Sam is Back

[hufflepuff0305]

No: HPFGUIDX 90444

Almarë for everyone in HPforGrownups:

There and here back again  is Samwise Weasley, directly from Brazil to
HP4GrownUps, with a more (old) replies:
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About: Neville's Spellcasting abilities and his wand
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"I have in the past hypothisized that Neville's spell-casting ability,
or lack  thereof, was directly related  to the fact that  he was using
someone else's wand.

(...) 

My point here is this: after  he received his new wand, his "own" wand
his ability to use it improved." (Nicole)

I  believe  you're right,  although  not  completely.  I believe  that
Neville's low spellcasting abilities  was the result of: psychological
block (caused by the magically-driven madness of your fathers) and the
use of a not "chosen by" wand (is that right?). 

Your  argument  about   the  wand  is  valid,  so   valid  that  Ron's
spellcasting  abilities are  very  improved in  Prisioner of  Azkaban,
cause he gains a new and "chosen by" wand. 

But, in OotP, we see that Neville has a very great improvement in your
magical  abilities  after  the   Death  Eaters'  escape  from  Azkaban
(remember:  the   Death  Eaters  that  driven  the   Longbottom  to  a
Crucio-induced madness, the Lestrange,  had escaped). Neville saw that
your fathars would  be at risk, and then Neville has  made a effort to
learn more magic.  Remember that  Neville was the firts after Hermione
that learned a spell (I believe that was 'Estupore' or 'Impedimenta').
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About: Stamps
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"In the UK you can buy  stamps in lots of different denominations from
1p upwards, so it would be perfectly possible to cover the envelope in
stamps for  less than £1.   Most common stamps  are 1st class  and 2nd
class stamps which are (I think) 27p and 21p but those values could be
wrong - I post anything that needs posting through work and they use a
franking machine." (Kat Armstrong)

I don't  know if  will interest  for anyone, but  here in  Brazil this
could also be  made. Although we have some  standard stamps for common
posts (I  belive, like  the UK's  1st and 2nd  Class), we  have stamps
based in the value, like "R$  1,00" (more or less US$ 0.33), "R$ 0,50"
(US$ 0,15, aprox.), etc... 
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About: Harry's Potions NEWT
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"In OotP  it was made clear that  OWLs and NEWTs are  conducted by the
MoM, not by  the Hogwarts teachers. Do you have to  be in the official
NEWT class in  order to take the NEWT? Perhaps  not, especially if the
headmaster and deputy are both on your side." (Neri)

I don't think so.

Here in Brazil (okay, that's personal experience, but should be a good
measure) when  we want  to go  to University (I  don't know  about any
other  place in  the world)  we need  to be  approved  in "vestibular"
(that's in Portuguese), a test  of your knowledge in Portuguese, Math,
Physics,  Biology,  etc... But,  although  the  test  is made  by  the
University,  you don't  need to  study in  the University  for prepare
yourself  for  "vestibular".    Indeed,  you  could  make  preparatory
courses, learn by autodidatics, etc...

The NEWT classes is cited in all OotP. But I believe that Harry passed
in your  Potions OWL with the minimum  that Snape want to  be Harry in
the class. And, with Hermione's  and McGonagall's help, I believe that
Harry with catch the good NEWT needed by him to be an Auror. 
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About: Snape's teaching method
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"You could attempt to argue that Snape is doing what he thinks is best
for  Neville, but  I  honestly do  see  it as  abuse.   I'm fine  with
teachers who are  tough on the kids, but  Snape's treatment of Neville
is too much.   He doesn't just criticize his work;  he treats him like
dirt in  front of his peers,  and basically calls him  stupid.  A good
teacher would want to make a student better at their subject and would
recognize that  these scare  tactics are ineffective  after a  year or
two.  While Snape's  methods may work for most, he's  a failure at his
profession  (though admittedly  it's probably  not his  calling) where
some  students are  concerned.   And  I'm not  particularly  a fan  of
Neville, by the way.  That treatment seems awful, though." (Devin)

I will resume  this in a very, VERY,  preconceptual argument: Snape is
Slytherin until his marrowbone! 

I will explain:

I don't  see nothing  wrong in teachers  that are harsh  with students
(some of my best teachers were harsh). But Snape is not harsh: he has,
as we say in Brazil, "dois  pesos e duas medidas" (two weights and two
measures).  In anything that he is involved, he wants (an does as more
than possible) to prejudice everyone in favor of Slytherin. 

I didn't  will have  anything against Snape's  teaching method  if the
measures were equal for everyone. But  you could see in ALL BOOKS that
Snape DELIBERATELY  prejudice Gryffindor, Hufflepuff  and Ravenclaw in
favor of Slytherin. 

