alchemy / Alla's question / Hogwarts class

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 185961

Alla wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185917>:

<< , three stages - Black,White, Red, but I do wonder - the fact that
Hagrid did not die in the last book, doesn't it make a massive blow
into alchemical interpretation? Sort of big OOOPS?  >>

My personal opinion is that Rowling originally intended Hagrid to die
in the last volume for the alchemical symbolism of his given name, but
she became so fond of Hagrid that she couldn't stand to kill him. So
she made Rufus Scrimgeour the 'Red' death of volume 7. I suppose the
character of an expedient Minister of Magic was part of the plot all
along and probably so was his death in the DE coup, but he had no name
or a different name until she needed a non-Hagrid 'red' to die in
volume 7. *waves to Montavilla47
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185920>*

Does Granger give a plausible alchemical description of book 7? Like,
does the alchemical literature talk about wandering in the desert in a
context for which the long camping trip could be a symbol?

Goodlefrood wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185922>:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/links/Scholarly_Articles_000971306819/

<< 6. It is at this point that it is no longer reasonable to compare
the sixth stage of societal development (Distillation) to what Lord
Voldemort had contemplated. This is because the sixth stage is where
nirvana is reached through a process of society commingling into one
and striving towards a common search for truth. >>

I don't know of any human society that commingled into one and strove
toward a common search for 'truth'. If Lord Voldemort dreamed of all
wizards uniting in a selflessly loyal all-consuming effort to keep
Lord Voldemort immortal, that is not less unrealistic than a vision of
Medieval Europe where everyone was selflessly united into a love of
Christ and attempt to live by the teachings of the Gospels, or a
vision of Pharaonic Egypt in which all people's devotion to
maintaining Maat and serving the Son of Ra outweighed their desires to
fill their bellies, their love affairs, and their personal quarrels.

Alla wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185960>:

<< really Sirius is the first one who successfully escapes [from]
Azkaban >>

Technically, Barty Jr escaped before Sirius did, albeit he was rescued
in a plan that cost the life of one of his rescuers.

Alla wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185918>:

<< I am afraid I do not understand this as answer to my hypothetical.
I do not believe I ever asked about Snape as good husband to Lily. >>

I thought you were asking whether the character would be a good
husband for the listie, based on the character's character traits and
the listie's response to them. Such as, Snape is viciously sarcastic;
listie would constantly feel hurt by being on the receiving end of the
sarcasm, or listie is accustomed to ignoring verbal abuse. (I hadn't
realized that you meant << I am playing a hypothetical where you
**need** your parents approval and where guy (or girl) must pass it,
>> that the question was actually the listie's *parents'* response to
the character's character traits.)

I was thinking that the character's emotional entanglements may be as
important as his character traits in whether he would be a good
husband for some specific person. In the case of Snape, who loves
Lily, and only Lily, his whole life, some people would be
uncomfortable with a husband continually obsessing over Someone Else,
and other people would figure "she's dead, so he isn't going to leave
me for her, so I don't care how much he obsesses as long as he brings
home his paycheck and puts his dirty robes into the clothes hamper.
It's not like we have House Elves to pick them up off the floor." 

In the case of Sirius, it's not just his thrill-seeking but his
unconditional loyalty. While I might think it a good thing to have a
husband who has dog-like devotion to me, I might not think it a good
thing to have a husband who has dog-like devotion to James Potter, at
least not while James Potter is still alive. As for his devotion to
Harry, people differ on their opinion of marrying someone who is
already a devoted parent, from it's a good characteristic and the
child is a sweetheart, to I want to marry the horse if only I can get
rid of the foal.

Potioncat wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185927>:

<< So I pick Arthur Weasley. In this case, we've already seen his
traits as a husband. He's affectionate, caring, teasing, supportive of
his wife and protective of the family. He sticks to his principles.
Besides, he has red hair. >>

The only reason I didn't choose Arthur -- no, it's not hanging out in
the shed with his eccentric hobby -- is that I think he as well as
Molly wanted many children, and I never wanted any.,

Zanooda wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185941v>:

<< I think I would have chosen Bill Weasley :-). I don't have much
time to write lately, so I can't give lots of canon examples, but IMO
Bill is intelligent, brave, caring and even-tempered, he is sensitive
enough, but not a sissy, and he takes charge, if necessary. He also
has a trait that I value in a husband - he knows how to stand up to
his mother :-), and he does it gently, but firmly. >>

Not to slight listies who said Ron, Percy, a Twin, I'm surprised no
one mentioned Charlie. To me, he's always seemed a good man,
competent, calm, intelligent, kind, and he has a job. I wouldn't pick
him because I think I would like living in a a dragon camp even less
than living a country away from my husband, but some people do marry
field scientists, and isn't there any listie who WANTS to be a dragon
researcher/wrangler?

Mrs. Spicy wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185943>:

<< Cedric Diggory.  He is absolutely handsome and has a great
personality.  What's not to love? >>

His father. Is it worse to have your father-in-law embarrass you in
public or tell you in private that you're not worthy of his son?

Besides, he's taken. Cho.

Someone once wrote an essay saying that in 'the good old days', the
hero of the book would have been Cedric, a school sports champion with
all the Boy Scout virtues, and it reflects the deterioration of
society that the hero now is Harry, a school sports star only by luck,
who is lazy about homework, rude about some adults, and sometimes lies.

That essay reminded me that I would have hated that book. I still hate
books whose purpose is to tell me how inferior I am. It shows that
Rowling is a genius that she made me like characters whom I would have
intensely disliked in real life; in this comment, Ron and Cedric. 

Ron is a nice kid with a good heart. He's loyal and courageous. He
detests racism and is attracted to strong independent women. If I knew
him in real life, I would hate him because the only things he talks
about are Quidditch (I am not into sports) and how attractive or
unattractive various girls are (if I looked less like a chimpanzee, I
would less mind when he says I do).

Cedric is a hero. We are shown that besides being a sports star, he is
honorable (too honorable for real life when he wants a rematch because
he doesn't want an unfair win) and courageous. I believe he does his
homework and gets good marks. I believe he detests racism. The reason
for me in real life to completely lack interest in everything he says
is that he only talks about Quidditch. Apparently the only reason for
me to *hate* him is envy, which is not very admirable on my part,
because Rowling never showed him gloating over his superior virtue. I
am intensely allergic to hearing people brag about their superior virtue,

Geoff wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185939>:

<< A double class is quite simply what it says - twice as long as a
standard class. >>

IMHO in HP a 'double' class means two Houses take it together. Maybe
Hogwarts has a rule that a class for two Houses together is also
double-length. Does canon give any clue about the length of any class?

Tabs wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185949>:

<< I created a mock Hogwarts schedule based on the vague information I
could pick up from the Lexicon and other resources and the only way I
could make all of the information make sense was to break things down
into eight periods in the day of forty minutes each >>

Have you posted it somewhere? I think this Y!Group has a 'Files' section.

Joey wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/185935>:

<< Yet [Snape] does not seem to compliment any good potion-maker in
the making, like say Hermione or even Draco. Hmm.. :-) >>

Wasn't there one time he told the class to look at the excellent way
Draco had cut up his flobberworms? I'm not sure it was flobberworms
... if I remembered which book it was, I would try to look it up.