Little Questions Answered v8

[Alastor]

Thread Rules 1. Please treat other members with respect. There will be no bashing of other members or their ideas. If you disagree with someone please provide canon evidence and do so without condescension or bickering. 2. No character bashing. You can say "I believe Sirius/Snape/the Giant Squid acted in such and such way in this scene" but please do not make blanket statements about any of the characters like "Snape is an evil slimy git" or "Sirius is a vain loser" 3. We are prohibiting the use of non-canon sources in this thread. Non-canon sources include song lyrics, fiction by other authors, historical events etc. 4. Staff reserves the right to ban members from this thread either permanently or temporarily if we feel they are not following these rules. You will be given a warning via owl or via official warning points before you are asked to leave the thread.

The Official Staff Monitor for this thread is Alastor D.. If you have any questions about the thread or would like to discuss a specific problem please owl them directly. Please be aware that other staff members will also be monitoring this thread. If you are warned by another staff member, as always contact them directly or contact an Admin.


This thread is set up like a question and answer session which covers the smaller questions from the Harry Potter series. You may ask and answer any little thing that may be on your mind about the series.

Some of our most common questions are listed with Jo's answers here: Frequently Asked Harry Potter Questions

Last few posts in Version 7:    

---

Originally Posted by muffliato2009 on Jo's website, in the rumors section, she is talking about Harry not being a metamorphmagus and in her writing she said "Their (wizarding children) magical ability has been bottled up for weeks at a time and then, when made angry or frightened, it simply explodes out of them." So does this mean that if magic isn't performed for a while, it will be bottled up? That means that if Harry didn't use any magic for like a month or so, his powers would be stronger and more effective, right? Do you think this could be an effective strategy to fight the Dark Lord? Originally Posted by EverLore I've never seen the Bloomsbury edition...I'm going to go and look up the cover art right now. But I think that could be interesting. Very interesting. Or. It may not be anything, just some extra room on the cloak so the illustrator added their 3 favorite letters... Edit: I can't find a picture of the back anywhere? Would you know where to find one? Originally Posted by 62442al_Man I googled it, and I couldn't find an image for us to analyze, though I remember seeing one on eBay. Ill keep looking. But even so, I highly doubt Jo would hide any clues on the UK version and not the American version. That is sort of unfair and something she wouldn't do. It is like the American version White Tomb chapter cover thing. People thought it looked like Mr. Burns, others a dementor, others a middle finger. If you look at something long enough, it could turn out to look like a lot of things, in my opinion .

New version
For earlier versions see:
Little Questions Answered v7
Little HP Question Answered v6
Little HP Questions Answered v.5
Little HP Questions Answered v3
Little HP Questions Answered v2

Have fun.

[kingbobs]

Woohoo I'm first in the new edition!

Anyway, this may have been asked before. (I'm betting it has, but I don't have the patience to sift through 7 versions of this thread) Its always kind of bugged me. How do Muggles get into Diagon Alley? In one of the books, (I can't remember which) Hermione's parents are exchanging British Pounds for Galleons at Gringott's. How do they find out where it is? Harry's letter in PS/SS makes no mention of Diagon Alley's existance or location. Should we assume that all students get the same letter? Can they only get into Diagon Alley when they have a specific purpose for being there (such as Hermione's parents helping her get ready for school) or could they come back anytime they wanted?

[Mundungus Fletc]

Somewhere we are told that muggle parents get a visit from a wizard at around the time the letter arrives. They explain to the parents about Hogwarts etc. Presumably they also tell them about the Leaky Cauldron. Whilst they may not see it their magical child will. Presumably they need someone magical to open the wall (the barman?)

[Alastor]

To me it seems obvious that muggles can see Diagon Alley once they've been escorted in. On the occasion we saw the Grangers there, their daughter already knew how to get there.

For their first visit to buy Hermiones supplies before starting her first year I quess they got instructions to ask Tom to let them in.