I believe  that McGonagall is harsh:  she treats every  student in the
same  terms (she  takes  point  from Gryffindor  when  they make  some
mistake, gives extra  work when they don't have  the expected results,
etc...).  But  McGonagall is  a  good  teacher:  he explain  correctly
everything. If anyone didn't learn, is the student fault only. 

We don't see any  other teacher deliberately prejudicing students. And
don't  come with  the "House  Cup" argument:  we NEVER  seen Flitwick,
McGonagall or Sprout  deliberately prejudincing other houses' students
in favor of their houses'.

"By the way,  I don't think a  teacher needs to be cruel  to prepare a
student for adult life.  They're going to find out the world is a mean
place no matter what and many  of their peers are going to confirm the
presence of "disappoint, sarcasm, or criticism" in the world." (Devin)

I believe that a good teacher should act with wisdom, give prizes (in
any form) for good work and repreendish bad work. Simple that. It's a
good way for anyone learn about consequences of his acts.

"I  was hopeless  at the  subject and  I hated  his guts  for evermore
because he, like Snape, took every opportunity to rub in the fact that
you were not good." (Geoff)

I have a  teacher of Databases in my Computer  Technic school that was
Snapely at the core. He liked to rub for we the we are rubbish, we are
less-than-nothing   comparing    with   his   oh-f$#@ing-lord-so-great
experience. What a  jerk! Snape is bad not because  he is harsh (Snape
is not harsh - at least with Slytherins), he is a bad teacher cause he
is a  mind ripper!  He likes  to make anyone  that isn't  Slytherin to
feeling as dog poo! 
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About: Trelawney
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"But I'm  not so sure  that Umbridge was  under orders from  Fudge via
Malfoy to get rid of Trelawney. I think she merely saw Trelawney as an
easy  target, a  clearly incompetent  teacher  whom she  could use  to
display her authority and power  as High Inquisitor. She tried to fire
Hagrid for the same reason. I  doubt that she was under orders to fire
him because he  could provide valuable information to  Voldemort if he
were captured and tortured." (Carol)

I believe  that Umbrigde could be a  DE, in a more  undercover way. If
she  fired Trelawney,  she  could place  her  out of  the security  of
Hogwarts. I  don't believe that  Voldemort should go to  Hogwarts only
to  catch  Trelawney,  and  send   Umbrigde  to  a  kidnap  should  be
counterproducent: if Umbrigde  is a DE, it should  be more interesting
for Voldemort maintaining that in Hogwarts, (un)teaching the studennts
DADA... 

Realize that. 
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About: Quidditch Theory
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"Suppose we  will then have  to allow a  position for Hermione  on the
Quidditch team.  Hope not, as  she doesn't seem too keen herself.  And
what about Neville? But I like your Quidditch theory." (Jekatiska)

Hermione   should   be   paired   with   Ginny  and   Neville   as   a
"Chaser".   Remember:  she   had   saved  them   with  Devil   Snare's
knowledge. She had taken and prepared polyjuice. She had learned about
the Lupin "disease".  She had taken Scabbers in  Hagrid's hut. She had
helped Harry with spells in GoF. And she had helped Harry to form DA. 

I don't  believe that Ron will  die. My suspects are  others, and more
darker ones... But not involving Ron Weasley.

About Neville: I believe Neville as one of the Chasers or Beaters, but
he's  in game  now. In  Chess Theory,  I believe  that we  had  a pawn
promoted (at least) to knight.
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About: Ron a knight?
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"Why did Ron not choose the  King position for himself?  I'm no more a
chess  expert than  a medieval  expert, but  I think  one part  of the
answer  is  that he  would  not  have been  safe  as  King, since  the
objective of the game is to  checkmate the King. He would also be away
from the  action, since the other  pieces protect the  King. The other
reason is  that Ron did  not see  himself as a  king, but rather  as a
vassal." (Debbie)

A very  loose comparation: Ron's  role in HP  is the same of  Sam's in
LOtR -  he is  the fellow sidekick  for the  hero.  Ron was  the first
*good* wizard  with his  age which Harry  make friendship. Ron was, at
some way, in  all Harry's adventures. Ron supports  almost all Harry's
decisions, even  they are  catastrophic (like the  run to  Ministry of
Magic). I  believe that,  in the  end, Ron will  see the  power within
himself, and  will be ready  to take a  life without being  in Harry's
shadow (even Harry and Ron surviving the final battle).
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About: Snape thrashing Neville
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"So if Snape is Malfoy's lap dog, as Sirius says, would he be bullying
Neville and Harry  for Draco benefit? That is  to insure this behavior
is reported to Lucius?" (Tim)

OK, I believe in two theories:

1-) More  radical: Snape is  a mind ripper!  He likes to  make Neville
    (and any no-Slytherin) go crazy in your classes. Simple that.

