Last names - Quirrell - Class - Lupin entrance - kids' lit - Gryff captain

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 29460

Dave wrote:

>Now, I want to know why everyone calls the keeper of the keys Hagrid rather 
>than Rubeus?

It's rare, at least here in the U.S., but there are people who prefer to be 
called by their last name by just about everyone.  When Hagrid becomes a 
teacher it seems particularly apt; it would be way too informal for 
Hogwarts' style for students to call him Rubeus, but he's too big-brotherish 
and unprofessorlike to be called Prof. Hagrid or Mr. Hagrid.

I was just reading in my alumni mag about a professor who has students call 
him by his last name, no first name, no honorific.  He says it's what they 
call him outside of class, so why not just make it official.

Rowena wrote:

>Miss Marvolo

Just as an aside, we don't know if Marvolo is Tom's grandfather's last name 
or first name.  Both are quite common for boys' middle names:  a first name 
of someone else in the family, or his mother's maiden name.

David wrote:

>But, IIRC (and the Lexicon Timeline doesn't disagree), Hagrid says
>Quirrell changed after a year off.  This implies Quirrell had been
>teaching both before and after the year off, making at least 3 years
>at Hogwarts.

If Quirrell's been back from Albania for a year, though, then Voldemort's 
been back in England for a year.  That doesn't seem likely.  I think it's a 
problem, bordering on a Flint.

David wrote re: class clues:

>James Potter, in particular, is an enigma.

In more ways than one.  But we do have extracanonical information that he 
didn't have to work for a living, from JKR.

Cindy wrote:


>I'm somewhat surprised to hear that the Dursleys might be lower
>middle.  Clues to their "new money" wealth are that Vernon puts on
>his best suit to meet Arthur Weasley; their entertaining style is
>very formal;

Too formal.  I think everything about them screams "climbers."  People who 
are secure in their class position don't have the Dursley drive to impress 
everyone.

Acciohp wrote:

>Since sirius bought Harry the ferrari of broomsticks, I would think
>he atleast falls in the same category as james. Since James died
>young and Black went to prison soon after, sirius' money must have
>been inherited too.

I like the thought that the Firebolt *was* a stretch for Sirius.  He holds 
himself responsible for Harry's parents' deaths, he saw the destruction of 
the Nimbus and wants to do something special for him, and as he says, it's 
"thirteen birthdays' worth of presents" (twelve, really--he was still around 
for Harry's first birthday).  All of that suggests that he would spend more 
than he could really afford on this kid.  He could have just a little money 
sitting in a bank vault accumulating interest and be happy to spend a solid 
chunk of it on Harry.

Cindy again:

>But the nifty thing about JKR is that she also knows when to
>underplay an entrance.  Lupin is sleeping when we first meet him.
>What better way to convey his reserved and unstated personality than
>to have him be . . . unconscious?

Great point!  And the ongoing doubt (in my mind, anyway) that he's really 
asleep, and the instant wakefulness when he's needed, also tell us a lot 
about him: namely, (1) he's hiding something, and (2) there is nothing 
flashy about Lupin, but he knows his stuff.

Penny wrote:

>I thought of yet another  reason why I don't believe that these books are 
>truly childrens' lit.  <snip> do large numbers of adults read children's 
>lit "just
>because"?  Am I missing any reasons why adults might pick up new (not
>books they read as a child) childrens' books?

I can speak only as a reader, not an expert on children's lit.  Yes, I read 
children's books "just because"--not only novels, but picture books.  I love 
them and know that there are lots of wonderful ones I never read when I was 
supposedly the age to read them.  E.g. I only read Tuck Everlasting and the 
Dark is Rising sequence this year, and was glad I did.

Still, there is something particularly captivating about HP.  There aren't 
many children's books I reread so often, even the ones I loved as a child.  
There aren't any books I reread so often, period.

But, another nevertheless:  I've argued and will again that as adult books, 
the HP series falls a bit short.  David articulated this better than I could 
do so I'll leave it at that.

Kellyshifletsbird wrote:

>Who do you think will be captain of Gryffindor's quidditch team?

If you want to see a lot of predictions, Laura asked this and many other 
interesting questions in a thread you'll find on OT-chatter, starting with 
message 6389.

Amy "Anyone but Harry" Z

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Dudley thought for a moment.  It looked like hard work.
                     -HP and the Philosopher's Stone
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