[HPforGrownups] Re: Lupin, the Moon and the Bewitching Hour

[Andrew MacIan]

No: HPFGUIDX 32800

Greetings from Andrew!

Interesting notions in re the 'how' of were
alteration...

--- Jennifer Boggess Ramon <boggles at earthlink.net>
wrote:
{snip} of my interpretation of the critical moment.
> 
> Here are two explanations, one "in character" and
> one "out".
> 
> In:  The werewolf changes at the exact moment when
> the moon is full, 
> no matter what - if that moment is after sunset fore
> the werewolf. 
> Otherwise, s/he changes as soon as the sun sets
> after that moment.

Interesting.  Do I read this correctly as implying
that the power of the Sun is stronger than the
syndrome (lycanthropy being the result of an
inoculation, I cannot call it anything else)?
 
> It does not matter whether s/he is bathed in
> moonlight or not. 
> However, the change can be set off earlier if the
> moon is near-full 
> (say, within the traditional three days of the
> "full" portion of the 
> lunar cycle) if the wolf is bathed in direct
> moonlight. 

Sidebar:  I quibble about this 'three-day' umbration
of the Full.  In both astro9nomy (as specifically
applied to navigation) and in astrology, the Moon is
exactly Full or she's not.  Thus, the issue of
umbration, for me at least, is moot.  Perhaps I'm
overeducated as well {grin}.

> Since the 
> night was cloudy, Lupin didn't think he'd be a
> danger until the 
> moment of the true full moon, but was caught early
> when the clouds 
> broke.  He changes back into a human at dawn, and is
> sick for a day; 
> the cost of the wolfsbane potion is to extend the
> sick period after 
> the night of wolfishness.  The boggart doesn't
> transform him because 
> it doesn't shed enough light; it's too small and not
> high enough.

Good reasoning, and absent my quibble, I can accept
the notions.

In re the boggart, I would also say that the Rule of
Similarity is in effect.  The boggart *portrays* the
Moon, but it doesn't have the *effect* of the Moon. 
After all, in the other scenes with that particular
creature, the fear is due to the subject accepting the
illusion as the reality.  Lupin cannot accept that, as
the effect must bring on transmogrification if the
effect is real.

> 
> Out:  The werewolf transforms at the _dramatically
> appropriate_ 
> moment.  When, exactly, that is varies from month to
> month.  He is 
> then ill for a dramatically appropriate ammount of
> time afterwards, 
> which also varies from month to month.


{laughter} Ars gratia artis.

>  Lupin, not
> realizing he's a 
> character in a drama, has tried to figure out a
> pattern to his 
> transformations, and has come up with something that
> does have some 
> predictive power, involving timing, moonlight, and
> the ammount of 
> stress he's under - but it doesn't pan out this time
> because of the 
> drama factor.  The boggart doesn't transform him
> because it's not 
> dramatically appropriate.

{applause}  Well done!  This explains much, and in a
more general from, explains a couple of rather sore
points that I've had with Rowling's 'theory of
magic(k)' as it were.

Thanks for your thoughts/response.

Cheers,

Drieux



=====
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'Each game of chess means there's one less
      Variation left to be played;
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      --'Chess' by Sir Tim Rice

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