Chapter Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban Ch 22: Owl Post Again

[rtbthw_mom]

No: HPFGUIDX 191261



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Mike Crudele" <mcrudele78 at ...> wrote:
>

> 
> > > 7. How did Dumbledore know James's nickname was Prongs? Did he
> > > know about the Marauder's Map?
> 
> > Pat:
> > To me, it makes sense that the nicknames were well known, even if 
> > the map was not. Everyone seems to have no trouble knowing who Wormtail is, for example. I can totally see James yelling something to Padfoot, and Sirius responding to something Prongs had said.
> 
> Mike:
> I really did mean this to be 2 associated but separate questions. I always wondered how Dumbledore knew Prongs was James nickname. Yes, they were probably well known back in their day, but would Dumbledore have known them? If he had, would he really remember a nickname some years on? Can you imagine how many nicknames float around that school? And in either of their serious discussions with Dumbledore, do you think Lupin or Black spent the time to explain their nicknames? 
> 
> I always wondered whether the guy that seems to know everything that goes on at his school, knew about the Map. I also think the Map was one of the cool things in this book, and that it eventually got passed down from father to son was karmic indeed. Zanooda's answer seals the deal for me, Dumbledore didn't know about either the Marauders anamagi abilities or the Map. 
>  
>  
Pat:

Ah, but Dumbledore knew both Sirius and James very well after they were done with school - through the Order of the Phoenix. And nicknames, especially nicknames with an extra meaning to them, don't tend to go away just because you're done with school. James and Lily were killed, what, maybe 4 years after they were done with school? So the idea that they never called one another Prongs or Padfoot after they left Hogwarts doesn't sit too well with me. Particularly when Sirius still calls Lupin Moony from time to time. And Wormtail is pretty much only Wormtail from the time he rejoins Voldemort till the end, and Dumbledore definitely knows who Wormtail is. So I don't think it's too much to believe that Dumbledore heard the nicknames many times before the tragedy of James and Lily's deaths. But I am in total agreement about the map and their anamagi abilities - I think there is definite canon on that one.

Pat