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Unless she knew where Arthur was that night - and I think one reason that DD sent guards was to make Voldemort think that the prophecy has important information which may change things. DD made sure friendlies found Arthur, possibly so that they could lie about where they found him (ie in his office rather than - er - where Sturgis was found). Would not Voldemort now realise just who those friendlies were if he hid and observed?



That has been refuted - oops - it has only been refuted that he will kill Lupin.

Maybe we are looking at this redemption thing the wrong way. Maybe a redemption is more of a reversal of what ever quality got one in trouble to begin with. If fear motivated one to act in a not so good way, then one will exhibit great bravery. If evil took the form of a betrayal then the person will show great loyalty. It is not so important how effect this reversal is to change things so much as the person does the opposite of whatever it was that got them into trouble.

JKR's revenge seems to be a reversal as well - for those who refuse to reverse themselves. Gilderoy, for example, was done in by how he planned to do in others. Vernon who was trying to beat and bully the magic out of Harry probably obtained the opposite result since young wizards are most apt to show signs of magic when angry or scared. Umbridge who bullies half breeds gets bullied herself by a half breed.

p. 244 (COS 18) – ‘Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!’

Just saying that, to fit the pattern, Dudley has to be either gay or magical because those are the two things Vernon doesn't want in a son. Snape has to be holed up and not be able to get around because he teased Black for that. Snape also did not need to take the vow (though he could not back out once started without revealing his true loyalties) but did so because Bellatrix basically called him a chicken it and started waving her arms and squawking - so to speak. Thus, if pride got Snape into this mess, he needs either to commit an act of great humility or one will be thrust upon him.

(BTW what does Emeric mean?)

This is what I found:
Emeric is the French form of Emmerich.
From the Germanic name Amalric, derived from the elements amal meaning "work, labour" and ric meaning "power". Amalric was the name of a 6th-century king of the Visigoths, as well as two 12th-century kings of Jerusalem.

Emeric can either be a form of Almerick (like you say) or a form of Henry (ok technically of haimirich). There are two Emerics, one Almerick and I won't get into Henry/Hetty/Harry. Work to rule? Emeric the Evil, Emeric Switch, Almerick Sawbridge (1602-1699),

King of a form of Jewish Goths, I like that ... Seriously, not sure about the mythical or historical figures with the names as I am sure about the etymologies (though did make note of the HP names associated with Winnipeg). If there is a reason for the last name, there would also be a reason for the first name. Getting tired so it escapes me.



Ok, there is a possibility that Mama Crouch would be stuck looking like Junior even hours after she died. However, then why does death excite Dementors so much – unless they were getting some benefit from it?



Ok, it can be an animagus, but it would have to be black (with a reddish tinge) or red (with black feature) – and to have Hagrid’s beetle-black eyes for it to be Hagrid.

The book lists 10 purebred dragons but notes that these various types of dragons can “interbreed” producing “rare hybrids.” Does the dragon look like it can be a combo of one or more of the pureblood dragons? Are there any other creatures in FB that resemble dragons but aren’t?


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Of course you would! There is more that we don't know about Rowena - though the suit of cards theory seems to have gained credibility. Godric reminds me more of a brownish red Hagrid than of the Moody of the books.



Hagrid's home has two doors one facing the castle (where the three footprints came from) and one facing the forest (where he has dropped off Guelph? Ralph? (help me here!) before returning home. Wonder how the situation would have been different if Umbridge had made it down there before the kids arrived.



Just because Hagrid only had a short ride on one doesn't mean that he could not have a longer ride. Also, maybe a short ride is from where Olympe lives to where the giants were - and the horses took off at the first sign of trouble. Seems that getting to where the giants were was rather quick but the return journey with Guelph? Ralph? took quite a long time.

Another possibility not looked at is that Hagrid us susceptible to getting morning sickness/motion sickness - because the rollercoaster ride to where the stone was at Gringotts made him sick. It could be that Hagrid only took a short ride, not because the horse could not hold him but because Hagrid was about to regurgitate one one Umbridge's speeches if he were to stay up any longer.

And just because they didn't double up on the Thestrals doesn't mean that they couldn't - Harry was trying to use it as an excuse why the others could not go - and having one each got rid of that (possibly phony) excuse right away.



Let's say that you have a broken leg and you are trying to keep the pieces together - do you wrap it in this magical spello tape/wrap it in bandages - or do you use a splint?

It is possible that the wand is inside the umbrella handle so that it acts as sort of a splint preventing the top of the wand from wobbling in too unpredictable of ways.

The top part of Ron's wand would be a bit wobbly so that the wand movements the top half of the wand makes may not match Ron's hand movements (and how one moves the wand is important for making a spell work). Also, tape would not prevent the spell from shooting out of the middle of the wand (rather then the wand tip).



Which is why it's good that Hagrid lives on Hogwarts property where it would be difficult to determine who exactly it is that is doing the magic (maybe that is why DD made this off

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Things could go wrong when one does it and if one is trying to transfigure someone into a pig and all they get is a tail ...

