Read-A-Thon: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

[horcrux4]

Well, I can see that's possible but I can't see a sensible man like the third brother wanting to pass on the stone knowing what it had done to his brother. And there isn't much point in passing something on and telling the recipient not to use it. While I see that he was probably the only heir to his brother's possessions, I can't see why he'd want to keep the stone. Before it had the Hallows sign carved on it, it would have looked like an ordinary stone I'd have thought and been easy to get rid of.

[xhanax315]

Well perhaps he figured he couldn't have just gotten rid of it since it had supposedly came from death himself, or that it was simply so powerful he couldn't just let it slip away.

[Rookie_Angel]

For some reason Dark Magic items seem to want to stick around, and manage to find someone who appreciates them and resist being gotten rid of, in some way.

[merrymarge]

that's the power of Dark Magic.

[xhanax315]

Do we have any plans to move onto the next book?

[horcrux4]

If so, can we do Fantastic Beasts, because I've found that!

[xhanax315]

Sure! If no one has any objections (I OBJECT!!!), then I think that'll be fine.

[MrSleepyHead]

Is there any reason to discount the idea that either Antioch or Cadmus may have had children through which the artifacts could have passed? Antioch was the eldest, after all, and while Cadmus's love died before they could marry perhaps he had a child out of wedlock. I know this was brought up in the discussion of Voldemort and Harry's blood relationship - are they both descended from Ignotus's progeny, or is (for instance) Voldemort from Antioch's line? This is particularly interesting when we see that the Gaunts claimed Peverell ancestry through the relic of the Stone, which implies that the Stone was passed down through the Peverell line. If Antioch did have a son (or even if he did not; there are other relatives like parents, cousins, etc. that could have coveted those items), Ignotus would not be the only relative who could have passed down the Stone in the name of Peverell.

(And I am all for continuing on to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. I apologize for my absence during the discussion of Beedle - one that I had been eager to join but was unfortunately unable to. Great discussion, though!)

[HedwigOwl]

Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead

Is there any reason to discount the idea that either Antioch or Cadmus may have had children through which the artifacts could have passed? Antioch was the eldest, after all, and while Cadmus's love died before they could marry perhaps he had a child out of wedlock. I know this was brought up in the discussion of Voldemort and Harry's blood relationship - are they both descended from Ignotus's progeny, or is (for instance) Voldemort from Antioch's line? This is particularly interesting when we see that the Gaunts claimed Peverell ancestry through the relic of the Stone, which implies that the Stone was passed down through the Peverell line. If Antioch did have a son (or even if he did not; there are other relatives like parents, cousins, etc. that could have coveted those items), Ignotus would not be the only relative who could have passed down the Stone in the name of Peverell.

I'm not sure we have much information regarding progeny of Cadmus. He did, after all, exit quite soon after the creation of the resurrection stone. Perhaps one of his brothers put the stone into a ring, intending that the stone not be used in the future. There doesn't seem to be much about anyone else (in the legend or other folklore) referring to others using it to recall deceased loved ones. Also, it does seem obvious that the Gaunts had possession of the ring for a very long time in their family line yet they seem ignorant of its origins and function. So whether by design or accident I'd say the resurrection stone is the least sought/used of the 3 hallows. The wand's history seems to be easier to find, and the cloak apparently could be traced each generation (although perhaps identified only as an invisibility cloak, not THE invisibility cloak of the legend).

[merrymarge]

Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them: At the beginning of the book, Mr. Scamander worked for two years at the Officefor House --Elf relocation. The work was tedious. (Dept of Ministry). Question; why would they want to relocate House--Elves? I thought they stayed with one family for the House-Elf's life?

[RebeccaMatthews]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them: At the beginning of the book, Mr. Scamander worked for two years at the Officefor House --Elf relocation. The work was tedious. (Dept of Ministry). Question; why would they want to relocate House--Elves? I thought they stayed with one family for the House-Elf's life?

What about those, like Dobby, who were freed from serving one family for life? They would need relocation wouldn't they?

[MrSleepyHead]

I wonder how many house-elves are actually freed, though. It seems to me an uncommon occurrence, as most wizarding households would probably have little reason to release a house-elf, as the house-elf puts its work and service of its master above itself. We see Dobby and Winky freed, but both of them are freed due to rare circumstances (Dobby is a "weirdo" in terms of house-elves, and Harry intervened in the Malfoys' affairs. Winky was freed because she failed to monitor an Imperiused escape convict son. Both are very extraordinary scenarios, I think).

Furthermore, when Dobby and Winky are freed, it seems like it was up to them to find their own employment. Dobby seeks out wizarding households, but apart from the idea that he wanted paying, I think wizarding families probably look down upon freed house-elves (evidence of past wavering service). Thus, if the Office for House-Elf Relocation did relocate only freed house-elves, it doesn't seem as if it was still in operation during Dobby and Winky's time. And perhaps it was no longer in operation because, as stated above, there was little need for its services, given that house-elves seem likely to be freed relatively rarely.

