Harry Potter FAQ

[AceHBK]

Sorry for making another HP thread but hopefully this can serve as one stop show for qestions and answers related to the book. Sure I can go to the leaky cauldrom or Mugglenet websites and ask people but since you all are such near and dear personsal friends ...why not ask for your assistance??

I am re-listening to the the audiobook of The Deathly Hallows and something just hit me....

After Hermoine reads the story about the Deathly Hollows in Mr. Lovegood's house, Mr Lovegood says that the wearer this particular invisibility cloak could not be seen under any circumstances. No sort of magic could help anyone see the wearer of it.

We all know now that Harry is the owner of the cloak. Someone please tell me then why Madeye Moody and Dumbledore were able to see Harry while he was under the cloak?? This is the same cloak given by death and therefore he shouldn't have been able to be seen by anyone despite whatever magic they employed.

 

[exile]

Couple of possibilities come to mind. (i) The wizard children's story isn't literally accurate: good as the cloak is, it may not be proof against all visual magic; (ii) don't know about Mad-Eye, but Dumbledore is described in the book as an expert legilimans, and so is very likely able to detect Harry's emotional/psychological presence near him, even when Harry is invisible. And it wouldn't surprise me if Mad-Eye could do the same.... this possibility would be allowed under a strictly literal interpretation of the story of the the three brothers. After all, actual sight isn't what's going on in legilimancy.

 

[Andrew Green]

Even under the cloack they still left foot prints and other clues to there presense, perhaps they weren't really "seen" directly.

 

[MA-Caver]

Also Mad-eye's eye's properties weren't fully explored now were they? We knew he could see through the back of his head and through some walls and doors but who knows what else?
Either way... he's gone thus we'll never know.

For another interesting HP discussion group try www.kevinswatch.com and go to discussion board and scroll down to "The Library" where you'll see JK Rowling and click on that.
Right now they're in the middle of a dissection of the books, starting with the first and they'll work their way through the entire series.

 

[AceHBK]

MA-Carver...thanks I will definately check it out. Im starting to feel like this Uber nerd.

My apologies, it wasn't Moody but rather Mr Crouch's son who saw Harry under the invisibility cloak when they were in the pub in Hogsmead in the Goblet of Fire.

I just read that Dumbledore actually used a spell ( Homenum Revelio )that allowed him to see Harry under the cloak. I guess I am seeing the tale as bieng literal when it isn't....good one Exile. I took it all as literal since the stone and the wand worked exactly as Luna's father said they would.

 

[AceHBK]

Ok..after listening to the Deathly Hallows again something else came to mind....

Why didn't Harry just break the Elder Wand and put it in Dumbledore's coffin?
Harry during is final fuel with Lord Voldemort explained the whole reasoning with the Elder wand and I am sure other wizards who already knew about it and how to obtain it along with word of mouth (from all the students and death eaters and all listened to Harry explain how the wand is passed) would have tried to get it.

Since Harry is a Auror all it takes if for him to be taken 1 time by someone for that person to be the new owner of the Elder Wand and all they have to do is go to the tomb of dumbledore to retreive it.

It would have made just more sense to break it and be done with it.

 

[HelloKitty]

(ii) don't know about Mad-Eye, but Dumbledore is described in the book as an expert legilimans, and so is very likely able to detect Harry's emotional/psychological presence near him, even when Harry is invisible.

Severus Snape was a legiliman too, but he hated Harry's cloak because, in several occations, he wasn't able to discover the boy near him.

When Harry, Hermione and Ron were discussing about the deathly hallows, they had the clear idea of this story being made for kids, so it could be like a legend, with some inaccuracies.

 

[HelloKitty]

Since Harry is a Auror all it takes if for him to be taken 1 time by someone for that person to be the new owner of the Elder Wand and all they have to do is go to the tomb of dumbledore to retreive it.

It would have made just more sense to break it and be done with it.

i thought that too, lol.

p.s.: how do u have the certainty of Harry becoming an Auror?

(argh, sorry for the double posting)

 

[shesulsa]

Why didn't Harry just break the Elder Wand and put it in Dumbledore's coffin?

Harry during is final fuel with Lord Voldemort explained the whole reasoning with the Elder wand and I am sure other wizards who already knew about it and how to obtain it along with word of mouth (from all the students and death eaters and all listened to Harry explain how the wand is passed) would have tried to get it.

Since Harry is a Auror all it takes if for him to be taken 1 time by someone for that person to be the new owner of the Elder Wand and all they have to do is go to the tomb of dumbledore to retreive it.

It would have made just more sense to break it and be done with it.

