of rats, toes, and wizards (was: The Spying Game)

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 39778

Pip wrote:

>!!!!What the heck kind of spell is Pettigrew using that they never
>noticed a rat had lived that long!!!! [Presumably with a latin word
>meaning 'Don't think too much about me' :-)]

Possibly.  That would be neat.  Pippin's explanation also clears it up and 
jibes with the query of the woman in the pet shop.  Common (i.e. 
non-magical) rats live only a few years; the implication is that magical 
rats live longer.  Ron constantly complains that Scabbers is boring and does 
nothing special, which may just mean he sleeps all the time, but also 
suggests that he thinks he is magical but, as Pippin says, the rodent 
equivalent of a Squib.

>Or did he simply 'die' several times at the Weasley's, and another
>cute rat (with a missing toe) coincidentally appeared?

Who says he's cute? <g>

>I assumed Dumbledore wondered about the missing toe, actually. If he
>knew Peter could transform into a rat, and saw that this rat had a
>toe missing (and all that could be found of Peter was, famously, his
>finger) it might be prudent to check that the rat was what it seemed.

Even if Dumbledore noticed that Percy's/Ron's rat were missing a toe, which 
I find extremely unlikely, or wondered about it, which I find just as 
unlikely (Ron's right--he could easily have lost it in a fight), this is a 
bit of detective work I just can't imagine anyone doing, not even the great 
Other HP.  Man blows up and only his finger is found.  Child comes to school 
with rat who is missing a toe.  Why would anyone ever put these two facts 
together, unless he already had reason to think the rat was really a human?

Is there anyone on this list who, once they were halfway through PA and in 
possession of the facts that only Pettigrew's finger was found and that 
Scabbers was missing a toe, put the two things together?

Is there anyone here who can say off the top of their heads, from seeing a 
friend's rat or guinea pig or rabbit a few times, whether that animal has 
the usual number of digits?

>The bit in the Shack where Lupin looks at the picture in the Daily
>Prophet seems to imply the missing toe is visible.

Clearly, but he's looking closely at the photo.

>But he could simply have become curious that Scabbers was being
>passed from Weasley, to Weasley, to Weasley...

Perhaps.  But as omniscient as Dumbledore is, it could simply be that he 
doesn't pay that much attention to which students have what pets and what 
their names and physical characteristics are.  Percy Weasley comes to school 
with a rat--so?  Four years later his youngest brother comes to school with 
a rat--so?  How would Dumbledore know that it was the same rat ("all gray 
rats look alike to me"), assuming he even paid enough attention to notice 
the boys have rats?

I guess I am just not getting why Dumbledore should make the connection 
between Scabbers and any human, still less Peter Pettigrew.  I've also long 
since lost track of how this connects to MAGIC DISHWASHER, but I'm having 
fun with it anyway.

Amy

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com