Absolutist/Boggart&Patronus/HappyMarriage/Floo$/Evil/NameMagic/Martyrdom/Rats

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 104362

Katie anthyroserain wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/104168 :

<< It seems to me (though I may well be wrong) that HP fans are
often quite absolutist about the characters in the books. There's a
tendency to see characters as overwhelmingly evil or good, begetting
character assassination and complex theories (frequently involving
charms and spells to affect personality) to justify a "good"
character's morally ambiguous choices. My question is, why do we
need characters to be overwhelmingly one thing or another, to a
degree that would be unrealistic in real life? >>

I think it is that a lot of *posts* are absolutist, rather than that 
a lot of fans are. One thing, a person may have very strong, even
absolutist feelings, about one or two or three characters and see the
rest in shades of gray, but be more likely to post to a thread about
which he/she has strong feelings. Another thing is, the discussions
get adversarial. If someone posts that X is all bad or all good,
people who are equally absolutist on the other side will reply. People
who a nuanced view of X may sigh that they don't want to get into
*that* debate again. When someone posts that X is totally perfect and
good in every way, the person with a more nuanced view might reply by
mentioning some of X's imperfections. That doesn't mean that they
think X is absolutely bad and evil, but sometimes people read their
posts that way.

LZiner asked in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/104216 :

<< Anyone venture a guess on the forms of the boggart and or patronus
for:

James
Sirius
Dumbledore
Snape
Peter >>

I have an idea that two different Boggarts might take different forms
to represent the same worst fear to the same person -- in canon,
Hermione's fear of (academic) failure inspired a Boggart to take the
form of McGonagall telling her that she had failed every exam. Imho, a
different Boggart might have sensed the same fear and turned into a
parchment letter conveying the same information. 

James probably had some very ordinary Boggart when he was a schoolboy,
such as a manticore or seeing his broomstick broken, but once he grew
up, I imagine his Boggart was seeing his wife and child dead or
tortured. The nose-biting teacup idea was hysterically funny and seems
plausible, but I suspect James ('arrogant') was one of those people
who believe that they themselves (their strength, cleverness, luck,
etc) are their own best protection, and so would have had a stag as
Patronus. 

When Sirius was a schoolboy, his Boggart may have been his mother, but
when he became actively involved in the fight against Voldemort, it
may have changed to something related to that battle: seeing his
friends dead, seeing Dumbledore (his leader) dead, seeing Voldemort
triumphant. I think Potioncat was right that, after Azkaban, his
Boggart would be a Dementor. I think he was even more self-confident
('arrogant') than James and therefore had a big dog as Patronus.

I think Dumbledore's Patronus is a phoenix (not an original idea). I
think at this time his Boggart would be Harry dead, defeated by
Voldemort. Partly because of the affection he unexpectedly came to
feel for Harry, but mainly because Harry is his only weapon against
Voldemort, so he can't afford to lose that weapon before victory.  

I'm confused about what his Boggart would have been back in the first
Voldemort war, or before that when he defeated Grindelwald ... Not
Voldemort, because he isn't afraid of Voldemort. Not a Dementor,
because he isn't afraid of Dementors. Not seeing the wizarding
government act like a bunch of idiots, because he's seen that so many
times already. Seeing his good students choose evil, maybe...

I suspect that Snape doesn't have a Patronus, due to not having any
happy memories. (Yes, Andromeda!) I think his greatest fear is that he
might rejoin the Dark Side, altho' I'm not quite sure how that would
be represented as a Boggart -- even in the Mirror of Raef Tsepeed,
seeing himself kiss LV's hands or torture a captive would be merely
things he does for his (non-canonical) role as double agent... Maybe
it's a look of being disappointed in him on DD's face... 

Peter is afraid of dying. His Boggart would be the person or thing
whom he feels is most likely to kill him. I suspect that as a
schoolboy, it would have been falling from a great height to which all
the Marauders had climbed...  During the war, it would have been
Voldemort or a powerful Death Eater. In books 3, 4, and 5, it would
have been Sirius. Maybe now it's Aurors.  

Joceyn wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/104220 :

<< Arthur does also serve to show a loving marriage-bond in action. It
really doesn't seem as if Harry has seen many normal happy families -
and while this is definitely not a perfect marriage, it is a happy one. >>

Loathsome as the Dursleys are, Vernon and Petunia appear to love and
help each other.

Lee Storm wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/104246 :

<< Now, considering the bit with the age restriction on apparation and
that portkeys are controlled (mentioned by Fudge near the end of
OOTP), and broomsticks are awfully visible, the only thing left that
any witch/wizard can use is...floo powder. So, the whole thing about
socio-economic falls apart, IMO. >>

Maybe there is another, cleaner and easier, method of underage travel
that we readers don't know about because it is Very Expensive. I
suppose it is even possible that there are different brands or grades
of Floo Powder and the more expensive ones make you travel cleaner and
less dizzily than the cheaper ones ... 

Kneasy wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/104273 :

<< This is going too far for some - Snape is evil, full stop. Why?
because he's rude and sarcastic to some students. The fact that such
behaviour appears to be accepted without demur in the WW passes some
people by. Because it is unacceptable in their RL it must, in the
opinion of some posters be totally unacceptable in HP too. Not so. HP
ain't real. JKR has written her own rules for the WW and probably for
good reasons. I'm quite happy to string along until she tells me
different. >>

I don't believe that Snape is evil, but it certainly seems to me that
being evil "appears to be accepted without demur in the WW". Not
merely that Lucius Malfoy is so respected despite being known to all
to have lied his way out of punishment for being a Death Eater, but
also the entirely overground existence of Knockturn Alley and its
shops so indicates. It appears that the Black family was
well-respected despite having a house full of Dark artifacts. We don't
hear of the Daily Prophet raking any muck about Dumbledore inviting
people from Durmstrang into Hogwarts Castle even tho' Durmstrang has a
reputation for teaching Dark Arts.

Valkie wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/104274 :

<< Harry and Voldemort are equals. This is because of choice*,
Voldemort chose his equal.
He marked him, as an equal. How did this happen? Another complex spell
model that we could discuss in more detail but JKR already revealed
the majority of its inner workings to us. What is not said about it is
that it has a result equal to the last one.

A name. >>

That name being The Boy Who Lived?

<< They have both already been killed! >>

Has Harry already been killed?

Your whole post is very interesting and original and I'm sorry I don't
have more comments on it.

Wanda wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/104295 :

<< So I think Harry misunderstands Dumbledore at the end - he thinks
that this is going to come down to a contest between him and
Voldemort. It is, but it's a suicide mission. Dumbledore doesn't come
out and say it like that, so I think that Harry might be thinking that
his job is to kill or be killed, and that's bad enough for any kid.
But he doesn't realize that in order for the plan to succeed, he CAN'T
survive. He is doomed. Rowling will eventually explain how his death
will also bring about Voldemort's "vanquishing", but that the two go
together I have no doubt. >>

This is a forbidden "I agree" post.

Jen wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/104351 :

<< If JKR tells me Pettigrew turns into a rat when he transforms, then
we find out he ratted out his friends, that's enough information for
me to (snip) wonder why they never suspected Pettigrew was the spy? >>

They probably assumed that Peter's rat form reflected the reality of
rats rather than the metaphor of rats. Pets rats (so I have been
assured by people who keep them) are clean and intelligent and
friendly and loving. Rats leave a sinking ship? What has the ship ever
done that they should go down with it? Brought a tomcat or a terrier
on board to hunt them!