Little Questions Answered v.20

[snapes_witch]

Originally Posted by mirrormere

On the harrypotter.wikia.com it mentions that Dumbledore and Grindelwald dueled for 3 hours. Does anyone know where that is stated in the books?

I'm not sure it is! After a bit of browsing I found the quote from Skeeter's book in the DH chapter "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore" and it didn't mention the duel. Later at King's Cross Dumbledore tells Harry about his friendship with Grindelwald and their final duel but he never mentions the duel's length.

Does anyone know who writes the HP Wiki articles? I've always assumed it's just some HP fan; surely JKR wouldn't allow anyone in her circle to be in direct competition with Pottermore. Not after going after Steve Vander Ark!

[HedwigOwl]

Originally Posted by snapes_witch

I'm not sure it is! After a bit of browsing I found the quote from Skeeter's book in the DH chapter "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore" and it didn't mention the duel. Later at King's Cross Dumbledore tells Harry about his friendship with Grindelwald and their final duel but he never mentions the duel's length.

Does anyone know who writes the HP Wiki articles? I've always assumed it's just some HP fan; surely JKR wouldn't allow anyone in her circle to be in direct competition with Pottermore. Not after going after Steve Vander Ark!

I think anyone can write wiki articles/entries. There's a lot of speculation & fan fiction out there, and even Vander Ark's Lexicon uses speculation/theory from fan sources -- and although he seems to note pretty clearly when he does -- not every HP fan is going to pay close attention and suddenly there are "facts" floating around that no one can verify.

We do know that the duel is mentioned on Dumbledore's chocolate frog card, and in Rita's book. But no details are mentioned in either source about the duel. I'm guessing because no one else was there except Dumbledore and Grindelwald.

[mirrormere]

Maybe in an interview somewhere by JKR?

[Foreverchang]

This might seem like a kinda stupid question, but why weren't house elves utilized in war before the battle of Hogwarts? I mean, if Kreacher can apparate out of Voldemort's Horcrux cave unscathed, then other house elves certainly could've found Voldemort, Death Eaters, or any other people/infomation the early Order of the Phoenix needed. They would've mae the perfect spies! So why didn't Dumbledore use them? (Aside from obvious plot reasons, house elves would've made everything a lot easier)

[snapes_witch]

Originally Posted by mirrormere

Maybe in an interview somewhere by JKR?

Not that I remember.

[merrymarge]

I think Dumbledore was sensitive to House-elves. He wouldn't want to use them as spies. Sure they were loyal to him, but it would still be unfair to them and if one got hurt or died, Dumbledore would have a lot of House-elves to comfort. Dobby took risks to come to see Harry in COS. and later, in DH, when he went back to rescue Harry and his friends. I don't think Dumbledore would want to use any House-elf to risk their life to be a spy.

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by Foreverchang

This might seem like a kinda stupid question, but why weren't house elves utilized in war before the battle of Hogwarts? I mean, if Kreacher can apparate out of Voldemort's Horcrux cave unscathed, then other house elves certainly could've found Voldemort, Death Eaters, or any other people/infomation the early Order of the Phoenix needed. They would've mae the perfect spies! So why didn't Dumbledore use them? (Aside from obvious plot reasons, house elves would've made everything a lot easier)

Who's to say that he didn't? He had a habit of knowing things...

[GrimeldaDursley]

Originally Posted by Foreverchang

This might seem like a kinda stupid question, but why weren't house elves utilized in war before the battle of Hogwarts? I mean, if Kreacher can apparate out of Voldemort's Horcrux cave unscathed, then other house elves certainly could've found Voldemort, Death Eaters, or any other people/infomation the early Order of the Phoenix needed. They would've mae the perfect spies! So why didn't Dumbledore use them? (Aside from obvious plot reasons, house elves would've made everything a lot easier)

To me, it just doesn't sound like the kind of thing Dumbledore would do. More like the kind of thing Voldemort would consider. Which he didn't, because as Dumbledore says, of the ways of House-elves and so many other important things, Voldemort knew nothing, as he considered such things beneath his notice.

