Support for Fleur, Cho, Lupin - Transfiguration - Patronus forms - Next to die

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 28640

Denise wrote:

>*And* she chastises herself after she gets points for her performance in 
>the Second Task ("I deserved zero" said Fleur throatily....)  That speaks 
>of loyalty, and a sense of justice.

YES!  I forgot that one.  I will definitely have to be a charter member of 
FLARES, even though I'm rapidly running out of Sickles, not to mention 
losing track of all my organizations.

We could combine the Fleur and Cho forces and be FACTOTUM (Fleur And Cho, 
Talented Ornamental Teens, are Unfairly Maligned).  OK, "ornamental" is 
sexist, but I'm having trouble coming up with an O too.  "Okay"?  
Suggestions for a better word are gratefully accepted.

Lucy asked:

>Is there a Lupin fan club acronym I can join?

No need for one.  1,996 of us adore him.

Cindy wrote:

>I don't have my books with me right now, but I think the most complex thing 
>they have done is change a tea kettle into a turtle, and only Hermione 
>seems to have done it correctly.

>It seems to me that transfiguration is a Huge Big Deal in the wizarding 
>world.  <snip>

>Are the students far behind in Transfiguration, and if so, why?

McGonagall says "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous 
magic" they will learn (PS/SS 8), and while every teacher thinks his/her 
subject is the best, hardest, etc., I think the students may be so far 
behind what adult wizards can do because Transfiguration does have a very 
steep learning curve.  They do, however, work on living creatures quite 
early on (PETA members, shut your eyes), which presumably they must be able 
to do perfectly before they can start turning each other into badgers 
without danger.

Cindy wrote:

>But there is one other possibility.  Perhaps Lupin's Patronus really
>is just formless silver stuff.

<snip>

>As for Dumbledore, who knows?

There's another possibility too:  that both Lupin's and Dumbledore's do have 
definite forms and JKR, either for some definite narrative reason or for the 
sake of keeping the Patronus phenomenon mysterious, doesn't want to say 
exactly what they were.  The reports come from Hermione, who in both cases 
was rather more focused on Harry's well-being (also, in the train, her own) 
than on anything else going on and was very possibly not paying enough 
attention to see what happened beyond a rush of silver.  It's believable to 
me that when your best friend has just hit the ground from fifty feet up, 
you're only vaguely aware of what the headmaster is doing.

Eric wrote:

>For starters---has Herself stated in an interview that _Hermione_ will
>survive to Book Seven?  She's said that she couldn't kill Ron, b/c he's
>Harry's best friend.

I think the comment you're remembering is that she says children often ask 
anxiously about Ron, and that she thinks the reason is that they are very 
familiar with the convention of the hero's best friend biting the dust; she 
then speculated on why they don't seem nearly so anxious about Hermione.  
True to sly form, she didn't promise that either is safe.

Amy Z

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"And on Wednesday, I think I'll come off worst in a fight."
"Aaah, I was going to have a fight.  Okay, I'll lose a bet."
"Yeah, you'll be betting I'll win my fight. . . ."
                               --HP and the Goblet of Fire
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