Molly – Daily Prophet – Lockhart – Sirius’s non-trial

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 19601

Ebony wrote:

>Earlier this week, Heidi did a great post on the difference between 
a >news
>daily like the *Daily Prophet* and a women's mag like *Witch 
Weekly*.  >The
>fact that Molly treated Hermione in such a fashion based on hearsay 
>alone
>made me bothered me in GoF.

Unfortunately, I think Molly's in good, or at least voluminous, 
company with this one.  Most people know that tabloids and such are 
gossip and lies, and they might even say "oh, that rag, I don't 
believe a word it says," but they still read them and are affected by 
what they say.  There's a strong tendency to believe something just 
because it's in print, even if the previous week the same writer in 
the same publication wrote things you knew were lies.  There must be 
a name for this phenomenon, or perhaps one of our Latin scholars 
could coin one.  (And a spell to counteract it would be good too, 
while you're at it.) 

Also, the issue has come up about how Rita Skeeter could be writing 
for the Prophet.  That assumes that the DP is like the Times (New 
York, LA, London, take your pick), but perhaps it's more like the NY 
Daily News-—a tabloid that is highly unreliable and sensationalistic 
but that is still the daily source of "straight news" for its 
readership.  I gather there are many such in London . . . or does 
nobody take them seriously?

Neil wrote:

>I've always assumed that Gilderoy used an 'Aphrodisia' spell to 
>captivate those around him. 

Chalk another one up for Harry.  He's impervious
or maybe an excess 
of annoying behavior erases the effect.

Maria wrote:

>The whole portrait being painted at that point is that he was used 
as a >pawn to satisfy the fear and anger of the wizarding 
community....  Ah, >but I just thought of something else. 
>Doesn't it say at the end of PoA that Dumbledore himself gave 
evidence >that
>Black had been the Potter's secret-keeper...  How do those two work 
>together? 

I agree with your pawn portrait.  As someone recently said, the reign 
of terror was over at that point.  However, it was only just, and 
while Dedalus Diggle and Co. may have been celebrating, I bet some 
more cautious minds at the MOM were making sure to keep after Death 
Eaters with the same energy they'd been using before Voldemort fell.  
There's also the rage that Dumbledore describes in the prosecution of 
the Longbottoms' assailants-—people thought the worst was over and 
then this happened.  I can imagine that a similar rage would prevail 
in putting away the person responsible for killing the Potters.  At 
the time, people thought of them as Voldemort's last victims, and the 
fact that V. fell immediately afterwards would do nothing to incline 
the wizarding world toward mercy for Sirius.  As much as anyone even 
knows about him, that is.  Fudge does say that that part of the story 
isn't widely known.

Re: Dumbledore's testimony:  I thought perhaps Dumbledore was just 
quietly called in by Magical Law Enforcement, who wanted to pack 
Sirius straight off to Azkaban but also wanted to check their facts 
behind the scenes.  He said, "'Fraid so, I'd never have thought it of 
Sirius, but there's no denying he was their Secret Keeper," and they 
said, "Great, that's all we need to know," slam (door), splash (key 
into sea).

Amy Z