Lupin / Sirius / Snape-Filch / common rooms / Bagman / Mudblood / Muggles

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 29106

It is two posts because I couldn't fit enough subjects in one subject 
line.

"Susanna Luhtanen" wrote:

> And um-- How did Lupin break Dumbledore's trust as schoolboy?

As you, Susanna, mentioned later in the same post, Dumbledore had 
gone to much trouble to make arrangements to keep everyone safe by 
keeping Remus confined during Full Moon, and yet Remus left his 
confinement to wander with his friends and endanger the neighbors 
every month for over two years. 

> But um - some books I'd like to see in Diagon Alley:
> My Life as a Werewolf by Remus Lupin
> My Lifestory by Sirius Black

I believe that Sirius will NEVER write an autobiography because 
anytime anyone suggests it, he will declare: "I am not like Lockhart!" 

I think Remus would rather publish that book under a pseudonym, as he 
doesn't like to loudly proclaim his lycanthropy -- in fact, some 
people believe that he wrote the book HAIRY SNOUT, HUMAN HEART (that 
was footnoted in FANTASTIC BEASTS) probably during his seventh year 
at Hogwarts, and it and possibly other books might provide him with a 
small income. But since I am sure he would write a book about himself 
only as an attempt to reduce prejudice against werewolves to help 
everyone, not just himself, so he'd publish it under his own name if 
he were persuaded that would be more effective. And Sirius would 
tease him, such as calling him 'Remus Lockhart' and telling him that 
autograph seekers were owling for an appointment. 

Poppy wrote:
 
> Just delurking because I have to ask in reply to Jenny from 
> Ravenclaw's post about Snape -- do you really think Snape gets on
> with Filch

*I* think Snape gets on with his colleagues (except Lupin) for the 
evidence that other people have already posted, and perhaps the 
reason he doesn't go into Hogsmeade with them is that he is in danger 
from vengeful "ex" Death Eaters whenever he leaves the Hogwarts 
campus. That Snape only concealed a grin at Filch's distress at Mrs. 
Norris's plight, rather than saying something vicious about it, could 
be considered evidence of his kindness to or friendship with Filch! I 
think that Snape more than gets along with Filch, outright *trusts* 
him. An example is the passage that was already cited as a level of 
diction example:

"Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes 
above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was 
handing Snape bandages. "Blasted thing*," Snape was saying. "How are 
you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?""

Two examples of trust: one, that he has confided in Filch that he 
messed with Fluffy; two, he has relaxed himself enough to drop the 
dignified diction. If trust WEREN'T an issue, why wouldn't he have 
taken his injury to Madam Pomfrey instead? 

Someone said there is Snape - Filch - Norris issues. I think they 
meant what is called a love triangle: Severus and Kitty being jealous 
of each other over Argus. I think that even if Severus and Argus are 
more than friends (Pippin presented good evidence once upon a time, 
but I am not convinced), Severus and Kitty's dislike of each other is 
not jealousy, but rather they each remember the days in which Severus 
was a student and Kitty was the enemy of students. Anyhow, Filch WAS 
funny dancing around in his despair, and I too would have had to 
conceal a grin as I muttered something sympathetic about, without 
having ANY issues with Mrs Norris. 

mss4a wrote:

> Where did Ginny catch Percy and Penelope kissing? I thought it 
> was a closet or empty classroom somewhere. This supports 
> Dave's argument.

I agree with Dave that students aren't supposed to go into another 
House's common room, nor even to know where other Houses' common 
rooms are. But even if Percy's girlfriend were a Gryffindor, he 
wouldn't have been kissing her in the common room: he was trying to 
keep the relationship secret from his teasing brothers.

Cindy wrote:

> McGonagal helps Hermione obtain the Time-Turner.  Harry gets extra
> instruction from Lupin and Moody, and he is developing a close 
> relationship with Dumbledore.  In my experience, cross-gender
> mentoring certainly occurs in the real world, so I wonder why we 
> don't see it more in the books.