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by Foreverchang

This might seem like a kinda stupid question, but why weren't house elves utilized in war before the battle of Hogwarts? I mean, if Kreacher can apparate out of Voldemort's Horcrux cave unscathed, then other house elves certainly could've found Voldemort, Death Eaters, or any other people/infomation the early Order of the Phoenix needed. They would've mae the perfect spies! So why didn't Dumbledore use them? (Aside from obvious plot reasons, house elves would've made everything a lot easier)

While I agree that the overlooking house elves as tools in war is an issue I see it less as an "I think Dumbledore was above using them because he sympathized with them" thing and more an author injecting the story with a moral message thing; house elves were slaves, slavery is wrong, therefore the good guys would not use them because if they did they would be condoning something that is wrong.

The whole house elf thing sent a very mixed message to me. On the one hand you have house elves working as slaves, being seen as second-class citizens and being refused rights by wizards. On the other hand you see house elves terrified of being set free from their masters, refusing working benefits like getting weekends off and generally being fearful of losing their status as household workers. Hermione attempts to set them free at Hogwarts but Dobby tells us that the Hogwarts house elves become so offended by her attempts that they refuse to clean the Gryffindor common room lest they be accidentally set free. So despite the message we are given that slavery is wrong, we have the slaves trying to maintain their enslaved status. Mixed message.

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by Goddess_Clio

While I agree that the overlooking house elves as tools in war is an issue I see it less as an "I think Dumbledore was above using them because he sympathized with them" thing and more an author injecting the story with a moral message thing; house elves were slaves, slavery is wrong, therefore the good guys would not use them because if they did they would be condoning something that is wrong.

The whole house elf thing sent a very mixed message to me. On the one hand you have house elves working as slaves, being seen as second-class citizens and being refused rights by wizards. On the other hand you see house elves terrified of being set free from their masters, refusing working benefits like getting weekends off and generally being fearful of losing their status as household workers. Hermione attempts to set them free at Hogwarts but Dobby tells us that the Hogwarts house elves become so offended by her attempts that they refuse to clean the Gryffindor common room lest they be accidentally set free. So despite the message we are given that slavery is wrong, we have the slaves trying to maintain their enslaved status. Mixed message.

I think that this is really the point. These things within the books are not, to me, meant to give concrete morals; it seems to me that they are meant to provoke thought. Arguments can be made for and against SPEW (and of course, they have on this forum). To me, I'm not even sure of the extent to which we can compare the house elves with our human concept of slavery, given we don't know who is responsible for the magic which motivates them. Either way, I think that the whole elf subplot is intended to provoke thought more than anything. I think it's similar to the 'greater good' argument and the whole dichotomy between Albus and Aberforth in that. It seems to me that JKR just wants to put the issues into the minds of her readers.

[merrymarge]

I was just on the Pottermore site and I read that Dragon breeding was outlawed in the wizarding world in 1709. How can there be dragons in Romania? Wouldn't they all have died out in the 280 years since they were banned? Or isn't Romania a part of the Wizarding World?

as to whether house-elves should have been used as spies, I think this is just something we fans think about. When I first read the books and later in re-reading the books, I never thought about using them as spies in any wizarding war. Not until I saw the question on this thread did I think about it. That's what I like about coming here, we find out about stuff we never thought of until someone mentions it.

[willfitz]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

I was just on the Pottermore site and I read that Dragon breeding was outlawed in the wizarding world in 1709. How can there be dragons in Romania? Wouldn't they all have died out in the 280 years since they were banned? Or isn't Romania a part of the Wizarding World?

I think it's extremely likely that it was banned for the general public, but not for actual professional breeders.

[captain_mills]

And since dragons are not sentient beings (see Fantastic Beasts) and they don't communicate with humans, you can't tell the dragons to stop breeding...

I think the ban on dragon breeding, like Willfitz says, only applies to humans actually affecting the outcome...

[merrymarge]

O.k. But I remember what the Goblins did with their dragons in Gringotts. I wonder if they bought them or traded for the eggs.

[Schlubalybub]

I've been listening to GoF, and a couple of questions came up


- Did Mrs Weasley buy Hermione's dress robes when she bought Ron and Harry's, or did Hermione go to Diagon Alley at another point? I know that Hermione was reading the Standard Book of Spells: Grade four, before Harry was given his school stuff, so I was just curious.

