spider eating 101 (was chapter 8 and 9)

[Hillman, Lee]

No: HPFGUIDX 19274

Hi, folks!

In reference to a question about Crookshanks chewing a spider in Ron's
sight, Robert Carnegie wrote: 
> 
> A _large_ dead spider.  Although I suspect it's just put there
> by JKR to freak Ron out with his acranacrophobia (hi, joywitch :-)
> since he doesn't like spiders at _all_, even dead, so that he
> and Hermione can do their disagreeing-about-Crookshanks bit again,
> perhaps it just could be an early clue that Crookshanks has been
> exploring in the Forbidden Forest?
> 

Actually, jumping in with a minor correction I haven't seen anyone else post
yet: In CoS, Ron says he doesn't mind spiders when they're dead. It's in
chapter 9:

"'I - don't - like - spiders,' said Ron tensely.
"'I never knew that,' said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise. 'You've
used spiders in Potions loads of times....'
"'I don't mind them dead,' said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but
at the window. 'I just don't like the way they move....'"

So Crookshanks chewing on a dead spider wouldn't be a problem for him,
though it does provide him fuel for the whole "your cat is a menace"
argument. [As a side note, Ron seems to be a type A arachnophobe: one who
can't even look at spiders and doesn't want to know anything about them; as
opposed to a type B arachnophobe: one who _has_ to know where they are at
all times. I'm a B: if I see a spider, I must keep my eye on it until it is
destroyed (usually by someone else). Otherwise, I get paranoid about where
it might have gotten to. But that's also because spiders delight in taunting
me.....]

Ahem. Anyway, the point is, I don't think Crookshanks is trying to freak out
Ron. I'm not so sure he's trying to send a message, either. I think
part-kneazle or not, he's still a cat and cats do like to chomp on random
bits of stuff lying around--sock fuzz, string, bugs, and spiders included
(my cats, anyway, Robert, YMMV). Given his kneazle heritage, it's possible
that Crooks is trying to put Ron at ease, but I suspect that's stretching
it.

Gwendolyn Grace