Keeping the wolf from the door

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 92921

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "greatelderone" <greatelderone at y...> wrote:
x>  
> Oh dear. This is as "neat" as Sirus being able to turn into a dog 
> like his namessake or that the story always climaxed at the end of 
> the school year when they were finished or finishing exams. Just deal 
> with it.
> 
>
Kneasy:
Sirius does not mean 'dog', it just happens to be the brightest star in the
constellation Canis Major. It might be referred to as the 'Dog Star' but 
that is because of its position, not its name. It's a common mistake to 
think the name of the brightest star in the constellation means the same
as the name of the constellation itself. It doesn't. Sloppy  research.
Sirius comes from the Greek Seirios, meaning hot or scorching. More
applicable to his temper than his patronus. 

Greatelderone:
> What difference would it have made? Just because they are registered 
> in the ministry doesn't mean that everyone knows who they are. 
> Perhaps the ministry also helped keep Lupin and his lycanthropy a 
> secret. I mean afterall Dumbledore was fairly well known even back 
> then and he might have had some influence in Lupin's lycanthropy 
> being kept a secret.

Kneasy:
You mean they keep a register of dangerous individuals (at a time 
when there was no treatment) and then help slip one  of them into a 
school? Sorry, can't  believe that. 
DD  definitely tried to keep  his lycanthropy a secret, in fact  he was
responsible for getting him into the school, but he'd keep the Ministry
in the dark. 
 
 
Greatelderone: 
> You're forgetting that the hat was also based on choice. Harry chose 
> Gryffindors over the Slytherins just as Hermione chose the 
> Gryffindors over the Ravenclaws during her first discussion with 
> Harry and Ron aboard the train. No doubt Lupin did the same thing.
> 

Kneasy:
Not so. Harry appears to influence the Hat, but there is no evidence that
anyone else ever has. Hermione admits that the hat did  consider  putting
her in Ravenclaw "...but it decided on Gryffindor in the end." (OoP chap 19.)
In PS/SS she says that "...I hope I'm in Gryffindor...but Ravenclaw wouldn't
be too bad." Not exactly a desperate yearning, is it? She'd have accepted 
either one.

Greatelderone: 
> Possibly a wolf. It'd make sense why it was hidden since one of the 
> main secret points of the story was that Lupin was a werewolf. Having 
> his patronus kept hidden would have helped Rowling in making sure we 
> didn't connect the dots regarding Lupin.
>

Kneasy:
Why a wolf? The form of a patronus is innate, lycanthropy is a disease.
Hell of a coincidence to produce a patronus to  match a disease 
contracted in childhood. 
A  wolf patronus  would be a  bad sign, much worse than Peter's rat,
and it seems to be completely alien to his natural character.
Of course, it  may yet turn out to be a wolf if Remus is on the wrong 
side, though if it were it  would  have taken up a lot of room in the
railway carriage. No, his name is hint enough (hint? It's a flashing 
signboard!) to anyone who reads a smattering of mythology, history
or natural history. And if you have even a smidgeon of Latin...

  
Greatelderone: 
> Perhaps one of the effects of being a half-human werewolf. Have we 
> seen the dementors effecting any of the half-humans? 
> 
Kneasy:
You think he's half human? We must be reading different books.
Anyway Hagrid (a half-human) was most certainly afraid of being sent
to Azkaban in CoS. No, Lupin's behaviour smacks  of familiarity with
Dementors, and where would he have gained that?

Greatelderone:
 > Why can't you accept the fact that he  was weak? There are people 
> like him in real life and it'd explain all of his actions.

Kneasy:
Simple. Because I don't believe he is weak. Pettigrew  was weak. He 
doesn't bluster like Sirius, but what does that prove? His demeanor and
civility are more reminiscent of DD than anyone else. Anyone that quiet
and restrained usually has a backbone hidden away ready to show itself
when needed.