Killing/Persecution/Pettigrew/Marriage-Professors,Contract/HogwartsSexSnog/17

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 155098

Glykonix wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/154747>:

<< (although I always questioned how did he plan to kill Sirius, I
don't believe he knew any useful spells) >>

Remember in PS/SS, Ron knocked a troll unconscious with its own club,
using the Levitation (Wingardium Leviosa) spell. I believe that a blow
which would knock a troll unconscious would kill a human, so Harry
could have killed Sirius by Levitating ny large piece of furniture and
hitting him with it. Perhaps he could have set Sirius on fire like
Hermione set the Devil's Snare on fire in PS/SS. The amount of emotion
he would put into it ought to create a fire too large to be beaten out
by hand. My own favorite idea is to Transfigure his aorta into tissue
paper, which would instantly moisten and tear and the victim would die
of *massive* internal hemorrhage.

Neri wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/154773>:

<< From her point of view we have Newt Scamander, Bathilda Bagshot and
Prof. Binns all agreeing that persecutions by muggles weren't a danger
for true wizards. >>

Not Professor Binns. CoS has him saying: "You all know, of course,
that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date
is uncertain - by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age.
The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga
Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this
castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when
magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered
much persecution."

(I emphasize that last phrase "witches and wizards suffered much
persecution." The wizarding folk aren't as safe from Muggles as they
tell their children they are.)

"Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to
Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within
all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage,
believing them to be untrustworthy."

(I emphasize that last word, "untrustworthy".)

<< Also, in the pretty long list of "famous wizards" cards and "Wizard
of the Months" in JKR's site I can't recall a single wizard who was
persecuted or hurt by muggles in any way. >>

Hengist of Woodcroft was on a Famous Wizard card in PS/SS. The Lexicon
says he was: "Founder of Hogsmeade. Driven away from his home by
Muggle persecutors, Hengist is supposed to have settled in Scotland
where he founded the village of Hogsmeade. Some say the Three
Broomsticks used to be his home (fw11, CS/g)."

Betsy Hp wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/154945>:

<< Seriously, it seems fairly obvious to me that there was a conflict
between Muggles and Wizards and the Wizards lost. They lost so badly
they not only went into deep, deep, *deep* hiding (erasing everything
but the barest whisper of their existence) they took their *animals*
with them!! >>

This is a forbidden 'I agree' post, except that I'm not sure a flying
carpet -- an Axminster that seats 12 -- isn't better than a car. It
can go off-road without tearing up the environment or its suspension.
It can swerve up or down, not just left or right, to avoid a
broke-down vehicle in lanes. No need for traffic to stop on one street
for traffic to be able to go on the cross-street: just have travellers
on the cross-street go over (or under) the other street. And I'm sure
there are more anti-cold, anti-wind, anti-rain charms than Impervious
to keep travellers more comfortable than in an open car, exposed to
the weather.

Magda wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/154816>:

<< This was Sirius' and James' real blind spot where Pettigrew was
concerned. Unlike their own comfortable situations where they didn't
need fulltime jobs but could throw themselves into Order work,
Pettigrew (like most of humanity, wizard or muggle) had to get a job. >>

You're probably right, but do you have canon for Pettigrew not being
rich, too? 

Someone pointed out that Peter Pettigrew's given name and family name
both mean 'to become smaller', as in 'to peter out' and 'to grow
petty', but the sound of 'pettigrew' reminds my ears a little of
'pedigree', so I like to think to think he's another Pureblood.

<< for the reasons I listed in my original post, I still think it was
Bagman. >>

I can't decide at all whether Bagman is as big an idiot as he seems
and really was tricked by Augustus Rookwood, or if he is a deliberate
Death Eater. I think it would be difficult to pretend to be an idiot
24/7 for years.

Whirledgirl wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/154848>:

<< I can definitely imagine certain members of staff being married,
maybe Prof. Sprout, Madam Pomfrey... >>

My opinion, with no canon to cite, is that Professor Sprout is married
and a great-grandmother. I used to think her first name was Beatrix,
nickname Beatty, but JKR said it's Pomona. JKR has not yet prevented
me from saying her husband is named Basil, their son Ben, their
daughters Jacaranda and Acacia. Basil Sprout is also a respected
herbologist and spends the school year travelling the world searching
for new magical plants.

And Madam Pomfrey is a widowed grandmother; her hypothetical husband
Herb was killed in the First Voldemort War.

I think most of the Hogwarts staff are old enough that their children
(if any) are grown-up.

houyhnhnm wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/155052>:

<< I am intrigued by the idea that any signature in the WW has magical
consequences. Maybe that's why we don't see any divorces. "'Til death
do us part" is not only literally interpreted, it is magically
enforced. Cheat on your mate and you end up the recipient of a nasty
hex. Abandon your spouse and you die. >>

I like that idea, but can't twiddle it to cope with Janus Thickey, who
pretended to have been consumed by a Lethifold but really ran off to
live with the landlady of the Green Dragon.

We haven't discussed Lethifolds recently. People used to speculate
that they were the larval form of Dementors.

<< (Makes me wonder, if Madam Zabini is guilty as charged by rumour,
how she pulled it off.) >>

She killed them, not deserted them.

Distayi wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/154929>:

<< how many children [Hogwarts] loses to teenage pregnancy. After all
you have what 20 adults watching over several hundreds of students? >>

Very very very few. Me, I am convinced that the wizarding folk have
all kinds of simple, easy, and effective contraceptive spells and
fertility spells, because those are high among the major thing that
Muggles have sought from witches and wizards since before history, so
the wizarding folk have had *lots* of time and motivation to develop
them and improve. 

In the past, other listies argued with me, asserting that Hogwarts
students aren't into sex. A kiss is a big, big deal to them. It might
be cultural Victorianism, but I think Muggle-born students would
introduce different cultural ideas. It might be something about the
magic gene -- wizards live longer than Muggles (JKR said so,
specifying that Dumbledore was 150, in two different interviews
connected with GoF publicity campaign, altho' one would never guess it
from the birth and death dates on her Famous Wizard cards or family
trees) because of the magic gene, and after some point they age slower
than Muggles, so maybe it also causes their sexual urges to develop
slower than their adolescent bodies. 

Or, considering the lack of sex scandals among the staff, perhaps
there is an anti-sex spell on all of Hogwarts Castle. 

Eric Oppen wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/155032>:

<< Of course, this could backfire---"This looks like a group I'd like
to join!" she announces, as she grabs Snape, who starts looking around
frantically for escape...*evil snickering* >>

This is an even more forbidden "LOL" post.

Carol wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/154882>:

<< the arbitrary decision of the WW to make seventeen the age of
majority >>

I suppose it has something to do with their love of prime numbers,
like seventeen Sickles are one Galleon, 29 Knuds are one Sickle.
Still, it would have been equally prime to have 13 Sickles to the
Galleon and come of age at 19. If 17 shares some of the powerful magic
of 7, then base 10 is less arbitrary than I think.