Several Comments on the past Week's Digests

[Mindy, a.k.a. CLH]

No: HPFGUIDX 25355

Well, going through 21 digests in one shot has given me a LOT to think
about. I just want to make a few minor comments.

Let me ask you for your opinion, ladies & gents:  If I would today get a
letter, say, from Hogwarts tha my child was a wizard and Hogwarts were
inviting him or her to the school, I would throw it out without a second
glance. I'd never, ever believe that it was genuine. I'd view it as a
prank. What about you?

A comment about Harry's Christmas Presents: How did he always get stuff
from the Dursleys by owl? Did Hedwig travel to the Dursleys with a note
attached to its claw, "Please return me with a gift for Harry?" If I were
Vernon & Petunia I'd probably be laughing my head off and I would
probably also send nothing more than a tissue, toothpick, etc. Why do you
think Hedwig went there in the first place to ask for a gift?

HP4GU's Birthday: Wow! Mazel Tov! It has only been a year? Well, I belong
to this group only since August 8th, which is less than a month, and I
love it! (Although I never get around to reading the digests anymore!)
You are almost 2000 members strong -- keep going!

By the way, another comment on the entire series in general: Halloween,
witches, wizards, spells, etc., in the usual fantasy literature, are
usually made out to be evil characters. Think of the Wicked Witch of the
West, think of all the haunted houses and stuff that are usually
associated with Halloween, and they are supposed to be evil and 
terrible. Instead, the HP series, while there is understandably the Dark
Arts/Knockturn Alley element, is an adorable focus on the good magic of
the world. I like that.

Two down, only nineteen digests left... Let me read on...

Here is a technical question on the digests themselves, rather than the
content. I've noticed that many of you have a 'signature line' with a
couple of lines quoted from a particular book. Are those lines supposed
to represent your favorite phrases, or are they an indication of your
personality? I've never created my own signature because I don't know
what that signature is supposed to signify.

A question about wands: It seems that a wand is the most important
possession of any wizard/witch. But IMO, something as small as a
foot-long stick can very easily get lost -- in transit, in an accident,
or just misplaced around the house. What happens then? Does every
witch/wizard receive just one lifetime wand, or can he/she replace it
easily, like Ron when his snapped? Additionally, witches/wizards
obviously must always wear clothes with pockets, or they dont have their
wands with them. So, using the premise that anyone can replace their
wands, can't Hagrid go and buy a new one? I'm sure that Ollivander's is
not the only wand shop anywhere in the world, so Hagrid can ostensibly
fly to another location and get a wand if he may not get one in the UK.
Similarly, Pettigrew can try to get a wand in a different shop somewhere
in the world, for Voldemort.

I have seventeen digests left -- so far I have only gone through three.
So let me send this off first, before this becomes outdated too. If I
actually manage to read through the next seventeen tonight, that will be
a miracle.

MINDY
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