Identifying Enemies/Twins

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 140916

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "hickengruendler"
<hickengruendler at y...> wrote:
> Hickengruendler:
> 
> I have very mixed feelings bout the twins. On the one hand, I think 
> they can be highly entertaining, ... However, on the other hand,
> there are things like the Dudley incident, in which ... are not 
> funny at all, IMO.
>  
> > Finwitch:
> > 
> > You know - Fred *dropped* it. ... He *does* have a valid
> > point on it being Dudley's fault he ate it. ...edited..
> > 

>   
> Hickengruendler:
> 
> It doesn't matter. Fred and George knew very well, that Dudley was
> on a diet and would seize every opportunity to eat a candy, ... 
> Therefore whatever Dudley did, was calculated  by Fred and George.
> 


bboyminn:

Yes, that joke was slightly malicious, but then all joke on another
person are. In short, everyone one likes a joke except the person who
is the butt of the joke.

> Hickengruendler:
>
> However, I don't even think giving Dudley that candy was the worst 
> thing they did this day. The worst thing was *leaving*. ... But in 
> calmly leaving they made it obvious, that they didn't care if Dudley
> had died, ... If Dudley had eaten the Toffee one minute later, he 
> might very well have died.
> 

bboyminn:

Let's not lose perspective, this was a joke product that Fred and
George fully intended to sell to their friends and classmates. It is
extremely unlikely that they would kill a pack of their friends for a
few Galleons profit or even for a few laughs.

Further, it is very likely that the Ton-Tongue Toffee was
self-limiting. That is, much like the Canary Cream, the effect ended
after a period of time and things reverted back to normal. Now, of
course, part of the 'joke' was that Dudley and the Dursleys would have
no way of knowing this, but none the less I am confident that the
spell would have faded in a short time, and Dudley would have been
normal again... or at least normal with respect to his tongue.

> Hickengruendler:
>
> Until book 5, I thought it was simply that JKR and I have a 
> completely different sense of humour, and that JKR can laugh at such 
> black humour, ..., while I can't. 


bboyminn:

Well, you are certainly entitled to your view on 'black humor'. But I
still say that while the twins may be slightly malicious in their
humor, the way all jokes are slightly malicious, I don't think they
are vicious or heartless in their humor. Again, everybody enjoys a
joke except the person who is the butt of the joke. 

So, again, these joke products are just that, joke products. Fred and
George have tested the jokes on themselves, and it seems unreasonable
to think they would sell lethal jokes to any kid who came along, or
that they would perform a lethal joke on some unsuspecting soul. These
jokes have to be safe, by some standard, and self-limiting. They can't
count on someone always being around to perform complex
counter-spells. Nor can they count on individuals like first-years to
be able to know the correct counter-spell. Conclusion, there is no
counter-spell, the joke is self-limiting, and in a short period of
time the 'butt' (or tongue in this case) will revert to normal on his own.

Also take note of Arthur's reaction, he doesn't treat this like
attempted murder. He treats it like what it is, a joke; a joke in poor
taste for sure (as most jokes are), but a joke none the less. He
doesn't seem worried. He seems to understand that there is no danger.
Of course, I admit that the Dursley don't have anyway of knowing that
their is no danger, but I seriously doubt that the Twins are
preforming or selling lethal jokes.
 
> Hickengruendler:
>
> But now I'm not so sure about this anymore. The twins sort of 
> got their come-uppance for pushing Montague into the Vanishing 
> cabinet and not caring at all for what happened to him. It led to
> the Death Eaters storming the castle, and in Fred and George's own 
> brother being disfigured forever.

bboyminn:

And there is more, take the Darkness Powder for example. The Twins
have learned that there can certainly be greater unforseen
consequences to their products. They learn a valuable life-lesson;
they are growing up. 

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn