Hgwrts robes/Draco Cedric/Hgwrts letters/SnapeGoF/Ron'sbroken wand/lifedebts

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 56251

Katy Cartee wrote:

<< I saw the first movie before i read any of the books, so i had no 
chance to fix another image into my mind. But what's wrong with how 
they are depicted in the movie? They look good to me. >>

The student uniform robes in the books are medieval-ish things, long 
black dresses, kind of like monks' robes, not long jackets worn over 
twentieth century shirts and trousers. Evidence from the books 
includes the packing list in book 1, which mentions:
"1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags"
but no mention of grey trousers/skirt, grey pullover, white button 
shirts...

Other evidence includes JKR's own drawing of the Weasley kids at 
King's Cross, with Percy in his uniform robe and prefect badge: go to 
http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/lst
click on the folder labelled "Harry Potter and Me"
click on the picture labelled "weasleys"

herm-own-ninny wrote:

<< When Cedric is murdered Draco is able to be cocky about the whole 
affair because he didn't really know Cedric, did he? >>

"You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you 
ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on 
the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with 
riff-raff like this!" He jerked his head at Ron and Hermione. "Too 
late now, Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's 
back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well -- second -- Diggory 
was the f--"

I have a UNIQUE OPINION of Draco's comment. I don't think he was 
mocking Cedric's death at all. I think he was, in his monumentally 
inappropriate way, *respecting* Cedric's death, by acknowledging that 
it had happened and clearing Cedric of any taint of having been a 
Mudblood or Muggle-lover (altho', if I'm correct that Cho Chang is 
Muggle-born, then he WAS a Muggle-lover). 

I wouldn't put it past canon!Draco to add being responsible for the 
death of a pureblood wizard from an old, albeit non-aristocratic, 
family to his list of grievances against Potter. And surely it is 
obvious that a MAJOR one of those grievances is the Potter rejected 
his offer of friendship back on September 1st of the first book.

I think that rant of Draco's is extremely stupid. Stupid to brag of 
his happiness about the Dark Lord's return after his father had 
*warned* him (in CoS "it is not - prudent - to appear less than fond 
of Harry Potter") to pretend to be on the popular side. Stupid to 
interrupt the flow of his own rant by correcting himself about a 
minor factual detail like who died first. Clearly, canon!Draco is no 
fanon!Draco.

Jo Serenadust wrote:

<< As I mentioned in my earlier post, Harry gets his first Hogwarts 
letter about one week before his eleventh birthday. If you assume (as 
I sort of did) that everyone gets their letters shortly before they 
turn eleven, >>

Barb Psychic Serpent replie:

<< Actually, I find it hard to believe that the students receive the 
letters at a time that relates to their birthdays, rather than when 
they are starting school.  (snip) It  makes far more sense for the 
letters to come about five weeks before the beginning of the term, as 
Harry's did. >>

I'm going on record as agreeing with Barb. My immediate assumption on 
first reading of PS/SS, when we found out what the letters were, was 
that they were coming for all the other students at the same time as 
they started coming for Harry. 

Rane wrote:

<< What bothers me most about him is that, when Harry had found 
Crouch in the Forbidden Forest in GoF and was running to Dumbledore, 
Snape wouldn't let Harry into DD's office. Of course, he didn't know 
what was going on, but he could see Harry was panicking. Now, I don't 
know about you guys, but even if I would hate sb, even really badly - 
if I saw them panicking, I would still listen. Panic is just such a 
*vulnerable* state - I would still think sth bad must be going on for 
the other person to look like that. And it's not like you can *fake* 
panic, is it? >>

I suppose actors must be able to fake panic, as it does occur in 
movies.


That event is what used to trouble me most about Snape. Your concern 
seems to be with Snape's cruelty; mine was whether he really was on 
Dumbledore's side. How could he possibly interfere with Harry's 
effort to tell Dumbledore something important after he's had four 
books to learn that Harry is generally right when he says that 
something is important enough to need Dumbledore? How could he let 
his enjoyment of annoying Harry interfere with Dumbledore receiving 
important information? Then someone on the list, but unfortunately I 
don't remember who, pointed out to me that actually Snape was MAKING 
SURE that Harry found Dumbledore ... Harry would have turned around 
and gone to the staff room if Snape hadn't stopped him, kept him in 
the hallway to which Dumbledore was already descending...

<< But nothing at Hogwarts had ever moved just because he shouted at 
it; he knew it was no good. He looked up and down the dark corridor. 
Perhaps Dumbledore was in the staff room?

He started running as fast as he could towards the staircase --

"POTTER!"

Harry skidded to a halt and looked around.

Snape had just emerged from the hidden staircase behind the stone 
gargoyle. The wall was sliding shut behind him even as he beckoned 
Harry back towards him. "What are you doing here, Potter?"

"I need to see Professor Dumbledore!" said Harry, running back up the 
corridor and skidding to a standstill in front of Snape instead. >>

Carolyn dragonquill wrote:

<< with a broken wand? Professors McGonagal and Snape both comment on 
it. >>

It seems to me that only in the movie did Professor McGonagall and 
Professor Snape comment on Ron's broken wand. I think the McGonagall 
scene in the book (it's hard to tell, as in the book they have never 
yet taken their pets to class to turn them into goblets) is:

<< Ron was having far worse problems. He had patched up his wand
with some borrowed Spellotape, but it seemed to be damaged beyond
repair. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time
Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him in thick gray 
smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, 
Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask 
for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased. >>

In the book, Lockhart didn't try to pair up Ron with anyone, so 
Snape had no call to say, no, Ron's broken wand is too dangerous. 
Instead, Lockhart accidentally gave Snape an opportunity to heckle 
poor Neville as a side bonus of Snape's scheme:

<< "Let's have a volunteer pair - Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how 
about you -"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a 
large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the 
simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up 
to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went 
pinker. "How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted 
smile. >>

Faith wrote:

<< Does this mean that Ginny would owe Harry a life debt for saving 
her life in CoS? >>

In my opinion, yes. Harry voluntarily, and without anyone having 
requested him to volunteer, went out of his way to put his own life 
in danger to save Ginny's life. 

<< And Ron and Harry would owe Hermione a life debt for saving their 
lives in PS/SS, when she saved them from the Devils Snare? >>

In my opinion, no, because all three of them were taking turns saving 
each other's lives in there.