Opinions on Ten Big Mysteries

[sgallag4 at hotmail.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 26280

> Here are 10 mysteries/questions about the HP series.  They concern (I 
> hope) canon as opposed to pure speculation about future books.  If 
> you care to share your opinion about some or all of them and which 
> arguments you find persuasive, reply and tell us all what you have 
> finally decided to believe.
> 
> 1.  Is Snape a vampire, half-vampire, or just a wizard?

I'm on the fence between part-vampire and plain wizard.  If the latter, 
he does have a creepy predilection for dark spaces, pasty skin, and 
bat-like speed.

> 2.  Among Snape, Bagman, Karkarov and Fudge, who are Death Eaters, 
> and which DE is too cowardly to return and which DE has left forever?

Snape shall never return (remember, the Quirrell/Voldemort has seen 
Snape try to help Harry at a Quidditch match), Karkaroff is too 
cowardly to return.

> 3.  In PoA, was Lupin simply sleeping on the train, or did Dumbledore 
> ask him to take the train to protect Harry?

I think he was on the train because he lacked the means to get to the 
school on his own and was simply sleeping.

> 4.  How many students are at Hogwarts?

ca. 1000

> 5.  Does Snape really want the DADA job?

Yes

> 6.  Does Trelawney have any predictive powers aside from the two 
> correct predictions Dumbledore acknowledges?

Yes, but not nearly as much as she thinks she does.  

> 7.  In GoF, why is Wormtail performing magic with Voldemort's wand, 
> and does Wormtail still have his own wand?

I presumed it was lost in his faux-death explosion scene.

> 8.  Are you convinced that you cannot apparate on the Hogwarts 
> grounds, or is this a red herring?

I think you can apparate within the grounds, but it would require 
special knowledge of the protective spells to be able to apparate from 
Hogwarts to an outside location.

> 9.  Why don't Fred, George or Harry see or notice Pettigrew on the 
> Marauder's Map?

Because few writers ever do time travel well, JKR not excepted.
 
> 10.  In what order and by whom are James, Lily and Harry attacked?

> James, Lily, Harry.

--Suz, who seems more confident in her beliefs than she really is.