Little Questions Answered v.20

[merrymarge]

Right. I don't feel sorry for Vernon though, he was just nasty. I wish he met a dementor.

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by MerryLore

I think she was jealous of Lily. She'd even written to Hogwarts, hoping to get in. She felt Lily got most of the lion's share of love and attention from their parents, because Lily was a witch. Since she couldn't have something she wanted, she decided she never wanted it at all, and that it was something bad and to be embarrassed about, and those feelings extended to Harry.

I agree she was jealous of Lily and the attention she got because of her powers but I don't necessarily agree about Lily getting more love from their parents. There's no canon support but I'd hope their parents aren't such horrible people as to preference their magical child and love her more than the non-magical one.

Alternatively, they [the parents] might have abused the fact that they had a witch for a daughter, "I don't have time to run to the store. Lily, be a dear and conjure up a new bed set for your sister" or "My, my, I sure do think the sitting room could use some redecorating. Lily, don't suppose you could..." This would have put Lily is a sticky spot trying to please her parents while not aggrivating her sister and not breaking the underage magic laws... how likely this scenario is, I don't know but it's a possibility that Lily had a hard time at home, too.

[merrymarge]

Somehow, I don't think thier parents would do this. Especially after Lily started at Hogwarts.
I wonder, when Lily received her letter, we know that someone from Hogwarts came and talk to the family. I wonder if it was just one visit or maybe a series of visits, or maybe letters were sent? This would be a lot of information to impart just once.

[SirDobster]

I've been thinking about the scene (can't remember which book, maybe Goblet of Fire?) where Hagrid is tipsy and kisses McGonagall's cheek, and she giggles and maybe even blushes. I'm wondering if she was just tipsy too, or if she had a bit of a little crush on Hagrid (who probably liked her a little since he gave her a kiss). If Madame Maxime hadn't caught Hagrid's fancy, I wonder if McGonagall would have.

[Taquiq]

Originally Posted by SirDobster

I've been thinking about the scene (can't remember which book, maybe Goblet of Fire?) where Hagrid is tipsy and kisses McGonagall's cheek, and she giggles and maybe even blushes. I'm wondering if she was just tipsy too, or if she had a bit of a little crush on Hagrid (who probably liked her a little since he gave her a kiss). If Madame Maxime hadn't caught Hagrid's fancy, I wonder if McGonagall would have.

I just looked it up... it's in Sorcerers Stone (Ch. 12), when everyone is celebrating Christmas. I'm pretty sure they were both drinking wine, and Hagrid's face is "getting redder and redder'. I'm guessing they both were a little tipsy.

[HedwigOwl]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

Somehow, I don't think thier parents would do this. Especially after Lily started at Hogwarts.

I agree. It doesn't seem likely that Lily's parents would have put Lily in that position -- she was under age for most, if not all, of the time she lived at home while in school and under the trace. Also, even though Petunia did become very jealous of Lily, overall both sisters seem to have been brought up in a normal household, and Lily doesn't seem spoiled (Petunia's view is colored by her jealousy & anxiety).

Originally Posted by merrymarge

I wonder, when Lily received her letter, we know that someone from Hogwarts came and talk to the family. I wonder if it was just one visit or maybe a series of visits, or maybe letters were sent? This would be a lot of information to impart just once.

The only visit to a student pre-school we see is the pensieve memory with Dumbledore & Riddle. Judging from that, there would be only one orientation visit. The parents would already have read the initial letter & had time to adjust somewhat; I'd guess the visit would last long enough to answer most parents' questions in general and cover the logistics of Diagon Alley and the King's Cross platform access. After that, the parents would learn what they needed to know as their child tells them about what they're learning, etc.

[merrymarge]

Sometimes I get an idea, and I think, this had to happen, then after I post it, suddenly my idea doesn't seem right. I wasn't sure if there was one visit or not. Ok. here's another idea, would Muggle parents really understand what their child was doing at Hogwarts? how do you explain charms, potions, and transfiguration. And if my child said that he learn how to fly on a broom, I might be afraid something might happen, like they would fly into an airplane.

[snapes_witch]

Originally Posted by merrymarge

Sometimes I get an idea, and I think, this had to happen, then after I post it, suddenly my idea doesn't seem right. I wasn't sure if there was one visit or not. Ok. here's another idea, would Muggle parents really understand what their child was doing at Hogwarts? how do you explain charms, potions, and transfiguration. And if my child said that he learn how to fly on a broom, I might be afraid something might happen, like they would fly into an airplane.

Me too. I suspect that Muggle parents don't really know too much about Hogwarts. Your reaction would be pretty normal for a Muggle.

[GillyweedFan]

Okay, so in HBP, Draco's Detour I think it is, before Harry and the Weasley's travel to Diagon Alley...Bill presents Harry with a sack of Gold, claiming that security's tight, it's taking people 'five hours' to get their gold, he withdrew Harry's gold for him and 'it's just easier this way.'

If Harry knew nothing about it though, how did Bill get into Harry's vault? If Security really was that tight, why would Gringotts just let Bill waltz in and remove Harry's money from his vault? Bill could be anyone in disguise right? Or did he have Harry's key? But then who gave Bill Harry's key, because Harry didn't know Bill was removing gold for him....

