Gnomes

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 106145

Alora wrote:
This may sound really, really stupid, but what good are gnomes?
Could they be used in the wizard world somehow, other than to tear
up your garden? <snip>
 
Alina responded:
Erm, why would they have to be useful? There's no law that says every
existing magical creature has to be of some use to Wizards, but it
sounds like something Umbridge would believe. <snip> They're probably
the wizarding equivalent of racoons, moles and other pesky garden pests.

Carol adds:
I was thinking that the Muggle equivalent would be gophers, just as we
have dust mites instead of doxies. But I also think the gnomes are a
JKR-style joke based on the statues of gnomes that many people in the
RW have on their lawns. I think Ron actually says something to that
effect, but I don't have the quote handy. 

If you're not familiar with garden gnomes, check out this site:

http://www.kimmelgnomes.com/

Only JKR's version of gnomes, like her merpeople, doesn't seem quite
as cute as the popular Muggle conception.

Carol