Lupin, the Moon and the Bewitching Hour

[blenberry]

No: HPFGUIDX 32955

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Andrew MacIan <andrew_macian at y...> wrote:



 
> > >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.
> 
> 
> --- blenberry <blenberry at a...> wrote:
> 
> > In this case, how do you explain the
> > boggart-dementor's effects on 
> > Harry?  He *knows* it's a boggart.
> > 
> > sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere... I'm
> > new :)
> 
> Not to worry; I'm not excatly one of the Founders,
> either (interesting joke there, given the topic...)
> 
> As I said at the end of the paragraph (and it does
> help to identify the person you're quoting, BTW), the
> question is one of the actual effect of the Moon on a
> were-- Lupin, in this case.  He *knows* it cannot *be*
> the Moon for various reasons, one of the most telling
> being that he must know where and when he is in any
> given lunation (cycle of the Moon).  It has been
> speculated in both mythological studies and modern
> magickal theory that a were is, in essence, one of the
> best state-shape clocks in existence for this reason.
> 
> Thus, Lupin can tell that the boggart knows what
> frightens him more than anything else, but Lupin also
> knows at his basic level of existence that the boggart
> is nothing but a sham.
> 
> Harry, on the other hand, sees the dementor and
> believes what is in essence the boggart's lie.  After
> all, the effects that are produced are Harry's; all
> the boggart does is to read a person's fears.  Thus,
> all the boggart appears to do is induce the fear-state
> from the target (Harry's) memories and previous
> experience.
> 
> 
> Clearer?  If not, don't hesitate to tell me so.


Thanks for your reply, Andrew!  Please accept my apologies for 
quoting you namelessly.  

I want to buy that theory, but this still bugs me:  if the effect of 
the boggart-dementor is all in Harry's mind, wouldn't the false 
dementor at the Quidditch game affect him exactly the same way? He 
seems to feel no effects from it at all, although he believes it to 
be a real dementor.