I think one of the things Harry learned was that there are things you have to leave to chance and provide the opportunity to do the right thing rather than force it. Leaving it in Dumbledore's tomb whole not only left it for potentially ill-intended persons but the good people who could use it to regain the order of the good as demonstrated by none other than Harry himself.

Severus Snape was a legiliman too, but he hated Harry's cloak because, in several occations, he wasn't able to discover the boy near him.

But did he really not? Snape was entrusted with the enormous task of making it seem he loathed the boy when truthfully, Harry filled Severus with such love and joy that even when infuriated and hateful of Voldemort and mourning Lily's loss of life he produced the doe. It was clear that Harry was NOT to know these things and to keep the secrets of a good spy, Snape deceived many. I think he DID "see" or *sense* Harry beneath the cloak, hence he intercepted him in the halls many times - perhaps not so much to reprimand him as to protect him. If he had let Harry know he could sense beyond the boundary of the cloak, Harry likely would not have used it when he needed it and met far worse than he did.

 

[exile]

I think one of the things Harry learned was that there are things you have to leave to chance and provide the opportunity to do the right thing rather than force it. Leaving it in Dumbledore's tomb whole not only left it for potentially ill-intended persons but the good people who could use it to regain the order of the good as demonstrated by none other than Harry himself.

But did he really not? Snape was entrusted with the enormous task of making it seem he loathed the boy when truthfully, Harry filled Severus with such love and joy that even when infuriated and hateful of Voldemort and mourning Lily's loss of life he produced the doe. It was clear that Harry was NOT to know these things and to keep the secrets of a good spy, Snape deceived many. I think he DID "see" or *sense* Harry beneath the cloak, hence he intercepted him in the halls many times - perhaps not so much to reprimand him as to protect him. If he had let Harry know he could sense beyond the boundary of the cloak, Harry likely would not have used it when he needed it and met far worse than he did.

Good points!

As for Harry's being an Auror as an adult, Rowling has stated this in interviews, and has also said that Hermione becomes head of Magical Law Enforcement. Here are the things that I want to know:

(1) What happened to Rita Skeeter and Jane Umbridge? Really, REALLY bad things, I hope, but I want gory details... as Filch says in The Chamber of Secrets, I want to see some punishment.

(2) Did Harry ever make his peace with Snape? As a Headmaster of Hogwarts, Snape rates a portrait which seems to enable him to maintain a partial earthly existence even from beyond the grave. Did Harry visit Snape's portrait and tell him that he had named one of his sons after him, and regarded him, as he said in the Epilogue, as possibly the bravest person he had ever known? It seems to me the kind of thing he might have done, once the full impact of all the knowledge he had acquired in the events leading up to his destructive of Voldemort sank in...

 

[shesulsa]

Good points!

As for Harry's being an Auror as an adult, Rowling has stated this in interviews, and has also said that Hermione becomes head of Magical Law Enforcement. Here are the things that I want to know:

(1) What happened to Rita Skeeter and Jane Umbridge? Really, REALLY bad things, I hope, but I want gory details... as Filch says in The Chamber of Secrets, I want to see some punishment.

For real, or as my daughter would say ... word. I think some magical quills that etch scars into Umbridge's forhead that say, "I will not torture children."

(2) Did Harry ever make his peace with Snape? As a Headmaster of Hogwarts, Snape rates a portrait which seems to enable him to maintain a partial earthly existence even from beyond the grave. Did Harry visit Snape's portrait and tell him that he had named one of his sons after him, and regarded him, as he said in the Epilogue, as possibly the bravest person he had ever known? It seems to me the kind of thing he might have done, once the full impact of all the knowledge he had acquired in the events leading up to his destructive of Voldemort sank in...

Now that's one part of the book that left me wanting - he addressed Dumbledore but if there was a portrait of Snape it wasn't mentioned nor was there an exchange of any kind at all - even a little bow or something. Less would have been more but the absence of ... left me a little cold.

 

[MA-Caver]

But did he really not? Snape was entrusted with the enormous task of making it seem he loathed the boy when truthfully, Harry filled Severus with such love and joy that even when infuriated and hateful of Voldemort and mourning Lily's loss of life he produced the doe. It was clear that Harry was NOT to know these things and to keep the secrets of a good spy, Snape deceived many. I think he DID "see" or *sense* Harry beneath the cloak, hence he intercepted him in the halls many times - perhaps not so much to reprimand him as to protect him. If he had let Harry know he could sense beyond the boundary of the cloak, Harry likely would not have used it when he needed it and met far worse than he did.