It is possible that Hagrid could transform himself into the animal but not be able to transform back. If so, he would not technically be an Animagus because an Animagus can transform back and forth at will. For example, the MacBoons (who were transfigured into Quintapped) are not Animagi since they neither transfigured themselves into that form or seem to know how to turn themselves back.

Anyone besides me think that Ripper might be an Animagus?



Hagrid is short for a giant and much shorter than Guelph (name for the British royal family - the country she loved but had to leave) Ralph (named for Hagrid's dad), who is also short for a giant. Hagrid is also, according to canon, a little shorter than Olympe. In fact, Hagrid's father, by all accounts, was quite short for a wizard (which leads me to suspect that he was part Goblin/Elf).

Also, it was from his shorter than the average wizard father that Hagrid got his monster fetish from - Fridwulfa married someone who was tiny even for a wizard - so she doesn't seem to have a taste for big monstrosities.



Seems that if this was Hagrid's animagus, that handling dragon skin would have made him a bit screamish. Though, have to admit that both dragon skin and Giant skin tends to be a bit on the tough side and resistant to mild curses.



Except that it contradicts the Regulus is RAB theory. According to the note, RAB was prepared to die if it meant that he had made it possible for someone to defeat Voldemort in the future. A person prepared to die is not apt to become a ghost - only someone who is not prepared to die. (Why do I have this image of Regulus as being Odie and Black being Garfield here - maybe it is just Black's attitude towards him?).

Also, I don't think that Peeves fears Bloody Baron so much as respects him and that the other ghosts give him a wide berth because he is a notorious practical joker.



Most characters who are described as having pale eyes are also described as having grey eyes - except Ollivander and Luna:

Ollivander

p. 63 (PS/SS 5) – “Mr Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.”

Luna

p. 168 (OOTP 10) – “She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans.”

p. 180 (OOTP 10) – “He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide silvery eyes.”

What do you mean by “opaline?”

Ok, there is a possibility that Mama Crouch would be stuck looking like Junior even hours after she died. However, then why does death excite Dementors so much – unless they were getting some benefit from it?

Maybe I'm a little naive or something here, but I always just assumed that seeing as Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk the earth they would simply take pleasure in people dying.


Ok, it can be an animagus, but it would have to be black (with a reddish tinge) or red (with black feature) – and to have Hagrid’s beetle-black eyes for it to be Hagrid.

I think the scales could be described as reddish. The rest though ...


re: dragons

I thinks it's possible that it's a cross-bred dragon, but that doesn't change what JKR said about it being impossible to domesticate dragons.

The thing is that the descriptions in FB are not very detailed when it comes to the actual appearance of the dragons. For instance we only know the eye colour of four of the ten listed pure-bred dragon breeds.

By the way, while looking up the eyes, I came across this:
FB p.11 [underline added]

Luna anyone?


What do you mean by “opaline?”

Opaline is meant to refer to the Antipodean Opaleye:
FB p.11

JasonD et al - There's a very intriguing new editorial on Mugglenet that links some Egyptian myth and themes that I've never heard before with Harry Potter.

I sure wish the Egyptian thread was still active on HPANA! There was so much interesting stuff there and we had such fun, but this editorial talks about some things I don't ever remember discussed in that old thread.

Have a look:

Egyptian Myths in Harry Potter - Part 1: Harry of the Two Ways
http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-sipalsp02a.shtml

JD - it is possible that the death of a half-blood (Myrtle) was mis-represented as being the death of a Muggle-born.

sun ra - I was just thinking the same thing. It could even have come from LV himself because he doesn't really care about blood purity;

He might care about bloody purity, he might not. If he does, though, he doesn't subscribe to the "standard" point-of-view. He requires some caveat (like being Slytherin's heir or having seven Horcruxes) to make himself an exception.

But yes, he would be the person to make such a deliberate error. Exactly why I specified that no pureblood had ever misrepresented someone's blood status. :-)



vaudree - Anyone have a theory as to why DD would be reading this book in Quidditch Through The Ages?

    "I myself doodled absent-mindedly on a copy of Theories of Transubstantial Transfigurations last year..."

Sort of.

From wiktionary.org,

to transubstantiate

1 to change one substance into another; to transmutate
2 to change the bread and wine of the Eucharist into the body and blood of Jesus

The first definition seems almost redundant with Transfiguration. More importantly, I can't imagine that Rowling wrote this without being aware of the second meaning. Rather than a clue as to what Dumbledore has studied, I see it as clue to the overall story arc: Namely, that Harry will face some of the same dilemmas as Christ (though scaled down to a mortal level), as so many literary figures do.

Harry's wand is used to produce wine (by Ollivander, GoF 18 pg 311) and Harry himself pulls off a laughably easy Refilling Charm to produce more wine for Slughorn and Hagrid (HBP 22 pg 487).

The climax of Goblet of Fire could be described as an UnHoly Eucharist, where Voldemort uses body and blood to Resurrect himself.



Godric's Hallow - Luna's Patronus
Harry Potter Latino is reporting that Evanna Lynch told them that according to Jo, her Patronus is a hare.

Nothing much to add... except that both Luna and Lavender Brown have shown an interest in Ron; and Lavender once had a pet rabbit.


