Thestrals Redux

[Kat Macfarlane]

Kneasy wrote:
   
  Interesting.
  If ole Sevvy has a Thestral as Patronus then - yes, it fits in neatly with
  Blackwidower Theory - those he saw die (at Voldy's instigation if not
  directly by Voldy's hand) being Snape's own wife and son.

Gatta now:

O.K., I'll get back to this one later. I think I must have been out moongazing and caterwauling when this was discussed.

  Mind you, I can see a few Billywigs in the unguent.
  For a start we assume that the form of Patronus is decided more or
  less from the time of character development or even earlier. Unless
  the poor bugger has had at least one childhood episode watching
  somebody die -  well, when he/she gets around to learning how to
  produce one they'll never know that they succeeded - it'll be invisible.

I think Jo pretty much established in HBP that one can, if one is so disposed, change one's Patronus in adult life.


  Frustrating or what? And if like Harry he were asked to produce a
  Patronus under exam conditions some of the examiners might not be
  able to see it either.
  "Sorry, Snape. You've failed this part."
  "But sir! I did it! It's just that my Patronus is invisible!"
  "Pull the other one, lad - it's got bells on."

This, of course, is assuming that a Patronus has all the attributes of the creature it looks like, as opposed to simply looking like it. Ditto for one's Animagus form. E.g., Snape is the one thestral, at this point, that Hermione can see (when he's in Animagus form), because (a) he's visible, and (b) he has dark eyes.

  Secondly - can Dementors 'see'  a Threstral - real or Patronic?
  If they  can't - well, there ain't much point in having one.

Oh, I don't know. It might actually be rather useful, kind of like a Stealth Bomber. They'd never know what hit them. (This is assuming that a thestral Patronus is in fact invisible to some beings, which I'm inclined to doubt.)

  Additionally herself has restricted Patronic forms to real, non-magical
  beasties - so far at least. Oh, most fans suspect, probably correctly, that
  DD  has a  Phoenix Pat, but it's never actually been spelled out, and he
  could be a special case. 

I think Jo has pretty much admitted, in an off-canon interview, that Dumbledore's Patronus is a phoenix. I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that that was what Harry saw rising from his pyre (or whatever it was).

  Everyone else seems to be stuck with boring
  old stags, otters, hamsters and the like. If magical beasts were allowed
  a dragon form would be a fun thing to play around with, or even having
  your own pet Dementor Patronus - just so long as it didn't go feral and
  join it's pals in making your life a misery.
  Yup. If Marvin the Paranoid Android has a Patronus, it's a Dementor.

  Kneasy

Tribbles. Definitely tribbles. They EAT dementors.

Purrs!

La Gatta

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]