Parselmouths among great and good?

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 144789


> Alla:
> 
> Potioncat - do you have the links to the discussion about 
Dumbledore 
> understanding Parseltongue? I remember skimming it, but would love 
> to reread carefully.
Potioncat:
Found it! I think this is the first of the posts that discuss it.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/143253


> Alla:
> 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.

Potioncat:
But wasn't one of the memories from the inspector? DD wouldn't have 
been able to use Legilimency on the people in that man's memory. 
Also, I had the feeling the parseltongue was the family's primary 
language. So woulddn't they think in it rather than English?

>Alla: 
> 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?

Potioncat:
Guessing here. What if DD just never happened to be near pipes when 
the Basilisk was "speaking"? Or even if  he did know what it was, the 
way Harry found the entrance was by talking to Myrtle. We've wondered 
before why DD didn't talk to her himself. Or maybe you do have to be 
the Heir of Slytherin to get in, and the Bit O'Voldy in Harry did the 
trick.

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

Potioncat:

OK, maybe even the just-short-of-horrible can speak it.

Actually, Snape doesn't have to understand the Parseltongue. But he 
sees Harry not only understanding Parseltongue, but giving orders to 
and being obeyed by a snake. That must have really endeared him to 
the boy. Of course, I'm not sure if LV had Nagini in the old days.
 


> Ceridwen:
  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.

Potioncat:
Or,  he could just mean Harry.

More importantly he could have meant that being a Parselmouth doesn't 
mean a person is bad. I think that discussion happened years ago 
here. Why was it so horrible that Harry could speak Parseltongue and 
why did that make him "bad"?