OOP: Tone, Percy, Fred&George, Memories, Snape, Umbridge, Dudley (unrelated)

[Amanda]

No: HPFGUIDX 61975

These replies are from all over the place, so please forgive me for 
the randomness.  I have no idea why I didn't relpy to each person 
individually; it was probably just to easy.






You've read the book, right?  Good.






MindyCL wrote in her post "OOP: Comments, Questions, and Thoughts 
(religion ment and spoilers aplenty)" (and these are from her post 
until further notice):

<snip>I am quite concerned about the adult tone the series is taking. 
Although
>it's to be expected, now that Harry is fifteen, that his "love life"
>would start, I am a mite concerned for the underage kids whose 
parents
>might *not* want them to read about the kissing teenagers and stuff. 
I
>guess they'll have to censor out the "offending" sentences, still I 
think
>that it taking on this tone might cause the HP series to get a few 
more
>serious opponents.

I agree with this point.  I went to a HP release party at a bookstore 
in my area, and the next largest age group besides adults (some of 
whom were likely there for their kids) was children between the ages 
of 7 and 10.  After reading the book and commenting on not only the 
romance aspect, but also the complex feelings, plotline, and simple 
language issues (see Dursley, Vernon, and various others) I hope that 
these parents will be reading the books to their kids so they can 
censor some bits or even (cringe...my hypothetical kids would hate 
me) holding off on letting them at it until they were older.

<snip> Percy walking out on the family (though I hope there will be
>reconciliation next book now that Fudge finally knows the truth 
about DD
>and Voldemort, and I'm surprised that JKR didnt include an emotional
>reunion scene in OoP, perhaps she's waiting for the next book 
cleverly.)

Mm...this is a toughie. In a previous post I've read (sorry, I forget 
whose) it is suggested that Percy is a 'bit' out of character, which 
I think, if anything, is an understatement.  Yes, Percy has always 
been obssessed with rules, esp. in GoF with the cauldron bottoms, but 
in PoA he showed common sense and leadership as well, particularly 
when Black had broken into Gryffindor tower.  I think there's some 
issue with Percy regarding his fanatical loyalty to the MoM, 
forsaking all else, but...wouldn't the Imperius be a 
little...repetitive? Thoughts?

<snip>Fred and George dropping out of school (do you think they'll be 
back?)

Highly doubt that they'll return to school for their NEWTS 
(regardless of Molly's pleading and/or Howlers) but have no doubt at 
all that they will be back in some way for the next books.  Speaking 
of Weasley appearances, did anyone else notice Charlie's conspicuous 
absence for most of the book? I only remember Bill being there, but 
am I forgetting something? I know at the beginning he was trying to 
garner foreign support from Romania or wherever, but...?

>From Marco's post "Re: OoP - Jenny's Big Questions - Spoilers!"
<snip>While Sirius was a central character (in this book esp. with his
>confirming Snape's recollection of James' spate with him, which was a
>real surprise as I thought Snape had put a fake memory in the 
pensieve...

Can you do that?  I would think there was an automatic truth-seeking 
spell to make you unable to lie unless you were in a deranged state 
of mind...but actually deliberately 'faking' a memory? I don't think 
that could be done, even by Snape (IMHO)

>From SteveLaBny's post "OoP: Spoilers for everything, two important 
questions"

<snip>The things that are really bothering me though are all the 
clips into the 
>past. If that was really one of Snape's worst memories... I'm gonna 
lose all 
>respect for the guy. He was picked on? Poor guy. He always seemed 
like he had a 
>good reason to be the way he is, rather than just abusing the power 
he finally 
>has.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with Steve.  Just because this is 
Snape's worst memory (tangent: what happened to the night of the 
Prank? Wouldn't that be worse?) definitely does not make it the only 
one.  Yes, he was picked on in school, but from what we saw through 
Harry, he was also abused at home, he was lured by power/attention to 
the DEs, and when he returned to Hogwarts he was refused the job of 
DADA, which we now know he applied for.  Not only that, but now he is 
faced with hatred from all sides from students, and a student who may 
not only be the saviour of wizards everywhere, but seems a pampered 
prince, and wears the face of his arch enemy from weaker days, and 
possibly has the eyes of a lost love.  I think I'm rambling and 
defending too much, but there's my 2 knuts on that subject.

Is anyone else thinking that DD might not let Snape teach DADA 'for 
his own good' because teaching about these Curses and HExes may be 
too much of a temptation, or is it for another reason?  It makes you 
wonder, especially when Umbridge was only hired because DD could find 
no other 'suitable' teacher, according to one of the first 
Educational Decrees (was that what they were called? I don't have the 
book here)

>From Taryn Kimel's post "OOP: Taryn's OotP Thoughts and Questions"
<snip> 12) It's nice to see that even though McGonogall thinks 
Trelawney's a total
>fraud, she bands with her against Umbridge. God, I hated Umbridge.

Did anyone else think it odd that Trelawney (and Snape) garnered no 
sympathy from HRH? Even when Umbridge was in the room, judging 
Trelawney, there were still comments about hating both of them, etc.  
I was surprised Harry wasn't more sympathetic, like, "Yeah, she's a 
horrible teacher, but her class is easy enough and all she's ever 
done to me is humiliate me with predictions of death and really, who 
hasn't ever thought I was going to die?"

>From MindyCL's post "OOP Time Question re class inspections"
<snip>IF DOLORES UMBRIDGE KEPT FOLLOWING GRIFFINDOR DURING ALL OF 
THEIR CLASSES
>TO "INSPECT" THE TEACHERS, WHEN DID SHE TEACH DADA TO THE OTHER 
HOUSES
>AND GRADES???

>are you gonna tell me that she only taught one house a day? She never
>taught the other houses or grades, if she was able to sit in on all 
their
>classes?

>Or will you tell me that the teachers have so much free time on their
>hands that she inspected the classes during her free time?

>Or did she use a time turner?
  
This bugged me too, but...hmm.  I'm going to give an explanation that 
won't hold water for a second, but...If word got out (through Lee, 
whoever) what Umbridge's detention's were like, it wouldn't really 
matter if she told her classes to read a chapter, not to talk, and 
wandered the school as she pleased, would it?  This theory has 
obvious flaws such as, the class wouldn't listen/care until she came 
back, more often than not she's ina classroom before the class 
begins, she's showing blatant reverse-favoritism (?) by actually 
giving Gryffindors their lessons, etc. But, it's a start.

>From Taryn Kimel's post "OotP: Dudley"
<snip>For one thing, how could Dudley possibly be a Squib unless 
Petunia and Vernon
>are?

But aren't Squibs, basically, just Muggles who have grown up in the 
WW and therefore know all about it, or is their makeup actually 
different?  Would they see Dementors where Muggles wouldn't simply 
because they know they exist and what they are? Also, if a Muggle 
family had a Squib baby, would they be able to tell? 

It's 4:00 in the morning and I will not read the remaining 400 posts 
I should sift through, so forgive my redundancy and let me add a few 
more thoughts...

I was rereading GoF to prime myself for my 2nd time through OoP and 
it mentions the Lovegoods as living near the Weasleys and Diggorys.  
When the group going to the QWC is standing on the top of the hill, 
Arthur asks Amos if they're waiting for anyone else, and he replies 
that the Lovegoods have been there for a week and the Fawcetts 
couldn't get tickets.  Yet another ingenious little tie-in.  Do we 
know who the Fawcetts are?

I think that's it...Maybe I'll be able to sleep now.

TTFN Sharkbait