Mimble Wimble

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 90238

> LizVega here:
> 
> <snip>With any other author I would've 
> overlooked the mumbling as just that, mumbling from a man who's 
> frightened of an even bigger man-Hagrid, but have we ever seen 
> Vernon mumble in frustration? Ever? Even when Moody's bowler hat 
> exposed the crazy eye in the last chapter of OOP? No! Vernon never 
> mumbles! And, let's not forget that a variation of Mimbulus 
> Mimbletonia as stated on the HP TCG- can we consider those to be 
> canon?- is MIMBLE WIMBLE! The trading cards say that Mimble wimble 
> is used to deter or interrupt a spell- or something like that- and 
> then Hagrid tries to turn Dudley into a pig but only manges to give 
> him a tail!

Carol:

Two things here that I mentioned before but they seem to have been
overlooked. First, "mimble wimble" is what Harry hears, not
necessarily what Uncle Vernon says. We all know that Harry's
perception of what is happening around him is not infallible.

Second, the "mimble wimble" scene occurs nine pages before the attempt
to turn Dudley into a pig. I provided the page numbers with the
appropriate quotes in a previous post. (IIRC, Uncle Vernon's words and
actions have no effect on the pig spell; presumably it's Hagrid's lack
of training and his broken wand concealed within an umbrella handle
that prevent the spell from having its full effect, just as the
tortoises in the Transfiguration breathe steam or have
willow-patterned shells.)

Uncle Vernon, as Hagrid makes clear in that same scene and JKR states
emphatically in every book, is the ultimate Muggle. Whatever the
significance of "mimble wimble," and I'm not questioning a possible
connection with Mimbulus Mimbletonia, it's highly likely that it
relates to Uncle Vernon having magical powers or an intuitve knowledge
of countercurses.

Carol