Dumbledore's watch/Muggle Inferiority/Fawcett/GreyWolf/TMRs raising/Midwitch

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 45023

GulPlum wrote:

<< that there are no characters [besides Fleur] who might appeal to 
[adult, heterosexual men's sexual fantasies >>

Madam Rosmerta.

Melody wrote:

<< We all know the Wealseys have a clock that tells the general state 
of each member of the family. The clock has eight hands for each 
member and can some how report on how and what each member is doing. 
Now, from PS/SS we know that Dumbledore has a pocket watch with the 
same purpose. He looks at it and sees that Hagrid is late. >>

Canon of Dumbledore's watch (from chapter one, book one): "It was a 
very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little 
planets were moving around the edge." I think it was an astrological 
or astronomical depiction of the skies at the present moment, from 
which any devout amateur astronomer could tell the time. If an 
astrological watch, with the Earth at the center and the planets 
orbitting it, the twelve hands could represent the 12 Houses and 
move in accordance with the watch's latitude as well as the Earth's 
rotation. If an astronomical watch, with the Sun at the center and
the Earth one of the orbitting planets (presumably with the Moon 
making epicycles arond it), I don't know what the twelve hands 
represent. At first, I thought that the hands were physically 
carrying the little planets on their journey around the edge, but 
someone showed me how that was a wrong assumption, but I don't 
remember why it was wrong.

Naama, long-time listie, wrote:

<< It may offend our sensibilities, but Muggles really are inferior
to wizards - therefore the reasonable attitude towards them is 
precisely the kindly condescension practiced by the Weasleys. >>

The kindly condescension shown by the older Weasleys IS a little off. 
They say, isn't it marvellous that Muggles and their cute little toys 
are able to make do without magic? One common Muggle cute little toy, 
the telephone, can send a message a great deal faster than an owl! 
Other listies have mentioned Muggle bombs that blow up a great deal 
more than one street and twelve people. 

Phyllis Heart's Desire wrote:

<< Why would the two versions have Fawcett and Stebbins in different 
houses? >>

The Age Line chapter of GoF has Dumbledore telling the Twins that 
Miss Fawcett of Ravenclaw and Mr Summers of Hufflepuff had already 
tied and failed to cross the Age Line. If Snape blasted Miss Fawcett 
of Ravenclaw, it is possibly the same person, but if Snape blasted 
Miss Fawcett of Hufflepuff, it could be her sister. In my fic, I had 
Miss Fawcett of Ravenclaw being in Cho's year and dorm and being 
Cho's best friend, whose ambition is to get on the House Quidditch 
team, and Miss Fawcett of Hufflepuff being her one year older sister. 
If I had known when I wrote the fic that the check-out page of QTTA 
included "S. Fawcett", I would have named her Sally short for Salacia 
instead of Mary!

Melody wrote:

<< wondering why the Grey Wolf did not rise to support his "pet" 
theory along with Pip!Squeak. Quite unusual. >>

Probably because he was in the midst of moving house to England for 
his university year abroad.

Sherry wrote:

<< So my question is, do we know for a fact that Tom Riddle spent his 
childhood in the Muggle world? Do all witches/wizards who choose to 
marry Muggles necessarily resign themselves to living out their lives 
(and raising their children) in the Muggle world, or do some bring 
their Muggle spouses into the WW? >>

As for the latter, Seamus Finnegan's mother married a Muggle and she 
was at the Quidditch World Cup (hinting that she wasn't living her 
whole life in the Muggle world, as does Seamus's reminiscence in Book 
1 that he had flown on broomsticks before coming to Hgwarts) and 
Seamus's father was not at the Quidditch World Cup. Hinting that, if 
he isn't dead or divorced, he still hasn't been brought into the 
Wizarding World.

Canon: "You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I 
believe?" said Dippet curiously.
-----"Yes, sir," said Riddle, reddening slightly.
"You are Muggle-born?"
-----"Half-blood, sir," said Riddle. "Muggle father, witch mother."
"And are both your parents -?"
-----"My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the 
orphanage she lived just long enough to name me - Tom after my 
father, Marvolo after my grandfather."

And: "I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me 
even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a 
witch?"

The canon seems pretty clear that Tom Riddle spent his childhood in 
the Muggle world and NOT with his Muggle father. In fact, it seems 
pretty clear that Tom Riddle's father didn't move into the wizarding 
world at all.

JOdel wrote:

<< In St. Mungo's there must be spells deployed by the medi-staff to 
reduce or eliminate any potential damage to both mother and infant.>>

Do Potterverse British witches deliver their babies in St. Mungo's? 
The wizarding world is an old-fashioned place, and wasn't it still 
the normal thing for Muggle women to give birth at home with midwives 
a mere hundred years ago?

Rebecca Steph wrote:

<< Like when a friend gets an awful haircut and knows it, you tell 
them it doesn't look so bad. >>

IIRC, last year a listie from a non-English-speaking European country 
expressed amazement that USAmericans (and Brits?) do/believe that. 
Because in her culture, the sign of true friendship is that your 
friend tells you the truth, even that their haircut or whatever looks 
horrible.