The truth ?

[tinglinger]

No: HPFGUIDX 128295

tinglinger
I am skeptical in my interpretation of any statement
where Dumbledore uses the word "seems"; "seems" is not
a synonym for "is", and you can be entangled in
semantic Devil's Snare if you aren't careful.
 
It is safe to cross the busy intersection.
It seems to be safe to cross the busy intersection.

Tonks:
You may be right. I am one of those people that always
have to be right. And like DD I try never to lie, but
will withhold the truth. 
So if I am 100% sure of something I will make a 
statement that shows that. But if I am not sure, I will
do the same as DD with the "I think", or "it seems",
"some folks have said", etc. SO I have an out if 
(God forbid) I am wrong. Since I didn't make an
explicit statement of fact, then my being "always right"
still stands. So DD *could* be doing the same.  ;-)


tinglinger:
and if you still are uncertain about the difference,
please consider this little snippet from page 10 of
the american edition of SS:

[McGonagall] threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore
here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something,
but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be
if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared
at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he
really has gone, Dumbledore?"
"It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore.


.... I bet even Bagman wouldn't bet on that, Albus ......

tinglinger
who has a yahoogroup called potterplots, that seems
to present interesting theories  ....
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/potterplots