Medieval Universities / the Bloody Baron / Charlie time line.

justcarol67 justcarol67 at yahoo.com
Mon Nov 9 00:51:19 UTC 2009


No: HPFGUIDX 188378

Carol earlier:
> 
> << BTW, NHN describes the Baron as "groaning and clanking on the Astronomy Tower" (HBP) and the Grey Lady mentions the Baron's chains, but how can ghostly chains clank, how can he fly if he wears them, and how did he get put in chains in the first place if he killed himself immediately after killing her? >>

Catlady replied: 
> Ghostly chains can clank the same way that ghosts can speak (it is magic that moves the air molecules to make the sounds). 

Carol again:

Hmmm. I doubt that JKR is greatly concerned with the laws of physics (or the rules of logic, for that matter). But I was thinking more in terms of the chains needing weight or substance to clank. The BB's chains can't have weight or substance or he couldn't fly or walk through walls.

Catlady wrote: 
> The Baron's guilty conscience created the ghostly chains, either as he died, or somewhat later when he had time to think about it. <snip>

Carol responds:
"Mind-forged manacles" a la William Blake (only for the dead, not the living)? I guess that's a better explanation than the Marley's ghost comparison since it seems that all ghosts in "A Christmas Carol," or at least all repentant ones, wear the chain they forged in life. Marley's (and Scrooge's, if he refused the visit) are composed of cash boxes, but I'm sure that other people besides misers forge such chains in Dickens's fantasy, but the Bloody Baron is the only ghost with chains in the HP books.

Catlady wrote" 
>  
> Around that time, Carol had a theory that all that talk in canon about 'blood' meant that magic is literally 'in the blood'. The theory was elegant analysis of the text, but didn't make too much sense to me: would a Muggle like me gain magic power by getting a large blood transfusion from a wizard? However, it perfectly answered my question about why Peeves is scared of the Bloody Baron. If only people who have magic blood can do magic, and BB is the only local ghost who has blood, then he is the only local ghost who can do magic and curse Peeves. <snip>

Carol responds:
I still have that theory because, as you say, it matches the text. The Dursleys have "not a drop of magical blood," Lily's love magic is in Harry's blood and transfers to LV when he uses Harry's blood to reconstitute his body (notice that while "bone of the [Muggle] father will do fine for the body itself, the blood has to come from a Witch or Wizard. And, of course, there's the expressions themselves: Pureblood, "Mudblood," etc. I'm sure there are other examples, but I can't think of any offhand.

Catlady: 
> Rowling's outside the books remarks wildly juggle the characters' birthdays. It seems to me that if Bill had been born in August 1967 and Charlie in July 1968, they both would have started first year at Hogwarts in September 1979, which would explain why they divided the glory between them, Bill concentrating on academics and becoming Prefect and Head Boy, and Charlie concentrating on sport and becoming Quidditch Captain. <snip>

Carol responds:
That wouldn't quite work. Bill would have to be born between September 1 and December 31 to miss the cut-off date for kids born in his calendar year (as Hermione did). If Charlie was born any time before September 1 of the following year (with at least nine months between hem), they'd be in the same school year. Too bad for the older kid to have his younger brother in the same year! But I'm pretty sure that in JKR's mind, they're two years apart.

Carol, too lazy on this Sunday evening to look up the birthdays in the Lexicon





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