Responses to Marietta (was: Misc. responses, some quite old)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 169274

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Bart Lidofsky <bartl at ...> wrote:
>
> From: wynnleaf <fairwynn at ...>
> >4.  The hex can be fixed by other adults, but they haven't done that
> >yet because they feel Marietta should continue to be punished a bit
> >longer.  Once again, this flies in the face of canon where we're told
> >that others weren't able to cure the hex.  We have canon evidence that
> >Marietta's mother would likely have supported her and would,
> >therefore, likely have done whatever possible to get the hex
reversed.  
> 
> That was based on the in-canon indications of Hermione's lack of
originality in spellcasting, which makes it HIGHLY unlikely that she
could come up with a spell that experts can't undo. Therefore we have
it in canon that: 
> 
> A) Hermione cast the spell.
> B) Nobody HAS undone the spell.
> C) It is highly unlikely that nobody CAN undo the spell. 
> 
> Therefore, if people can, but people don't, it is likely that people
won't.
> 
> Bart
>

Carol responds:

I can see it as *remotely* possible (but cruel and irresponsible, IMO)
for the adults at Hogwarts to choose not to remove the spell if they
could do so, but it seems unlikely. Marietta's discovery of her
"purpustules" (to quote my typo) and her subsequent public humiliation
were surely sufficient. (And note that DD is as protective of Marietta
as of Harry in the scene in his office. He sharply reprimands Umbridge
for shaking one of his students. He hasn't stopped caring about her
simply because she made a serious mistake in judgment that placed some
of his favorite students in danger of expulsion.) Also, it is not the
job of a student, even a prefect, to hand out punishments other than
detentions. Just as McGonagall disapproved of Fake!Moody using
Transfiguration to punish a student, I think DD would disapprove of
any form of magic being used to punish a student, especially one
student punishing another. Unfortunately, the circumstances prevented
him from caling Hermione to his office and having a good talk with her.

But setting aside what the Hogwarts staff and faculty could or should
have done, surely, Marietta's mother would have taken her to St.
Mungo's, which has a section for spell-induced injuries. The Healers
at St. Mungo's wouldn't know or care what a teenage girl did to
"deserve" her disfiguring punishment. They would do everything
possible to heal her because that's their job. If they failed to heal
her, it must have been because they couldn't, not because they refused
to try to help her.

It's possible that they would need to see the jinxed parchment to
determine the spell that was placed on it (much as Snape seems to have
done with the cursed opal necklace and Flitwick tried to do with the
supposedly jinxed Firebolt), but since Marietta can't produce the
parchment, there's probably nothing they can do to help her.

Carol, noting that "purpustules" in her quote upthread should, of
course, read "purple pustules" (but I kind of like my typo; at least
it's colorful!)