Why didn't they die?(was: Petrification )

[David <dfrankiswork@netscape.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51537

Jeanne Blade wrote:
> 
> What has now just struck me is this. WHy weren't there more deaths 
resulting from the Basilisk? FB states that the Basilisk has very 
venoumous fangs, and it also kills by looking a victim in the eye. 
So there were circumstances surrounding the Petrifications 
everytime? I think not. It doesn't make any sense that every single 
time (excepting Myrtle of course) that the person (or cat ) involved 
just "happened" to have a flood, or camera, or mirror, or ghost at 
hand. That, IMO is pushing it more than a little bit, it's downright 
miraculous. More people *should* be dead.

Ah, I have it!  In fact, it's so obvious it's staring me in the 
face.  It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the reason nobody has 
mentioned this before is that everybody except me (and Jeanne) has 
known this all along and thought it not even worth discussing.

But think about it.  Think about all those five star beasts in 
Fantastic Beasts.  Wizards just *assume* they are Dark, dangerous 
creatures.  But where's the evidence?

Look at Aragog.  Supposedly an insane, crazed killer.  But for 
Hagrid, he would just roll over and wave his legs in the air.  Right 
there in COS he says he doesn't harm Hagrid.  That's 
*foreshadowing*, that is.

Look at dragons.  *Clearly* being set up for a future role where 
Harry's Parseltongue comes in handy.  The way the Horntail let Harry 
through when he spoke to it.

So, the answer is, the Basilisk was doing its damnedest *not* to 
kill its victims.  The trouble was, it was being controlled by a 
homicidal psychopath, and couldn't resist much.  Listen to Tom 
Riddle: 'It won't come until it's called'.  In other words, this 
docile animal, with fresh meat in its scent, would never have done 
anything were it not for Riddle's command.  And we know from Ginny 
that a command from Riddle is as good as Imperius.  That poor snake 
hadn't a chance to show its true nature, but it did its best.  
Looked in the puddle.  Concentrated on the camera.  Focused through 
Nick.  Homed in on Hermione's mirror.  Surely no-one can imagine all 
this apparent incompetence was by *accident*.

Salazar's faithful Basilisk, set there centuries before for the 
benefit of Hogwarts, tried its hardest to prevent fatalities under 
extremely trying circumstances.  And nobody could blame it for 
looking away too late when Myrtle suddenly popped out of her 
cubicle.  But we do know that Myrtle's was the only death in a 
series of incidents at the time of the first opening - a very 
striking indication.

David, who hopes Harry will team with the Hairy McBoons in OOP