PoA ch 11-13 post DH look

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 181609

Mike:
First Lupin explains what they are:
> 
> "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. 
> They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and 
> despair, they drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around 
> them. Get too near a dementor and every good feeling, every happy 
> memory will be sucked out of you."   <p. 187, US Ed.>
> 
> OK, they drain hope and happiness. They also "glory in decay and 
> despair". So doesn't that mean they thrive in squalid conditions? 
> Now what kind of 'food' are they likely to find these type of 
> conditions? Hold that thought, and let's go to the second part. 
> Patronus lesson #1, Lupin is tell us what a Patronus does:
> 
> "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very 
> things that the dementor feeds upon -- hope, happiness, the desire 
> to survive -- but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the 
> dementor can't hurt it."  <p. 237, US Ed.>
> 
> I guess dementors feed on brain waves or something like psychic 
> energy. That soul sucking thing doesn't seem to do anything for 
> *them*. Since soul sucking leaves the victim with no memories, no 
> anything <p. 247>, those victims won't have anything that the 
> dementors feed upon. In fact, since we were told that dementors 
> breed, soul sucking must not make new dementors, either.

Pippin:
Actually, it may be that dementors need to suck souls in order to
breed new dementors, just like mosquitoes have to feed on blood in
order lay eggs. Of course I don't know whether JKR even thought 
about this, and canon does seem to get confused on whether it's
positive or negative thoughts that dementors feed on. 

Isn't there a line in DH where Harry (or the narrator?) thinks they're 
attracted by Harry's despair?  But I will put that down to Harry's muddled 
state of mind  or else some really hungry dementors, and stick with the 
idea that it's usually  positive thoughts. Perhaps they'll eat negative thoughts
if they're starving, just like a starving human might try to eat an 
orange rind.

But dementors could still need a negative environment in which to 
spawn. This is  seen in nature -- the ideal places to shelter 
the young are often not the places where food is most plentiful --
and nature solves the problem by allowing the parent to supply food.
Often times the young don't eat adult food at all.

So perhaps a young dementor does not need or want to suck 
happy thoughts, deriving what nourishment it needs from its
parents.

If the adult dementor feeds on positive thoughts then IMO the
patronus  is like a diet soda. It tastes good  but contains no
nourishment. Therefore, attempting to feed on a patronus weakens
the dementor, just as humans would grow weak living on 
Diet Cokes, and the patronus can then chase it away.

Works for me <g>.

Pippin