[HPforGrownups] Re: JKR site update WOMBAT part 2 - RESULTS / House Elves loyalty

[Magpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 159203

> Hickengruendler:
>
> I hope it is okay to do this here and not on the Off-Topic, since it
> does include speculation about Canon, after all.

Magpie:
This might be interesting!  I do remember what I answered for these:

>> 1. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
>>
>> -Hags eat small children
>> -Inferi cannot speak
>> -Goblins fear sunlight
>> -There are no female centaurs
>> -Vampire bites are curable nowadays

Magpie:
I answered Inferi can not speak.  It seemed to fit what they are and I also 
agree they'd lose their creepiness if they talked.

>> 2. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
>>
>> -Ghosts can cause movement of both liquid and gas
>> -Freshwater merpeople are less warlike than salt
>> -The werewolf's snout is shorter than that of the true wolf
>> -There are no male veela
>> -Hags have four toes on each foot

Magpie:
I chose the merpeople one for this.

>> 3. Which of the following are considered MOST dangerous by the
>> Ministry of Magic?
>>
>> -Dementors
>> -Hags
>> -Inferi
>> -Vampires
>> -Werewolves

Magpie:
I chose Werewolves for this one.  It seemed the way the Ministry would think 
and it's possibly the most wrong.  They can infect people and they can 
"pass" so I thought that might make them more dangerous.


>> 4. Which of the following are considered AMORTAL (have never died,
>> and can never die) by the Ministry of Magic?
>>
>> -Dementors
>> -Ghosts
>> -Inferi
>> -Poltergeists
>> -Vampires

Magpie:
I said Poltergeists--Peeves is a ghost who was never a person. Dementors 
breed more Dementors, no death involved either, but I'd hope they could die.

>> 5. Which (still unresolved) issue do most historians believe
>> triggered the infamous goblin rebellion of 1612?
>>
>> -Lack of goblin representation on the Wizengamot?
>> -Wizard attempts to enslave goblins and use as house-elves?
>> -Wizard refusal to grant goblins the right to carry a wand?
>> -Attempt of wizards to regain control of Gringotts bank
>> -Series of brutal goblin-slayings by wizard murderer Yardley Platt

Magpie:
Goblins can't carry wands--still going on.

>> 6. Which of the following statements on giants is TRUE?
>>
>> -Giant clans are matriarchal (females in charge)
>> -Female giants are usually larger than males
>> -Giants' eyesight is very poor compared with that of humans
>> -Giants are nocturnal
>> -Many giants are cannibals

Magpie:
I chose the females being bigger, but have no idea if it's the right one.  I 
knew the first one wasn't true, neither do the last two seem true.

>> 7. Which of the following statements on house-elves is FALSE?
>>
>> -House-elves have an average life-expectancy of 200 years
>> -A house-elf's allegiance is foremost to its house (rather than to
>> the inhabitants of the house)
>> -House-elves cannot be ordered to kill themselves
>> -House-elf magic is sufficiently powerful to override wizards
>> enchantments
>> -House-elves breed infrequently and then only with their master's
>> permission

Magpie:
I chose the one about the allegiance to the house rather than the family as 
false.
>
>> 8. In a recent Ministry of Magic poll, what was identified as the
>> issue most concerning the wizarding community at the present time?
>>
>> -Insufficient information given by Ministry of Magic regarding the
>> return of Lord Voldemort
>> -Insufficient action taken by Ministry of Magic to fight Lord
>> Voldemort
>> -Inadequate Ministry of Magic resources devoted to the protection
> of
>> the wizarding community
>> -Over-reaction of the Ministry of Magic to the return of Lord
>> Voldemort, which is the best thing that has happened to the
>> wizarding community in many years

Magpie:
I chose insufficient action taken--which is why the Ministry is just doing 
random things like arresting Stan Shunpike.  They need to look like they're 
doing something.  People would rather have them doing stuff than giving them 
information, imo.


>> 9. According to a recent article in the Daily Prophet, which
> subject
>> at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been complained
>> about by parents more than any other (over 100 year period)?
>>
>> -Care of Magical Creatures
>> -Defense Against the Dark Arts
>> -History of Magic
>> -Muggle Studies

Magpie:
I said DADA.  I thought that subject would have always been a lightning rod 
for complaints for many reasons, even before the curse.


