O O O It's Magic (More Wombat Love)

[Talisman]

No: HPFGUIDX 159340

Greetings

Once again we are left to prod the bloody entrails of exam results, 
hoping some patterns congeal, so that we can conjure our clues from 
the stinking carnage.

But, as we will see, the mysteries of Ms Rowling's "quite 
complicated" marking system, run deep.

I took the exam twice (toggling 4.3 answers) and got Outstanding 
both times. 

This was a bit of a hoot, as I considered some of my second choice 
answers to be "clearly wrong."

Thus, like others, I sought clarity in comparison.

Between responses on HPfGUs and a small group, I felt I was coming 
to some consensus...just needed a *little* more input to clear up 
some close calls...

Bam. Anne gave me 5 sets of  "O" answers from the Leaky that blew 
everything out of the cauldron.

Here then, for your edification and bewilderment, are the results of 
my tabulations.

All of these, mind you, represent putative "O" answers.

(Best if you have a hard copy of the exam, to play along at home.)

1. A=7; B=4
2. A=1; B=6; C=1; D=1; E=2
3. A=1; C=5; E=5
4. A=1; D=10
5. B=2; C=9
6. B=2; C=3; D=2; E=4
7. A=2; B=5; C=4
8. A=2; B=8; C=1
9. A=5; B=5; D=1
10. A=3; B=1; C=7
11. C=11 
12. A=1; B=9; D=1
13. B=7; F=2; G=3; H=3, I=8; M=1; N=2; O=3; W=2; X=1, ?=1
14. C=1; D=8; E=2
15. C=7; E=4
16. B=6; C=5
17. A=10; B=1
18. B=5; D=5; E=1

I don't know about you, but I find this all very troubling.

Sure there is one consensus, and a number of clear majorities.  But 
there are still too many close calls. And some of these were going a 
different way before I got the Leaky five, three of which come from 
the same family, where people were sharing ideas.  

`Course my two come from the same head.

Moreover, even if  weighted credit were given for all answers, it's 
hard to believe that someone could miss so many best answers and 
still get the O.  Yet it seems that some or the other of us did.

That, or we are dealing with tampered memories.

Pas moi, I wrote them down as I went.

So, I guess we just need more "O" data.

Not to slight anyone else, but I don't think I can handle the 
variations where even more answers are in error. 

If enough O's start agreeing, I'll be happy to toss out anomalies as 
likely products of a Confundus Charm. (No darling,  Outstanding 
doesn't start with a "T.")

On a popularity basis, here's how matters stand at present: 

1. A. Hags eat children, small or otherwise (picked 7 times out of 
11).  Bathilda Bagshot says so.  (FB xi) 

2. B. Freshwater merpeople are NOT less warlike than salt (6 times 
out of 11). Ask the giant squid.

3. Tied between Inferi and WW (5 each).  My money's on Inferi.

4. D. Poltergeists have never died, never will (10 of 11). For once, 
tradition and Rowling concur.

5. C. Goblins want their wands, pal. Nine of 11 O's agree.

6.One scrambled mess with E having a slight edge (4).  Come on. You 
know they do.

7. B. House-elf house allegiance wins with a scant 5. Guess Elladora 
had some premature axe-ulations.

8. B. The wizard on the street wants more action (8 of 11).  Don't 
we all.  HP variety, of course.

9. Tied up 5 to 5, with those parents bitching about DADA and CoMC.  
Let's ask Kettleburn.

10. C. 53% of the wizards who were buttoned-holed agreed to 
regulation (7 of 11).

11. C. Lots of excitement over WW bites.  11 of 11 agree.  Tonks 
says they kinda tickle.

12. B. 18% of the WW wants to keep the Wizengamot tujours pur (9 of 
11).  

13. Partial credit dilutes majority significance, IMO. FWIW, I (8) 
and B(7) score high. I'll take the IC, but decline the (broom) shaft.

