Marietta and Pettigrew WAS: Re: Dark Magic (+ a little Marietta)

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 176835

Alla wrote:
> 
> <snip>
> 
> I mean, in TMTMNBN it was done so clearly, so easily - show Umbridge
feeding veritaserum and voola. JKR opted not to do anything of the
sort. <snip>

Carol responds:
JKR couldn't use that device because it would ruin the Snape subplot
(as, IMO, the film did). Snape gives Umbridge fake Veritaserum, which
she attempts to use on Harry, so even if she hadn't used it all up on
him, any that she had left over would still be fake. It's part of his
subtle undermining of and opposition to Umbridge, which Harry never
sees (and refuses to accept even when DD tells him about it). The
MTMNBN makes it look like he gave her huge amounts of it to give to
all the students in that uncanonical mass detention--which does not
explain why only Cho told her the truth. At any rate, canon Umbridge
doesn't need to give Marietta Veritaserum since Marietta came to her.

As an aside, had she gone to anyone else (her mother or her HoH,
Flitwick) the jinx would still have taken effect--and it would still
have had no effect whatsoever as a *deterrent* to snitching since
neither she nor anyone else but Hermione knew that Hermione had jinxed
the parchment.


> Renee: 
> > And scarred for life? JKR says she had a few scars left at the
end. I know several people in RL with visible acne scars. They don't
look particularly bad and lead perfectly normal lives. <SNIP>
> 
> 
> Alla:
> 
> I know such person really really well.

Carol:
But, somehow, I'll bet that that person's acne scars don't spell out
SNEAK. Nor is it punishment for a crime that person doesn't remember
committing.

Carol, who does not share JKR's view that revenge can be humorous