[HPforGrownups] COS Observations/Speculations

[Calypso8604 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 28682

In a message dated 11/2/01 7:23:10 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
virtualworldofhp at yahoo.com writes:


> Re-reading COS (for the millionth time) has raised a few observations
> with me.  Just wondering as to some of you L.O.O.N.'s theories on some
> of these...
> 
> pg. 308--"Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor,
> and bent to pick up his wand again.
> But his wand had gone.
> 'Did you see--?'
> He looked up.  Riddle was still watching him--twirling Harry's wand
> between his long fingers."
> I have always assumed Riddle's (in COS) powers are limited to those of
> himself at sixteen.  Is Riddle so powerful by the time he is sixteen
> (it is stated that Voldemort is one of the most powerful wizards, but
> mind you he's still a bit undeveloped at this age) he is able to
> "cast" a spell with no words OR wand?  Even Dumbledore has never
> demonstrated this power.  One would assume this is a spell because
> laws of physics dictate gravitational pulls between masses aren't THAT
> strong, <bg>.  What else could it be that it wasn't a spell?  How is
> Riddle able to accomplish this?

I believe Dumbledore *has* done a tiny bit of magic without a wand. I may be 
wrong as I don't have thebooks with me but I thought that somewhere in PoA 
Dumbledore waved his hand and did magic.

Riddle was extremely intelligent and powerful at 16. He was able to find 
Slytherin's chamber, control a Basilisk, and conserve his memory in a diary. 
Retrieving a wand should have been no trouble for him

> If living things are petrified by the basilisk's stare, how is Fawkes
> able to poke out his eyes?  Why isn't Fawkes petrified?  Are phoenixes
> really that powerful that they are immune to something that is so
> (seemingly) powerful?

Ah, but did it say Fawkes actually looked at the Basilisk? Eye contact is the 
only way you can be petrified and if Fawkes had his eyes closed he would have 
been fine. I assume phoenixes are powerful enough to sense where something is 
without looking at it

> 
> Harry cannot be Heir to Gryffindor.  Do you think something as
> intelligent (argueably the wrong word, but who cares? ;-)) as the
> Sorting Hat would seriously consider Harry for Slytherin if he was
> heir?  I don't think we can argue that the Hat didn't /know/ because
> it obviously later /knew/ that Harry was a "true" Gryffindor.

As Dumbledore always says, it does not matter who your family is. The Hat 
would not look at someone's mind and say "Ah, well you are a descendant of 
Godric, I'll stick you in his house without looking at *your* actual traits". 

> 
> How did the basilisk survive all the years locked away in a chamber
> with no source of nutrition? <g> (no need to reply to this one!)

:-D....Eaating nasty little rodents and things for years...in Fantastic 
Beasts it says Basilisks can live that long on that little food. I think CoS 
even said there were bones and things in the Chamber

> 
> How did Dobby KNOW what Lucius was planning?  I don't think Lucius
> would be quite dumb enough to tell Draco (obviously this is something
> highly highly illegal).  It seems dangerous that he would even gloat
> about it (hence Dobby overhearing somewhere), but I suppose it's
> possible.  I guess during one of his Death Eater tea-parties or
> something, :-D.  And how would Harry going to Hogwarts prevent all
> this anyway?  Muggle-borns would still be dying all over the place ven
> if Harry was safe at home!  Dobby would have been better off warning
> someone with a bit more influence.

Harry would be the main target and Dobby realized this. He tried saving the 
Boy Who Lived thinking this would solve the whole problem. Reasonable 
deduction for an uneducated elf. Lucius and Narcissa or one of Lucius' 
friends may have been discussing it and didn't take notice of Dobby. It's 
evident that the Malfoys hekld Dobby in the least importance

> I guess Riddle enchanted his Muggle diary to function in this fashion
> (where would one learn THAT sort of spell?).  Did he keep all of his
> school things locked away somewhere while "transforming" into
> You-Know-Who and then casually give them away to his followers ("Happy
> Birthday, Lucius!") for fun?  Perhaps before Harry forced him to flee
> (as baby) Moldie-Voldie planted these things around England for future
> use as a "just-in-case".

I think Voldemort probably distributed some of his things among his closest 
followers for 'safekeeping'. 


~ Calypso





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