I suspect that this is a semi-calculated Muggle world JKR decision: 
she's trying to avoid accusations of inappropriate romantic 
relationships (so we just suggest slash ones).

Nizbet noni wrote:

> What would [Ludo Bagman] know about the Ministry that he could pass
> on? And *why* would he know it? It just doesn't seem to fit!

I figure that such a popular celebrity could be invited to dine with 
anyone he wanted to be invited by, and they could easily be persuaded 
to tell all about their 'important' secret work in an attempt to 
impress him. I suppose the Death Eaters would wish to know not only 
the hiding places of people they wanted to kill and the traps in 
which Aurors or 'the old crowd' were planning to catch them, but also 
insider trading stock tips... I don't actually think there is a 
wizarding stock market, but in my personal version of the 
Potterverse, there used to be a Thunderbolt racing broom company, and 
it was destroyed (factory, stock, owners, employees) by a Death Eater 
attack because Lucius Malfoy had invested in a competing racing broom 
company, and it isn't mentioned in QTTA because it is too depressing 
a memory. 

Was Bagman's father in the Ministry? Could Ludo have gotten info from 
Daddy, perhaps by reading his private mail at home?

There was discussion of DEFINING 'Mudblood'

A wizard with one Pureblood and one Muggle parent is called a 
Halfblood, not a Mudblood. In CoS, in Riddle's memory that Harry 
sees, Dippet asks Tom if he was Muggle-born and Tom answers: 
"Half-blood, sir," said Riddle. "Muggle father, witch mother." and in 
the Chamber, Tom tells Harry they are similar:  "Both half-bloods, 
orphans, raised by Muggles."  In GoF, after Hagrid has been outed as 
half-giant, he tells Harry he wants him to win: "It'd show 'em all... 
yeh don't have ter be pure-blood ter do it."

Cindy replied to Bexis:

> I'm not entirely sure what conclusions about Harry to draw from the 
> fact that wizards attempt to keep their world a secret from 
> Muggles. If anything, this desire seems born out of respect for the 
> integrity of Muggle life.  After all, if wizards believed 
> themselves superior to Muggles (as they almost surely do), then why
> do wizards not simply dominate and enslave Muggles?  History is
> full of examples in which groups who deem themselves superior 
> dominate, enslave or even eradicate others.  Yet in JKR's world,
> the wizards inconvenience themselves tremendously to avoid 
> disturbing Muggles.  

The wizard folk keep themselves secret from Muggles because THEY ARE 
SCARED OF MUGGLES. This is clear from Binns's explanation of the 
Chamber of Secrets: "They built this castle together, far from prying 
Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, 
and witches and wizards suffered much persecution." "[Slytherin] 
disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be 
untrustworthy." and also from QTTA's explanation of Quodpot, which 
begins with Abraham Peasegood being one of many wizard folk who 
emigrated to the Americans in hope that they would be less 
persecuted there. 

Hagrid's statement that the reason for wizarding secrecy is 
"everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're 
best left alone." is just some cover story that is taught to young 
children. Third year students still aren't old enough to be told 
different (Binns was in error to explain the Chamber to second-years) 
as PoA begins with Harry's essay on Why Burning Witches Was a Waste 
of Time: "Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were 
particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at 
recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch 
or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever." 

It might be true about Wendelin the Weird and her Flame Freezing 
Charm, but SOMETHING the Muggles did was effective enough that the 
Founders needed to hide from it! IIRC, Hagrid was expelled late in 
his third year, so he never got to the lesson in which the sad truth 
(fear of Muggles) was revealed. I am slightly shocked that wizarding 
textbooks lie to the students as much as Muggle textbooks do, and 
quite disgusted by the hypocrisy of pretending they believe Muggles 
are weak and helpless when really they believe that Muggles are 
powerful and dangerous.