[HPforGrownups] Re: McGonagall, Harry and the Ginger Newts/Potions (long)

[Jane Starr]

No: HPFGUIDX 82650

--- Kirstini <kirst_inn at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
<snip>
> So - what do we think. Is Honourable McGonagall
> dosing up her students without their knowledge or
> their parent/guardian's permission? 

<more snip>

> So why on earth include the Ginger newts at all?

<even more snip>

Well, your points against (I had to snip them) are
both excellent, plus I like the "keep his mouth shut
so she can get a word in edgewise" theory, but here's
my take on it:

Offering food is traditionally a way of showing that
one is friendly.  I thought McG was just trying to
make Harry understand that even though she was
exasperated and a bit angry with him, she had his best
interests at heart.  Also, if she has a tin on her
desk they're probably her very favourite kind of
biscuit and it's really very kind of her to share. 

I will never believe (unless JKR says so) that McG
would do anything as underhanded as feed trojan-horse
calming potions to her students, and anyway, if she
did they'd have the intended effect first time.  She
is nothing if not efficient.

I'm exceedingly fond of ginger biscuits of any
description and so what *I* wondered after that scene
was how/if ginger newts differed from other ginger
biscuits. Are they newt-shaped? Do they wiggle as you
eat them? Is newt one of the ingredients? The last two
items would be hard to replicate (although with enough
ginger added I *would* try one with actual newt in it
as long as the newt was in invisibly small bits) but I
bet I could buy or make a newt-shaped cookie cutter.

Yours, sincerely


=====
JES
Canada

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