Questions and ponderings--the dementor's kiss

[corinthum]

No: HPFGUIDX 41036


Richelle asked:

> I'm really confused now.  Is it the good thoughts or the bad
thoughts > that
> the dementors feed on?  I skimmed through PoA but can't seem to find
> it at
> the moment.  I had it in my head it's the good memories they take
>(for food)
> leaving you with the bad ones.  Well, Harry obviously has more bad
>ones than
> anyone else around.  But if it's the good memories they're after, he
>hasn't
> got that many.  He would be more of a snack, not a feast.  I'm sure
>he had
> no really good memories until Hogwarts, which only leaves 2 years
>worth of
> good memories, compared to his classmates 11+ years of good
memories.  >Or do
> I have the whole thing backwards?  Help!

And now I will reply:

Actually, I never got the impression that dementors feed on happy
thoughts.  Rather, they simply enjoy the lack thereof.  Looking at
Lupin's quote again in PoA:

"'Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They
infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair,
they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them. Even
Muggles feel their presence, though they can't see them. Get too near
a dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked
out of you. If it can, the dementor will feed on you long enough to
reduce you to something like itself... soul-less and evil. You'll be
left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life....'"

The description of dark, filthy places implies that dementors can
often be found in uninhabited areas.  This leads me to believe they
don't actually need happy thoughts to feed on.  However, like any
animal, dementors modify their environment so it is more comfortable
for their species.  If they encounter a happy thought, they get rid of
it, so as to darken the area to their own tastes.  I think Lupin's use
of the word feed is simply for lack of a better term, rather than an
attempt to imply that dementors need and want happy thoughts for
nutrition or the like.

If this is true, Harry is appealing for two reasons. 1) It's not hard
for the dementors to eliminate the handful of happy moments Harry has
had from his memory. 2) Harry's misery is higher than others minus
those happy times, and therefore adds to the dark atmosphere the
dementors enjoy.

Of course, none of this explains why they would want to kiss Harry.  :)

- Corinth