[Annett]

Originally Posted by Everlore

I can't find a picture of the back anywhere? Would you know where to find one?

I made a picture from my PS edition, you can find it here.

[mysterious]

Originally Posted by Annett

I made a picture from my PS edition, you can find it here.

Thanks Annett that Back Cover definatley gives us the Appearence of three distinct words "FXI" along the lower border of the cloak. Wonder what that means?

[Tenshi]

The signs on the cloak are looking like runes. At least most of them are looking familar to me.

[mysterious]

Originally Posted by TENSHI

The signs on the cloak are looking like runes. At least most of them are looking familar to me.

Oh yes it does but that dosen't take us any further. Anyways I have put this question up on a forum where runes are dealt in detail, hope the experts reply soon and we come to know whether they really mean something or are just figmants of imagination of the cover designer.

[Annett]

Originally Posted by mysterious

Oh yes it does but that dosen't take us any further. Anyways I have put this question up on a forum where runes are dealt in detail, hope the experts reply soon and we come to know whether they really mean something or are just figmants of imagination of the cover designer.

Thats a great idea
Because the FXI doesn`t involved in Dumbledore, we haven`t any hint what it could mean.

[Tenshi]

Originally Posted by mysterious

Oh yes it does but that dosen't take us any further. Anyways I have put this question up on a forum where runes are dealt in detail, hope the experts reply soon and we come to know whether they really mean something or are just figmants of imagination of the cover designer.

Great idea. I know that each rune is a letter but also a word. When we are lucky then there's really written something there.

Here's the Futhark alphabet:

[Annett]

Than FXI means AGI? English isn`t my first language, therefore I`m not used with abbreviations. Does that mean anything?

[Mundungus Fletc]

Originally Posted by TENSHI

Great idea. I know that each rune is a letter but also a word. When we are lucky then there's really written something there.

Here's the Futhark alphabet:

Which gives us, from the bottom of the cloak upwards

erpdelbmuj.jlbl

Which means nothing at all to me

[RavenEye]

Originally Posted by Mundungus Fletc

Which gives us, from the bottom of the cloak upwards

erpdelbmuj.jlbl

Which means nothing at all to me

From the top down it reads 'Albus Dumbledore' (the a is hidden by the collar).

[rubeus06]

I DID seach and found nothing, so here goes.
In POA, why didn't Harry, Ron and Hermione ever EVER get a doubt why Harry was waiting to save himself from the dementors? Why didn't they get the doubt how they had travelled back in time without themselves knowing? They could have asked Dumbledore anytime they wanted then. Is this because JK didn't want to reveal the secret? Is this the main plot in book 7?

[Alastor]

Or rather (a)lbus.dumbledare

I don't think that the 'agi.' at the bottom is any abbrevation. More probably they are the last three letters of a partly hidden word.

Anyway this is not artwork by Jo herself, and we know nothing about her possible cooperation with the artist.

[Shewoman]

Ron didn't travel back in time; Harry and Hermione did, and they knew how they did it (by using the Time-Turner).

Ron wasn't there for the Dementor episode by the lake; Harry was trying hard to cast a Patronus then but he couldn't. After that, when he and Hermione use the Time-Turner and he tells her James sent the Patronus, she thinks he's mistaken. He goes to the other side of the lake alone to see "James" come and drive the Dementors away; he doesn't cast his own Patronus until he realizes that he saw himself rather than his father--but Hermione isn't there and so doesn't realize he's delaying.

[Annett]

Agi are not the initials of the illustrator, because the first book was illustrated by Thomas Taylor. I`m not sure you can decipher this.

[EverLore]

New thread! Oh, wow, it seems like 7 was only just started!....anyways, I don't think that the word on the bottom of the cloak have any kind of significance, but I guess you never know, JK could jump out at us in the last book, and be all like, if only you had deciphered the clue on the back cover of PS hidden on Dumbledore's cloak! You would've known that Snape was really Voldemort using Polyjuice potion the whole time!! (Or something equally shocking)..., on second thought, don't listen to me, I'm still tired.

