WOMBAT part deux -- the Sequel

[Richard]

Long time no see. :-) I want to make just a couple of comments on Dung's 
and Anne's answers where I disagree with either of their rationales. I 
won't waste time and space with the answers where we all agree.

At 10:43 06/10/2006 , dungrollin wrote:

>7. Which of the following statements on house-elves is FALSE?
>
>-House-elves have an average life-expectancy of 200 years
>-A house-elf's allegiance is foremost to its house (rather than to
>the inhabitants of the house)
>-House-elves cannot be ordered to kill themselves
>-House-elf magic is sufficiently powerful to override wizards
>enchantments
>-House-elves breed infrequently and then only with their master's
>permission
>
>Anne: House-elves have an average life-expectancy of 200 years
>
>Dung: A house-elf's allegiance is foremost to its house (rather than
>to the inhabitants of the house).

1) is unlikely to be true because of the heads at 12 GP; 2) *could* be true 
but although we don't have express canon stating the case,  Winky appears 
to have had no problems leaving the Crouch house and reporting to Hogwarts 
(note that her two masters are dead or soul-sucked by that time so she 
doesn't seem to have a human master), whilst Kreacher seems to have stayed 
at 12 GP because of Mrs Black's portrait rather than any obligation to the 
building itself;  3) is phrased weirdly (double negative) but at least 
twice we've had Elves who "misbehaved" to the extent that they'd be better 
of dead (in their rather nasty masters' eyes) because of the secrets they 
know (Dobby and Winky) and that course of action wasn't taken, so they 
probably can't be ordered to kill themselves (i.e. the statement is likely 
to be true); 4) is likely to be true because Elves appear to have no 
trouble getting into and out of Hogwarts despite the "enchantments" (note 
that specific word in the question, and that's the word that's been used in 
the past to describe Hogwarts' protection); we have absolutely no canon 
information about the two elements of 5), so I put in a category marked 
"pointless and thus to be discounted as a possibility". The only reasonable 
answer therefore as far as I'm concerned is that statement  1) must be the 
untrue one.

>13. Assuming that you already have a wand, which THREE of the
>following would you consider indispensable in case of trouble?
>
>-Anti-Muggle doorknob
>-Broomstick
>-Cauldron
>-Crystal ball
>-Extendable Ears
>-Floo Powder
>-Foe Glass
>-Hand of Glory
>-Invisibility Cloak
>-Lunascope
>-Omnioculars
>-Parchment
>-Pensieve
>-Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder
>-Potion-making kit
>-Quick-Quotes Quill
>-Remembrall
>-Revealer
>-Scales
>-Secrecy Sensor
>-Sneakoscope
>-Telescope
>-Time-Turner
>-Two-way mirror
>-Wizard's wireless
>
>Anne: Broom, invisibility cloak, time-turner
>
>Dung: Foe Glass, Invisibility cloak, Floo powder. (See it coming,
>hide from it, get away from it.)

I won't go through my opinions on the whole list, but I disagree with the 
Time-Turner (I think this was a trick inclusion, as many readers appear to 
think that TTs can routinely *change* the past, which is not true) and 
effectively it doesn't really help; Floo Powder is only of help if one has 
access to a fireplace connected to the Floo Network. Also, one has to be 
able to  use it (i.e. having to state a destination loudly and clearly) out 
of earshot of whoever you're escaping - they know where you're going. Both 
are by no means guaranteed.

With several items, such as the two-way mirror (JKR has hinted that it will 
become useful) we don't yet know what they can do, so I put them into the 
same category as statement 5) for question 7. above.

I'm not sure, but I think my selection was (using a similar rationale to 
Dung's) Foe Glass, invisibility cloak and broomstick.

>`Pparently my answers merited an outstanding. Not sure why.

Same here. :-)