PoA ch 11-13 post DH look

[Bex]

No: HPFGUIDX 181632

> 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." <p. 187, US Ed.>
<snip>
> > "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. 

Bex:
I don't want to think about Dementors breeding, thank you very much.
<shudder>

<snip>
 
Pippin:
> 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.
> 

Bex:
I LOVE it - "the patronus is like diet soda." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA <g>

I always thought that the Dementor sucked away the happy thoughts and
feelings, feeding off the sadness and despair left over. The deep
rattling breath was them pulling all the happiness out of the room  -
but it takes some effort. (Like the orange rind and the orange). A
patronus is nothing but a big orange rind with no meat inside. The
dementor tries to pull the happiness away, but it just keeps pulling -
it never finds anything to feed on, so it gets weaker, until it
finally gives up. That explains very neatly why Dementors are
attracted to Harry and why they would hang around Azkaban - if they
fed on happy thoughts, they wouldn't stay at the prison for more than
a few days.

Of course, the beginning scene in OotP (Dudley Demented), where the
Patronus can actually physically throw a dementor sort of disables
that theory. 

~Bex