sexism/discussion questions/PLUMBING!/shark Transfiguration/vanishFood

[Berit Jakobsen]

No: HPFGUIDX 88490

Constance Vigilance wrote:
Which makes one wonder why Krum would choose to become a *shark*!! He 
might have *eaten* Hermione instead of rescuing her. Why not a cute
dolphin or something, not only not as lethal, but smarter, too! >>

Catlady wrote:
But I suppose that JKR had her reasons ... Krum is more able to 
Transfigure himself into a shark than a dolphin because he is really 
a bloodthirsty and stupid DarkSider despite his good taste in beloved 
girls ... or because he is part-shark and that's why he could have a 
morning swim in the frozen lake ... Durmstrang teaches self 
Transfiguration into sharks not dolphins because Durmstrang is 
evil ...   

Berit replies:

Canon provides a plausable explanation to why Krum attempted to 
transfigure himself into a shark rather than a dolphin: A dolphin is 
a mammal; a shark is a fish. Mammals are considered more complex 
creatures than fish. We've learned in McGonagall's Transfiguration 
classes that the more complex the organism, the more difficult it is 
to transfigure something into it. I guess it's hard enough to 
transfigure yourself into a big shark, but even more hard to do a 
dolphin... So Krum opted for the "easy" choice. Which was so 
difficult he only managed it halfway.

Berit
http://home.no.net/berjakob/snape.html