Well that is a good one. But recall if you will that Snapes also loathed James. Humiliated, embarrassed in front of "the entire school" (it would've seemed that way to Severus... and we've learned how events tend to get to the ears of everyone at Hogwarts)... and also when it mattered most. James "stole" Lily from him. He truly did love Lily to the point he would be willing to protect her child (that could've been his) and go through with his dangerous charade. But he also hated James enough to pass it on to Harry and give him as much difficulty as possible. Somewhere in the Deathly Hallows during Snapes' memory in the penseive he is talking with Dumbledore about how "that boy is just HIM all over again" (him being of course James).

From Wikipedia:
From these memories, Harry sees Snape's childhood and learns of his true loyalties. Harry observes that Snape befriended Lily Evans, Harry's mother, as a child when they lived near to each other. Upon their arrival at Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat placed Snape and Lily into Slytherin and Gryffindor Houses, respectively. They remained friends for the next few years until they were driven apart by Snape's interest in the Dark Arts and Lily's growing friendship with James Potter.
Despite this separation and Snape's loathing of Lily's eventual husband James Potter, who had bullied Snape at Hogwarts, Snape remained in love with Lily. When Snape told his master of the prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney, Voldemort decided to attack the Potters in an attempt to prevent its fulfilment. Though he asked Voldemort to spare Lily, Snape, still fearing for her safety, went to Dumbledore and begged him to protect the Potters. Dumbledore agreed and ensured that they were placed under the Fidelius Charm.
In return, Snape became a double agent for the Order of the Phoenix against Voldemort, using his powers of Occlumency to hide his betrayal from Voldemort. Snape felt responsible for Lily's death when the Fidelius charm was broken. Despite Harry's strong resemblance to James Potter, the fact that he was Snape's only enduring connection to Lily (and the fact that Harry inherited his mother's eyes) made Snape protect him throughout the series, despite their mutual animosity. Snape demanded of Dumbledore, however, that his love for Lily, his reason for switching sides, be kept a secret.
Dumbledore agreed, and kept the secret throughout the series. Snape's memories provide Harry with the information he needs to ensure Voldemort's final defeat, in the form of conversations Snape had with Dumbledore.

So basically when it came to Harry, Severus was severely conflicted. It was probably only while looking into Harry's eyes that he stayed his hand from far worse detentions and fighting Harry back while escaping Hogwarts after killing Dumbledore (an act of mercy in of itself).

Thus yes since Voldemort "betrayed" Severus' trust by killing Lily this was the catalyst needed for his downfall. Unrequited love is remarkable and can go on for years it seems.

 

[exile]

For real, or as my daughter would say ... word. I think some magical quills that etch scars into Umbridge's forhead that say, "I will not torture children."

Perfecto! :EG:

Now that's one part of the book that left me wanting - he addressed Dumbledore but if there was a portrait of Snape it wasn't mentioned nor was there an exchange of any kind at all - even a little bow or something. Less would have been more but the absence of ... left me a little cold.

Exactly... when you think of just how much Snape took on on Harry's behalf... and all the while had to consciously cultivate the appearance of being a villain, or he couldn't have played the role of Dumbledore's spy within the ranks of the Death Eaters. It's hard enough being genuinely heroic, but when part of your heroism involves convincing others that you're one of the chief bad guys... something is definitely owed to him.

JKR has alluded to a future work, a kind of encyclopædia of the characters in the epic, with all proceeds going to charity: it would provide details on their lives before and after the series narrative. I'm hoping that she does carry out that project, and that, if she does, she includes something about the kind of reconciliation between Harry and Snape that we're talking about...

 

[MA-Caver]

Originally Posted by shesulsa
Now that's one part of the book that left me wanting - he addressed Dumbledore but if there was a portrait of Snape it wasn't mentioned nor was there an exchange of any kind at all - even a little bow or something. Less would have been more but the absence of ... left me a little cold.

Exactly... when you think of just how much Snape took on on Harry's behalf... and all the while had to consciously cultivate the appearance of being a villain, or he couldn't have played the role of Dumbledore's spy within the ranks of the Death Eaters. It's hard enough being genuinely heroic, but when part of your heroism involves convincing others that you're one of the chief bad guys... something is definitely owed to him.

JKR has alluded to a future work, a kind of encyclopædia of the characters in the epic, with all proceeds going to charity: it would provide details on their lives before and after the series narrative. I'm hoping that she does carry out that project, and that, if she does, she includes something about the kind of reconciliation between Harry and Snape that we're talking about...

Again from Wikipedia:

Rowling noted in an online interview that because Snape abandoned his post before dying or officially retiring, a portrait of him does not immediately appear in the Headmaster's office following his death. She adds, however, that she imagines Harry made Snape's true loyalty and heroism known in the Wizarding world, and that he lobbied to ensure that a portrait be installed in the office.