GH - Maybe the horse in the trailer that evanna said wasn't her's is really ginny's. After all aren't horses feirce creatures.

They've never particularly intimidated me....

If it's Ginny's, could it be a Thestral? Strange, yes, but remember the pattern in the Veil room: Harry, Neville, and Luna could all hear voices; they can also see Thestrals. Ron & Hermione did not hear voices and did not see Thestrals.

Ginny alone was unable to see Thestrals and yet was transfixed by the Veil.


Another possibility is that her Patronus is a unicorn.


BE Skrewt - I have seen the full patronus sequence from OOTP (well, what has been released as a tease) and the above statement [Patronuses: Luna's is a hare and Ginny's is a horse] is true.

I read that Slytherin's locket was going to be digitally inserted into the appropriate scene at Grimmauld Place at the last minute, so, no reason they couldn't do the same with a horn.



vaudree - What are the Dementors trying to cover up? Is there any way of determining whether a person has been kissed if they are kissed just before they die?

I doubt it. Your logic is impeccable. It's just the sort of thing those foul creatures would do.


Cheers,
J

So why is "Harry Potter Latino" getting all the interviews with information! Seems that the HP actors are better with the waffle when they speak english!



To surround a soul with blood and body and flesh - to make the divine take human form. If one can make the soul flesh with blood and bone and flesh with a potion, what about the reverse process (in the cave)? If the blood becomes wine and the body becomes like soggy bread again ...



So you are saying that all I have to do is clean it up and then I can submit it?

What about my theory about redemption being a reversal of the quality that got one in trouble to begin with?

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Think it's been confirmed somewhere that Ginny is a horse - a jenny rather than a hinny. Would being half-blood or less make one more prone to hybrids? Harry did think he saw a unicorn before he saw the stag - it is possible that there was more than one Patronus that night. Figure that the unicorn represents Petunia in Snape's warped mind (she is extremely fair and horse-like) and am more concern with what the following says about Quirrell and Vernon than about Ginny.

In defense of a horse patronus... I happen to be a fire horse astrologically, so it's personal *snort*... horses may not be particularly FIERCE, but they ARE strong, have very good perserverence, intelligence... they seem to be a common BASE for MANY magical creatures.

There is also the Trojan Horse (strength hidden inside to be released unexpectedly)

The unicorn is a fabled creature, a HORSE with a spiraled horn. It can be lunar, femime when opposed to the masculine LION. In Greek history, that horn was said to have healing powers; the unicorn became a symbol of purity and strength, This information might push me a little toward Unicorn...

A horse might also give Ginny a bit of an in when talking to centaurs... I think SOMEBODY needs to be able to talk to them...

A horse might also give Ginny a bit of an in when talking to centaurs... I think SOMEBODY needs to be able to talk to them...

Don't you think some group in this war should be Switzerland and remain neutral? :)

Don't you think some group in this war should be Switzerland and remain neutral? :) *snort* The wizard war thread had a long drawn out theory of Goblins as Swizerland...money, cutlery and dairy products (it's canon that they are involved in money and metal working--the goblin wrought tiara) so it really wasn't such a leap but the dairy jokes were pretty good.

However, the hints of goblins getting involved are too large. The Goblin rebellions we fail to learn about because Harry doesn't pay attention in history of Magic, the goblic prevalence on the WOMBATS and most importantly, Lupin's quote in Order of the Phoenix "If they were offered certain freedoms they've been denied..." (I think they will join LV in the short term because he promises these freedoms while the Ministry refuses to negociate) but Morty is a big fat liar... it won't last.

I don't see the centaurs as being able to stay out of it either though. I think everyone will be drug in.

I can't really see the centaurs choosing sides. They'll fight to protect themselves and the Forest. But joining the battle in earnest ...?

11 more days and we'll know. *is totally psyched*

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I am not sure if "oddly misty eyes" constitutes pupil-less or not. Were the dragon's eyes bigger or smaller than usual. Dragons have a strong maternal instinct and are very protective of their young. If this is what you are looking at, you may be interested in this:

p. 132 (HBP 7) – “Are we still doing DA meetings this year, Harry?’ asked Luna, who was detaching a pair of psychedelic spectacles from the middle of the Quibbler.”

pp. 132-133 (HBP 7) – “… and Luna, who was now wearing her free Spectrespecs, which gae her the look of a demented, multicoloured owl.”

p. 133 (HBP 7) – ‘That’s a very nice thing to say,’ beamed Luna, and she pushed her Spectrespecs further up her nose and settled down to read the Quibbler.”

p. 134 (HBP 7) – ‘Wrackspurt got you?’ asked Luna sympathetically, peering at Harry through her enormous coloured spectacles.”

p. 294 (HBP 15) – “Harry was glad, in any case, that she had left off her radish earrings, her Butterbeer-cork necklace and her Spectrespecs.”

This page



Not sure if Ginny's godfather would approve of this association with Ginny - even if we stick to board sanction usages of the "T" word (such as blowing them up and using them as balloons).

Ginny's godfather doesn't consider Ginny treacherous enough to pull a deception like that - nor does he see her as a person who is anything other than what she appears - that she is honest, straight-forward and not one to hide her true intentions. The T Horse analogy may also make him screamish because it brings up echos of - er - Creamtea.



