State of the DA (was:Fear as a Crime (Re: muggle baiting )

[PJ]

No: HPFGUIDX 156295

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
<justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> But there was a huge difference. Harry learned to cast a Patronus
> using a Boggart that took the form of a Dementor, so he not only 
knew
> the spell but could cast it even while Dementors were sucking out 
his
> happiness (and, of course, he also saw his future self driving away
> Dementors and knew he could do it). The DA members can cast the 
spell
> in the RoR, but they've never used it against even a Boggart
> Dementor--and no one but Harry has a Dementor Boggart, as far as we
> know. 

PJ:

But since the DA meetings were all held in the ROR, anything 
required is available for the asking.  Perhaps even a boggart or two 
to practice on?  The DA members could request the room tuck a couple 
of boggarts in a bureau drawer or something handy like that.  

If Harry himself let it out we know it would turn into a dementor 
and we also know once they're released anyone can interact with it 
(ie: Molly's greatest fears).  So first the kids would learn the 
charm well enough to do it quickly, then they could "graduate" to 
actually working on Harry's boggart-dementors for a taste of the 
real thing.    

>justcarol: 
> Maybe the other DA members, at least the core half dozen, will be 
able
> to use their Patronuses (Patroni?) to communicate with each other, 
but
> I think only Harry can actually use a Patronus to drive away a
> Dementor. 

PJ:

You may be right but the way JKR brought all the parts together... 
the entire DA (including Neville!) able to create something as 
difficult and *advanced* as a corporeal patronus, the ROR, the 
dementors breeding... it just screams dementor attack in book 7 to 
me.  And I'll go out even further on this limb and say the dementor 
attack will either happen at the wedding or in Hogsmead when the 
kids are there for their outing. <g>
 
> Carol, who thinks we'll hear more from some of the DA members but 
that
> they won't be fighting Dementors in book 7
>
PJ,  Who feels the sole purpose of JKR spending so much time telling 
us about how well everyone in the DA learned it was so she could 
have fun writing a huge battle scene between the kids and dementors 
in book 7...