14. D. It's reparo, baby. Not even superglue comes close;  8 of 11 
know it.

15. C. Wouldn't it be nice if Hermione could just Google "Prince?" 
Nothing like computers (7). 

16. At 6 (B) and 5 (C), it's too close to call.  Is there a Wizard 
in your tree? Or can you laugh at Dragon Pox? I'll take C.

17.A. After 6 books and innumerable interviews, 10 of 11 have 
figured out that Muggles can't do Magic.

18. Tied up at 5 and 5, those Insensitive (D) Muggles are in Danger 
(B).  

A few more personal observations:

1. There is solid canon for hags eating children. Conversely, there 
is abundant reason to infer that Inferi can be programmed to do any 
number of things, including certainly--in a world where so many 
normally inanimate objects can--speak.   

The creepy co-opted cadaver of someone we know could show up for a 
chat in Book 7!   

::evil frissions of delight::  

Zombie-Lily drags one foot as she gropes toward our 
hero:  "Harry...you have my eyes...give them back."

2. I welcomed the Merpeople answer as it finally gave an authorial 
explanation for the difference between the picture of the snoozing 
blonde in the Prefect's bathroom, and those delightful green-haired 
lunatics in the lake.

And, it's specifically because we have a basis for finding it false 
that I chose the Merpeople answer.  For the rest, we either had 
reason to find the statement true, or no acceptable evidence at all.

The ghost business was tricky. Liquid was obvious but gas might have 
been a trap...until I recalled that Sir Patrick's severed head toots 
a horn in CoS.  In a game of inference, that's close enough for me.

There's no evidence for the rest, so the following Question 2 
comments are pure drivel.

We know WW snouts are distinguishable.  It seems reasonable that 
they should be, proportionally, shorter than those of a real wolf.  
1) They start out from a comparatively flat human faces; and 2) real 
wolves have pretty long snouts, already.  WWs would look a bit like 
anteaters if they had noticeably longer ones. 

No male Veela, eh? Well, from a metaphorical stand point...there's 
plenty of monstrous pretty-boys out there...but, as women generally 
don't fall for looks alone...seems right to me.   

Now that we know that Hags only have four toes, all I can say is: 
you might want to check under the footwear before you take her 
home.  Just to be sure. 

3. The answer is Inferi.

The MoM employed Dementors, hags can be found in pubs (see warning, 
above), we've seen vampires at holiday parties, and werewolves have 
a liaison office.    

Process of elimination, alone, gets you to Inferi.

Add in the MoM pamphlet warnings, Snape's poster of what they do to 
you (a bloody smudge), and the fact that the best DD could do was 
hold them at bay (hard to use all that fire in your house or public 
areas), I'm willing to believe the MoM considers them most dangerous.

6. Ah, the giants. 

I believe that answers a, b, and c are all negated by reasonable 
inference from canon. Answers a and b are nixed by the fact that 
both Gurgs represented are male and of the largest of their kind. 
Answer c is negated by Olympe's use of the Conjunctivitis Curse, 
when she and Hagrid are trying to escape hostile giants.

The Conjunctivitus Curse itself goes specifically to quality of 
eyesight.  If a wizard who is capable enough to be Headmistress of 
one of the three largest schools in the WW uses a spell tailored to 
impair eyesight, the clear inference is that the eyesight was good 
to begin with, not "very poor compared to humans." 

That leaves nocturnal or cannibals.

When Hagrid and Olympe reach the giant's reservation, it is already 
night.  They decide to watch and wait until morning.  It is noted 
that the giants don't fall asleep until about 3AM, at which point 
they pass out where they sit.

While we don't know the exact date or location of this experience, 
3AM is the lion's share of the night in most locales.  I'll bet they 
aren't in a hurry to get up in the morning, either.

Grawp was certainly snoozing when Harry and Hermione went to meet 
him in the middle of the day.

I'm prepared to say that giants are up "most of the night and some 
of the day," and that "nocturnal" isn't a bad answer.

However,  I think the even better answer is cannibals.

