"Old and Valuable" Whomping Willow - But Why?

[Cathy Drolet]

No: HPFGUIDX 109689

Brenda said: 
"I just wanted to clarify something: some posters (Pat, DuffyPoo, 
KathyK, etc) have pointed out that Snape never says 'old' and Harry 
never describes as 'ancient tree'.  I have also noticed that the 
references they made came from US edition, whereas I got mine from UK 
version..."


DuffyPoo:
Yes, I did say that Snape only says old, as that is the quote from my book, a Canadian HB edition which is supposed to be exactly the same as the British edition.  I just this minute checked, and my PB edition says the same thing.  Also, I said I couldn't find the reference to Harry describing the tree as ancient, on a quick look through, but that I didn't doubt it was there.  I did, in fact, find the reference afterwards.  I couldn't find it initially as I had thought it was something Harry said and would then be in quotation marks.  I found afterwards that it was something he thought.  I don't know why he thought the tree was ancient except he also 'thought' this, "it's gnarled boughs were pummeling." I do not know what he is using for a reference for 'ancient' in his thoughts excpet perhaps the gnarled boughs.  I, personally, have never seen a tree that I would consider 'ancient' just from looking at it (granted, I'm not much of a traveller), some I definitely think are fairly old, just from the size, but definitely not ancient.

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