Lupin/ShortMemory/Boar/Madam/Spy!Narcissa/Animagi/ Sirius/BonesSiblings/Puzzl

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 85731

Tonks wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPfor
Grownups/message/85282 :

<< I think. Lupin as we see in this scene and in his general dealings
with Snape is very much light hearted. He doesn't seem to be very
interested in anything that has to do with Snape. >>

I'm quite a Remus fangirl myself; I am totally in love with dear
Remus, because of his kindness, gentleness, competence, intelligence,
and calmness (but no wimp he, remember him calmly, competently,
rolling up his sleeves to kill Pettigrew?). 

I am absolutely certain that Remus  isn't evil ... but I don't think
that the collegial cheerfulness with which he behaves toward Snape
(the way Dumbledore would want professors to behave toward one
another) really means he has forgiven Snape ... I think it means he
has enough self-control to make himself behave in the way that will
irritate Snape all to hell. 

Tonks wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPfor
Grownups/message/85294 :

<< then at St. Mungo's we see him share his compassion and knowledge
with the man who was bitten by a werewolf. Again, here, we see Lupin's
way with people. It is not manipulative. It is sheer compassion. >>

I feel sure that Remus had a comforting word and some helpful advice
for the new werewolf, but Remus went to the werewolf just then only as
an excuse to walk away from Molly's temper tantrum at Arthur (over the
Muggle 'stitches'), the same as the kids went for a nice cuppa as
their excuse.

Carol wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPfor
Grownups/message/85510 :

<< And poor Remus--what kind of ambition can he have, given 
the universal (and not entirely unjustified) prejudice against
werewolves? >>

He could be ambitious to overcome the prejudice against werewolves. Or
he could have an ambition that doesn't much depend on public contact,
like to climb Mr. Everest or write a bestselling novel or disprove
Fermat's Conjecture or discover the counter-curse to Avada Kedavra.

Anyway, I'm not sure that ambition *can* be "the quintessential
Slytherin trait", when Crabbe and Goyle are in that House.

Xani wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforG
rownups/message/85390 :

<< wonders if JKR realizes what she wrote in all these single, male
characters - Snape, Sirius, Lupin - who are in so obvious need of
regular hugs! Was she just begging for fan-fic? ;) >>

I suspect that JKR, a single mother at the time, was UNconsciously
reflecting her own need for regular hugs (from an adults). For that
matter, I suspect that Harry's wonder and longing for his father but
not his mother is UNconscious reflection of JKR's concern for her
daughter's possible future need of a father.

Iris wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforG
rownups/message/85385 :

<< Yes, it's a world with a very short memory. If it wasn't, Voldemort
wouldn't be there. But they forgot how it was in Grindelwald's time;
they didn't want to recognize their responsibility in the existence of
Dark Magic. And so it went on when Voldemort appeared. They didn't
even try to change their rules when Harry defeated him once. They kept
on tolerating verbal and social discrimination (snip) They didn't
modify their [in]justice [system] (snip ). They kept on encouraging
rivalry in their schools (snip). To cut a long story short, they
didn't take the opportunity to close the door to Dark Magic, to cut
off all that makes it possible (discrimination, injustice, hatred
...), maybe because they didn't want to put their society into
question. >>

I'd go further. It seems to me that the wizarding folk accept Dark
Magic itself as an okay part of their society. We have now seen TWO
rich, powerful, influential, old, *respected* wizarding families who
are up to *here* in Dark Magic: the Malfoys and the Blacks. I imagine
that the official viewpoint of the Ministry and the real viewpoint of
many (most?) wizarding folk is: "I don't like Dark Magic, but it's a
matter of personal choice" and that the viewpoint of Dark Magic
practitioners and supporters is: "I *like* Dark Magic, regardless of
those prudish cowards at the Ministry". I imagine that there was no
law against using Dark Magic against Muggles until the Decree of
Wizarding Secrecy.

Canis Majorette wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85416 :

<< For example, the Hogwarts gate. It has two winged boars atop. The
Boar was used by Sir Francis Bacon as his secret identifying symbol,
>>

Just as a Boar is a pun on the family name Bacon, it is a pun on the
school name Hogwarts. 

Tracy wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPfor
Grownups/message/85457 :

<< As Lupin is the last name and Lucius is the first name - you'd have
better luck tying Madam *Mal*kin (robes shop owner in Diagon Alley) to
Lucius *Mal*foy, using that argument. ;-) >>

I think Malkin is Madam Malkin's first name, because Malkin is a
real-life first name (it's an old nickname for Molly, which originally
was an old nickname for Mary). I think Madam Rosmerta is another
example of a businesswoman going by her first name, as Rosmerta (said
to mean 'great provider') is the name of a Gaullish goddess. I dunno
about Madam Puddifoot ...

Mandy wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPfor
Grownups/message/85538 :

<< Personally I would love to find out that Draco is not really
Lucius' son, >>

But, as Carol wrote, canon states that there is a strong resemblance
between Draco and Lucius; CoS says: "The man who followed could only
be Draco's father. He had the same pale, pointed face and identical
cold, gray eyes."

Catherine McK wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85633 :

<< I'm happy with Narcissa spying on either side - just as long as she
gets a good part! And if the blonde hair is a clue that she is a
metamorphmagus like her niece, she could be a very good spy indeed! >>

Oh, ouch! Then Draco could be a metamorphmagus and his resemblance to
Lucius reveal nothing about his paternity.

Iggy McSnurd wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85544 :

<< It's not your Animagus form that you don't actively chose, but the
form of your Patronus that comes from something inside you and isn't
chosen by the caster. (In some cases, it is probably chosen as an
animal that you have a particular affinity for.) >>

I would like to know the relationship between Animagus form Patronus
form. JKR has said that she would like to be an Otter if she were an
Animagus, and she gave her avatar character (Hermione) an Otter for
Patronus.

