random thoughts of a gardener

[Zarleycat at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 19059

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Stephanie Roark Keener" <sdrk1 at y...> 
wrote:
> So today, I was working in the garden and I was thinking.  And you 
> know how it is when you're gardening, you think about all kinds of 
> crazy stuff
  

Absolutely - and when you start talking out loud, your neighbors 
think you're nuts!

> Why not just put a cheering charm on yourself all the time.  

Magic is not used to improve existing physical conditions, such as 
weak eysight, so I don't think using cheering charms to keep oneself 
in a constant state of euphoria would be considered acceptable.  

> 2. Magic Babies.  If I'm a witch and know how to brew a sleeping 
> draught, is it okay to use it on a baby?  

Again, I don't think you are supposed to be using magic just to make 
your life easier.  However, if your baby was ill, and as part of the 
treatment the baby needed sleep, then I'd think a sleeping potion 
would be acceptable.

 And can they do things back to you?  Can they magic off their 
> diaper if they don't want to wear it?  Can they force you to hold 
> them all the time?  

Hmmm.  I wonder if babies would be able to concentrate or focus their 
magical abilities in order to do things.  I'd think a wizard parent 
would be stronger magically than a baby, so the baby could not 
control them.  But what about Muggle parents?  Do Hermione's parents 
have strange stories to tell about the weird things she did as a baby?


> 3. Hogwarts Food.  Very old fashioned.  Why don't they ever get 
pizza 
> or pasta?  And have you noticed all the bacon? 

And IIRC, there's never any mention of vegetables, other than potatos.

> 4. Animagi.  I reckon that most people become the animal that they 
> most closely resemble(Peter is described as having beady rat-like 
> eyes, Sirius has got that shaggy black hair.) Do they also retain 
little 
> animalisms in human form?  Does Sirius forget and try to scratch 
his 
> ear with his leg?  (And I know this is different but,) Does Lupin 
> like his steaks really rare?  Does McGonagall jump up on the desk 
and 
> stick her butt in people's faces?

LOL.  How un-McGonagall-like!  I've also wondered if there is not an 
additional high-level transfiguration skill that would be a sort of 
Super Animagus where you can choose what animal to turn yourself 
into.  You'd only be able to perform this magic once you mastered the 
regular Animagus transformation, so this would be very powerful 
magic.  

Here's a scenario.  Sirius manages to turn himself into a hawk, 
swoops out of the sky and captures Peter in his rat form and carries 
him back to Dumbledore or the MOM to prove his innocence.  Since he's 
flying high in the sky, Peter doesn't dare to transform back into a 
human because he knows the hawk will drop him and he'll die from the 
fall.  Sirius can then play a more active role in the story, and not 
be spending his time hiding in caves.  Peter will escape punishment 
for now because he will be aided by a Voldie supporter within the 
MOM. Harry and Peter will cross paths again.  

It's true - your mind wanders all over when you're up to your elbows 
in potting soil.

Marianne, staring in dismay at the condition of her fingernails