Colin's camera, Myrtle's glasses

[Jackie]

No: HPFGUIDX 46892


 
 BBoy asks

>>Q: Why did't Myrtle's glasses protect her?

pippin_999 wrote:
A: Because glasses or no glasses, she still looked DIRECTLY 
into the
eyes of the basilisk.

The only other person to look at the basilisk through a lense was Colin. So why was he protected and not Myrtle? 

(snip)

I am afraid we are being way too technical here, since Rowling took dramatic license in the Hospital Wing scene. Either that, or she knows zilch about photography.<g> If Colin *had* managed to capture his attacker on film, the image would have been ruined anyway when Albus opened the camera, exposing the undeveloped film to light.

Me~

Yes, I agree, much too technical.  In my mind, the type of camera would be a cheapo home model, or perhaps amateur photographer's camera.  Who gives an eleven year old an expensive camera anyway?  So, he must have been looking through the lens.  But then, Myrtle's glasses would have protected her, right?  Well, read about the way she died:

COS chapter 16: the Chamber of Secrets

"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish.  "It happened right here.  I died in this very stall.  I remember it so well.  I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses.  The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in.  They said something funny.  A different language, I think it must have been.  Anyway, what really got to me was that it was a boy speaking.  So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then--" Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining.  "I died."

I had to read this three or four times before I hit on an answer.  She was in the bathroom crying.  I don't know if anyone else on here wears glasses, but I have, and if you cry in them, you only do it once.  Icky.  Your eyes swell, and your eyelashes start flicking tears onto the glasses, and they fog up, not fun.  Most of the people I know take their glasses off when they cry.  I think it is especially likely in this case since Myrtle was crying over being teased about them.  I would have taken them off immediately and thrown them across the room.  She probably just took them off and put them in a pocket, however, because she still has them as a ghost.  Do we know if ghost clothes are removable/changeable like that?  Like, can Sir Nicholas unbotton his collar?  Or could Myrtle take glasses out of her pocket and wear them?

BTW-for those that are confused over the "the teaser words on JKR's note" like I was, here is a link to an article: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=638&u=/nm/20021120/en_nm/arts_potter_dc&printer=1

~Jaye



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