Gravy/Essentialism/Snape/Ages/Werewolf/PopularHermione/Occlumency/Fidelius

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 140392

GRAVY
Ceridwen wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/139969 :

<< I've been going the other way, that the conjuring of objects (not
gravy, unfortunately!) is merely utilizing existant air molecules and
transfiguring them into whatever is needed at the time. A limited
spell, and when the thing is no longer needed (and maintained), it
evaporates back into air molecules.

On gravy (sauce), and other things that must remain, I think they're
transported somehow, made earlier, and are the property of whoever
summons them. Molly could have a store of sauce in her pantry that she
made all in one day and set aside for use. Or, that she made earlier,
expecting to play hostess to her guests. >>

The sandwiches for two hungry young boys who missed the Welcoming
Feast because they arrived in a flying car must remain, but if the
gravy didn't remain, that would save a few calories (as Steve bboyminn
already said). 

However, my thought on the gravy (other than Freudian imagery!) is
that the magic made the gravy out of ingredients in the kitchen
cabinets.

ESSENTIALISM
houyhnhnm wrote in 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/139982 :

<< The following passage has me still thinking of Dumbledore as
something of an existentialist, though. ""If Voldemort had never heard
of the prophecy, would it have been fulfilled? Would it have meant
anything? Of course not. (snip) Don't you see? Voldemort himself
created his own worst enemy...." (snip) Clearly Voldemort created his
future by chosing to act on the prophecy as he did. I guess the
question is: Did Voldemort have a choice WRT his choice or was he
predestined to chose to act the way he did. >>

I think it remains essentialist to say that the future is NOT
predestined, but HOW the person meets it when it comes is a reflex
rather than a choice. (Hagrid: "What's comin' will come, an' we'll
meet it when it does.")

Jen Reese wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/139983 :

<< But JKR's choosing to hinge a huge theme of her story on the 
idea that blood content means nothing for who a person chooses to
become. >>

You quoted: "You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is
born, but what they grow to be!"

That one seed grows to be a tomato vine and another grows to be a pine
tree is essentialism and predestination, not choice. Essentialism
believes that What a person grows to be depends on his/her essence,
not on choices. The only variation JKR is ringing is that a person's
essence (unlike that of a non-mutated seed) doesn't depend on his/her
ancestry.

SNAPE
Alla wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/139979 :

<< He did not teach in the position he preferred? It is still much
better, IMO, to have a paying job than sitting in Azkaban in close
proximity to dementors. >>

Anything is better than prolonged proximity to Dementors (maybe except
being under prolonged Cruciatis Curse), but I am sure that there were
times at Hogwarts where Snape seriously thought about whether
imprisonment in Azkaban might be *not as bad* as prolonged proximity
to teen and pre-teen students.

Pippin wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/140016 :

<< Of course Sirius would have been briefed on [Snape 'informed Voldie
that Sirius had returned to England? And Voldemort gave Snape
permission to kill Sirius, if he could get away with it'], which
throws an interesting light on the handshake at the end of GoF, and
the almost duel in OOP. >>

Snape and Voldemort could not have already discussed Sirius's return
to Britain when S and S shook hands at the end of GoF, because wasn't
that scene the first that Snape knew of Sirius's return?

Valky wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/140385 :

<< the words subtle and aesthetic? fitting words to describe the
notations in Snapes book, but Snape? Goodness! Snape know aesthetics?
even if it was staring hard into his greasy face, the answer is NO no
no! >> 

"... the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering
fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins,
bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses.... I can teach you how to
bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death ..."

AGES
truthbeauty1 wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/140107 :

<< it appears to me that Filch was around before Dumbledore was
headmaster, maybe even when Riddle was a student, but definitely when
he cam back to ask for the DADA position. >>

In GoF, Molly Weasley reminisces of her and Arthur's student days,
when they were out after curfew and Apollyon Pringle caught Arthur --
he was the caretaker before Filch. (Also, in those days, the
gamekeeper was a man named Ogg.) 

There is some confusion about the parental Weasleys' ages, but no way
are they older than Tom Riddle. I used to believe a theory that they
were in school *with* Riddle, Hagrid, and McGonagall; that's why they
remember the gamekeeper who was replaced by Hagrid when Hagrid took
the job of gamekeeper at the end of his third year. This theory has, I
believe, been shot down by the theory that Hagrid served as apprentice
gamekeeper to Ogg for quite a few years. 

