Dragons, Produced and Tickled, and Other Pleasantries

[pippin_999]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Barry Arrowsmith" <arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:

> The canon can be found in the same place as the proof that they
> did know about Lupin - or did you think I hadn't noticed that you
> provided no canon either? Tut.
 
> I can't imagine an interferring bunch like the Govenors
> a) being in unanimous agreement
> b) that one of them wouldn't 'leak', especially if he/she disapproved
> c) that they'd never send anyone round to check up. 


Pippin:
The BoG, the staff and the Ministry know about Slytherin's little pet, the
parents, the kiddies and the Daily Prophet remain clueless. Myrtle's death
is hushed up, the kids don't know why Hagrid was expelled and the
same situation seems to obtain when the serpent returns. We're dealing
with a people schooled in secrecy from childhood, after all.

The staff and the Ministry know about Lupin's return (and one would 
assume there's overlap between the Ministry and the Board). Again the 
kiddies, parents and Prophet are out of the loop, Malfoy having 
conveniently resigned prior to Lupin's return. I suspect  most board members
are too old to have kids in school. It is somewhat tutworthy canon, as there
could be a different setup for Lupin's initial sojourn chez Hogwarts, 
but it would seem sloppy and a waste of all that exposition.

Kneasy:
> He must be known as a werewolf - "...my parents tried everything, but
> in those days there was no cure..." implies seeking help and advice
> from any quarter, including St Mungo's.

Pippin:
I'm not so sure. In the old days, people would keep certain diseases
hushed up; mental illness, STDs, cancer. The parents would already
know that Mungo's can't cure lycanthropy, so why go there?
They kept it quiet, like the Dursleys with Dudley's pig tail.
 I suspect they moved a lot, one step ahead of the landlords and
the mob with the  pitchforks, and spent what ever they had on 
quack cures. 

Pippin:
> 
> > But Dumbledore is not to know that. Snape had a known habit of
> > following the Marauders around. Who, even Dumbledore, would look
> > deeper, especially if the shock of seeing  the monster wiped most of the
> > evidence away?
> > 

Kneasy:
> Because DD is a Legilimans. (He didn't teach Harry himself because he 
> he thought it better to distance himself from Harry, not because he couldn't.
> Occlumency and Legilimancy are two sides of the same coin, it's not possible
> to teach how to guard the mind properly unless you can also intrude to see 
> if attacks are blocked.)
> So even if he didn't know the situation before the event, he'd certainly 
> ferret it out in the questioning afterwards.

Pippin:
Lupin appears to be a natural occlumens. "Don't ask me to fathom the way 
a werewolf's mind works" and "An odd, closed expression appeared on 
Lupin's face." Adult Lupin is able to conceal that he's hiding something
from Dumbledore all year.

As for Sirius and James, the dementors couldn't tell from Sirius's thoughts 
that he was an animagus, so it  can't be obvious to the enquiring mind. 
Besides which, the werewolf outings were only a small part of their careers
of mischief and rule-breaking. Prodding Sirius or James for guilty feelings 
would have unleashed years of recollections, only a few of which would 
have to do with the monthly outings. No reason for Dumbledore to zero 
in on those if he didn't know what he was looking for.

If Sirius and James weren't questioned about queer
goings on in Hogsmeade or the forest, they didn't have to lie. They wouldn't
have gone to the willow *that* month, because they knew Snape had 
seen Madame Pomfrey taking Lupin to it and would be watching it from
now on. That's why something had to be done, IMO. Lupin knew that 
James and Sirius were too reckless to be put off for long.

Pippin