Parselmouths among great and good?

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 144787

> > Ceridwen: 
> > Yet, it's as much canon that Dumbledore says there are 
Parselmouths 
> > among the great and good.  We see no examples of these great and 
good 
> > people.  Dumbledore doesn't give us any.  Neither does anybody 
else. 
> 
> Potioncat:
> I think DD means two people we saw, but didn't know we saw: 
himself and 
> Harry. They understood what was being said in the memories about 
the 
> Gaunts. 

Alla:

Potioncat - do you have the links to the discussion about Dumbledore 
understanding Parseltongue? I remember skimming it, but would love 
to reread carefully.

Personally I always thought that the reason Dumbledore understood 
originally was partially due to his Legilimency skills ( I think 
that Gaunts would still think in English, not Parseltonngue. Of 
course just speculating here) and he understood it in his memory, 
because he understood it originally.

Besides, if Dumbledore understands Parseltongue AND speaks it, 
wouldn't he have heard Basilisk wondering around in Pipes in CoS, 
just like Harry did and wouldn't he be able to open Chamber then?

I am not sure, right now I am hesitant to put down Dumbledore as 
great and good Parselmouth number 2. :-) Am I again missing some 
obvious thing about his behaviour in CoS?


Potioncat:
<SNIP>
> But what if 
> Snape speaks it as well? (Parseltongue, not French.)

Alla:

LOL! Great and good Snape. Forgive me, but I am even more hesitant 
for now to put him down as number 3. :-)

 
> Potioncat, who has been bouncing and now knows what Draco felt 
like.
>

Alla:

LOL! Don't you want to kick Yahoomort and hard?

Ceridwen:
<SNIP>
> No one discusses Dumbledore's words here.  Everyone does seem to 
> think that Parselmouth = Evil despite, or maybe they're ignoring, 
> what Dumbledore says.  Will we meet or hear about a great and good 
> Parselmouth in book 7?  Should this be another thing on the list 
of 
> things to look for?  Or is this another way of saying that you 
can't 
> judge a group by the actions of individuals within that group?  If 
> so, it seems to me that we should still either meet or hear about 
> these great and good people Dumbledore mentions.
> 


Alla:

Exactly, Ceridwen. If they DO exist, I want to meet them, it is the 
same as with Good!Slytherin (I am not going into debating whether 
Snape is good or not, I am ONLY talking about students). Yes, JKR 
says they are not all bad ( which is very modest praise, if you ask 
me - she does not even say that the majority of them is good kids), 
but where is one good kid at least? Where?


JMO of course,

Alla