Heck, in desperate situations--such as confinement to close 
territory with limited resources--humans have demonstrated a ready 
ability to enjoy a same-species repast, or two.

The giants are trapped in a small area, and I'll bet 80 (plus or 
minus) giants go through a lot of goats at one sitting.

The "mean" Gurg was wearing a necklace that included what appeared 
to be human bones.

Now, it may not be considered cannibalism for giants to eat humans 
(though they interbreed, as evidenced by both Hagrid and Olympe), 
but it's pretty close.  

Giants don't seem to have any moral qualms about killing each other, 
or tearing each other into handy bite-sized pieces.  I find it hard 
to believe they would let a good meaty haunch go to waste in 
preference of a few goat snacks (if available), especially if they 
have no problem eating other humaniod beings.

Yep. I'm betting many of `em are willing to eat each other.  Naughty 
me.  Wonder what Grawp's into. 

7. Here I remain somewhat ambivalent.  I toggled between the life 
expectancy and allegiance answers, and as the other O's did the 
same, it's hard to draw any conclusive patterns.

My reasoning is the same, or similar to what has already been said. 
Elladora's  program was started less than  200 years ago and has 
netted, not just one, but a row of heads.  The Inference is that you 
can go through a lot of elves in less than 200 years.

A house-elf's foremost allegiance is clearly to the bloodline of the 
family it is attached to.  If Barty Sr. had gone off to a sanatorium 
in Switzerland, and summoned Winky back to his side, she would have 
gone in a gleeful twinkling--no tears wasted on Chez Crouch.   

I notice that a lot of folks talk about how Kreature was left to 
Harry, along with GP.  That speaks of ownership, and the need to 
obey, but it doesn't reach Kreature's feelings in the matter. 

Kreature would clearly prefer to work for Bella. He continues to 
express his preference for Draco (House of Black) even though Harry 
now owns GP (house as structure).

In the hierarchy of things, it's clear that an elf feels greater 
loyalty to the estate (and chattels) of it's long time family--
snogging old britches, and all--than to any mere "inhabitants" who, 
as we see when the Order takes over GP, may not have anything to do 
with the bloodline, at all.

As a relative statement, or in the unlikely event that "it's house" 
was meant to differ from "the house" (bloodline vs. structure) the 
statement will pass as true and we can clearly select the 200 year 
lifespan as the correct (False) answer. Otherwise it's false.  House 
elf's loyalty is to the family, not the structure or it's 
inhabitants du jure. 

It's probably false, and therefore, the correct answer.  

The Black family elves just weren't good at carrying tea trays.


10. Not so much about the selection process, which was idiosyncratic 
(weather generally not modified, blah blah, blah), but what the 
topic brought back to mind.

I have always thought that DD modified the weather on at least 2 
occasions (on page).

The first is in Book 1 where the weather man earnestly promises rain 
the night Harry is left at the Dursleys, but none comes.

The second is where the Advanced Guard comes for Harry.  There has 
been a drought all summer, but the guard and Harry are drenched as 
they fly through the cloud cover overhead.

In both cases DD is concerned with high level security and I think 
there is a direct connection. 

Is she nudging us to consider weather modification spells as a topic 
beyond the exam?

Hmmm.

As for the poll, I went with 53%, and still don't care.


13.  You already have your wand (take the hint, you're magic).  

I reject any consideration of what the average wizard has on hand.  
As the questions stands, all options are at my disposal.

The Invisibility Cloak seems to be the no-brainer. 

For travel, personally, I'm going to pack light and Apparate. 

I don't fear running into anti-apparation jinxes at every turn, and 
I don't want to fuss with carrying a broom stick while I'm slinking 
about in my IC or running, dodging, and shooting curses.  

Let's face it, even if the DEs had taken brooms to the MoM, strapped 
them to their backs while fighting, and then managed to get them 
between their legs after DD arrived in the Death Chamber, they would 
only have been able to ride as far as the elevator, after which 
point they would have been better off Apparating instead of pushing 
the button for an exit floor. 

