Underage/misuse of magic (was Re: Percy and Pyramids)

[zanooda2]

No: HPFGUIDX 190172








--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, lynde at ... wrote:
 
> > I actually really like that scene. Arabella recognized from her 
> feelings that there were dementors there, and knew Harry was 
> perfectly innocent and had done very well, but to really convince 
> a majority to vote with Harry and prevent a terrible injustice, 
> she felt she had to add a lie. It's a nice illustration of the 
> dilemma that can come up between doing the right thing and following a set of rules (no matter how much you believe in them generally).
 
> June:

> I don't think she lied. I reread the chapters involved here and I 
> think it could be taken either way depending on how the reader sees 
> it but I think she did see the Dementors as they were gliding away 
> from Harry and Dudley and what she said in court was the truth. Look 
> at it this way. Mrs. Figg is a squib and there are lots of wizards 
> and witches at this point still who believe in Dumbledore. If he 
> wanted someone to lie on the stand I would expect he would have 
> gotten a witch or wizard and possibly more than one witness. Also 
> Umbridge was the only person who knew the dementors where there 
> because as you (rightfully) said she had sent them after Harry.
 
> Lynda:

> I have never thought Mrs. Figg lied on the stand. I think she reported what she remembered. As a squib, up there in front of the entire wizarding court, she was overwhelmed and under-confidant, but she did not lie.


zanooda:

Well, JKR wrote on her website that Squibs are unable to see the dementors, but Mrs.Figg insisted on the stand that she saw them and tried to describe them. So why wouldn't we call it a lie :-)? She *did* lie to save Harry. Here is the link to JKR's site (text version), hope it works: http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=19