Molly and Arthur's past (Was Re: Latin-Arabella Figg)

[grey_wolf_c]

No: HPFGUIDX 42672

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "corinthum" <kkearney at s...> wrote:
> I base this assumption on a few small events.  As always, I don't
> have the book with me, so forgive any mis-paraphrasing. First of 
> all, Molly's reaction to Sirius. When he appears, she doesn't react
> like one horrified at seeing a traitor, an old friend/coworker who
> turned against her. She is simply horrified at coming face to face
> with someone she believes is a murderer. And she calls him by his
> full name, Sirius Black. If she knew him, I think she would have
> simply called him Sirius. After all, do you ever address those you
> know by their full names? I know I don't. But I do refer to public
> figures in this way. It's how they are usually referred on the news
> and in newspapaers, and therefore the full name sticks in my mind. 
> Since Dumbledore asked Sirius to summon the old crowd, it seems that
> the members of this crowd knew each other.

I disagree with your first explanation: I use full name *only* when 
speaking to people that I know, but dislike (as a way of formally 
keeping the distances). For example, a few of the boys I went to school 
with take drugs regularly, and I've seen them totally drugged. The few 
times I've spoken to them since then I've used their "full" name 
(abreviated to name and first surname), in a not-very-tactful way of 
expressing my dislike for their company. When speaking of famous people 
I know just from the papers, I normally use their surname(s) *only* 
(i.e. not their names). Whether I use the first, second or other 
surnames depends exclusively on which one is used by the papers and TV, 
really.

Molly's reaction has always stricken me as the reaction of someone who 
cannot believe how far has fallen a person she used to like. And I 
simply cannot buy that Molly and Arthur aren't part of the old gang: 
Dumbledore wouldn't have revealed that much information if he wasn't 
absolutely sure that he could count with them, and the way I see it, 
the question is a formality and keeping with the good maners, not a 
test of loyalty.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf