Trolley Witch/wizard education/Homorphus/Harry Animagus/JKR Interview Quotes

[catlady_de_los_angeles]

No: HPFGUIDX 41479

Darrin wrote:

<< All you need to know about bullying is this: Once Neville attacked 
Draco, Crabbe and Goyle, they never picked on him again. >>

Dearest Darrin, please get real. There was a time or two in 
elementary school when I got angry enough at my torturers that 
I hit them. They just laughed at me and stepped up the torture, 
and I felt more helpless/useless than before: I hit them hard 
enough that my hand got hurt and they DIDN'T EVEN FEEL IT!!!

Elkins wrote:

<< They are children, and she is the friendly and kindly adult who 
brings the food 'round on the train, and from their perspective, 
that's probably about as far as they ever really think about her at 
all. >>

I thought a little bit about the lunch trolley witch when originally 
reading canon. I noticed that she was the only adult seen by the 
children before PoA (where it was pointed out that the Lupin was the 
first adult they had seen on the Hogwarts Express except the trolley 
witch). I wondered where was the conductor ('guard' in UK) to check 
their tickets and use adult authority to suppress their excesses of 
violence and/or sex. 

So I thought she might be a PTA mother, combining the good services 
of seeing that the kids get fed, raising some money for PTA programs 
(perhaps a fund that pays for broomsticks for kids who get on their 
House teams but can't afford to buy broomsticks), and keeping an eye 
on the kids, or she might be some sort of Ministry enforcer working 
undercover to protect the kids from external dangers. Or she *could* 
be exactly what she seems, a witch employed in food service, but now 
often does a wizarding train carry enough passengers for on-board 
food service to break even? 

Pip!Squeak wrote:

<<JKR has invented the Potterverse. It is her world, and she's still 
creating it. If she says there are no other wizarding schools in 
Great Britain, then there-are-no-other-wizarding schools. Full stop.>>

JKR Interviews: Hogwarts is the only wizarding school for UK and it 
has 1000 students. 

Books: the references to other schools cited by Elkins and the 
depiction of approximately 280 students at Hogwarts Castle. 

Way to make all this evidence be true at the same time: Hogwarts has 
more than one campus. The original campus, the Castle, has circa 280 
students and is called "Hogwarts" for short, while the other 
campus(es) are named Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at 
(e.g.) Woodcroft and called e.g. "Woodcroft", just as the University 
of California campus at Berkeley is nicknamed "Cal", while the one in 
Los Angeles is "UCLA".

<< But what happens if you *don't* get into Hogwarts, or find 
yourself being expelled? You get dumped. Sorry Elkins, but when you 
think that there must be other wizarding schools, you're being a 
little soft on those Squibs. >>

You can keep that theory of Squibs: they don't get into *any* campus. 
And Hagrid was expelled from the whole Hogwarts system, not just one 
campus.

<< Education outside Hogwarts? Well, we know in Hagrid's case - 
bugger all. >>

Hagrid's mother was gone and his father was dead. There was no one 
(except Dumbledore, just because Dumbo is a saint/meddler) to arrange 
home-schooling (with or without tutor) or an apprenticeship for him 
-- I've often thought that the large and bureaucratic but remarkably 
unproductive wizarding government doesn't even imagine that making 
some provision for children with no living adult relatives might be 
a government responsibility -- I think about the Lestranges having 
both been sent to Azkaban and wonder, if they had a child, what would 
happen to that child? And the Ministry didn't make any kind of 
arrangements for the orphaned Boy Who Lived -- Dumbledore did.

Hagrid was expelled for messing around with Dark Creatures and 
causing the death of a fellow student. *I* think he might have been 
sent to Azkaban, despite being only 13, if Dumbledore hadn't used his 
influence -- Dumbledore had not yet defeated Grindelwald and was not 
yet Headmaster, so his influence might have been just enough to get 
Hagrid put into his personal custody -- not allowed to send him away 
to e.g. a foreign wizarding school or a foster family. 

I also think that no one else was willing to tutor or foster-parent 
Hagrid because he was weird (even if they didn't know he was 
half-giant) and believed to be a Dark criminal. This does make 
questions about how much influence did Dumbledore, co-discoverer of 
the twelve uses of dragon's blood, have at that time? Enough to get a 
prisoner transferred from Azkaban to him, but not enough to persuade 
Arthur Weasley's parents to add a poor orphan half-giant to their 
brood? 

Laura Shadowgirl asked:

<< Is it me or does this hint that while Lockhart is an idiot who 
can't figure out which way to point a wand, *someone* out there did 
cure a werewolf? >>

I believe there is a Homorphus Charm, because (as you pointed out) 
Lockhart *stole* his adventures, not made them up. However, I also 
believe everything Lupin ever says, so the Homorphus Charm is NOT a 
cure. One theory offered years ago was that it has *appalling* 
side-effects, such as destroying the victim's mind, so he'll drool 
in diapers until he dies. *No* friend would wish that on Remus! My 
theory is that it transformed the werewolf into human form only 
momentarily, just long enough for his village neighbors to recognize 
him. That way, they can take steps while he is in human form during 
the regular month. It would be nice if 'take steps' meant tie and 
chain him inside a locked fortress before nightfall/moonrise on Full 
Moon nights, but it probably means gang up on him and kill him while 
he has only human strength.

Richard Gul Plum wrote:

<< the person from whom Lockhart stole the story then told the 
villagers how to perform the Charm and they did so every month 
onwards. >>

If the Homorphus Charm is 'immensely complex", it would be quite good 
luck for one of the villagers to be *able* to do it. 

Kathy Soror Avo (Sister Bird?) wrote:

<< Also, if our trio takes after the makers of the Marauder's Map, 
they may take on a fourth - and what kind of animagi do you think 
each may be? >>

I'm *sure* there's an interview in which JKR said Harry and friends 
will not become Animagi, but I can't seem to find it today. I like 
the idea that if Harry *did* become an Animagus, he would become a 
raven: black hair, flying skills, very intelligent. (Yes, James also 
had black hair, flying skills, and intelligence, but the Seeking is 
central to Harry's self-image, and I imagine that being popular, a 
leader, lots of friends, was more central to James's self-image than 
broomsticks.) 

If I were Fate, handing out Animagus forms to characters to please 
myself, I'd let the other two be birds to keep up with him, maybe 
magpie for Hermione and blue/scrub/Stellars jay for Ron.

Search engine for JKR Interview quotes is 
http://www.geocities.com/aberforths_goat/

Richelle wrote:
<< Does anyone know where the quote is from that JKR said James was 
in Gryffindor? >>

http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript2.htm
Q: What position did James play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? Was 
it seeker like Harry, or something different?
JKR: James was Chaser.

Felicia wrote:

<< There was a rumour (unconfirmed) that GoF was longer than 
originally anticipated, due to a plot flaw and subsequent rewrite >>

http://www.swns.com/vaults/rowling.htm
JKR: So I sailed straight into the writing of Four, having just 
finished Azkaban. I had written what I thought at the time was half 
the book - it turns out now to have been about a third of the book - 
and I realised there was this big hole in the middle of the plot and 
I had to go back and unpick and redo. That's part of the reason it's 
longer than I thought it was going to be.

Richelle Votaw wrote:

<< I sure don't want Draco teaming up with Harry at any point >>

http://www.geocities.com/aberforths_goat/October_2000_Live_Chat_Barnes
_Noble.htm
Q:  Is it true that Harry and Draco will have to get together and 
fight evil?
JKR: Don't believe everything you read on the Net! I saw that rumor 
too, but it is just a rumor.