First we have to ask ourselves who Switzerland was allowed to be Switzerland - and the answer probably is that, at this particular point in WWII, Switzerland was too useful to the big business class on both sides for either to want it destroyed. You heard of secret Swiss bank accounts? What would happen to all those bank accounts if Switzerland was to be attacked? Gringotts is a bit like Health Care - if the Goblin monopoly could be gotten rid of, there is money to be made by those who would like to start their own banks - in the charging of interest and in loans. Lucius does not just represent an old family with pure blood, he represents those with old money who wish to make new money.

While the NAZI's pretended to be prolatariate, they were initially beholden to big business.

Hating the Centaurs and Goblins may be as useful to those who wish to divert the blame for Germany's financial collapse away from themselves. It may have taken a wheel barrel full of money to buy a loaf of bread - but the devaluing had to be partly due to dumping of German money for pounds (and other currency doing well after WWI). The financial collapse was blamed on the Jews and partially fairly on the war debt - which means that Germany had to pay to rebuild other countries but sanctions placed severe limits on their ability to sell to other countries to be able to raise the money to do so. In a way, WWI caused WWII.

From the BBC Educational website (you know the trick about putting phrases in quotations to find webpage) - which tells you what those in the UK learn about WWII - which may be different than what they learn in the states):

I am not sure if "oddly misty eyes" constitutes pupil-less or not.

The connection between Luna and dragons I made (and I was only half serious; it just struck me as odd) was actually about the protuberant eyes. Your Luna quotes are all from HBP, but in OP it's mentioned several times that Luna has (strangely) protuberant eyes.

JD [re: The implication that Dementors sneak a little snack from dying prisoners of Azkaban] Your logic is impeccable. It's just the sort of thing those foul creatures would do.

vaudree - So you are saying that all I have to do is clean it up and then I can submit it?

Er...

Submit it where?

Believe it or not, I read everything on the thread, although I sometimes procrastinate my replies to infinity. In fact, I know that I've read this idea about the Dementors before (and I'm pretty sure it was you who suggested it, though possibly on another thread).

Most of the time, I wish I had the space and time to put up links to every good idea. Although I wonder if having too many links up front would simply overwhelm readers. So I generally pare it down to those theories that (a) Fill up at least one post, and (b) Offer some predictive power for book seven. A lack of (b) is why I never linked my analysis of Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card (even though I'm sure it's spot on). On the other hand, a lack of (a) is why I did not link stumbleine's bit about Arthurian Hallows when she first posted it -- so I do miss some good ones.

Given unlimited time, I would have liked to have made "summary digests" every month or so, the way the High Wizard Court Quibbler does for the super-fast-paced Wizarding War Thread.

But it's too late for that, so I'm thinking of adding a "Deep Links" post to index all the numerous (and sometimes short) theories/predictions.

On that note, I've changed my mind about the Ginny/Love Potion theory. You or John Weasley are welcome to post it here. Jason the theorist still thinks its rubbish and probably won't bother to comment, but Jason the thread owner has overruled him with the finalizing argument of "Well, why not?" You never know when a false lead will turn up a true lead -- something that occurred to me after reading your bit about Mad-eye Moody being afraid of matchmaker Molly.


vaudree - Ginny's godfather doesn't consider Ginny treacherous enough to pull a deception like that - nor does he see her as a person who is anything other than what she appears - that she is honest, straight-forward and not one to hide her true intentions.

She can be more than what she appears to be, but:

Ginny's Godfather called the romance before HBP, cited mountains of evidence, and even named the particulars in excruciating detail*. Ergo, I don't believe for a minute that Ginny needs a love potion. Even more, I don't think she'd want to use one. Merope was as desperate and despondent as any human being could possibly be, and even she didn't like the idea of a long-term relationship depending on magical influence. I seriously doubt Romilda Vane intended to use a love potion over any significant length of time, either -- she just wanted to go to the Christmas Party.


* Including: Hermione's role as an advisor, Luna's role as a popularity shield, Harry's surprise at realizing his level of attraction to Ginny, Harry's uncertainty about how to proceed, Ron delaying a relationship with Hermione until Harry had his own girlfriend, and the core quality of emotional resilence and toughness (cited by Rowling in post-HBP interviews).


Cheers,
Jason

You or John Weasley are welcome to post it here.

Well thats swell! Expect to see it here tommorow just gotta review it one last time but im about to go to bed haha.

Ron delaying a relationship with Hermione until Harry had his own girlfriend

Do you think so? that would be interesting.

Have the other Luna eye quotes as well.

Personally, I don't think that Hermione liked how Ron was spending his time when he was presumably waiting for Harry to have a girlfriend.

Sorry for obnoxiousness Jason. And hope you won't be able to resist. And you can submit at the dungeons or any where - for boasting rights the last edit has to be before the book comes out.

