FLIRTIAC a la Kittygro Cocktail (addendum)

[Tabouli]

No: HPFGUIDX 36290

Ahaaa!  I thought of yet *another* piece of canon evidence for the new, improved, Kittygro Cocktail FLIRTIAC from CoS!  In fact, I think I may even have hit on one of those increasingly rare moments... a *NEW* (and, er, reasonably serious) canon-based interpretation! (Tabouli knows how bold a claim this is, but forges on bravely nonetheless...)

OK, so the Basilisk left behind by Salazar is being sneaked out by his Heir out through the sink, aiming to rid the school of Muggle-Borns.  Later he moves on to target Harry, of course, but at the start he's definitely after Muggle-Borns.

Now, let's consider this for a moment.  Why didn't ol' Salazar like Muggle-Borns?  Because he didn't trust Muggles, thought they were a danger to wizards, and therefore by extension their magical offspring were dangerous, and would have potentially perilous mixed loyalties.  Enemies in our midst, et al.  However, you will of course note that Binns made *no mention whatsoever* of Squibs.

What would Salazar (and, presumably, Voldemort) think of Squibs?  Well, not much, I'd guess.  OK, so you could argue that in Salazar's eyes a Squib *is* basically a Muggle, and therefore an enemy by default.  However, it's a bit of a stretch to see Squibs on a par with Muggle-borns in terms of threat to the Wizarding World.  For a start, they are the children of two Wizards.  They are *born* into the Wizarding community.  Even if the Wizarding World marginalises them, they're unlikely to grow up understanding and embracing the despised Muggledom under these circumstances.  Moreover, they have No Power.  Where's the threat in that?  (Muggle-borns are dangerous because they *have* power, they can compete with Pureblood Wizards on an equal footing yet may have lingering loyalty to the Muggles whence they came.)  Finally, judging by Neville's comments about being magical enough to go to Hogwarts, Squibs wouldn't be a major issue in Hogwarts anyway, because they wouldn't be admitted to the school!

So.  If we accept that Squibs are an unlikely first target for Salazar, the events in CoS look odd indeed.  Why, when the school is teeming with menacing Muggle-borns, is the *first* creature to be attacked by a Basilisk wielding Tom Riddle not a Muggle-born but, *apparently*, a mere cat?  Sure, JKR throws us off the scent with Neville's fears "They went for Filch first, and everyone knows I'm almost a Squib".  All the same, it's a bit odd, isn't it?  Why bother with Squibs when Muggle-borns are far more dangerous?  And even if Squibs really *are* as much for the chop as Muggle-borns, why on earth attack the Squib's cat and not the Squib?  Dramatic build-up from animal to human victims?  Gahhh, why bother.  On the other hand...

...what if Mrs Norris isn't really just "the Squib's cat"?  What if she's really a Muggle-born witch, turned irreversibly into a cat by her Death-Eater husband, who, on learning he was being cuckolded by Filch, slipped Kittygro Cocktail potion into her pumpkin juice?  Sure, the students at Hogwarts think she's just a cat.  In fact, nearly all the staff at Hogwarts think she's a cat.  However, methinks her espionage for Filch is just a bit too good for an ordinary feline brain.  And Filch is, judging by his horror in CoS when she's attacked, *EXTREMELY* attached to her, an attachment which Dumbledore himself treats with understanding and reverence.  And then, of course, there's the ol' favorite... like Pettigrew (and, on available evidence, *un*like other animals who are really animals), she does turn up on that Marauders' Map, doesn't she?  *And* she's a known enemy of Voldemort's side.

Therefore, the reason why Tom sicked the Basilisk on Mrs Norris first could be because (a) the Basilisk's inbuilt Muggle-born detection device immediately picked her for what she really was, and maybe also (b) Tom Riddle had heard about Mrs Norris from Ginny, recognised the name (could Mr Norris have been one of the closest friends at school sycophantic enough to call him Lord Voldemort?) and, when the Mug-o-meter went off for a mere cat, pieced together the truth... this was no pet, but a Muggle-born enemy of the Cause!

Heh heh heh... I think I might start extending this FLIRTIAC dinghy o' mine.  I'm starting to convince myself it might hold a lot more cargo than I originally thought...

Tabouli.


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