Q - It's a Joke

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 97247

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Susan Miller"
<constancevigilance at y...> wrote:


> 
> Okay. Here's something else. We are all familiar with this quote 
> (even Kloves got it right):
> 
> "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor
> Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows."
> 
> Um, just How, Exactly, would everyone know what happened between
> Harry and Quirrell? The only two people who were there were Harry 
> and Quirrell. Dumbledore arrived later. Harry didn't tell anyone - 
> he was unconscious in the hospital wing. Either Quirrell told 
> Dumbledore and he blabbed it around, or there was someone else in 
> the dungeon.
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> ~ Constance Vigilance


bboy_mn:

Or maybe, Dumbledore was just making a joke to lighten the mood and
take some of the stress off of Harry. Perhaps, what happened is not an
ABSOLUTE complete secret, and perhaps ABSOLUTELY the whole school
doesn't know. 

When anything happens in the school, lacking any concrete
informaotion, the students will fill in the blanks with speculation.
The end result, we refer to as 'rumors', and it's clear from many
examples in the series that rumors certainly do fly quickly at Hogwarts.

First, Quirrel was dead; hard not to notice when one of your teachers
has died. Then there was petrified Neville, injured Ron, Hermione,
overheard conversations among staff members, and Harry seriously
injured and in the hospital. That is certainly enough to start the
rumors flying. 

How accurate those rumors were is a matter of conjecture. But, none
the less, the student certainly had their own story of what happened
that night. And, I don't see that conflicting with Dumbledore's
statement to Harry because I don't think his statement was meant to be
taken literally or seriously.

But then... that's just my opinion.

bboy_mn