Have Headache - head pounding like crazy. But for all those who say only DE call Voldemort the Dark Lord - I decided not to collect them:

NON DE SAYING DARK LORD
17 (COS 2) – ‘Harry Potter is humble and modest,’ / ‘Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He Who Must Not Be Named.’ / ‘Dobby heard tell,’ he said hoarsely, ‘that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time, just weeks ago …that Harry Potter escaped yet again.’

p. 149 (COS 12) - ‘That’s probably why You Know Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn’t want another Dark Lord competing with him. I wonder what other powers Potter’s been hiding?’ (ERNIE)

p. 483 (GOF 28) – ‘Don’t … leave … me!’ he whispered, his eyes bulging again. ‘I … escaped … must warn … must tell … see Dumbledore … my fault … all my fault … Bertha … dead … all my fault … my son … my fault … tell Dumbledore … Harry Potter … the Dark Lord … stronger … Harry Potter …’

JD - Ron delaying a relationship with Hermione until Harry had his own girlfriend

John Weasley - Do you think so? that would be interesting.

I'm not sure Ron does this consciously, but I believe it's in the back of his mind.

Consider that Ron is the original Harry/Ginny shipper. He's not afraid to bring up the subject right after Ginny's rescue from the Chamber of Secrets (re: Myrtle, "You've got competition, Ginny!"). He jumps at the chance to fix them up for the Yule Ball.

More significantly, he gets very irate when he learns that Ginny has been dating Michael Corner. This loss of availibility hurts his cause.

But Ron isn't simply trying to set up his sister. He celebrates wildly after Harry kisses Cho.

Then, on the train ride at the conclusion of OotP, Ron accepts the fact that Harry/Cho isn't going to happen. Bad news for Ron. He then learns that Ginny is available. Good news for Ron!

But... Ginny is dating Dean Thomas. Ron's reaction?:


What could Ron possibly have against Dean? Dean was on Harry's side right from the beginning of OotP; he's a solid Gryffindor, a nice guy, he argues with Snape, etc.

The only common thread here is that Ron wants a girlfriend for Harry.



Could it be that Ron just wants his friend to be happy? Well, he does want that. But it seems entirely inadequate to drive Ron's forceful behavior.



If Ron started dating Hermione while Harry was alone, then Harry would lose time with not one, but both of his best friends. He'd be a third wheel. Now, most people would choose romance over a friend (and it's not like they're abandoning him altogether), but Ron and Hermione are not most people. They've both accepted that Harry is the perpetual center of attention; they both know that Harry's problems are greater than both of theirs put together.


Hence Ron's only chance for dating Hermione is to get Harry fixed up first so that there is no exclusion. Ginny is the ideal candidate because she's Ron's sister and a very close friend to Hermione, but in truth Ron will take whatever he can get.



Cheers,
Jason

Grr.. it's killing me not to be spending more time on here right now, right before the book release.. but I have to get my fic done, so most of my free time is going there. But I am still watching all of this closely. I love how there are still new ideas coming out, this close to the release of hte last book.

I think that Ron just wants his sister to date a guy he can trust (ie one who can keep his lips to himself for the most part) and he thought that guy was Harry.



Yet Harry doesn't.



Agree that Ron just wants Harry to be happy and his sister to stay sweet, innocent and untarnished. Killing two birds with one stone may work, but he is willing to use two stones if necessary. Hermione, on the other hand, is extremely jealous and would like to keep their circle as small as possible. Hermione wants a girl for Harry that won't turn to Ron when Harry's relationship with her ends.

I disagree with Creamtea. Although Hermione sees nothing wrong with Love Potions, one would think that she would have tried it on Ron first if she figured it would work long term. Hermione's method of choice seems to be to do every thing she can to sabotage Harry's relationships with other witches before they can become too serious - but to do so in a way which makes it seem that she is supportive of said relationship. This counterfuge is because she knows Harry is stubborn and if she is too obvious in trying make him ditch someone then Harry will dig in his heels and push it to the next level whether that is really the way he wants to go or not.

No matter how supportive or helpful she seems to be after Harry's first kiss, what Hermione is actually doing is using the situation to badmouth Cho while leaving Harry with the impression that he messed up his entire first kiss with Cho (before bumping into Ron and Hermione, Harry seems to think that the whole thing went quite well).

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Cedric died, it was not only Cedric but all those grandchildren Cedric was supposed to tell about beating Harry to the snitch never materialised (that it was not just the person dying but all who would have existed if that person were to live. Likewise, for Lupin to beat death so narrowly, he pretty much has to become a daddy.

So we will have a 30 year old Tonks carrying Lupin's baby and Fleur having Bill's baby for sure. Fleur and Bill will name their baby Guilliaume (JKR commented that this name of someone from HPANA would make a good wizard's name).

I am a little curious as to what Tonks would consider to be a more suitable name than "Nymphadora" - Probably something like Junie Bean or Janet Mavis or Jean Mabel or Hester Joan or Albina Briana Percivella Wulfrica Lupindor - Anglo quaint or after DD.

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What about the following:

Ted who reads the Muggle news is Ted Tonks;

The Carrows are Werewolves;

Crookshanks is not an animagus (because he cannot control his transformations) but his other form is that of a wizard;

Snape was a Prefect;

Snape was the Slytherin Keeper during the final against Gryffindor in Fifth year;

Percy is neither as straight-lace nor as rule abiding as Harry and Ron think he is;

Ripper is an animagus and the real perpetrator of the events which happened the day Marge started to remind JKR of the Pig balloons at a Pink Floyd concert.

