killerbeasts, Muggleborns, good Slytherins

[nuriaobradors]

No: HPFGUIDX 46976

Re: killerbeasts, Muggleborns

:: delurking to stand up for kitties::

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Pippin quoted:
> > >>I have from time to time heard of animals which will attack 
> for 
> > "the pure pleasure of the hunt" (for example, velocirraptors in 
> > Jurasic Park), but I have never actually seen such animal in 
> real 
> > life, nor (I think) have ever heard of such species. Maybe 
> > someone can enlighten me here. <<
> 
> Pippin:
> 
> > There are at least two: cats...and humans.
> 
> 
> Just curious - do you know if cats still in the wild would do 
this?  
> Because domesticated cats might still have a irresistible 
> biological impulse to hunt, causing them to chase mice even 
> when they're well-fed - which isn't quite the same as, say, a lion 
> finishing her meal and deciding she wants to chase gazelles for 
> fun.

AH! but you said magig words here: "biological impulse". This is 
called an atavic reflex, i.e., a distant memory from the times they 
lived in the wild. We humans also have it, e.g. when we get fat in 
winter and lose that weight in summer, from the time wild mo sapiens 
*had to* prepare themselves for winter bc there was no tins or 
freezers to store food in and not even old conservation techniques as 
salt, marmalade etc. There's no *evil* in hunting the poor rat or 
bird, just instinc. Blimey, my cats are all well-fed and they still 
*eat* the whole bird!

Pip said:
>*cough* Canon contradiction *cough*
>CoS Ch. 14, p.187 [UK paperback]:
>'Dean Thomas, who, like Harry, had grown up with Muggles...'
>Dean is described as being like *Harry* - a wizard by blood who has 
>been brought up by Muggles, rather than like *Hermione*, a Muggle 
>born.
>Whether Dean is a Half-blood being brought up by Muggle relatives, 
>or a Full-blood who got adopted by Muggles remains to be seen. But 
>he's almost certainly *not* muggle born.

Isn't it normal for muggle-born children to be brought up by, um, 
muggles? My point being, the fact that Dean's grown up with Muggles, 
while not being conclusive proof of muggle parentage, is by no mean 
proof of the opposite. I personally think Dean is Muggle born, but at 
that early stage in Hogwarts, not being aware yet of all the 
bloodline issues among wizard folk, and not feeling quite related to 
his wizard state yet, Harry would rather distinguish between wizards 
being *brought up by*,not *born to* muggles or other wizards. It is 
growing uo among wizards that strikes Harry as uncommon in PS, so in 
this light, Dean's "like him" regardless of who Dean's parents are. 

***

Now about Slytherins: Slytherin qualities are ambition, cunning, 
ability to manipulate people. Of course, an evil person with these 
qualities is bound to be well known as a baddie. Wormtail was most 
probably in Gryffindor and so was Sirius, who took the blame for 
Peter's crime, however, wizard folk insist that "all baddies came 
from Slytherin". Looks like Slytherin baddies have been always more 
showy than oters. I'm sure there are a lot of very talented witches 
and wizards who have made great contributions to their world who come 
from Slytherin.
Now, I'm sure I'm not the only one there that spends her life 
classifying people according to Hogwarts houses, know what I mean? 
So, have you people seen french movie "Amelie"? IMO, Amelie's a 
Slytherin, however, she's ever so good and kind. 
So no, Slytherin should not be vanished from Hogwarts, and not all 
slyths are bad. 

Nuri

:: now thinking Finwinch theory about the new scenario of book 5 is a 
wonderful one! ::