Rats at Hogwarts (was Cedric and Pettigrew)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 91880

Elihu:
Maybe because the Weasleys were on close terms with Dumbledore, 
they got special permission to allow their son to bring a rat of 
theirs to school. Dumbledore didn't know that this rat is a problem 
until shortly before Percy graduated.
 
Chelle: 
That's on the First years list. In the first book Lee Jordan, a third
> year is bringing his pet tarantula to Hogwarts. Maybe the school wants
> them to get settled and the idea of what type of environment they're
> supposed to be living in before they decide to bring in a complicated
> pet. I would guess, having a tarantula of my own they would have had
> to rearrange the boys dorm for that year to accomidate Lee's pet.
> It would have had to be something Lee felt comfortable with his year
> mates about. 
> Could you imagine arriving your first year terrified of spiders and
> your roomate springs a giant tarantula on you? Cats, toads, and owls
> are pretty safe.
> 

Carol:
Actually, rats are pretty safe, too, much more intelligent and docile
than many people give them credit for being. I see no reason why
Dumbledore would not have allowed a silent exception to the general
rule of which kinds of pets would be allowed for the Weasleys, who
didn't have a large income. And he would have made the exception
twice, once for Percy as a first-year (he would have acquired Scabbers
when he was about five) and again for Ron as a first-year (Percy gave
Scabbers to Ron after he was rewarded for becoming a prefect by being
given his own owl, Hermes).

I don't think that the rule about having a toad OR a cat OR an owl is
absolute in terms of the animals allowed (neither Lee's tarantula nor
Scabbers is shipped back home by the nearest owl). I think it's the
"OR" that's important (and consequently capitalized and repeated):
they're allowed just one animal. I also think that the list includes
the most common and popular pets. If I were DD, I'd have strong
reservations about pet bats and I'd definitely ban dogs, but as long
as the tarantula is kept in his box (and is not an acromantula in
disguise) and the rat spends most of his time in a boy's pocket, I
can't see any reason to make a fuss. Some rules are absolute (you
don't enter the Forbidden Forest without permission) and others are
flexible. If McGonagall can bend the rule about first-years not having
their own brooms, Dumbledore can certainly allow first Percy and then
Ron a pet rat.

Carol