Statues in the Ministry Of Magic

[quigonginger]

No: HPFGUIDX 73107

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Buttercup <cathio2002 at y...> 
wrote (responding to Fran regarding the Statue in the MOM)
> I forgot about those statues. I agree. I think JKR
> left a clue when she said Harry thought the wizard
> looked familiar. I think it's Dumbledore. And I think
> Firenze's going to help the OOP. 
> 
Ginger (me) had a quote pop into her head upon reading this:

>From SS/PS (US paperback p. 257) Firenze says to Bane, "I set myself 
against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans 
alongside me if I must."  

We assume that "what is lurking in this forest" is Quirrell and his 
headgear parasite, and that they are there to kill the unicorns.  So 
if they are those to whom Firenze refers, then I think he left his 
herd not to teach divination, but to help the Order.  I suspect that 
this has been on his mind since Book 1, and that the need for a 
divination teacher is a convenient excuse for him to go.  To just up 
and tell the centaurs that he was leaving to join the fight would 
have caused even more problems given their extreme distaste for 
meddling in the affairs of humans.  Teaching would be considered less 
meddlesome, in my opinion.  

This is assuming that he forsaw the rebodying (made that up) in the 
Graveyard and knew what it would bring.  He could be useful to the 
Order as an adviser.  

I realize this is all speculation, but it seems to me that leaving 
the herd and all that goes with that, (i.e. belonging, safety, 
familiarity, possibly family ties,) is a lot to give up for a 
teaching position.

Ginger, who adds Firenze to her "dead by the end" list and would put 
him on her Dead Sexy list were it not for certain special (as in 
referring to species) differences.