A little more on HIS SWORD

[Ersatz Harry]

No: HPFGUIDX 58456

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ersatz Harry"
<ersatzharry at y...> wrote:
> Not much canon evidence in SS/PS supporting the HIS SWORD theory,
> though there was one interesting little item in the very first
> chapter.  Prior to Hagrid's arrival with Harry, Dumbledore and
> McGonagall are talking about the Potters and Voldemort.  During that
> conversation, Dumbledore refers to Voldemort having powers that he
> (DD) would never have.  McGonagall disputes this, saying that DD is
> too "noble" to use them.  In the US version, the word "noble" is
> italicized.  While I haven't really tried to determine this, I think 
> I have sometimes noted that italicized words are clues to some of the
> abstract notions that are important in the book.  I seem to recall,
> for example, that Ron says something to Hermione in PoA concerning 
> her schedule of either classes or exams, something like "There isn't
> enough time", with the word "time" italicized.

In combing through PoA, I came up with only one more bit of possible
evidence for HIS SWORD, and it ties to the bit above.  At the end of
the book, Harry is expressing his regret to Dumbledore that he
effectively let Pettigrew get away by not allowing Sirius and Remus to
kill him.  Dumbledore, however, points out that preventing Pettigrew's
murder was a "noble" thing to do.

One other item:  I think this has been mentioned fairly recently, but
Sirius at some point calls Harry the last of the Potters or something
similar.  The notion of being the last of some particular family feels
generally consistent with the ideas of inheritance, dynasty, and so
on.  But I don't recall there being much recounting of the deaths of
other Potters besides James.

On to GoF.

Ersatz Harry, who's glad that people seem to be spelling "canon"
correctly again