The secrecy motif/magic & muggles

[Goddlefrood]

No: HPFGUIDX 179995

> > Goddlefrood:
> > As I've asked before, how would a basilisk be able to 
> > distinguish between a pure-blood, a half-blood or a 
> > muggle-born? <SNIP>

> Pippin:
> Of course it's not the basilisk but the parselmouth controlling 
> the basilisk who would make the distinction. 

Goddlefrood:

Perhaps to an extent, but said parselmouth would have to follow 
the beast around and make sure that he only ever let it stare at, 
or at times eat, isolated half-bloods and muggle-boirns. Quite 
tricky in a school of around a thousand.

> Pippin:
<SNIP>
> How Riddle managed to protect himself from the basilisk is an 
> interesting question, but obviously he could command it not to 
> look at him. Tom could make other animals obey him without
> training them, so why should the basilisk be different?

Goddlefrood:

Because it's a class 5 beast and untrainable, possibly. Other 
than the suggested blindfold Tom might have threatened the 
basilisk with a rooster crow in order to control it.