- Were first, second and third years told to buy dress robes, on the off-chance that they were invited to the Yule Ball? I always thought that fourth and fifth years were only allowed to go to the Yule Ball because Harry was made the fourth Triwizard Tournament, until I remembered that Ron and Harry had dress robes on their school lists. So I guess it was always Dumbledore's intention to allow fourth years and above to go to the Ball...unless they were also just told to get dress robes on the off-chance they'd be invited (like Hermione was by Viktor Krum). I know it's a long-winded way to ask it, but I guess that Ginny wore dress robes to the Ball when she went with Neville (I can't remember it being mentioned) so were they on her list?

[Dedalus Diggle]

Originally Posted by Schlubalybub

I've been listening to GoF, and a couple of questions came up


- Did Mrs Weasley buy Hermione's dress robes when she bought Ron and Harry's, or did Hermione go to Diagon Alley at another point? I know that Hermione was reading the Standard Book of Spells: Grade four, before Harry was given his school stuff, so I was just curious.

Well, we certainly are not told, but we can make educated guesses. From Hermione's parents being present in the bookstore in CofS, it appears that they embrace and support Hermione's acceptance of her wizarding identity. When Hermione explained to them about getting a chance to see the wizarding equivalent of the World Cup, I think they would have taken her to Diagon Alley again, and helped her get all the things on her list, and probably did so with utter fascination.

[Schlubalybub]

Thanks- I wasn't sure about that, but then I remembered that Harry was only at The Burrow for the last two weeks of the holidays, which means that there were roughly four weeks before the Quidditch World Cup in which Hermione could go to Diagon Alley- I just wasn't sure about it...

[snapes_witch]

Originally Posted by Dedalus Diggle

Well, we certainly are not told, but we can make educated guesses. From Hermione's parents being present in the bookstore in CofS, it appears that they embrace and support Hermione's acceptance of her wizarding identity. When Hermione explained to them about getting a chance to see the wizarding equivalent of the World Cup, I think they would have taken her to Diagon Alley again, and helped her get all the things on her list, and probably did so with utter fascination.

From my light reading of those chapters it appears to me that Hermione is with Ron and Harry the entire time from before Harry's arrival at the Burrow until leaving on the Hogwarts Express so I don't know when she'd have had an opportunity to go with her parents to Diagon Alley.

What is more likely IMO is that Hermione and Molly got together before Molly's shopping trip and worked out the kind of dress robe Hermione wanted. Molly could have even taken Hermione's measurements for Madame Malkin. Hermione probably had her Hogwart's clothing allowance with her so money would have been no problem.

[Alastor]

Methinks Dedalus referred to CoS, where her parents were in Diagon Alley. If Tom the barman remembered her parents from earlier visits, he might have let them in even if not in her company. Or, as suggested above, Molly could have bought them.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Hermione got her dress robes by post order.

[HedwigOwl]

Originally Posted by Schlubalybub

I've been listening to GoF, and a couple of questions came up


- Did Mrs Weasley buy Hermione's dress robes when she bought Ron and Harry's, or did Hermione go to Diagon Alley at another point? I know that Hermione was reading the Standard Book of Spells: Grade four, before Harry was given his school stuff, so I was just curious.

- Were first, second and third years told to buy dress robes, on the off-chance that they were invited to the Yule Ball? I always thought that fourth and fifth years were only allowed to go to the Yule Ball because Harry was made the fourth Triwizard Tournament, until I remembered that Ron and Harry had dress robes on their school lists. So I guess it was always Dumbledore's intention to allow fourth years and above to go to the Ball...unless they were also just told to get dress robes on the off-chance they'd be invited (like Hermione was by Viktor Krum). I know it's a long-winded way to ask it, but I guess that Ginny wore dress robes to the Ball when she went with Neville (I can't remember it being mentioned) so were they on her list?

As far as I recall, I don't think that Mrs. Weasley ever got Hermione's school things for her; her parents came with her for the first few years, and then I think she just went on her own. In either case, Molly only shopped for Harry's & Ron's dress robes, not Hermione's. As far as Ginny, dress robes wouldn't have been on her list, and the one time she's mentioned in the Yule Ball scenes (Harry notices her dancing, grimacing when Neville trods on her feet). But nothing at all is mentioned on what she's wearing. Ginny accepted very last minute, so it's anyone's guess what she did about dress robes. Perhaps she borrowed some.

Originally Posted by Alastor

I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Hermione got her dress robes by post order.

That's possible, but somehow I think that Hermione would want to shop in person for them to make sure the color was right.