In the epilogue to The Deathly Hallows, set 19 years after Harry defeated Voldemort, Harry's second born son has received the name Albus Severus, after Dumbledore and Snape. As Albus is about to enter his first year at Hogwarts, he expresses concern that he will be sorted into Slytherin. Harry tells him that he was "named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them [Snape] was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."

:asian:

 

[exile]

Ah, I see... very interesting... thanks, MA-C!

The fact that he gave his son the middle name Severus would surely be a signal that things were very different from what everyone had supposed about Snape...

 

[exile]

And more good stuff!

Pablo: What is toadface umbridge doing now

J.K. Rowling: Glad to see you like her as much as I do!

J.K. Rowling: She was arrested, interrogated and imprisoned for crimes against Muggleborns.
​

from this interview...

Well worth reading—tons of good info and insight there.

 

[KempoGuy06]

i thought that too, lol.

p.s.: how do u have the certainty of Harry becoming an Auror?

(argh, sorry for the double posting)

Yes JKR said in an interview after the book was published that Harry became an auror and later the head of the department

B

 

[KempoGuy06]

Ok..after listening to the Deathly Hallows again something else came to mind....

Why didn't Harry just break the Elder Wand and put it in Dumbledore's coffin?
Harry during is final fuel with Lord Voldemort explained the whole reasoning with the Elder wand and I am sure other wizards who already knew about it and how to obtain it along with word of mouth (from all the students and death eaters and all listened to Harry explain how the wand is passed) would have tried to get it.

Since Harry is a Auror all it takes if for him to be taken 1 time by someone for that person to be the new owner of the Elder Wand and all they have to do is go to the tomb of dumbledore to retreive it.

It would have made just more sense to break it and be done with it.

I think the reason he didnt snap it was 1.) out of repsect for Dumbledore and 2.) he knew that the only way for someone to get it was to kill him (even though disarming him would work, he decided to keep his own wand instead of using the Elder, so simple logic would deduce that killing Harry is the only way to get it.) Also he was hoping that by being the owner of the wand and then dying naturally he would break the cycle of the wand

B

 

[AceHBK]

I think the reason he didnt snap it was 1.) out of repsect for Dumbledore and 2.) he knew that the only way for someone to get it was to kill him (even though disarming him would work, he decided to keep his own wand instead of using the Elder, so simple logic would deduce that killing Harry is the only way to get it.) Also he was hoping that by being the owner of the wand and then dying naturally he would break the cycle of the wand

Yea that makes sense.
I just figured that being a Auror means you will encounter dark wizards all the time and you are bound to get disarmed occasionally (if not killed). Any dark wizard who was about his wits would know how the wand is won and would know to look for the Elder wand in Dumbledore's tomb.

I would like to think Harry could beat all but it was said that Harry wasn't the greatest wizard. Out of the 3 Hermoine was the best and carried him and Ron thru Hogwarts somewhat.

Now one thing that bothers me more than anything is....Where in the hell is Dumbledore's other painting!??!?! One is in Hogwarts but where is the other?? He can go back and forth between paintings so the other one has to be somewhere. It isn't with Aberforth b/c in book 7 it states that the only portait Aberforth has is of Ariana.

Thanks Exile for the link...that helped me think of this...


It is amazing when you think about this how much Dumbledore was right when he mentions that love is the biggest thing. Funny how Voldemort would have probably never been the man he became if his mother would have either
1) Not use a love potion on Tom Riddle
or
2) Decide against killing herself and raise Tom.
Now looking back you see how that is the cause of Voldemort being the way he is and never being able to understand it which of course leads to his downfall.

Also you can say the samething for Lilly, James & Snape. Snape loved Lilly and James knew about it which lead to his harsh treatment of Snape when they were at Hogwarts. That of course in turn led Snape to hate him to unseen amounts that he later manifests in his treatment of Harry. That little love triangle is what led Snape to tell Voldemort about the prophecy he overheard Professor Trelawney tell Dumbledore. It then comes full circle b/c Snape's love for her helps him decide to betray Voldemort (Voldemore again doesn't realize how powerful love is b/c he knows Snape cares for Lilly but doesn't even think of the consequences of killing her could do to Snape) and become Dumbledore's spy. It is also why Snape's petronus is a doe....just like Lilly's.

 

[KempoGuy06]

Where in the hell is Dumbledore's other painting!??!?!

The ministry would be my guess and not just in one place all over. Department of mysteries, Minister's office and many other places because of his influence. One might also have been added to Aberforth's after the end of the book, when he realized how much Dumbledore truly cared for him and their sister.

B