[HPforGrownups] Re: Another Flint? (Was: When?)

[charme]

No: HPFGUIDX 119209


 "kjirstem wrote:
>>
>> <Discussion of Colin & Dennis Creevey's parentage snipped>
>>
>> > Carol:
>> <interesting points about house elves mercilessly snipped>
>> > The fact that Colin was one of the basilisk's victims also seems to
>> > confirm that he really is Muggle-born.
>>
>> kjirstem:
>>
>> I thought the basilisk in COS was being directed by Possessed!Ginny,
>> not selecting its targets independently. (COS, Ch 17, in Tom Riddle's
>> gloating to Harry.) In FBAWTFT the entry for Basilisk indicates that
>> they are dangerous to anyone except a Parselmouth, so it isn't that
>> they somehow sense Muggle-borns.  Colin was attacked because he was
>> thought to be Muggle-born; the attack isn't proof that he actually is
>> Muggle-born.
>
> Carol notes:
> I suppose we could go with the unreliable narrator idea again. We're
> *told* that the victims are all Muggleborns; everyone from Tom Riddle
> to Dumbledore seems to refer to them as Muggleborns; but there's no
> solid evidence of their parentage. Still, we know that Hermione really
> is a Muggleborn, and she was one of the victims. And Tom himself says
> that the whole reason for having the basilisk was to kill Muggleborns,
> and I think he would have wanted to be pretty sure of his
> victims--something besides the knowledge little Ginny gave him in the
> diary, though as a pureblood, she probably did at least know who the
> pureblood families weres.

charme:

How about we visit the unreliable Tom/LV narrative again? We've already been 
informed once from JKR that LV lied about Hagrid having werewolf cubs under 
his bed, and then its canon Tom framed Hagrid for Myrtle's death. Tom/LV 
*lies.*  IMO, Tom/LV has a problem with half bloods too, not to mention 
purebloods who are "Muggle lovers." He's already displayed would gladly kill 
DD, Harry, and just about anyone who gets in his way or doesn't believe as 
he does whom he can't control or manipulate, regardless of their genealogy. 
Perhaps there's something to kjirstem's thoughts if you think of it that 
way?

>Carol:
> At any rate, we haven't heard another word about the basilisk's
> victims, no indication that the basilisk somehow got it wrong. IMO, we
> can safely assume that the Creeveys *are* Muggleborn (note that Colin
> didn't know about wizard photographs or how to develop them and used
> an old-fashioned Muggle camera that must have been his grandfather's).

charme again,

Maybe you're right and then again maybe there's a question here. 
Specifically, JKR has addressed the Colin and the camera issue in her 
responses to the Lexicon "open letter."

"SO... as Colin's batteries can't work in Hogwarts, clearly his camera is 
running off the magical atmosphere and he is then developing his photographs 
in the magical potion that causes the figures therein to move. All of which 
goes to show that Colin has a lot more initiative than I ever realised."

>Carol:
> What point would there be in rewriting the story now to give them a
> different heritage? I don't think we need an explanation for their
> size other than Dennis's age and their genetic inheritance from, say,
> a very short Muggle mother.

charme:

If you'd be so kind, please explain what you mean by this paragraph?  Who is 
rewriting the story to give them a different heritage? There might be more 
to the Creevy's heritage which hasn't yet been revealed, and why wouldn't we 
need to see it if it's part of the story plot?  JKR refers to the Creevey's 
size quite a bit, the same as Hagrid (who we now know is half giant) as well 
as other particulars about other characters (Luna and her "eyes", Harry's 
scar, Snape's greasy hair, Madame Maxime's size etc) which may also reveal 
more about their history and genealogy.  Why is theorizing or discussing 
this any different?