House Elves - Arithmancy - Snape - Draco - Sirius - Wizarding Wealth

[Catlady]

No: HPFGUIDX 15062

Susan McGee wrote:
> The scene with Winky in the GoF is horrible. I wouldn't treat a dog
> or a cat the way Amos Diggory treats the House Elf.

Arthur and Amos are old friends, have known each other for years, have
been colleagues at MoM even tho' they now are not in the same
department. They're playing 'good cop / bad cop' with Winky, and might
have learned to do so when working as partners in some investigative arm
of MoM. You know 'good cop / bad cop' (which is also a useful technique
for a husband and wife to use on plumbers and so on)? One police officer
questions the suspect in a very hostile, degrading, threatening, scary
way. The other acts more humane, such as telling hiser partner "Back
off, you're scaring the kid" and speaking gently to the suspect "Take a
deep breath and calm down. I'm sure you'd like to tell me your side of
the story." In interrogations, the suspect psychologically clings to
'good cop' for protection from 'bad cop' and confesses to a lot more
than heesh intended to. I regret that this puts Arthur in a bad light.

When dealing with tradesmen, one woman I know boasted to us co-workers:
My husband is threatening the contractors with me! They completely
screwed up the new countertop, and they said to him, "Oh, it'll be okay
this way, won't it?" and he said "It looks fine to me, but I'm not sure
what my wife will think when she gets home from work and sees it," and
they thought to themselves "Oh, that poor bastard, married to such a
virago" and immediately said 'No problem, we'll take this one off and
put on a better one."

Amos, playing bad cop, addressed Winky as "Elf!". If the suspect had
been Hermione or Harry, he would have addressed them as something like
"Girl!" or "Punk!". (Dirty Harry -- "Do you feel lucky, punk?" -- who's
old enough to remember that?)

Vlatka wrote:
> I've always wondered about the Grammatica part. I think that it has
> something to do with writing (language) and rules, but don't know
> what the non-Muggle meaning could be. Any thoughts?

The Hebrew word 'gematria' was borrowed from the Greek word
'grammatica". Gematria is based on the fact that each Hebrew letter
stands for a number as well as for a phoneme -- the first ten letters
are the digits 1 thru 10, the next nine letters are 20 to 100 by tens,
and so on. Therefore, every written word has a numeric value. (Which is
why 15 is always written 9-6 TU instead of 1-5 YH because YH is too much
like the name of God.) Therefore, Bible study includes finding that two
words in the Bible both stand for the same number, and therefore the two
words must be related to each other, and that kind of stuff.

Vlatka wrote:
> Also, I wonder if anyone has tried to figure out the number and names
> of classes offered at Hogwarts. We know that both Percy and Barty Jr.
> have managed to get 12 OWLs, but when I tried to sum up the total
> number of classes  I also came up with 12 (Transfiguration, Charms,
> Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care for Magical Creatures, Potions,
> Astronomy, History of Magic, Muggle Studies, Herbology, DADA,
> Divination)

Perhaps there is more than one OWL for some subject areas:  we have
guessed that Ancient Runes includes magical languages, so there could be
supplemental OWLs for each important magical language. Maybe separate
OWLs for different millennia of History? An OWL for Magical Geography,
presumably taught in History of Magic class, as it has not been
mentioned in canon?

There could be more electives for more advanced (sixth and seventh year
students). Alchemy could be one of them. Basic Healing/Medimagic could
be one of them. What I call Amulet Making could be one of them: forget
what the dictionary says about an 'amulet' being a protective magic
(like carrying  your St. Christopher medal): in my Potterverse, all the
ordinary magic objects except broomsticks and wands are called
'amulets'. Like the Putter-Outer and the Quick-Quote Quill. (The bigger,
stronger magical objects, such as the Goblet of Fire and the Sorting
Hat, in my Potterverse are called Artifacts and made by Artificers.)

lsease wrote:
> I am not pro-Voldy but I just find this odd. Is Voldy sexist
> as well as generally evil?

I think yes. I think that Voldy's discomfort with women and desire to
have women be pushed around by their husbands comes from the same source
as his general desire to hurt and destroy and be feared (not
particularly USEFUL things to do with power, but what he wants): his
horrible childhood (acting, I'm sure, on an innate tendency to
psychopathy). He hates Muggles because his Muggle father didn't
acknowledge him, he hates women because the Matrons at the Muggle
orphanage were women, he hates everyone because most everyone is happier
than he is.

Jen Faulkner wrote:
> but that *no one* has a defining relationship with a woman.

Someone previously mentioned that Krum, the Bulgarian World Cup Seeker,
could be defined as Hermione's suitor. I suppose Hermione's parents
don't count, as we barely glimpse them. How about Professor Vector, the
Arithmancy witch, could be defined as Hermione's Arithmancy teacher? I'm
just nitpicking the *asterisks* in your quoted statement.