2-) The good: Snape need some  credit with Lucius, and the best way to
    take that is  to support Draco in everything. And,  in some way, a
    good way to  make it is to place Draco, at  least in the Pureblood
    circle,  as  "the  best".  Note  that Snape  support  all  Draco's
    humillation   against  Neville,   Ron,   Ernie,  etc...   everyone
    Pureblood.  
    Another way is giving some "liberty" for Draco, prejudicing others
    in favor of Draco. The HP series has a lot of example of this, but
    wse could give the Duel Club and the Duel with Harry (when Draco's
    and Harry's spells hits Hermione and Goyle) in GoF.
    A  third  way  is  to  making Harry  (and  Gryffindors)  having  a
    hell-time in  his classes, and to  permit Draco to  make the same.
    Snape *obviously* have some pleasure  in this, but this is nothing
    compared  with Draco's  pleasure.  "Potter  Stinks" and  the Witch
    Weekly's article in GoF could be, IMHO, good example of this way. 
    I believe that gives Snape  some "points" with Lucius, that is, if
    not the most powerful, the  most trustful (at least, at LV's eyes)
    DE. 
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About: Petunia and wizardry
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"Would she try  to hide her power or  will she be forced to  use it in
order to save herself or her family???" (vmonte)

I believe  that we could  compare a (possibly) Petunia's  awakening to
wizardry  as  the Dragon  Ball-Z's  moment  when  Goku, in  Namekusei,
unleash the SuperSayajin power. 

OK, some OT explanations:

Goku was  fighting by the right  to have the  Namekusei's Dragon Balls
against Freeza. At  some time, Goku and his  friends are dead-ended by
Freeza. Freeza,  to demonstrate his  power, kills Kuririn.  But Freeza
don't know that Kuririn is Goku's best friend. In a anger frenzy, Goku
unleash a  very great  power, that rivalize  with Freeza's  power: the
SuperSayajin power, that  gives Goku the power to  destroy a planet (I
know, this  is REALLY overpower...  But anime without  overpowering is
like HP without Hogwarts). 

Coming back to HP:

The Dursley  will be bullyed by  some DE (Lucius  Malfoy, anyone?). At
some time, at  least one of Dudley or Vernon will  be, at least, badly
injured. All  power that is  locked in Petunia  will unleash in  a one
VERY F#$*ING (sorry  by the badword) big magic,  that will disable the
DE. Petunia  will have two  choices: trying to  continue to live  as a
muggle (and risk yourself for another of this magic, which potentially
could blast one or either of your family - Vernon or Dudley), or going
to Hogwarts to learn how to use magic correctly.

"If so,  Dudley's brush  with a dementor  may have  released forgotten
memories  from his  infancy.  (...)  What if  the  encounter with  the
Dementors released a  vision having to do with  Voldemort, his mother,
or even the death of Potter's parents or Grand parents. Could Dudley's
worst fear  be that  he was  previously attacked by  a Dementor  as an
infant? 

Did Voldemort  get to Petunia before  he got word  from Wormtail about
James and Lily Potter? Did he threaten her family? 

Do you think Petunia sold out  her parents in order to protect her own
family???" (vmonte)

We could trace a thought line  in this way: Petunia and Lilly was born
by the  marriage of one  squib and one  muggle (or two  squibs), which
explain the fact of the parent's hapinness for Lilly going to Hogwarts
(and  still making  him a  muggleborn, 'cause  squibs  are technically
muggles). But,  at some  way, the Evans  knows the Potters,  and Lilly
know James, and so on. As a  way to make some fear in Lilly and James,
LV  kills the  Evans.  Petunia, Vernon  and  Dudley are  saved by  the
protection of  Privet Drive  4, but this  couldn't forbid  that Dudley
says things VERY, VERY wicked. This is mind-blocked by Dudley's psych,
and the things going OK until he is demented...

"Yes, Petunia  is hiding  something big! Her  hatred of  the wizarding
world is very apparent. I'm sure  the last thing she would want is for
her son to have magical powers.  I think it is no coincidence that she
married someone like her husband. She  was looking for a life that had
nothing to do with witches and wizards." (vmonte)

We  could also  note the  Petunia's  obssession for  cleaning and  the
tedious "social meanings"...

"Are Dudley's magical powers being restrained by DD?

Or will Petunia turn out to have magical powers in the end? If so, she
may have to use magic to protect her family. She may even kill someone
important in the DE because she will catch them unawares...

