Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus

[davewitley]

No: HPFGUIDX 90440

Sawsan wrote:

> This motto has always been funny to me. I thought it was supposed 
to
> be be funny until recently when I started to take everything in 
the HP
> series seriously. SO, does anyone think that this will have an
> important role in the book? Does anyone think that someone has been
> tickling a sleeping dragon, and that's the cause of all the meyhem 
and
> Lord Voldie, etc?

I *think* I've read every post in the latest go-round of this topic.

Quite what the motto ('Draco is never interesting when asleep') 
means in the context of the series is tricky to work out.

Another question is what it is referring to in the context of 
Hogwarts: why should a school have adopted this motto?  Was it the 
four founders saying to the Muggle world that the 'sleeping' WW had 
been stirred up (by persecution) into defending itself by creating a 
school?  (It seems reasonable to suppose that the most fundamental 
defensive action any culture or distinctive grouping can take is to 
start a school because that ensures survival through the 
generations.)  If so it's rather negative, almost implying it would 
have been better for both parties for the WW not to crystallise and 
perpetuate a distinctive identity.

However, *Dumbledore's* actions seem directly contrary to the motto, 
because he is consistently poking at the underbelly of the sleeping 
identity of the WW, criticising it and undermining 'wizarding 
pride'.  It makes one wonder if Voldemort's following came into 
being in reaction to Dumbledore's activity, even if V himself was 
set on his path for more personal reasons.  Perhaps Hermione was not 
the first to form a liberation movement with less wisdom than 
enthusiasm.

David

Draco's dorm has a nun who... oh, never mind