[HPforGrownups] Arabella Figg and the Polyjuice Potion (no Latin!)

[eloiseherisson at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 42667

Tara:
> Can't you just imagine, Arabella "Figg" being James Potter's sister?  Or
> something of the like?  (I'm new to the list so I haven't heard all the
> interesting ideas everyone has)  It would explain so much and be so
> intruiging to the series!  If Arabella was James' sister, it would be
> *natural* that she would date Sirius, he being  James' best friend.  
> 
> I do have one question, however.  She couldn't have possibly drank
> 'polyjuice potion' to age herself, as that makes you resemble a specific
> somebody, correct?  For example, Barty Crouch II had to kidnap the real
> Moody and keep him hidden in a trunk in order to take pieces of his hair
> for the polyjuice potion.  So then, if Arabella is a young witch, former
> girlfriend of Sirius Black and relation (Sister!  Sister!) to Harry
> Potter, she must have used some kind of aging spell, not polyjuice.  I
> imagine you all know this and are just *saying* polyjuice, but I wanted
> to make it clear (mostly to myself) that that was impossible.
> 

I definitely prefer Richelle's new explanation of her theory, in which she 
suggests that Arabella could have been *married* to a Potter (there's another 
dead Potter to explain) because of the blood relative protection thing (if 
that's what it is).

However, that's not terribly compatible with the Sirius' girlfriend thing and 
I wanted to comment on the polujuice objections.

The idea that Arabella is polyjuiced came out of someone's observation that 
her house smells of cabbages and that we learn in COS that this is the smell 
(taste? A child has the book at the moment) of Polyjuice. One of those 
details that Must Be Significant. (Sorry, I can't credit the observant listie 
who noticed this.)

I myself brought up the fact that there must be a hair donor somewhere and 
envisage an elderly and by now rather bald witch (Arabella's mother or aunt, 
or Dumbledore's sister, perhaps?) who willingly gives her hairs for the 
potion. I don't think she's got a little old lady captive in the back 
bedroom! (Although that would give Arabella a bit of 'Edge', come to think of 
it!)

It could of sourse, be an aging spell/potion. But we then have less canonical 
justification for the theory. We could say that there has to be some reason 
why we were introduced to the concept in GOF, but we have no specific 
connection to Mrs Figg, whilst the smell of cabbages relates both to Mrs Figg 
*and* to a potion we know can be used to alter appearances.

Eloise
who would have pointed Tara to the original posts, but has no access to her 
old filing cabinet at the moment and isn't sure where to start searching in 
the messages.


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