[snapes_witch]

Originally Posted by GillyweedFan

Okay, so in HBP, Draco's Detour I think it is, before Harry and the Weasley's travel to Diagon Alley...Bill presents Harry with a sack of Gold, claiming that security's tight, it's taking people 'five hours' to get their gold, he withdrew Harry's gold for him and 'it's just easier this way.'

If Harry knew nothing about it though, how did Bill get into Harry's vault? If Security really was that tight, why would Gringotts just let Bill waltz in and remove Harry's money from his vault? Bill could be anyone in disguise right? Or did he have Harry's key? But then who gave Bill Harry's key, because Harry didn't know Bill was removing gold for him....

Hmmm, interesting . . . It doesn't specifically say that Harry didn't know about it; so maybe Bill had offered to get Harry's money for him.

[Arcus]

Originally Posted by GillyweedFan

Okay, so in HBP, Draco's Detour I think it is, before Harry and the Weasley's travel to Diagon Alley...Bill presents Harry with a sack of Gold, claiming that security's tight, it's taking people 'five hours' to get their gold, he withdrew Harry's gold for him and 'it's just easier this way.'

If Harry knew nothing about it though, how did Bill get into Harry's vault? If Security really was that tight, why would Gringotts just let Bill waltz in and remove Harry's money from his vault? Bill could be anyone in disguise right? Or did he have Harry's key? But then who gave Bill Harry's key, because Harry didn't know Bill was removing gold for him....

As a Gringotts employee, Bill was likely respected and trusted among his colleagues. For the same reason he probably would have been able to access certain lower security vaults with the keys. And keep in mind that Gringotts has some extensive protective magic capable of detecting disguises. I'm certain the goblins would have recognized an impostor especially since they were so familiar with Bill already.

Harry and co. managed to fool them only with the help of another Goblin who had worked there for quite some time, and even then the plan failed (in some respects).

[Dedalus Diggle]

Basically I think that is one of those quirks that never properly made sense but I'll have a stab:

In keeping with the warning poem Harry read in the first book, the enchantments are aimed at the thief who "seeks to take what is not his" (or whatever the precise wording is). Because Bill was not acquiring the money for himself but intended it for Harry, the enchantments allowed him to remove what Harry needed.

[GillyweedFan]

Oh, all valid explanations I suppose! I think too far into these things!

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by GillyweedFan

Oh, all valid explanations I suppose! I think too far into these things!

Welcome to the club. =^D


Question about Hagrid:
When did he become gamekeeper? It couldn't have been immediately after he was expelled because he was like 13 or 14, wasn't he? Was he made like assistant gamekeeper or something? Does anyone know?

[Dedalus Diggle]

I am pretty sure that in COS, either he or someone says that he was apprenticed/ made assistant to the then-gamekeeper, at Dumbledore's urging.

[GillyweedFan]

We know that Harry was affected by Dementors worse than others because as Lupin said, he's been through so much more than his classmates.

But, do you think the fact that Harry, acting as a Horcrux, with Voldemort's soul within him contributed to his Dementor traumas?
Surely having two souls within you would make you more appealing and more vulnerable for the Dementors?

[PotterPumpkin]

Heeeeeeey, i have two questions.

Was the Malfoy family truly loyal to Lord Voldemort?
What house did Dolores Umbridge belong to? (yeah, probably Slytherin but meh)

[MerryLore]

Originally Posted by PotterPumpkin

Heeeeeeey, i have two questions.

Was the Malfoy family truly loyal to Lord Voldemort?

Lucius seemed to be. Draco agreed to kill Dumbledore but in the end could not, and he did protect Harry at Malfoy Manor, so i'd say he may have found out that becoming a follower of Voldemort wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Narcissa lied when she said Harry had died at Voldemort's hands, but my guess is that's because she loved Draco and wanted Voldemort to go to Hogwarts, where her son was. None of the three fought in the final battle.

What house did Dolores Umbridge belong to? (yeah, probably Slytherin but meh)

We weren't told, and probably won't get the answer until Pottermore. I think she was in Hufflepuff, but others think it was Slytherin.

[mirrormere]

Originally Posted by GillyweedFan

We know that Harry was affected by Dementors worse than others because as Lupin said, he's been through so much more than his classmates.

But, do you think the fact that Harry, acting as a Horcrux, with Voldemort's soul within him contributed to his Dementor traumas?

Possibly, but I side with Lupin who said it was because of the real terrors in Harry's past.

Originally Posted by GillyweedFan

Surely having two souls within you would make you more appealing and more vulnerable for the Dementors?

I can't see Voldemort's soul attracting much of anythin, even dementors! Perhaps the piece was too small.

Could a dementor have sucked LV's bit of soul out of Harry?

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by mirrormere

I can't see Voldemort's soul attracting much of anythin, even dementors! Perhaps the piece was too small.

Could a dementor have sucked LV's bit of soul out of Harry?

Slaughtermaniac posted a video about time traveling to youtube that has an interesting theory about this. He basically proposes that when dementors get close to harry what they are feeing on is Voldemort's worst memories (namely being destroyed by harry in the Potter's house) rather than anything Harry "remembers" because he was only a year old and probably doesn't remember anything from that night anway.

I thought it was an interesting theory anyway. And unless you want to join the time traveling discussion (which has progressed into the realm of advanced physics that is way over my head) skip to the end of the video for Slaughtermaniac's discussion of LV's soul and the dementors.