... muggle-borns... off the radar? St. Brutus Academy of Naughty Boys

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 127911


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "quigonginger" 
<quigonginger at y...> wrote:
> 
> > > a_svirn wrote:
> > M.b. it was Dudley who spread the St.Brutus' rumours? After all 
it 
> > was children who were terrified.
> 
> Ginger again: 
> 
> I have to admit ignorance as to what M.b. means.  Sorry about that.
> 
> As to Dudley spreading the rumours, you may well be right.  We 
only 
> know Vernon told Marge that.  We assume he would have told the 
> neighbours, had they asked.  
> 
> Somehow from the way it was worded "they had been warned...(he 
was) a 
> hardened houligan"  struck me as though the parents were doing the 
> warning.  I can't imagine Dudley saying "Watch out for my cousin.  
> He's a hardened houligan."  I can more see him saying "Watch out 
for 
> my mad cousin. He'll suck out your eyeballs as you sleep."  Or 
> something like that.  
> 
> That's just the way I read it.  It could be either, or a little of 
> both.  Or Petunia.  I can just hear her saying "hardened houligan."
> 
> Ginger, glad it's Thursday

a_svirn:
m.b. meant maybe.

I think too it was probably something of both. But I can't imagine 
Vernon discussing his nephew with his neighbours. He would probably 
try to avoid the subject altogether. As for Dudley I believe that 
after the lifetime of bulling his crazy cousin he would have to come 
up with some excuse as to why he suddenly stopped. He couldn't very 
well tell his cronies about magic, so he probably resorted to the 
school for young delinquent's fiction. Probably adding for a good 
measure that Potter had come back even nuttier than usual and it 
safer to leave him alone. 
a_svirn