Imperius Curse and Parseltongue (was Re: Ponderables...)

[sevenhundredandthirteen]

No: HPFGUIDX 83209

Geoff wrote:

>but that still raises the point of Ginny opening the Chamber. She 
>is not a Parseltongue speaker; it seems that Riddle must have had 
>some sort of control over her....

> Possibly an Imperius curse or something similar but that doesn't 
give 
> the victim the ability to speak a language they don't know, i.e. 
> Parseltongue....


Well, if Neville can perform gymnastics that he would not have been 
physically capable of under the Imperius Curse, then I'm sure an 
Imperius would be able to make you speak a foreign language. The only 
different is that the person putting the Imperius on you would have 
to be able to speak it. 

Also, to merely speak a foreign language you don't necessarily have 
to be able to understand each word, only pronounce the words. So, 
even though Ginny *can't* (to our knowledge) speak parseltongue, so 
long as Riddle said, 'Now Say "Hisssss, sssisssths sssorsssth,"' then 
technically she would be speaking parseltongue. Despite the fact that 
she has no idea what the sounds she just made actually mean. And 
seeing as Harry can speak parseltongue, it appears that you only need 
a human voice and mouth to speak it.

Anyway, the rules of possession seem to behave very differently from 
the Imperius curse if Harry's possession by Voldemort is anything to 
go by- he felt Voldemort using his mouth to speak. Voldemort was 
actually inside his body controlling every movement with no choice of 
resistance at all. If Ginny's possession was similar in that sense, 
then she needn't even have to utter a single word of Parseltongue 
herself, it would be Tom Riddle saying every word, except using 
Ginny's mouth to speak it.


~<(Laurasia)>~