That JKR has better taste in music than Lady Diana;

That Minerva McGonagall and Augusta Longbottom are sisters;

That Harry is a Horcrux;

That Snape and Petunia once dated;

Snape joined the DE to protect the woman he loved, her sister, his mother, and his sister Irma - or, more correctly, in exchange for their protection;

Snape actually knows how to make the Wolfbane Potions so that it both tastes good and is effected - but doesn't want to.

That Dudley has been jealous of Harry for years;

That Dudley and Draco will be a couple and Pansy will take solace in Blaise's arms (the Belinda Stronach, Peter MacKay, Tie Domi, Condi Rice theory)

That Colin and Dennis Creevey AND Dudley's friend Dennis were both named for their grandfather - Dennis Bishop;

That George is slightly younger than Fred;

George will be the first Weasley to die;

That McG and Hagrid will get together;

That Luna is a descendant of both Dumbledore and Ollivander;

That Snape's Patronus is a Unicorn and that it reminds him of Petunia.

PS. In the modern era, it is a little problematic giving a girl the first name Jean because everyone is going to think she is a boy because it is a common PM name. Janet and John books (what we got instead of your Dick and Jane and the Ladybird Peter and Jane). Janet is Anglo for Jeannette and Jean/Joan/Jane/Joanne are Anglo for Jeanne/Johanna and the feminine form of John/Jean/Hansel - Lupin's middle name.

DID SNAPE WANT THE ORDER OF MERLIN?: According to Dumbledore, Snape was a Death Eater who only switched sides some time after hearing the prophecy. HBP seems to rule out the Littleton-Taber explanation for Snape joining the Death Eaters in that, unlike the Snape we see in OOTP, the Snape of HBP seems more than capable to taking care of himself. Secondly, being able to invent his own spells means that Snape would have no reason to gravitate towards someone who can show him new spells to use thuggishly against others. Finally, Black and James seemed to have been more thuggish in their youth than Snape – picking on a variety of fellow students. Some have used Fudge’s offer of the Order of Merlin (OM) as a sign that Snape has ambitions of glory which Voldemort exploited, but this explanation for Snape becoming a Death Eater is also faulty:

pp. 338 (HBP 17) – ‘…the weak seeking protection …’
pp. 338 (HBP 17) – ‘…the ambitious seeking some shared glory …’
pp. 338 (HBP 17) – ‘…the thuggish, gravitating towards a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty …’

It is true that Fudge does credit Snape for keeping the kids alive and bringing in Black and does offer Snape the OM for being in the right place at the right time. We know that both Ron and Gilderoy, when given a bit of celebrity and attention tend to embellish the tale in order to make their role in it appear large and more heroic. If Snape was, indeed, after glory, would he not also stretch the story a bit?

p. 283(POA 21) – ‘Shocking business … shocking … miracle none of them died … never heard the like … by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape …’

p. 283 (POA 21) – ‘Order of Merlin, Second Class, I’d say. First Class, if I can wangle it!’

p. 283 (POA 21) – ‘Thankyou, Minister.’ / ‘Thank you ver much indeed, Minister.’

And yet, Snape doesn’t pretend to have driven off the Dementors all by himself (or even to have participated in that regard). When Fudge asks Snape if he’s sure that he had “really no idea” what made the Dementors stop their attack on helpess victims - which is an opening for Snape to present himself in a better light by insisting that he brought about the Dementor retreat, Snape resists the temptation. Snape stuck to his story that he was knocked out by Harry and came to just in time to see the children pass out and the Dementers retreating:

p. 284 (POA 21) – ‘What amazes me most is the behaviour of the Dementors … you’ve really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?’ ‘No, Minister. …’

p. 284 (POA 21) – ‘No, Minister. By the time I had come round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances …’

Everything Snape says is consistent with the course of events Harry witnesses when he goes back in time - Snape was behind with an unconscious Ron when Harry, Hermione and Black were attacked by the Dementors and very soon after the Dementors were driven away, Snape gets to his feet, puts everyone into stretchers and brings them up to the castle. There may have been another Patronus there, Harry thought he saw a unicorn before he sees his stag, but if this unicorn was Snape’s patronus (rather than an optical illusion) Snape seems reluctant to own up to it.

Finally, there is Snape’s choice of words “by the time I had come round.” This phrase could mean either by the time Snape “reached them” or by the time Snape “regained consciousness” - which seems to me to be unnecessary ambiguity. What is Snape’s real agenda - it certainly doesn’t seem to be the glory of a fancy metal. It does, for sure, seem to be to tell Fudge that his dementors almost kissed innocent children.

p. 284 (POA 21) – ‘… And yet Black, and Harry, and the girl –’ ‘All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers and brought them all straight back to the castle.’

p. 301 (POA 21) - “Snape had regained consciousness. He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Harry, Hermione and Black onto them. A fourth stretcher, no doubt bearing Ron, was already floating at his side.”

