Being Good and Evil /Hermione is Voldemort in making?

[Jordan Abel]

No: HPFGUIDX 155046

On 7/7/06, houyhnhnm102 <celizwh at intergate.com> wrote:
> If every signature on a parchment constitutes a magically
> binding contract, why would Crouch!Moody have needed to
> point out that Harry was magically bound to compete in the
> TWT?  Why would any argument have arisen over Harry's
> withdrawal from the tournament?  Karkaroff and Madame
> Maxine would have known it was a magical contract if
> in their world there is no other kind.

It might not have been clear that it constituted any kind of contract
at all. The problem with his withdrawal was that he _couldn't_, and
apparently because it's magic the fact that he couldn't didn't depend
on any objection. The statement that it was a magical contract may
have been due to the fact that the nature of the goblet as a contract
at all might not have been universally known (it's not exactly a sheet
of parchment with a dotted line that gets signed), or, more cynically,
it was for the benefit of us readers (otherwise, "Why didn't he just
not compete, if he didn't want to" could well have shown up on the
flint list)

> I can think of only one other example of someone signing
> a parchment (other than a letter)--permission forms for
> third-years)--but one can imagine occasions on which
> witches or wizards would have to sign their names--
> transferring property, entering into apprenticeships,
> making wills (We know they make wills). Are all of these
> signatures magically binding?  It's possible, but where's
> the canon support?
>
> What *about* all the letters that go back and forth
> between characters in the Potterverse?  If there is
> something inherently magical about putting one's name
> on parchment, wouldn't it come into play even with a letter?

I think the point was that the goblet was spelled to act as an
instrument entering someone into a magical contract, not that the
slips of paper would ordinarily have acted as contracts. It could well
be that it is a widely known custom that anything of the form "sheet
of parchment with the dotted line at the bottom to sign" is also going
to be a magical contract, and it might be less known that putting your
name on a slip of paper/parchment that you then put in a flaming
goblet would also be, thus the need for explanation.

Or it was for the benefit of the readers.

random832