Magda Grantwich wrote:
> Has anyone noticed how fanatical Snape is in his reverence for
> Hogwarts?  Rules are everything. And he can come up with no worse
> punishment for Harry - who he loathes - than expulsion from
> Hogwarts: a fate he seems to regard as the equivalent of exile.

Snape's fanaticism for rules is similar, as many people mention in the
next two or three hundred posts, to Percy's reverence for rules, thus
raising the thought of Snape/Percy slash in my head. My friend said that
Snape should be paired with a Centaur because they are both obsessed
with 'good order' i.e. obeying the rules.

I keep wondering whether Snape really intended to do everything in his
power to have Harry expelled -- if Snape is on the side of Dumbledore
and the Light and knows that Dumbledore believes that Harry is necessary
for the triumph of the Light Side and that Harry must be kept at
Hogwarts to be kept safe, would Snape want to cast Harry out into danger
that would ruin Dumbledore's plan and does he really believe that he
could persuade Dumbledore to do so?

Doreen wrote:
> Why does he also antagonize Hermione, who is striving to be THE
> Hogwarts prize pupil?

I keep trying to understand that, myself. The best I can guess is that
he got angry at Hermione for interfering with his attempt to humiliate
Harry at the first Potions lesson, and then he took out his anger on her
long enough for her to form a dislike of him, after which he is
responding to her dislike of him.

Magda Grantwich wrote:
> And how about another father figure relationship: Snape and Draco?
> What do they talk about when they're alone and Draco has finished
> whining about Harry?

GOOD question.
Intellectual pursuits... Literature: in my fic, I have them recognizing
all of each other's literary references.  Potions and potion-makers: in
my fic, I have Draco coming into Snape's office hours to ask intelligent
questions, being given answers and books to read, and coming back to be
grilled about what he read. Something so that Snape can say sarcastic
things to Draco that they both recognize as affectionate... I doubt that
Severus would speak of his pain at being trumped by Potter and Black
while conversing with a student, even Draco, during his office hours.
Not revealing to Draco his low opinion of Quidditch.

Kimberly wrote:
> convinced that Draco doesn't get by on his sparkling
> personality alone.

Well, as a devotee of fanon Draco, I have to believe that canon Draco is
handsome, wittily sarcastic, and good at his school work as well as at
Quidditch (he must be good at Quidditch, as in PoA he won three out of
four matches, and Harry only beat him because of having a Firebolt), but
I feel compelled to play Devil's Advocate: Draco doesn't need looks OR
charm or very much intelligence or Quidditch ability to get Slytherin
girlfriends and hangers-on: he has money and his family has power, so
being his friend (or wife!) would be a useful means to many Slytherin
ends.

Suzanne wrote:
> His father, after all, is NOT among the most favored of the
> Deatheaters since he took the easy way out and avoided Azkaban.

In the Death Eater circle in the graveyard in GoF, we see Voldemort
speaking to Lucius like Lucius is still teacher's, I mean Dark Lord's,
pet. Calling him by first name, praising him for still carrying on the
old ways secretly in his home, and not punishing him at all for
desertion, despite punishing some of the others. If the Death Eaters
still love or fear Voldemort, they will be damn cautious about doing
things to harm the Dark Lord's favorite minion.

Magda Grantwich wrote:
> Snape (snip) had no friends in school.

We have it from canon that he hung out with a group of Slytherins who
all became Death Eaters: Evan Rozier, Wilkes, Avery, Lestrange, Mrs.
Lestrange. I'm sure the girl wasn't named Mrs. Lestrange while she was a
schoolkid, but we weren't supplied with her first or maiden name.

We call MWPP the Marauders altho' the evidence in canon is that the map
was labelled "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of
Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S
MAP". From that, they could just as well have called themselves Magical
Mischief Makers (as they did in the fic series wherein Sirius married
Jenny) or some other name altogether. Thus, I was free to invent that
the Marauders declared Lily to be the Marauder Mascot (probably giving
her an excessively tight scarlet t-shirt with Marauder Mascot written on
the front). Thus, I imagine that they gave Snape's gang some nasty name,
such as the Slimeballs, and declared the future Mrs Lestrange to be the
Slimeball Mascot. Presumably, if the Slytherin gang (I imagine that it
wasn't the most prestigious gang in Slytherin House, either. Poor
Severus) gave itself a less unflattering name.

Amy Z wrote:
> The latter is just Harry's naivete speaking.  Crabbe and Goyle
> obviously have dates for the Ball--each other.  ;-)

You-uns all know that I am no enemy of slash, but I think Vinnie and
Greggie only mess around together for lack of anyone else to mess around
with -- and that they do have someone else to mess around with fairly
often: I am a Millicent / Crabbe-Goyle shipper. They appear to be at the
ball without dates because they're BOTH escorting Millicent, but can't
both dance with her at once.

Celeste Chang wrote:
> As a girl, Harr-ieta  (haha) might (snip) develop some cozy
> feelings for Draco once those hormones get flowing...

There is a TON of fanfic on the idea that he could develop those tender
feelings for Draco despite being a boy.