Originally Posted by AlastorD

I don't think that the 'agi.' at the bottom is any abbrevation. More probably they are the last three letters of a partly hidden word.

Thanks to morewords.com here is aa list of words ending in 'agi'...as well as dictionary.com for the definitions: (the words in Italics are my comments...if it wasn't obvious)

-anthropophagi: eaters of flesh; cannibals
Dumbledore's secret indulgence?

-choragi: those who undertake the expense of providing the chorus in ancient Greek drama (which in my opinion is an oddly specific word); or the leaders of a group or movement.
Dumbledore has always been both a patron of the arts and quite the leader, right?...right?

-esophagi: plural for the esophagus.
Dumbledore's favourite body part...

-magi: The 3 wiseman who visited Jesus; a class of Zoroastrian priests; or astrologers; a sorcerer or magician.
Dumbledore's old enough isn't he? Maybe it was him, Aberforth, and their good friend Flamel...

-oesophagi: see esophagi

-ragi: East Indian cereal grass whose seed yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staple in the Orient
DD's favourite breakfast!

-sarcophagi: stone coffins, usually decorated with sculpture
Well, he DID die...

-tragi: part of the ear (let's not go into the details)
He must've been keeping notes for med school on the bottom of his cloak...in ruins.

-vagi: nerves, known as the vagus nerve
see: comment on tragi

-yagi: a sharply directional antenna
*shakes head*

[Freaky]

Originally Posted by RavenEye

So maybe in order for the charm to work the soul must be intact, ie Wormtail can't have torn his soul by committing murder.

I don't think Wormtail's act was murder, more manslaughter. Yes, obviously people died and that was his aim but he didn't say avada kedavra or aim his wand at anyone specifically, the buildings blowing up actually killed the people. There is a subtle difference I think, so I don't think he has split his soul.

Originally Posted by mysterious

Did you mean that as Dumbledore died the protection ceased to act or the secret died with him, because if it is the former then I think you are mistaken because when the Caster dies the Fidelus Charm dosen't lift only the secret dies with the secret keeper. Here is what Lexicon had to say about it.

Lexicon"When a Secret-Keeper dies, their secret dies with them, or to put it another way, the status of their secret will remain as it was at the moment of their death. Everybody in whom they confided will continue to know the hidden information, but nobody else...

No, when the caster dies, the spell lifts. When a secret keeper dies, the secret goes with him. They are two different people. I'm supposing DD would not have cast the spell to make himself the secret keeper for 12 Grimmauld Place, and presumably he died before whomever cast it so the secret goes with him to his fiery furnace.

If either James or Lily cast the spell, they are not the secret keeper. If they die, then the spell is lifted. That's how I work it anyway, I think that's why we find out that Dumbledore's spell lifts from Harry because DD has died - it's made very clear in the book and to Harry.

Otherwise I suppose Peter managed to tell others about their whereabouts without giving away his secret keeper status.

[mysterious]

Originally Posted by Freaky

No, when the caster dies, the spell lifts. When a secret keeper dies, the secret goes with him. They are two different people. I'm supposing DD would not have cast the spell to make himself the secret keeper for 12 Grimmauld Place, and presumably he died before whomever cast it so the secret goes with him to his fiery furnace.

Are you suggesting that Dumbledore wasn't the Secret Keeper or what? And I don't know how you are trying to differentiate between Caster and the Secret Keeper and their working.

For one thing is clear that when the secret keeper dies the secret remains but only those people who initially knew the secret would know about the secret and nobody else.
As for the caster I don't think it matters because the Charm dosen't lift when the caster dies.We are yet to know what happens to the secret when the caster dies.

I think JKR had said that although Dumbledore is dead the secret of 12 Grimmauld place won't die/perish. (correct me if I have imagined such a thing)