazle.

Agreed, now that I read FB.  :)  What fun!
 
> My first thought is that it's just too bad that Hermione didn't let
> Crookshanks out of the dorm in GoF... if she had, he might have 
> tagged the false Mad-Eye Moody.  Is it against school rules to 
> bring one's pet to  classes?  If so, why does Neville get to carry 
> Trevor everywhere?

Probably because:

1) Toads are useful in the actual conjuring. Warts or secretions.
2) Neville's terrified he'll lose Trevor if he doesn't carry him 
around. 

> 
> My second thought is, does Hermione know that Crookshanks has 
> Kneazle blood in him?  Was that part of the reason she bought him 
> in the first place?  I could see her doing this, but if she knows, 
> why hasn't she made more use of his Kneazle abilities, or at least 
> talked about them (i.e. when defending Crookshanks' virtues to Ron 
in PoA)?

Perhaps pride, or fear the boys wouldn't believe her.  And she could 
point to the passage in the book but she might be scoffed off as just 
wishing.  Harry and Ron's opinions of her matter to her a lot.

Then there's also how seriously beleaguered she was with her classes 
the year she got Crookshanks.  She was at the end of her wits and her 
rope with studying.  So it's possible she didn't consider Crookshanks 
ancestry a matter of importance.  Darn forest, blocking her view of 
the trees?
> 
> It would almost seem that Hermione *doesn't* know that Crookshanks 
> is part Kneazle.  But why on earth not?  She must have read
> FANTASTIC BEASTS as thoroughly as anything else she's ever read for 
> school, and probably multiple times.  I'm surprised that she 
> wouldn't pick up on something as obvious as that -- I mean, we all
> did.

That's the beauty of being the reader. Privy to information the 
characters don't get. 


> 
> Finally, I suspect that the little detail that Kneazles can guide 
> their owners home if they are lost is likely to become important in 
> a future book.

> Might there be some incident in which Hermione is removed from the
> vicinity of Hogwarts, or even just lost in the Forbidden Forest, 
> and  has to find her way back alone?  I can see her showing up at 
> an unexpected moment, just when everyone had given up hope of 
> finding her again, thanks to Crookshanks.
> 
> And are there any incidents already described in the books (PoA, 
> presumably) which could be attributed to Crookshanks' powers of 
> location?

The only thing that really springs to mind is that Crookshanks 
apparently is somewhat familiar with the grounds of Hogwarts and the 
Whomping Willow -- he knew where the knot to stop the tree is. 

And didn't it mention in the book the pet shop owner had had a hard 
time selling him? 

Maybe Crookshanks was waiting for a wizard he liked...

hmmm....

> 
> Thoughts?
> --
> Rebecca J. Bohner
> rebeccaj at p...
> http://home.golden.net/~rebeccaj