The Floo Network and the Gryfindor Common Room

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 104085

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at y...>
wrote:
> Bren wrote:
> Perhaps there are all sorts of charms/old magic protection which 
> create a barrier in front of the Gryffindor fireplace.  ...

 
> Beth responded: 
> I've noticed, though, that we never see anyone else use the 
> fireplaces at Hogwarts. Molly doesn't use it to yell at or visit the 
> kids, Dumbledore sends Bill with the message for Arthur instead of 
> of flooing, etc. I suspect that in general the fireplaces at 
> Hogwarts, or at least the student area ones, don't work. However, 
> Sirius is aware of some loophole from his marauder days that lets 
> him slip by. 
 
 
> Carol notes:
> But notice that Snape summons Lupin to his office using Floo powder
> and in PoA Umbridge reaches into the Gryffindor fireplace to grab
> Sirius by the hair, presumably intending to pull his entire body 
> into the fireplace in OoP. ... edited...
> 
> Carol, ...


Asian_lovr2:

First a general comment-

Look at the Floo/Fireplace Network as a telephone system. Then exand
that to include a large private telephone network similar to what you
would find in a large office. The internal office telephone system is
tied to but independant of the public telephone system. Even when the
public system is not working, the private inter-office system still
works. 

Also, it is the company who controls the inter-office private system.
They can make their own rules that are independant of the public
system. Example, the can block certain calling prefixes for individual
users. They can determine who gets to use the system as an intercom or
interoffice phone, and who has access to the external public phone system.

So, back to Hogwarts; Hogwarts controls the restrictions on their
inter-castle Floo system. They are free to allow full-body travel
while at the same time restrict access to people outside Hogwarts. I
see no condflict here.

As far as Molly calling or students calling home, I would counter by
asking how often you called home when you were in college, or boarding
school if you went to boarding school? Not very often I think,
probably no more than was mandatory. 

Also, to make an outgoing call, students much have a supply of Floo
Powder. In addition, part of the restriction may be allowing incoming
calls in an emergency, but restricting outgoing calls. Other than
Harry using Umbridge's fireplace have we ever seen anyone make an
outgoing call? 

In additon, I think parents learned a long time ago not to suddenly
appear in the common room fireplace and embarass their kids in front
of their friends and classmates. The Floo Network doesn't seem to give
'callers' much privacy. Imagine having the whole common room here your
mother tell you to be sure and put on clean underwear everyday, or to
be sure and rub potion on that nasty rash. Mother can be so insensitive.

Now to directly address Carol's concerns about Umbridge. What was
Umbridge planning to do if she did manage to get hold of Sirius's
head? I really don't think she could have pulled him through and into
the Hogwarts castle. That seems to go directly against Hogwarts
protections. 

So, I speculate that she was planning to hold Sirius until the Floo
Network could trace his location. That seems a very dangerous thing to
 do on Umbridges apart. I can speculate that there are way that Sirius
could have harmed her through the Floo Network, but that would indeed
be highly speculative. However, I think Sirius could have easily
overpowered her and gotten away. 

Although, she may have been able to lift the protecting restriction,
but if it's that easy to do, the protections certainly aren't very
strong. Plus, I think she would have had to lift the restriction on
the Gryffindor fireplace. She would have had to first pull him into
the Gryffindor fire, then from there pull him into her own fireplace.
Don't see how that could be done very easily. 

So, I'm back to her holding him until he could be traced, or she could
summon help to go make the necessary changes to the castle protections
and Floo Network so Sirius could be captured. 

In the end though, more and more, I think there are some question that
just weren't meant to be asked.

Steve/asian_lovr2