Neville vs. the DEs, Percy challenge, the brave, FIRE, Snape, puns, sermon

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 35821

Cindy wrote:

>Why doesn't Mrs. Lestrange fire up toddler Neville with a Cruciatus curse 
>to make his parents talk?

'Cause he was at the babysitter's?

Seriously, if the Crouch Junior Gang had tortured Neville, wouldn't we have 
heard about it?  There's Crouch Sr., ranting about how this is the most 
heinous crime they've seen, and dying to send them all to Azkaban to rot, 
and he neglects to mention the most heinous thing they've done?

If someone already said this, here <presents fingers to be stuffed in 
toaster>.  I've been away and can't catch up.

Tabouli, worried about the lack of guidance counselors at Hogwarts, noted:

>Percy tries to dispense some career counselling, which IIRC Harry 
>disregards.

Actually, Harry follows Percy's career advice, though probably not because 
it came from Percy.  In any case, he regrets it thoroughly, because the 
advice was to take Divination.

Here's a challenge to Percy-lovers (like Penny doesn't have enough to do): 
compile a list of *positive* Percy moments.  I like Percy against all 
reason, but the more I reread, the more evident it is that JKR doesn't like 
him and doesn't intend her readers to.  The thing I like least about Percy 
is, in fact, that he's very cartoonishly written.  Not as bad as Lockhart, 
but up there.  He bustles, he says things pompously, he looks smug--almost 
every time we see him he's given a negative valuation.

Cindy wrote:

>Fudge, Karkaroff and Bagman have chose easy over right (I think).  I'm 
>looking around for people who have chosen right over easy.  Snape, maybe.  
>There aren't too many other names that come to mind.

Aw, sure!  Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Dumbledore . . . anyone who has 
ever resisted joining the DEs or fought against them.

Dicentra wrote:

>Fight F.I.E if you can.  Fight F.I.R.E. too (Fudge Is *Really* Evil).

How about fighting F.I.R.E. (Fudge Is *Really* Evil) with F.I.R.E. (Fudge, 
Imperio'd, Resists Entirely)?  or F.I.R.E. (Fudge Is Really Exemplary)?  or 
F.I.R.E. (Fudge Inflames Ravenclaw Educator)?  <raises umbrella before Jenny 
the Ravengeist lets loose with the water balloons>

Cindy wrote:

>"Like father, like son, Potter!  I have just saved your neck; you should be 
>thanking me on bended knee!  You would have been well served if he'd killed 
>you!  You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might 
>be mistaken in Black."

Well, okay, Cindy didn't write that.  But she did write this:

>I hope this isn't a dumb question, but are we all agreed that this means 
>that Snape saved James Potter's life and Snape is miffed that James never 
>appreciated it?  Does it mean that Snape gave James information that Black 
>was a spy, but James disregarded it?  Am I reading this wrong or something?

Hm.  No, maybe, and no.  No, you're not reading it wrong, but no, we aren't 
all agreed that Spy Snape fed Dumbledore/the Potters the information that 
Sirius was a spy.  It's very likely but not at all proven--it's a maybe.  
Like Mrs. Lestrange Is Florence.  Or more on the level of The Woman in the 
Pensieve is Mrs. Lestrange.

However, if Snape DID give that information and IS miffed that James ignored 
it, it doesn't follow that Snape saved his life (to be precise, no one saved 
his life.  As Hermione reminds us, James is, well, dead).  Snape tried and 
failed.  But if his warning *had* been heeded, what would have happened?  
James and Lily would have decided not to trust Sirius and instead made 
someone they did trust their Secret-Keeper.  Oh, I don't know--someone like, 
say, Peter.

Maybe that's what happened.  Maybe Sirius hates Snape so intensely because 
he suspects that Snape told J&L that he, Sirius, was a spy and they began 
distrusting him.  Sirius didn't know it at the time; he suggested the switch 
himself; but far from needing convincing, James and Lily were extremely 
relieved that Sirius backed out of the arrangement.

OK, I don't really think that's what happened.  It was just a thought.  
Anyone who wants to fine-tune it is welcome to it.  In the meantime, I'll be 
over here trying out Smeltings sticks.

Kelly wrote:

>So, to sum up my theory, they came to barrier Harry not to apprise him.

<appreciative groan>

BTW, I was too shy to mention it besides the automatic notification, but 
<blushes, looks down at toe, tracing carpet patterns> I posted an HP sermon 
I gave recently to the Files (HPService.doc).  Despite being 
[over]simplified for kids, it does pose a debatable theory, namely that JKR 
is going to get with the program and stop stereotyping Houses.  I'm probably 
wrong, but I hope not.  I use the term "Potterologist" in the intro, too.

Amy Z

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The Whomping Willow was a very violent tree that
stood alone in the middle of the grounds.
                 -HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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