And what does Snape leave out? Does Fudge know that Black broke Ron’s leg, Lupin applied a splint to it and then Peter knocked Ron out? If Peter wasn’t there (according to Snape’s recounting), then who knocked Ron out? And does Fudge know that Lupin was there or does he assume that Snape added the spint to Ron’s leg when he conjured the stretchers? Probably not.

*Littleton is also known as "Columbine"

* * Warning! OotP Film Stuff * *

Ha!

I broke down and went to the midnight edition of the Order of the Phoenix film. I had to get a look at Ginny's Patronus.

Perfectly, precisely, exactly as I predicted:

We got a good look at the Patronus during its formation, but just as it coalesced into completion the head was aligned with the very top of the screen.

The alleged unicorn horn is allegedly hidden.


So: Why a unicorn?


I had already speculated that the Harry/Ginny symbiont would produce a "monster Patronus" to deal with any remaining dementors at the conclusion of the final battle. I should have realized, then, that Ginny ought to have some kind of ungulate.

I can't be certain about the unicorn, of course, and a horse would fit the bill -- to an extent. But there are so many connotations associated with the horse, from myth, folklore, astrology, etc. that almost any meaning could be attached to such a creature.


A unicorn, however... It's an ideal match for the final sequence if Ginny is to save Harry when he is an inch from being demented:

(PS/SS 15 pg 258)

O' course, neither Harry nor Ginny has to do any slaying, so there aren't any curses involved. On the other hand, we might say that each will have "a half-life" (owing to double-occupancy) from the moment Harry's soul touches Ginny's lips.


Then there are these references (thanks to vaudree for pointing them out -- she offers another possible interpretation above):

(PoA 20 pg 385)

(PoA 21 pg 411)


Regnat corvina ungula

Jason

vaudree - Hermione, on the other hand, is extremely jealous and would like to keep their circle as small as possible. Hermione wants a girl for Harry that won't turn to Ron when Harry's relationship with her ends.

Is that why she doesn't date Harry herself?


v - Although Hermione sees nothing wrong with Love Potions, one would think that she would have tried it on Ron first if she figured it would work long term.

Wait a tic -- is this an "evil Hermione" theory, now?

Although I personally disapprove, I must reluctantly agree that some characters (the Twins and Mrs. Weasley in particular) seem to think the use of love potions is relatively harmless.

But long-term use would be:
* evil
* likely to arouse heavy suspicion in any social environment, even a Muggle one
* certain to attract notice in a crowded wizarding environment
* unconducive to the happiness of the person administering the potion (again, note that even the desperate Merope gave up after a few months)

She wouldn't need it long-term, anyway. Ron already likes her. Heck, the one-dose plan might not be a bad idea to "jump start" the relationship. I believe young Muggles sometimes do the same with a potion they call "beer".



v - Hermione's method of choice seems to be to do every thing she can to sabotage Harry's relationships with other witches before they can become too serious...

No matter how supportive or helpful she seems to be after Harry's first kiss, what Hermione is actually doing is using the situation to badmouth Cho while leaving Harry with the impression that he messed up his entire first kiss with Cho...

Did she, now? Or did Ron inadvertently give Harry that impression, which Hermione quickly corrected?

(OotP 21 pg 458)

Hermione explains why Cho was crying (Harry was quite clueless), Hermione makes Harry realize he needs to ask Cho out, and it was Hermione who pointedly informed Harry after the meeting the Hog's Head that Cho "just couldn't keep her eyes off you".

She really is helpful, so if I am to believe this is merely a subterfuge, a temporary sacrifice to gain Harry's trust, I'd expect to see very good evidence of the alleged "sabotage".



v - So we will have a 30 year old Tonks carrying Lupin's baby and Fleur having Bill's baby for sure.

*checks notes*

I had Bill down as the one to carry the baby.... Although I'll admit I have hard time backing that up.


v - I am a little curious as to what Tonks would consider to be a more suitable name than "Nymphadora"

...or Albina Briana Percivella Wulfrica Lupindor - Anglo quaint or after DD.

*chuckles*


What about the following:

Ted who reads the Muggle news is Ted Tonks;

A clever observation for the matching names. But Sirius described Ted as "Muggle-born", suggesting he is in fact a wizard, making the job of newscaster less likely.

The Carrows are Werewolves;

Agreed.


Crookshanks is not an animagus (because he cannot control his transformations) but his other form is that of a wizard;

But is "wizard" a "form"?


Snape was a Prefect;

Egad! Snape is a loner. He hates kids now and I'm sure he hated them when he was in school... so, yeah, maybe....


Snape was the Slytherin Keeper during the final against Gryffindor in Fifth year;

I'm not likely to believe, but I'd love to see what you have to back this up.


Percy is neither as straight-lace nor as rule abiding as Harry and Ron think he is;

Agreed. He used his Prefect priveleges to sneak around the school for make-out sessions with Penelope, after all.


Ripper is an animagus and the real perpetrator of the events which happened the day Marge started to remind JKR of the Pig balloons at a Pink Floyd concert.
That JKR has better taste in music than Lady Diana;

*shrug*


That Minerva McGonagall and Augusta Longbottom are sisters;

Already commented. Possible, but not sure it would be significant enough to serve as a revelation in book seven.


