GoF Ch 17- 20 post DH look - DRAGONS

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 182002


> Mike:
>snip 
> Going into this series I suppose I had JRRT's version of dragons 
> in mind, sentient and highly intelligent dragons. Now, I'm not sure
> that JKR's version are even as smart as hippogriffs. I still don't
> approve of what the Goblins obviously did and were doing to that 
> dragon, but I suppose they treated it the same way people treat 
> pitt bulls in RL.

Potioncat:
I never once thought of the dragons as sentient. I guess it depends 
on which sets of dragon-lore the reader is most familiar with. Does 
anyone have FBAWTFT? I've only ever gotten it from the library. IIRC, 
dragons are rated as Multiple-X beasts. Meaning very dangerous. There 
were certain legal restrictions as I recall. The MacFusty clan 
manages the ones (flock, herd?) in the Hebrides, and there's some in 
Wales as well.
 
> > Carol: 
> > As for who pays them, surely it's the MoM (not necessarily just
> > the British version)--the same people who pay Wizarding
> > researchers to maintain the Hall of Prophecy and to study Death,
> > Love, Time, the Mind, and other mysteries. 

Potioncat:
Me too--sort of like Park Rangers...or the British equivilent. Was 
there a brochure on dragonkeepers in OoP?

> 
> Mike:
> This was also on my mind. There seems to be a thriving market in 
the 
> wizarding world for parts of dragons that would require their 
death. 
> Dumbledore's blood (though maybe he only got a couple of pints from 
> the live ones), Ollivander's heartstrings, the twins dragon-skin 
> jackets, etc. Are there enough dragons and do they die from natural 
> causes fast enough to keep all these users in sufficient supply of 
> their *materials*?

Potioncat:
We are civilized, aren't we? What would  be so bad about managing the 
flock of dragons, choosing some for slaughter? I know---it's the 
Bambi factor. But venison is very good. So is rabbit. Just don't try 
to serve a cute deer or bunny to my kids. (or to me either, for that 
matter, though I used to eat both.)

Oh, I just realised--if you're thinking of sentient dragons, it would 
be very bad. I just don't think that's what JKR had in mind. 


>MIke:  
> All of the GoF dragons were nesting mothers with a brood of eggs. 
> There seemed to be sufficient quantity to more than re-stock the 
> preserves allotment of dragons. And I'd imagine that the preserve 
> Charlie works on is not boundless, so they must have a limit to 
> their quantity. Would they be doing that by selling off the excess 
> to merchants, or releasing the excess into the wild?

Potioncat:
Well, if that's typical---I'd say there may be too many dragons! But 
here we have a case of Maths. Or it could be like birds who lay a 
number of eggs, but the chances of even one chick surviving to 
adulthood is rather small. So I think we have a good chance that the 
handlers have to do some culling, dragons die, and perhaps some are 
raised as stock. Also, I'd almost think a dragon heart string would 
have be very fresh---and not from a sick dragon. Just guessing of 
course. 

The Hebridean Black dragon is described as bat-like. For the longest 
time I was sure Snape was more dragon than bat, and that Hebridean 
Blacks would play in the story some way. I was so convinced, that 
when I saw the DH book cover with the dragon, my first thought 
was "The artist got the color wrong."

And, one story on myself. TMTMNBN-CoS was on TV the other day. It was 
the DADA Pixie class scene. I watched as the dinosaur skeleton came 
crashing down. Yep. Dinosaur. And suddenly, after all these years of 
wondering why there was a dinosaur skeleton in DADA class I realised, 
it's a dragon. Doh!