"Erm.." in OOtP (Vampire!Snape whose side you on NOw?)

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 125428



 --- In the interests of finding the truth about Snape and Vampires, 
I, Valky provided evidence from OotP as to what meaning is ascribed 
to "Erm" (as in "Erm.. I don't think so" the answer given by JKR 
when questioned about Snape and Vampires in an online chat) in 
writing by JKR and concluded that Jo is either:
  
  VERY nervous.
  
  Or
  
  She is ummm telling a little white lie.

Through a count of instances amounting to: 
  
Nervous = 5 times
Lying = 4 times



--- antosha replied:

Actually, I make that:
 
Trying to think of something to say when nothing polite or 
appropriate comes to mind=9 times
 
In each of those cases, the speaker (usually either Harry or 
Hermione) is having an emotional response--either to what is being 
discussed or to something else that's going on--but doesn't want to 
vent. So they say, "Erm..." and veer slightly.

My read on the "Erm... I don't think so" quote  was that she was 
biting back a far more... vivid response, along the lines of "Give 
it a break, people! You've got to be #*&$#* kidding me!" But then, 
that's just me.
   
Valky now:

LOL, I had always agreed with you on that until recently, Antosha. 
My first intuition regarding the Erm ... was that it was intended 
sacrcastically. Probably, most closely resembling this quote from 
OOtP:

" ' .......... Cedric - did he - in - in - mention me at all before 
he died?'
This was the very last subject on earth Harry wanted to discuss, and 
least of all with Cho.
'Well - no -' he said quietly. There - there wasn't time for him to 
say anything. Erm
 so
 d'you
 d'you get to see a lot of Quidditch in 
the holidays? You support the Tornados, right?'
  
Here I see Harry reacting *nervously*. But there is also the fact 
that Cho is asking a ridiculous question..... 

But Harry is not being sarcastic here towards Cho, and so I have 
needed to rethink my assumption that Erm meant sarcasm to JKR, 
especially after I added my own analysis on the rest of the 
OotP "Erm.."s

" 'Thanks,' said Hermione. 'Erm - Harry - could I borrow Hedwig so I 
can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased - I mean prefect is 
  something they can understand.' "

In this scene Hermione is talking to the dreaded CAPSLOCK!Harry that 
we see in the early chapters of the book.
In OOtP Hermione frequently proves her ability to intuitively know 
what another is thinking, and here Harry is thinking he is jealous 
not to be a prefect. It's no great leap to assume that Hermione has 
a pretty good idea of what's going on and that it's Harry who is 
going to vent, not Hermione.  So I essentially take this as close to 
the same meaning as the quote above, Hermione is reacting 
*nervously*.

So far the emerging pattern is that the speaker is trying to avoid 
stepping, even gently, on the sensitive feelings of the listener. 
Perhaps Jo thinks we take Vampire!Snape far too seriously.. next 
quote:

  Cho had called him brave
 she did not hate him for being alive

  ...........    
  'What are you looking so pleased about?' said Ron, eyeing Harry in 
  surprise.
  'Erm
 Quidditch later,' said Harry happily, 

Now here we have an entirely different kettle of fish. In this scene 
Harry is cheerfully thinking over his blooming relationship with 
Cho. Something rather personal to him, so when he is asked about 
it... he ummm tells a *little* porky. (A lie) 
Fact is he *wasn't* thinking about Quidditch at all, he was thinking 
about Cho and Erm.. was his way of keeping that to himself.
This is the first of a few situations where the speaker who says 
Erm.. is hiding something.
  
  'Er,' said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out of 
  nerves. 
  ............ 
  'Well
 erm
 well, you know why you're here. Erm
 well, Harry here 
  had the idea - I mean' (Harry had thrown her a sharp look) 'I had 
  the idea.

Hermione "erm.. LIE - I mean (no erm) TRUTH."

  'There are no footsteps leading away from your cabin door.'
  'Well, I
 I  don' know why that'd be
' said Hagrid ..... 'Erm
'
  
Hagrid is LYING to conceal that he has brought Grawp to Hogwarts.

  And what do you think of them?' 
  .......
  'Erm,' said Neville nervously, with a glance at Hagrid. Well, 
  they're
 er
 OK
"

Neville is LYING to protect Hagrid (Harry's friend) from the menace 
of Umbridge. At this moment Neville is terrified of the Thestrals. 
That's FOUR times that someone is *hiding something* behind "Erm..". 
So has Jo unintentionally ( or intentionally) given us her shorthand 
for "I have something to hide" ?

  'Erm
 special in what way?' asked Hermione tentatively

Hermione is remembering the Skrewts and is worried that the kind of 
special Hagrid is talking about is the kind that's illegal, painful 
and unpleasant to the average non-creature-obsessed folk. She 
asks "tentatively" indicating some nervousness.

  'Erm
 anyway,' said Hagrid, clearly struggling ....
  his lesson, 'so - Thestrals. ...'
  
Hagrid is being inquisited by Umbridge, he is not holding back a 
nasty comment IMHO, he is just plain rattled by her prescence. 
A quote from a few lines above:

"Hagrid stared at her, clearly at a complete loss to understand why 
she was acting as though he did not understand normal English. "  

Umbridge has Hagrid on the back foot in this scene, he's struggling 
with nerves not veangeful feelings.
  
  'Erm
 there's another Hogsmeade trip next month, 
  did you see the notice?'
  'What? Oh, no, I haven't checked the noticeboard since I got back.'
  
Erm.. Dating = Nerves. Full stop, right?

Now I still personally use "erm.." to denote a hint of sarcasm but, 
in short, I can no longer assume that JKR uses it that way .

Additionally Erm.. seems to be a relatively new shorthand in the 
books.  There is no trace of it in PS/SS or COS or POA. Though it 
appears a few times in the latter part of GOF.

Hermione says it twice, both times when she is hesitant to avoid 
saying something that might hurt the feelings of another (Hagrids 
Ponytail and Harry and Ron's argument), however gentle. And Harry 
says it later, when he is thinking back quite hard to remember what 
happened to his wand at the QWC, in the cave with Sirius. This case 
with Harry is the only one I have found where the speaker is *not* 
hiding something. Unless he is?

In any case, once translated from the books erm.. seems to have a 
good chance of meaning that JKR does have something to hide about 
Vampire!Snape, even if it is only to spare the feelings of those who 
love the theory so passionately.

Valky