I also want to know, what happens if a person who has become an
Animagus goes over the whole training again, from scratch, will heesh
get another animal form? Can a person who is a werewolf become an
Animagus? with an animal form other than wolf? Can a werewolf who is
an Animagus with an animal form other than wolf avoid turning into a
wolf monster at Full Moon by turning into hiser animal before the
moment?

<< The form you become as an Animagus is not something that's
"assigned" to you. It comes from what you chose to become, and often
is a form that has advantages you seek out yourself. >>

Annemehr replied to Iggy in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85557 :

<< Actually, it seems pretty certain that you *don't* get to chose
your animagus form.
(snip)

However, Rowling has answered questions about this in chats. Here is
a quote I got from the Scholastic Chat of Oct. 2000:

Q: If you were Animagus, what kind of animal would you be?
JKR: I'd like to be an otter -- that's my favourite animal. It would
be
depressing if I turned out to be a slug or something. >>

Here is another JKR quote which is even more explicit:
http://www.geocities.com/aberforths_goat/October_2
000_Live_Chat_America_Online.htm
Q: Does the animal one turns into as an Animagi reflect your
personality?
JKR: Very well deduced, Narri! I personally would like to think that I
would transform into an otter, which is my favorite animal. Imagine
how horrible it would be if I turned out to be a cockroach! 

And Yolanda replied to Anne in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85586 :

<< One answer I came up with is that through the process of becoming
an animagus, they must have gotten an idea of what kind of animal they
would be. >>

That would prevent the problem of unexpectedly turning into a goldfish
and dying from drowning in air because of not having prepared a
fishbowl to jump into.

<< The other is that they decided to become animagi not knowing
exactly what would happen, but determined to try *something* to help
Lupin. >>

Yes, they decided to become animagi just to keep Remus company in the
Shrieking Shack on Full Moon nights. Not only did they not know they
would be able to go out and have adventures, I imagine that they
didn't know yet that whether they would be able to communicate with
wolf-Remus other than such animal communication as sniffing and
licking each other.

Natalie, who is wondry (wonderful word!), wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85207 :

<< Will the Trio or any other students become Animagi? >>

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/quickquotes/arti
cles/1999/1099-pressclubtransc.html
SB: We're going to take a few more questions, and um, the next one is
will Harry ever turn into a shape-changer like his father?

JKR: Animagus. No, Harry's not in training to be an animagus, and if
you've read book three, you won't know -- um, that's a wizard that's
very, very difficult to do. They learn to turn themselves into
animals. No, Harry is not, Harry is going to be concentrated
elsewhere, he's not going to have time to do that. He's got quite a
full agenda coming up, poor boy.

Of course, she could change her mind about that, as she did about
Susan Bones's grandparents (below).

Canis Majorette wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85588 :

<< I again pose the question of what it may mean that the Black
brothers are named for powerful and revered stars, each with their own
well developed star lore. What may be implied by each name, and the
consequent relationship? >>

It means that the Black family had (by then) a tradition of
astronomical given names, and that Sirius's and Regulus's parents had
Big Egos and intended their sons to be grow up to be superstar
politicians or CEOs or such.

Our beloved Sirius is named after the Dog Star;  he turns into a dog
and has a dog's loyal, active, but not particularly thoughtful
personality. He's named after the brightest star in the heavens, and
he is excessively good at attracting attention: even when trying to
hide, he is eye-catching and easily found even in a crowd. The name
comes from the Greek word for 'scorching' and he is a real hottie.

Catherine McK wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85630 :

<< In fact, are there _any_ mixed-sex sibling groups other than the
Weasleys? >>

Yes, the older Boneses: Amelia Bones, her brother Edgar Bones who was
killed by Voldemort, and Susan Bones's eponymous parent (presumably
father). I am bugged that JKR previously said that it was Susan
Bones's grandparents who were killed by Voldemort and now OoP says it
was her uncle, his wife and family.

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/quickquotes/arti
cles/2000/1000-livechat-barnesnoble.html
Q: There is a girl named Susan Bones who was sorted in the first book,
and there was a family called the Bones that Voldemort tried to
destroy. Is this a coincidence, or will Harry meet her in future
books? 
JKR: Susan Bones's grandparents were killed by Voldemort!

Caipora wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85717 :

<< One of the puzzles was pure logic, the potions. Reading that, it
took paper, pencil and fifteen minutes to see that the clues were
consistent, and a bit longer to see that they were incomplete. The
text didn't have enough clues. There had to be a diagram showing the
heights of the bottles (or the shapes, I don't have the book here). >>

Oh, yes! For years (?), I looked forward to the movie so I could *see*
the potion bottles, and then the movie left out that challenge
altogether!

Carol wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPfor
Grownups/message/85720 :

<< Bellatrix, though she's some twenty-five years younger than
Voldemort, may be in love with him, or at least fascinated by him, in
some weird way, (snip) Her husband and brother-in-law also joined
Voldemort, so whatever the attraction was (revenge for the pure
bloods?), they shared it with her. Presumably it wasn't physical
attraction in their case, at least. >>

They may have been dragged along simply by her strength of character,
altho' I'm inclined to believe that they joined because they believed
in pureblood supremacy and desired personal advantage ... this links
back to the ancient topic of how Voldemort recruited Death Eaters. I
say, a few may have joined just to enforce pureblood supremacy, but
most were attracted by some apparent offer of personal reward. Some
would want power in the new Voldemortian government, and some would
want cash money, and some would want LV to make them immortal like him
(as if!), and some would want LV to arrange for their acquittal in
their trial for some unrelated crime, and some would just enjoy the
opportunity to beat up people and burn houses and kill people.