Yellow Rat Spell - Maybe it really did work

[anakinbester <anakinbester@hotmail.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50895

Sheryl wrote:
> 
> I was thinking along the lines of maybe it WOULD work on an actual 
rat. We 
> find out, however, that scabbers is an animagus. That could make a 
difference 
> in whether or not a spell would work.
> 

I agree with that honestly. Someone mentioned that Ron would likely 
know if ryhming spells didn't exist at all. So perhaps it would have 
worked on a real rat, or perhaps Ron simply couldn't preform the 
spell. 

There are a few clues that Scabbers is more than he seems in the 
books, especially PoA, and I'd be more than willing to think of it 
has another subtle Scabbers clue (then again, it could just be what 
it looks like. I comment on the relationship of Fred George and Ron, 
the twin's prankster nature, and Ron's gulibility)

Anyway: Other Scabbers Clues
First off. He's too old. Even before they point it out, he's too old.
(However I'm working on the assumption that Percy owned him at least 
two years before Ron, because Ron says he's been in the family ages) 
If Percy got him two year prior to giving him to Ron, that would make 
Scabber three by the end of PS. That'd be his last year of life. But 
he's still alive two year later in PoA. JKR does a good fient, making 
him look sick and dying in PoA. But if you think about it, he's still 
too old to be a non-magical rat. He should have been dead _before_ 
PoA. So you kinda wonder why is he just now dying.  

*L* Also, ok, I know some people can do this with their pet rats, but 
Ron doesn't seem to be the best animal trainer and yet Scabbers seems 
to be cageless. There is never any mention of him except free ranging 
outside. Not even my rats are good enough to be left unsupervised 
while I'm at class or asleep. (I read of one person who did sleep 
with her rats, so I gues it could be done) but you'll notice even 
when Harry came back fromthe Mirror, Scabbers wasn't put away. He was 
loose. I know that not mentioning doesn't mean there'snot a cage (And 
there is one in the movie) but Scabbers does appear better behaved 
and less likely to run off than any rat I've heard of, save thos 
eowned by professional trainers/rat breeders.

In PoA, things really start getting fun. At one oint, Scabbers 
shivers in Ron's pocket, and you think it's because of Crookshanks, 
but if you read Harry's last line, he's talking about not being able 
to speak to his parent's thanks to Black (I'd get the exact quote and 
page, but I'm at school and bookless) There are a couple of other 
passages like that in there. 

I would like to say though, that Peter's not overly lazy for a male 
rat. Unless my rat (Peter, named partially for his amazing atheletic 
ability actually) is also an animagi. If left to his own devices he 
would do nothing but sleep in his house all day, emerging only to 
eat, and feigning activity only when I offer him M&M's, or he thinks 
I might do so. So, I think the laziness Scabbers shows was actually 
pretty normal from my own oberservations. Rats have personalities, 
and some are lazier than others. 

Finally, I really don't think Peter intended Harry any harm. People 
have spoken about what a coward he is, and I agree. Therfore, I don't 
think he would have killed Harry, even if Voldemort had risen without 
him. He has the perfect hiding spot! He would enver have to be a 
DeathEater again if he just kept low. It was pure chance that Black 
found him. I just don't see Peter wanting to rejoin Voldemort while 
he still had the option of living as a rat (Really, if you were an 
utter coward, and you had to choose, which sounds better to you. 
Heck, living like a rat sounds better than college to me right now, 
let alone being in the constant presence of a crazy sadistic loon) 

It was mentioned that Peter acted like a rat when cournered. He did 
something desperate to remain free. Yup that is pretty rat like (but 
not necessarily bad! Sometimes desperate things are good. Well he got 
cournered again in PoA. So what did he do? Something desperate. I 
thik it was those circumstances alone, that caused him to return to 
Voldemort. I don't think he did it to get into the Dark Lord's good 
graces. (And if those are his good graces, and hate to see his bad 
graces) So I don't think Peter was a threat to Harry as a rat, even 
if he'd never been found out, by virtue of Peter's own nature as 
guesed at by the fact that his animagus form is a rat, and his own 
actions in GoF. 

-Ani 
PS: please forgive all spelling errors. There is no spell check on 
this stupid compter >_< I did read through it for typos I could catch 
though.

Also, I'm sorry I didn't directly quote more people, but I can't open 
more than one browser. If I do, the one I'm currently on closes. 
*sigh* So I couldn't copy and paste (are actually ctrl C and ctrl V, 
since you can't right click here either)