Draco the Dragon?

[rja.carnegie at excite.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 19647

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Stephanie Roark Keener" <sdrk1 at y...> wrote:
> (I searched through the arcives and I don't THINK this has been 
> discussed before, but just shoo me to the appropriate thread if it 
> has.)
> 
> I'm wondering about the potential for Draco being an 
> animagus.  "Draco" means dragon in Latin (I believe -- and there's 
> also the Draconian Code reference for his name).  Could it be that 
> our firey Draco can turn himself into a common welsh green -- with a 
> white spot on his top-knot, of course?

If he studies?

Btw, the fact that Polyjuice Potion isn't intended for changing
into an animal (according to Hermione) doesn't mean that there
isn't another potion which is for that purpose?

Back to www.babyname.com, which actually claims to recognise:
'This boy's name is used in English.  Its source is a literature
expression whose meaning has been lost.  The name Draco did
not rank among the roughly 6,000 names reported in the 1990
Census Data.'

A literature expression: well, www.m-w.com confirms that "foxed",
often used of books (rather than their contents), means "discolored
with yellowish brown stains."  Dragonned would be like foxed, but
much, much worse?  There's this Dark Mark that people have alluded
to...

www.m-w.com says that "Draco" is (1) Latin for "dragon" and
(2) a constellation allegedly resembling a dragon and
(3) a particular historical person who was an 'Athenian lawgiver;
prepared prob. first comprehensive written law code for Athens
(ca. 621 B.C.), prescribing death for most offenses, whence the
word draconian.'  I think you covered all that.

The name Lucius, now: 'This boy's name is used in English.
Its source is Lux, a Latin name meaning "Light."  The name
Lucius ranked 1171st in popularity for males of all ages
in a sample of the 1990 US Census.'

Hmm, sounds a bit like "Lucifer"? ("Bringer of light.")

Severus is a Latin name meaning "Strict or stern", which, too,
was probably known already...?

Robert Carnegie
Glasgow, Scotland

"I read them all when I was seven and I hated them" - unnamed American
office worker on the Harry Potter books (www.dilbert.com, List of
Stupid Things Overheard)