Lily's Sacrifice; Owls and other animals.

[Indigo]

No: HPFGUIDX 19590

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Vicky Ra" <andromache815 at h...> wrote:
>   Kelley: 
>   When thinking of Lily's sacrifice, I remember this bit from CoS, 
ch 
>   17:  "No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked 
me," 
>   said Harry abruptly.  "I don't know myself.  But I know why you 
>   couldn't -kill- me.  Because my mother died to save me.  My 
common 
>   ~Muggle-born~ mother," he added, shaking with suppressed 
rage.  "She 
>   stopped you killing me."
> 
>   He learned this from Dumbledore, correct?  So, Lily's sacrifice 
is 
>   what saved Harry's life, and we don't know what exactly caused 
Voldy 
>   to lose his powers.  I've been figuring it's that "something 
about 
>   Harry" we have yet to learn about...
> 
>   Ah. I see your point. Perhaps having Harry's blood now allows 
Voldy to touch Harry without being burned, like Quirrell was, which 
makes Harry a little easier to manipulate.
> 
>   On a totally unrelated topic, I wonder how owls know where to 
deliver letters. I don't recall people specifically telling them who 
to give letters to. 

On the contrary.  

Harry has told Hedgwig in so many words when he wants her to take 
something to Hagrid or to Sirius. 

And I daresay the Weasley owl Errol is told to take the packages to 
Harry. Likewise Pigwidgeon.

Also, I've noticed animals can understand human speech in the Potter 
world. Buckbeak understood Malfoy when he called him a brute, and 
Hedwig is very expressive of her rage toward Harry when she comes 
back from her long journey delivering Sirius's letter, only to find 
him ungrateful. Any thoughts?

The acromantulas can understand and speak human as well. 

But the blast-ended skrewts and flobberworms seem uncommunicative.

Then there's Neville's toad...who either doesn't understand English 
or just has a perverse sense of humour.

Indigo