Mrs Figg, cabbage and Polyjuice Potion

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 111154

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Cindy" <aoibhneach1 at y...> 
wrote:
> I was wondering - this may have been discussed before, I don't 
know - 
> but why does Mrs. Figg's house smell of cabbage (SS p.22), and the 
> Polyjuice potion tastes like cabbage (CoS p.216)?  Could Mrs Figg 
be 
> using polyjuice for some reason?  Or maybe, I've missed something 
in 
> reading the books (not as familiar with them as most people here).
> 
> Cindy

Geoff:
Being very mundane, I wonder whether it is just indicating how Harry 
perceives the house.

As soon as I read it, my mind took me back to a favourite book of 
mine, 100 light years away from HP or LOTR when the hero is leaving a 
rather rundown house where his young lady lodges.

"The doorknob felt greasy under his hand and the narrow hall smelled 
unpleasantly of cats."

The smell is not dissimilar. Perhaps we are meant to look on Mrs.F at 
this point as an elderly lady who perhaps isn't able to keep the 
house as sparklingly clean as she did once and is obsessed with her 
cats. It certainly creates a particular vision in my mind of her and 
her house.