>> 10. What percentage of wizards and witches believe that Weather-
>> Modifying Charms should be regulated due to their effect upon the
>> environment? (Figures collected by Committee for Experimental
> Charms)
>> - 3%
>> - 33%
>> - 53%
>> - 93%
>

Magpie:
I went with 33%--the main thing was I figured not many, because Wizards 
don't seem like they'd have that kind of clue about the environment. They 
seem more like they'd want the short-term satisfaction instead.  I almost 
went with 3%.
>
>> 11. Which health scare at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies
>> and Injuries has recently caused widespread panic? (Source: St.
>> Mungo's Admissions Department)
>>
>> -Suspected brain damage due to Imperius Curse
>> -Suspected death due to Thestral sightings
>> -Spate of suspected werewolf bits
>> -Uncontrollable bleeding due to 'Nosebleed Nougat'

Magpie:
I said werewolf bites--not only is Fenrir at large but it's something that 
causes more of a panic, it seems, even when it's only one bite.  It's 
contagious and shameful.

>> 12. What change would 18% of wizards like to see to the
> requirements
>> for membership of the Wizengamot? (Source: Ministry of Magic poll)
>>
>> -Average age lowered from 87
>> -Proof of pure-blood status
>> -Maximum of three years in post
>> -Goblin representation

Magpie:
Proof of Pure-blood status, I said.

>> 13. Assuming that you already have a wand, which THREE of the
>> following would you consider indispensable in case of trouble?

Magpie:
I chose cloak, broom and Potions kit.  That covered all the most major 
things I thought would help me if I were in danger.  The first one's for 
escape, the other for hiding, the other for any number of things, including 
healing.

>> 14. Which of the following is the ONLY magical invention whose
>> effect has not yet been duplicated FULLY by Muggle ingenuity?
>>
>> -Flying broomstick
>> -Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover
>> -Omnioculars
>> -"reparo"
>> -Self-ironing robes

Magpie:
 Reparo.
>
>> 15. Which of the following is the ONLY Muggle invention whose
>> effects cannot be duplicated FULLY by magic?
>>
>> -Aeroplane
>> -Car
>> -Computer
>> -Telephone
>> -Television

Magpie:
Computer. (They have a wireless so why not a tv?)

>> 16. The following beliefs are widely held in the wizarding world,
>> but only ONE is actually TRUE. (According to the latest research
>> from the Institute of Muggle Studies) Which is it?
>>
>> -Muggleborn witches/wizards are more likely to produce Squib
>> children than those who have one or more wizarding parents.
>> -Muggleborn witches/wizards usually have a witch or wizard ancestor
>> somewhere in their family tree, though s/he may be generations back.
>> -Muggleborn witches/wizards are generally less prone to certain
>> magical ilnesses than those who have one or more wizarding parent.
>> -Muggleborn witches/wizards are generally slower to show signs of
>> magic in childhood than those who have one or more wizarding
> parents.
>> -Muggleborn witches/wizards have great natural rhythm.

Magpie:
I was going to say the illnesses, but it seemed wrong (Wizarding children 
have more reason to build up a resistance--Muggle children might be more 
vulnerable.)  I went with them having a wizard somewhere in their family 
tree. That makes a lot of sense to me (especially since both Creevey boys 
are Wizards when their parents are both Muggles.)

>> 17. Which of the following statements is FALSE? (According to the
>> latest research from the Institute of Muggle Studies)
>>
>> -It is possible for a Muggle to produce elementary magic if they
>> have access to a wand and a book of spells.
>> -It is possible for a Muggle to inadvertently stumble upon
> magically
>> protected areas such as Diagon Alley and St. Mungo's Hospital for
>> Magical Maladies and Injuries.
>> -It is possible for a Muggle to see and correctly identify magical
>> creatures.
>> -It is possible for a Muggle to see and yet deny the existence of
>> magical creatures, even without magical intervention.
>> -It is possible for a Muggle to believe in impossibilities

Magpie:
The first one.  Muggles can't do magic, period.

>> 18. Muggle are:
>>
>> -Ignorant
>> -In danger
>> -Inferior to wizards
>> -Insensitive to their surroundings
>> -Interesting
>> -Irritating facts of life

Magpie:
Muggles are interesting, thank you very much.

Kimberly here:
This is where I think the allegiance to the house comes in.  If Kreacher 
wasn't bound to the house but the family, then he would have passed on to 
the next
blood line in the Black family, not the next owner of the house.   It seems 
the ownership of the house takes precedant over the family.   Whomever owns
the house, gets Kreacher rather than whomever is next on the bloodline. 
It's like splitting a hair, it is a very fine line I believe.

Magpie:
Yes, but I thought the question was asking what the Elf was loyal to once it 
was owned.  Sirius is able to leave Kreacher to whomever he pleases, along 
with the house itself.  But whoever Kreacher is owned by, he is loyal to 
them, not their place of residence.  It's like he's furniture in the house 
(literally--yuck).  He's inherited with the house, but can be taken out and 
still be yours.

-m