Who really knows, just speculating." (vmonte)

I don't believe  in the chance of  Dudley being a wizard. If  he was a
wizard,  we could  have at  some way  a blast  of magic  thrashing the
dementors when Dudley was attacked (unvoluntary wizardry,  IMHO, has a
standard: the more life-threating the situation, the more powerful the
wizard  "counter-attack"). Okay,  I know  that dementors  disable some
power... but,  being Dudley repressed  so much time, the  magic attack
triggered should  be proportional to the  time (I know,  math is math,
magic is magic, but that's reasonable, even according magic). Even the
dementors could not have power to overcome so much power.

For Petunia: read my  "Magical SuperSayajin" (that was terrible, not?!
:o) ) theory, before
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About: Ships
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"I think he'll end up with  Luna Lovegood. She's a character that just
sees Harry as Harry and not as  "The Boy Who Lived". The fact that she
seems  quite  uninterested  in  his  fame might  just  be  what  Harry
needs...(I  have  NEVER   believed  in  Harry/Hermione,  they're  just
friends.)" (romerskesims)

I need to confess - I'm Neville/Ginny, Ron/Hermione at heart. 

I believe that the Magnet  Theory (opposts attract each one) is valid.
Ron  (calm,  uncommited, etc...)   and  Hermione (serious,  committed,
etc...)   is EXACTLY  opposed each  one. Neville  (only  born, clumsy,
without confidence)  and Ginny  (very brothers, agile,  confident) has
this characteristics also.  And this is showed in  Harry and Luna, and
other ships, like Hagrid/Olympe,  Fleur/Bill and Lupin/Tonks (that's a
very COOL pair). 
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About: Sorting
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I don't  know for  you... But for  me I  believe that the  Sorting Hat
*NOT* split evenly the students in  the house, but I could not stop to
think  that Hufflepuff  has VERY  MUCH  MORE students  than the  other
Houses.  That's because the "default" characteristic of the Hufflepuff
house (understanding: anyone that's not fit to any other house goes to
Hufflepuff).

What do you thinking about that? 
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About: Person Transfiguration
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"Can  transfiguration   be  used  (like   when  drinking  polyjuice)to
impersonate another character (without being a metamorph)?" (vmonte)

I  can't  show  Transfiguration  as  a  mean  of  impersonation,  like
Polyjuice   and   Metamorphomagic   (is   that?).   I   believe   that
Transfiguration can hide the characteristics of someone, but not could
be used for impersonation. 
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About: Animagic
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"For the most  part, anyway, as we must  remember Sirius talking about
how his emotions were simpler when  in dog form, so he could slip past
the Dementors.   But it seems  a very dramatic difference  between the
two." (Taryn)

AFAIK, I  believe that a  animagus maintain a  in-between equillibrium
between his  human and his animal's  mind. He could think  as a human,
but his feelings is more animallistic. 

I don't  believe that  a animagus could  turn yourself in  any animal:
this could  easily invalidate the Animagus' registration  in MOM. And,
here in Brazil, the Indians has the tradition of the "soul animal": he
believes that anyone has a animal spirit in yourself. Thinking this in
HP could lead you to this theory: someone could ONLY animagic yourself
to a animal that correspond with his personal's characteristic. 

Thinking in Maurauders:

* Peter: a rat.   Only think in himself, and has  as sole objective to
  survive.  He don't want  to fight,  so he  hide himself  bihind more
  powerful people;

* Sirius: a  dog. Loyal with  his friends, and very  agressive against
  anyone that  hurts his  friends. He could  sacrifice himself  (as he
  REALLY made) to protect anyone that he loves. 

* James: a  deer. Strong, and  powerful, protects the  friends against
  external threats (like a potential Lupin's frenzy)... 

That's OK to me thinking in this way. Thinking yourselves in this. 

"I suppose that  some of these details also apply to  Krum, who may be
an unregistered shark animagus for all we know, but would have limited
opportunities to use that ability in Durmstrang or Bulgaria." (Carol)

I don't think so... I  believe that a wizard could Transfigurate parts
of himself for parts of  animals, like Krum mades in Triwizard. That's
OK  to  me...  But  a  Animagus  form should  be  more  difficult  and
all-or-nothing: you change TOTALLY to  animal form, or don't change at
all. 

Namarië
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Samwise Weasley                            The Burrow, Bag Road, 9 3/4
Borda da Mata - MG - Brazil                          Nick: Sam_Weasley
hufflepuff at pop.com.br		       	             ICQ #:173799674
samwiseweasley at pop.com.br                MSN: hufflepuffbr at hotmail.com
Linux User #328087
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