The limit to how young they could be depends on how old Bill (oldest
kid) is. In an interview, JKR said that Bill is two years older than
Charlie who is two years older than Percy (and we know it's a
childbirth every two years until Ginny was just one year after Ron).
In another interview, she had to correct that to Charlie being three
years older than Percy, or else he would have been in seventh year
when Percy was in fifth year in PS/SS.  Even three years isn't enough
to account for BOOK statements about how long since the legendary
Charlie Weasley had played Seeker for Gryffindor. 

>From the book evidence, I originally had Charlie born 1969 and Bill
born 1967, and a gap until Percy in 1976.  The Lexicon gives Molly
born October 30 1950, Bill born November 29 1970, Charlie born
December 12 1972, and Percy born August 22 1976. 
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/timelines/timeline-year-calendar.html

If Molly was born October 30 1950, she would have started Hogwarts in
September 1962 and left June 1969. If she was born earlier or later,
her years at Hogwarts would be correspondingly earlier or later. When
did Riddle apply for the DADA job? If it was before Molly left school,
Filch had not yet replaced Pringle.

Carol wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/140381 :

<< Her seventh year apparently coincides with Sirius's fourth year,
making her about three years older than he is. Since there's another
sister, Andromeda, in between Bellatrix and Narcissa, Narcissa is at
most one year older than Sirius and possibly in the same year as MWPP
and Snape >>

If Andromeda is at most two years older than Sirius and James and
Lily, how was she old enough to have a daughter four years out of
Hogwarts when Harry was 15, in OoP? Andromeda's daughter Tonks was the
young Auror in OoP, in whose "Career Counselling" chapter McGonagall
said that it had been four years since the Auror department had taken
on any newbie. 

OoP started in summer of 1995 with Harry turning 15 because he was
born in July 1980. He still had 3 years of Hogwarts to go (OoP, HBP,
and the 7th book) so Tonks was at least 7 years older than him (3 of
Hogwarts, 4 of Aurory, plus possibly up to one year of having been
born later than the September 1 cut-off for Hogwarts). 15 + 7 = 22,
and 23 is more likely. Born in September 1972 thru August 1973 (hey,
same age as the Lexicon says Charlie is). If Sirius & James & Lily
were born 1959-1960, as seems to be believed nowdays, they were 20
when Harry was born, and 2-years-older Andromeda was born 1957-1958
(like me) and was 15 in 1972-3 when Tonks born. I can't believe that
the sisters weren't born Narcissa, Andromeda, Bellatrix instead of the
opposite order.

WEREWOLF
Magpie wrote in 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/139995 :

<< Bill is the one person who carries lasting physical scars as a
result of what Draco's done, but even with him JKR was careful to not
make him a werewolf >> 

While I completely ignore your very good explanation of Draco's
character development, you just reminded me that that Bill stuff
answers an old question about whether werewolfism is transferred by
the bite of a werewolf all the time or only when in wolf form. (Which
someone raised in regards to kissing Remus....)

POPULAR HERMIONE
Betsy Hp wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/140310 :

<< By HBP she's confident enough to feel she's got her pick of dates
to take to Slughorn's Christmas party. >>

Just to play Devil's Advocate, maybe she was confident that they all
wanted to go to Sluggy's party so much that they didn't care who
invited them.

OCCLUMENCY
Carol wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/140314 :

<< If Harry had been willing and able to learn [Occlumency] (and
hadn't looked in the Pensieve), he could have blocked the fake vision
of Sirius and Sirius would not have died. >>

*sigh* Here we go again. Harry was not receiving LV's thoughts by
anything like normal Legilimency, so why would Occlumency, which
blocks normal Legilimency, block Harry's reception of LV's thoughts?
If Harry was receiving LV's thoughts by normal Legilimency, it would
happen when Harry willed it, not when LV willed it, and it would be
blocked by LV using Occlumency, not by Harry using Occlumency. There
is an argument that DD couldn't tell Harry any classified information
because LV would receive it from Harry's thoughts and that Harry
should learn Occlumency to prevent that, but LV wasn't using
Legilimency to receive Harry's thoughts, so why would Occlumency block
even that?

FIDELIUS
Lolita wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/140354 :

<< Just how did DUMBLEDORE know where to send Hagrid when the place
was hidden by Fidelius Charm? Pettigrew outed the Secret to LV, not to
him. >>

As you quickly mentioned, 12 Grimmauld Place was under the Fidelius
Charm and Harry was let into the Secret by *reading a note written by
the Secret Keeper*. So I figure that Peter as Secret Keeper told the
Secret to Sirius and wrote a note (disguising his handwriting to look
like Sirius's) to tell the Secret to DUmbledore, and DD shared the
note with Hagrid.