MC Crusty wrote:
> Hufflepuffs are thought of as "a lot of duffers", so I
> can't imagine someone like Lucius Malfoy being okay
> with that kind of romance.

Isn't it nice for a go-getting Slytherin to have a nice, loyal, patient,
hard-working Hufflepuff keeping the home fires burning and taking care
of himer?

Eccleston wrote:
> the daughter of a weight lifter in English
> comics 30 years ago - " Pansy Potter -

Potter! Harry would have nightmares if he heard that!

Monika wrote:
> What made people believe that Sirius was
> so powerful a wizard? I still don't get it...

We have been told that Sirius and James were the cleverest students in
the school. That was from their friend Remus, but their teacher
McGonagall said: "Both very bright, of course -- exceptionally bright,
in fact". We know that they have strong magic powers, not just book
learning, because they became Animagi as fifth year students, and I'm
sure their teachers noticed their powerful magic as well as their
brains. Having inborn powerful magic and having been exceptionally
bright at the training program is enough to be a powerful wizard even at
a young age.

Sofie "Melle" signed off with:
> - I could offer you a power beyond your wildest imagination, Potter.
> - I don't want that kind of power.
> - You're just afraid of it.

Wow! I can just hear it in their voices! Please write the story that it
goes in -- Harry doesn't have much place in my Draco story.

gregg_baeckler wrote:
> Why on earth are they all in Gryffindor??  I understand that they are
> all brave, but I would be hard pressed to list bravery before
> academic talent as Hermione's chief virtue.

It appears that the Hat takes into consideration which House the student
WANTS to be in. We heard Harry telling it 'not Slytherin'.

We heard Hermione saying on the train that she hoped to be in
Gryffindor. She said: "Do either of you know what house you'll be in?
I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far
the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw
wouldn't be too bad.... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's
toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there
soon."

Also on the train, Ron said all his brothers had been in Gryffindor and
"Mom
and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I
don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in
Slytherin.".

In the robe shop, we heard Draco saying he counted on being in
Slytherin.

Amanda wrote:
> Well, it depends on how you define "aristocrat." If it is someone
coming
> from a long, established, honored lineage, we already have---Ron and
> Neville, both. If you mean somebody rich, I don't know that we have
yet.

The Potters were rich with inherited wealth. JKR said in chats that
James and Lily didn't need to work for money because James had inherited
plenty of money, and also said that James had inherited the Invisibility
Cloak.

Kensey Joseph wrote:
> 3> Is Quidditch a truly universal game in the wizarding world? Not
> everybody would use brooms for transport, would they? (snip)
> 4> The question of who would play Quidditch led me to another question
-
>  what would the poorest classes in the wizarding world be like? JKR
has
> often depicted the Weasleys as being impoverished - but somehow people

> with three square meals a day and a roof over their head (not to
mention a
> garage and a flying car!) could hardly be the dregs of wizarding
society.
> If Quidditch were the most popular game in the wizarding world - then
> there might not be a basic-existence-level class at all.

So far I have only SKIMMED my QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES. If I read it
correctly, JKR said that Quidditch is the most popular wizarding sport
everywhere except USA, even tho' not every nation uses broomsticks for
transportation. Long, long ago, I was whining about Quidditch being such
an expensive game -- at Hogwarts it's not fair to the less wealthy
students like Ron Weasley who can't afford to buy a top of the line
racing broomstick. And it wouldn't, couldn't, be popular in a poor
wizarding country (as you said!). My current theory is there are no poor
wizarding countries and no destitute people in wizarding society (except
maybe werewolves and half-giants?) -- I now believe that in wizarding
Britain, the MoM pays a stipend to every adult witch and wizard (not to
children, or the Weasleys wouldn't have money troubles -- the children
get free tuition to Hogwarts instead); some of them also have inherited
wealth and some of them also have jobs. The salaries would be for people
who want more in their life-style than the three square meals a day and
roof over their heads provided by the stipend. MoM might get the money
for the stipends by making it by magic (some powerful magic that
ordinary people can't do on their own, or Ron would be trying to), or
from owning valuable gemstone mines, or from being paid by the Muggle
government to stay hidden or to provide an Anti-Missile Shield or to
fight off the vampires and monsters who would prey on Muggles... The
International Confederation of Wizards might collect the payments from
all Muggle governments and big corporations and distribute among all the
Ministries of Magic, so that poor Muggle countries wouldn't have to be
poor wizarding countries.

Rena said:
> If memory serves me right, this would be April 30th. Or does
> Walpurgis Night coincide with Halloween?

Your memory is right: Walpurga's Night is the Eve of May Day (Beltane).
The witches and wizards dancing around a bonfire and going into the
woods to gather May flowers to decorate themselves and the May Pole (and
NOT having children with surnames Mayfield and Greenwood nine months
later because THEY have Contraceptive Charms) are just celebrating
Spring the same way that Muggles used to before they got television
instead.
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