That Harry is a Horcrux;

Of course.


That Snape and Petunia once dated;

Bizarre... Do you suppose Petunia called him "that awful boy" (assuming you think that refers to Snape) because she was jilted? And that she maybe turned to the most magic-hating Muggle she could find because of a bad experience dating a wizard?


Snape actually knows how to make the Wolfbane Potions so that it both tastes good and is effected - but doesn't want to.
That Dudley has been jealous of Harry for years;

Both quite probable.


That Dudley and Draco will be a couple and Pansy will take solace in Blaise's arms (the Belinda Stronach, Peter MacKay, Tie Domi, Condi Rice theory)

Even assuming Rowling was willing to put a homosexual couple in the story, what would Draco see in Dudley? (Or visa versa?)

But Pansy/Blaise, perfectly plausible based on Pansy's comments on the train in HBP.


That Colin and Dennis Creevey AND Dudley's friend Dennis were both named for their grandfather - Dennis Bishop;

See Minerva/Augusta above. I'd actually label this more likely to be true but less likely to be revealed. Perhaps it would show up in a Harry Potter encylopedia, if Rowling ever makes one.

Jason I am going more towards the horse as being ginny weasley's patronus. Then again I could be wrong.

1)The actress who plays luna lovegood said the horse patronus belongs to someone else in the trailer, which we have interpreted belongs to ginny and I think we would see a horn

2)You gave good points about the book 1 reference about the drinking of unicorn blood causing a cursed life and another good point about what occured in book 3. However I don't think a creature like a unicorn really symbolzes ginny's personality. I know she is powerful likes unicorns but lets be honest hear ginny is not the most innocent person.

Personally I wouldn't be suprised if neville's patronus is the unicorn and it would fit perfect because it reminds him of his mother.

That George is slightly younger than Fred;

And here I thought they shuffled them right after birth.


George will be the first Weasley to die;

Sadly, yes.


That McG and Hagrid will get together;

For tea, maybe.


That Luna is a descendant of both Dumbledore and Ollivander;

See M/A & Dennis/Dennis, above.


That Snape's Patronus is a Unicorn and that it reminds him of Petunia.

Interesting. Do you think Snape raised a Patronus in PoA, but saw it was ineffective, or do you think the unicorn references (in Harry's comparisons) are simply clues?



vaudree - HBP seems to rule out the Littleton-Taber explanation for Snape joining the Death Eaters in that, unlike the Snape we see in OOTP, the Snape of HBP seems more than capable to taking care of himself. Secondly, being able to invent his own spells means that Snape would have no reason to gravitate towards someone who can show him new spells...

I think the first question to ask is along these lines: Why did Snape join the Death Eaters?


The more talented and capable we believe Snape to be, the more likely that Voldemort and his minions actively recruited him.

But if we think Snape has a lot more to learn (or more precisely, if we think Snape believes he has something to learn), then he has another possible motivation for going with Voldemort.



We know there was a period of time, before Voldemort had become honest about his evil intentions, when he was recruiting Death Eaters and calling himself Voldemort (e.g., when he applied for the D.A.D.A position). In that stage, Snape would be more likely to join voluntarily.


R@nnaro describes a speculative scenario in which Snape is hoodwinked, but even if he'd been brought in at a very young age, it would be nearly a decade after Voldemort had started committing atrocities openly.


Snape joined the DE to protect the woman he loved, her sister, his mother, and his sister Irma - or, more correctly, in exchange for their protection;

Blackmail? Certainly possible.

But, just speculating, if I were the author I wouldn't want to give a major character motivations that are too far removed from... well, from his character.

[In the case of Snape and Lily, I believe Snape's feelings are reflected in his attitude toward Harry and his comments about James. Moreover, we have actual clues from Snape's memories (and a few other places).]

So one possible take on Snape's early motivations: He has an amoral view of knowledge in general and the Dark Arts in particular. Joining Voldemort gave him access to his more magical knowledge, his own potions labratory, and the time and resources to continue his own research.

A possible corollary to that would be an amoral view of power and/or greatness. I.e., Snape wanted to raise himself up, but without the same murderous process as Voldemort. Also, he views greatness as something to be judged by himself -- he's not interested in everyone else's opinion.



Having said that... I think I can still offer some points to support the "protecting-people-thing" implied by your theory:

The scene you discussed from PoA comes immediately to mind. As you observed, Snape had no desire to embellish his role for the benefit of others. That tells me he's not in it for the glory. Rather, I think he gets some deep satisfaction from charging to the rescue.

It's particularly worth noting that Snape made apologies for Harry, Ron, and Hermione's attack on him. Why? Because failing to do so would somehow tarnish the rescue scenario.

Other incidents include the healing of Draco (following Sectumsempra) and comments to protect Neville from strangulation in Umbridge's office (OotP 32).

The major incident is, I think, his agreement to take the Unbreakable Vow. The "finish the deed" caveat was thrown in after Snape had agreed. The part which dragged him into it was,

(HBP 2 pg 36)



So, finally, to answer your question:

DID SNAPE WANT THE ORDER OF MERLIN?

Not really.


Cheers,
Jason