[merrymarge]

Mr. Scamander also created the Werewolf Registration. I guess Prof. Lupin had to register, or maybe his father. I wonder if Greyback had to register. I guess it was for the protection of the werewolves or maybe the wizarding community?
And, we have definitions of beasts and beings. Not sure where Dementors go, because it seems that they can talk, but they glide instead of walk (like the ghosts).

[horcrux4]

Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead

I wonder how many house-elves are actually freed, though. It seems to me an uncommon occurrence, as most wizarding households would probably have little reason to release a house-elf, as the house-elf puts its work and service of its master above itself. We see Dobby and Winky freed, but both of them are freed due to rare circumstances (Dobby is a "weirdo" in terms of house-elves, and Harry intervened in the Malfoys' affairs. Winky was freed because she failed to monitor an Imperiused escape convict son. Both are very extraordinary scenarios, I think).

Furthermore, when Dobby and Winky are freed, it seems like it was up to them to find their own employment. Dobby seeks out wizarding households, but apart from the idea that he wanted paying, I think wizarding families probably look down upon freed house-elves (evidence of past wavering service). Thus, if the Office for House-Elf Relocation did relocate only freed house-elves, it doesn't seem as if it was still in operation during Dobby and Winky's time. And perhaps it was no longer in operation because, as stated above, there was little need for its services, given that house-elves seem likely to be freed relatively rarely.

Perhaps he dealt with house elves whose master/mistress had died and there was no-one left to 'inherit' them? That could have applied to Kreacher after Mrs Black died and Sirius was in Azkaban. Nobody seemed to care that he was alone in that great house for so many years. Perhaps in Scamander's day he would have been relocated to the Malfoys (since Bella was also in Azkaban).

I also notice that Newt's mother bred "fancy hippogriffs". How 'fancy' can you make a hippogriff?

[MrSleepyHead]

I would say that hippogriff breeding could be much like dog or horse breeding. While there may not have been different 'breeds' of hippogriffs, as there are with dogs or horses, I think that a "fancy hippogriff breeder" would target pedigrees that accentuated certain aspects: coat and feather color, conformation, etc. I'm sure that hippogriffs would be much like horses: all can perform certain basic functions, but some horses are more "perfect" and presentable than others in terms of conformation, appearance, temperament, etc. Perhaps there are shows or fairs (like the Kennel Club dog show) in which to display these "fancy" hippogriffs. I can almost see the headlines in the Daily Prophet: "Witherwings (sire: Brazentalon, dam: Fireeye) comes first in 324th Annual Hippogriff of the Year show in Scotland".

[horcrux4]

Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead

I would say that hippogriff breeding could be much like dog or horse breeding. While there may not have been different 'breeds' of hippogriffs, as there are with dogs or horses, I think that a "fancy hippogriff breeder" would target pedigrees that accentuated certain aspects: coat and feather color, conformation, etc. I'm sure that hippogriffs would be much like horses: all can perform certain basic functions, but some horses are more "perfect" and presentable than others in terms of conformation, appearance, temperament, etc. Perhaps there are shows or fairs (like the Kennel Club dog show) in which to display these "fancy" hippogriffs. I can almost see the headlines in the Daily Prophet: "Witherwings (sire: Brazentalon, dam: Fireeye) comes first in 324th Annual Hippogriff of the Year show in Scotland".

I love the thought of a hippogriff of the year show! What would she do with all the hippogriffs once she had bred them? They aren't exactly domestic pets. I assume they can't just be released into the wild or Muggles would be likely to see them.

[merrymarge]

Did JKR ever mention what the Thief's Curse was if a person read the book without purchasing it? I guess Dumbledore didn't think people might borrow the book from a library or from friends.

I like the shout out to the UK Comic Relief fund. Dumbldeore wrote the forward, which makes one think it is a real book, but the proceeds go to a Muggle charity.

[merrymarge]

Has the Read- a thon- ended? Was there any other chapters that we were going to talk about, with the Fantastic Beasts?

[xhanax315]

I'm sorry, my copy is misplaced at the moment, so I can't recall how Beasts is set up, there aren't chapters right? So I don't how to split that up.

[merrymarge]

There aren't any chapters per say, but there is a section on how beasts are deterrmined. There are ministry classifications-- if a beast is dangerous or not. Centaurs are--XXXX only because they deserve respect, not because they are dangerous. Same with Merpeople. There is a description of the Lethifold, which is similar to a Dementor. One person was known to survive an attack. This wizard used a Patronus Charm to escape, The book is short and easy to read. And there are creatures that we don't learn about in the HP books.