Hermione's new secret/Basilisks and fire?

[Susan Miller]

No: HPFGUIDX 60840

--- rayheuer wrote:
> 
> So *if* Hermione decided to become an Animagus, there is no doubt 
she could 
> do so.  However, I do maintain my stance that there is no way she 
would want to 
> experience transformation again.

Now Constance (me):

Actually, there is a bit of canon that supports that she might. In 
SS, chapter 7 (The Sorting Hat), she says: "I do hope they start 
right away, there's so much to learn, I'm particularly interested in 
Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else ..."

OK, she doesn't say she want to turn HERSELF into something else, but 
you could make the parallel between her wanting to learn 
transfiguration, and McGonagle being the Transfiguration teacher as 
well as an animagus. Having said that, I do not believe Hermione will 
become an animagus, but it wouldn't surprise me greatly if she did. 
Something with lots of hair, I think.

Next - In CoS, chapter 9 (The Writing on the Wall) we have the trio 
examining the hallway where Mrs. Norris was petrified. Harry 
says "Scorch marks. Here, and here." Then, in chapter 18 (Dobby's 
Reward), we have "Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered 
keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages." How 
did the diary get burnt? I was willing to believe that the first 
reference to scorch marks was a red herring, but when fire is 
mentioned again, I begin to wonder. Fawkes is mentioned as having a 
hot tail, so maybe he somehow scorched the diary in the chamber, but 
he would not have been around Mrs. Norris because he was only in the 
chamber because Harry called him, indirectly. So, I'm out of ideas. 
Why does the basilisk cause scorch marks?

Constance Vigilance