Tolkien/Homorphus/Morfin/Pig/Yearly Exams/Diary!Tom/Predictions

Sun Apr 8 07:54:36 UTC 2007

No: HPFGUIDX 167196

Carol wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/166984>:

<<  The wrong cover art can be very upsetting to an author, as the
Ballantine covers were for J.R.R. Tolkien. 
<http://www.cafes.net/ditch/tril.jpg> >>

What did Tolkien object to about the Ballantine covers? IIRC he may
well have objected to the *existence* of the Ballantine edition, as
it was published with no permission from him and no payment to him,
due to some loophole in copyright laws. OTOH, it was that Ballantine
edition that made Tolkien and Middle Earth universally known, enabling
his son to make a fortune out of Dad's old scribbles.

Goodlefrood wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/166990>:

<< Perhaps Catlady on her next visit could decide which 
interpretation she likes best ;) >>

I like Homo = 'same' plus Morph = 'shape' plus 'Us' = sounding 
magical. That's the same roots as homorphism and homorphous, but
with a different meaning. In *this* case, the 'same shape' is the 
same as his 'real' shape, not his current shape.

<< If the Homorphus charm were as easy as you make out, can it
honestly be believed that Lupin, or any other werewolf would
remain one? >>

In this theory, the charm works for only a few seconds. If Tonks can 
learn it, she can sit by Remus for his whole transformation time 
(somewhere I think that werewolves transform at sunset for three 
nights but turn back to human at sunrise, but somewhere else I think 
that werewolves transform for 24 hours, and I don't know what JKR 
thinks) and cast the spell on him every four seconds, so there is no 
time for it to wear off and him turn wolf again and attack her 
faster than she can say 'Homorphus', but that's hardly a cure.

Hermione is a genius, maybe she can become a magic researcher and 
invent a cure.

Carol wrote in 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/166991>:

<< The etymology, homo = man and morph = form, suggests otherwise.>>

This is a chance for me to use the annoying word 'overdetermined', 
which means a thing that has more than one reason. If the name of 
the charm affects its effect, perhaps the inventor had an 
inspiration that a word that means both 'same' and 'man' would be 
doubly effective at turning someone into the same man he used to be. 

That seems like sound magical (il)logic to me. I lack JKR's talent 
for puns (except naming a fanfic jeweller Hyatt Price-Ring) but when 
I invented a Shield Charm, I tried to combine the words 'protego' 
and 'aegis' into an incantation: 'protaegiso!'

Carol wrote in 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/167013>:

<< wondering whether there's a link between "morph" or "Morpheus" 
and "Morfin, >>

I can't think of 'Morfin' without thinking of 'Morfran', Welsh for 
'big crow', the nickname given to Ceridwen's son Afagddu because he 
was so ugly.

Lynda wrote in 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/167020>:

<< Well why not?! She's already given us a flying Pig! >>

This is a forbidden LOL reply. (Actually, a groan theatrically and 
slap my head reply.)

Leah wrote in 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/167102>:

<< if there is any canon that suggests passing the exams is 
necessary to proceed to the year above. >>

In PS/SS Chapter 14 "Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback", Hermione 
tells Harry: "What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize we 
need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very 
important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know 
what's gotten into me...." On the one hand, that's canon. On the 
other hand, I don't believe it -- I don't believe that Hermione 
actually said that. I think JKR put it into her mouth as some kind 
of joke (a joke on Americans telling their children, even 
kindergarteners, that they have to study hard and get good grades so 
they can get into a good college so they can have a chance to get a 
good job, but I don't know if Brits do that).

In the last chapter, 17, "The Man with Two Faces", has the bit of 
which Betsy Hp was thinking: "Harry had almost forgotten that the 
exam results were still to come, but come they did. To their great
surprise, both he and Ron passed with good marks; Hermione, of 
course, had the best grades of the first years. Even Neville scraped 
through, his good Herbology mark making up for his abysmal Potions 
one. They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was 
mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed, too. It was a shame, 
but as Ron said, you couldn't have everything in life."

Sometimes I think that Hogwarts, under DD's leadership, falsely 
warns the kids (altho' we didn't hear it in his or McGonagall's 
welcoming speeches) that they will have to do a year over if they do 
too badly in that year. As for Flint spending an extra year in the 
Upper Sixth (seventh year), maybe he failed all his NEWTs and was 
allowed to stay to study to try taking them again.

Annie T. Squires wrote in 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/167144>:

<< What do you all think of Harry believing he used to be "friends" 
with T. M. Riddle? Why would he think that? Why does the name mean 
something to him? >>

I always thought that recognition of the name was something that 
Harry got from LV the same way he got Parseltongue. If how he got
Parseltongue from LV was that a bit of LV's soul entered him, then 
my theory agrees with yours. If how he got Parseltongue from LV was 
that a bit of knowledge (how-to knowledge) entered him, then we 
disagree.

<< (Who really wants to know what others think of my MPD!LV theory) >>

Since you asked ... I was very impressed by your insight (quite new
to me) that Dobby's stupid clue was JKR's very clever clue that 
Diary!Tom had been working at cross purposes to LV.

But I recall a JKR quote that Tom Riddle (presumably including 
Diary!Tom) and LV are the same person:

<http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=57>:
<<Q: Is Tom Riddle the Half-Blood Prince?
JKR: Well, as Tom Riddle is the same person as Voldemort, and 
Voldemort is NOT the Half-Blood Prince
 do I really need to answer
this? >>

Same person or different person, same purpose or different purpose,
Diary!Tom's plan was not against LV's benefit: As Pat quoted in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/167168>:
<< ********
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=17

question:
In 'Chamber of Secrets,' what would have happened if Ginny had died
and Tom Riddle had escaped the diary?

answer:
I can't answer that fully *until all seven books are finished,*
(emphasis mine) but it would have strengthened the present-day
Voldemort considerably.
******** >> 

However, I don't think the other Horcruxes have personalities or 
wills of their own. The diary is different because it contained a 
memory even before it was made into a Horcrux. Poo, Doug Samu 
already said that in 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/167155>.

By the way, while I was at Quick Quotes Quill 
<http://www.accio-quote.org/> looking for the above quotes, I found 
the below quote:
<http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2005/1205-bbc-fry.html>:
<<JKR: Well, the question I was asked a lot early on was "Was 
Voldemort really Harry's father?" And of course, that's a Star Wars 
question...

SF: Exactly. Total Star Wars.

[Both laugh]

JKR: ...really, isn't it? And, no, he is not going to turn out to be
Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. He is not, in a biological sense, 
related to him at all. >>

houyhnhnm predicted in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/167191>:

<<5. Snape's exoneration will be revealed in a surprising twist that
no one has anticipated.

6. Two or more characters in HBP were not who they appeared to be (at
least part of the time). I don't mean Crabbe and Goyle

7. Dumbledore may be dead, but he did not die on the tower.

8. Madam Pince is Snape's mother.

9. Snape is not the Half Blood Prince. (he he) >>

?? The "Snape" who dueled Harry and ran off with Draco after
proclaiming: "I, the Half-Blood Prince!" was someone else disguised as
Snape? That's one way of exonerating Snape of having killed DD on the
Tower. Except you also say that DD didn't die on the tower...