All other forms of travel, Floo Powder included (not only do you 
need a fireplace, but you have to shout about where you're going), 
deteriorate from there.

If I've already got the IC, I have far less use for the inherently 
limited Peruvian Darkness Powder, selection of which would also 
mandate that I take the Hand of Glory as my final item, in order to 
find my own way around in it.  (Unless I just want to throw it 
through the window of a  DE hideout and run away laughing.) 

 Skip that.

It's already been noted that you can clout a foe in the head with 
just about anything, including a cauldron, crystal ball, or good 
brass scales. IMO they should all get you zero to negative points 
for choosing--out of all this bounty--to tote such things into 
battle.

Ditto Anti-Muggle doorknobs, Lunascopes, Omnioculars (hey, who hit 
me?), Quick-Quotes Quills, Rememberalls, Parchment, Wireless, and 
Telescopes.

Extendable Ears, Hand of Glory, Pensieves, Potion-making kits, and 
Revealers have limited use in limited "trouble" situations--maybe 
they would get "some" credit. Not much.

Foe-glass? Nah, I'd have to get a big one.  Plus, Barty Jr.'s only 
worked after DD, Snape, and McG had already kicked in the door.  I'm 
willing to take it on faith that anyone who smashes down my door is 
a foe.  Hagrid excepted.

Secrecy-Sensors and Sneakoscopes probably could get "some" credit--
but they go off for all sorts of goofy reasons, and who cares if 
they are squealing like mad whilst you battle the Dark Lord?  

Come to think of it, if you're hidden, they could give you away.  
Glad I didn't pack any.

In addition to the IC, I took:

The Two-way mirror--because a handy, secure source of communication 
with relevant allies--or loved ones  you are trying to protect--is 
always good.

The Time-Turner, because it kicks ass, definitely has been 
demonstrated to change outcomes, and it's uses are only limited by 
one's imagination.

16. I believe that Muggle-born witches are less susceptible to 
magical illnesses.  Moreover, I do not believe that being so impugns 
their magical ability in any wise, as we know they are often "some 
of the best" (Hr/Lily).  

Rowling's definition of a squib is: "a non-magical person born to at 
least one magical parent."   No exception is made to infer that this 
happens (rare as it is) more often to Muggle-born witches or 
wizards.  

Indeed her detailed discussion of how they lead marginal lives, 
being in the WW but unable to participate, strongly suggests they 
usually don't have family in the Muggle world (as has been noted).

Squibs, Rowling says, are "almost the opposite" of  Muggle-born 
wizards.  

Q: "How does a Muggle-born like Hermione develop magical abilities?"
JKR: "Nobody knows where magic comes from.  *Sometimes* it *seems* 
to be inherited, but others are the only ones in their family who 
have the ability." (Barnes & Noble 3/19/99, my emphasis)

*Sometimes* doesn't sound like *usually* to me.

Hermione is our best example of a Muggle-born witch, and she's 
unlikely to have been slow to show magical ability.  Ditto Lily.

Natural rhythm...yeah, like your average dentist.

My thinking is that unblended magical genes are likely more 
vulnerable to magical diseases.  I'll bet it IS harder for Hermione 
to catch Dragon Pox.  

That about wraps me up for WOMBATS II, unless there are other scores 
that can shed light on the remaining ambiguities.

Talisman

PS:
Perhaps question 13 was another way for Rowling to highlight how 
useful an IC really is, thus raising the critical matter of the 
Potter garment, yet again. 

I haven't been reading HPfGUs much, but last I looked no one was 
saying what I think is obvious:

James left the IC with DD, for Harry, because James knew he was 
going to die (and Harry wasn't) in the conflict at GH.

In the distant past, I've written extensively of how Lily's behavior 
indicates she knew what was going to happen, and what her role in 
matters required.

Shall we add James to the list?

All part of DD's plan, m'dears.