pauraque_bk | CoS 9

CoS 9: The Writing on the Wall

Snape loomed behind them [as Dumbledore examined Mrs Norris], half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: it was as though he was trying hard not to smile. (108)

What's this about? I'm surprised Harry didn't immediately jump to suspecting Snape was somehow involved in the attack.

'He did it, he did it!' Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. 'You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found -- in my office -- he knows I'm a -- I'm a --' Filch's face worked horribly. 'He knows I'm a Squib!' he finished. (108-109)

So, Squibs are indeed considered "enemies of the heir". I'd wondered. Filch is accusing Harry of a hate crime... and the petrification of Mrs Norris really was one.

I'm not clear on how Squibs get lumped in with Muggleborns; by the logic that Binns attributes to Salazar, they're not a threat. Unless there was some sense that intermarriage between Squibs and normal wizards would dilute the blood, so they should be ostracized?

[Snape:] 'It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest.'
'Really, Severus,' said Professor McGonagall sharply. 'I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick[...]' (109)

Heh.

Snape is a bit Quidditch-mad, isn't he? But maybe not so much an enthusiasm for sport as an enthusiasm to see his House win at something -- and Harry lose.

Dumbledore was giving Harry a seaching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made Harry feel as though he was being X-rayed. (110)

Legilimency foreshadowing again.

'And what on earth's a Squib?' said Harry.
To his surprise, Ron stifled a snigger.
'Well -- it's not funny really -- but as it's Filch...' he said. 'A Squib is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn't got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs are quite unusual. If Filch's trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib[...]' (110-111)

This seems to go against some of

arclevel's ideas about Squibs. The implication appears to be that Kwikspell is a scam.

Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat-lover. (111)

I'm going back and forth on how I feel about the handling of Ginny's character. We see very little of her, and are only told of her reactions. On the other hand, if she'd been more prominent, maybe the answer to the mystery would have seemed too obvious?

[Ron:] 'I only need another two inches, go on...' (112)

Out-of-context, ahoy!

[Binns:] '[The Founders] built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.'
[...]
'[Slytherin] disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy[...]' (114)

It's not an unreasonable idea, really. In the present day, magic is still feared by some, but merely doubted by most. A thousand years ago, the danger posed by Muggleborns may have been much greater -- we don't know how well the castle was hidden; a child's careless slip could have brought attack. Salazar may even have argued that it was for the children's benefit: even if the Muggles couldn't find the castle, they could still burn a suspected witch among them.

'If you're talking about Malfoy--'
'Of course I am!' said Ron. 'You heard him: "You'll be next, Mudbloods!" Come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him--'
'Malfoy, the heir of Slytherin?' said Hermione sceptically.
'Look at his family,' said Harry, closing his books, too. 'The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin, he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough.' (120)

And once again the boys jump to conclusions based on outward appearances, just as they did in PS/SS. Not to say that Lucius isn't evil, but Harry doesn't have much solid evidence that he is. It's hard to tell whether Ron is saying Draco is ugly, or something more like "just look into his eyes and you'll see he's a bad sort". Either way, it's not very good evidence, though admittedly Draco did react suspiciously.

Past re-read posts are here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...which really begs the question (to me) of why the hell hogwarts was founded in the first place. because, presumeably, at this point most wizards would have closer affiliation with their local communities, broomstick travel is slow and painful; apparation probably not as common or convenient... why the hell would people go all the way to scotland to study magic? adults or children??? unless someone had Foreseen the norman conquest, or else because of tensions with Christians (which were later irrelevant as most everybody became christian anyway). ...or maybe just because. ...i doubt the curriculum in any way resembled what it later became - probably more like a university, a meeting place for adults as well as a training ground for children...

and i reiterate that i really am much too tired to be thinking right now

why the hell hogwarts was founded in the first place

Well, assuming children learned magic from their parents before Hogwarts was founded, who knows what they were learning (Dark Arts) or not learning, even. I suppose The Founders felt there should be some regulation and structured education for all children.

JKR has said we'll learn more about the Founders in the next book, so I'll be interested to see if she develops a backstop. Though, I'm probably going to be disappointed. =P

I guess I'm mainly having problems trainslating modern or even middle ages education concerns into this early time period. Britain was utterly unstable then. What the Children are Learning seems less important than wartime allegeances and the use of magic in general. The emphasis on Children seems peculiar to me, since it doesn't seem like there could have been much of any sort of Wizarding Community beyond a few Elder-supported guidelines that were probably unenforceable anyway.

I think what I'm really leaning toward is that Hogwarts was originally not just a school, but also a permanent, fortified meeting place for all the wizards in Britain. With Hogsmeade established as a residence for those who prefer to live completely secluded from muggles, or perhaps (additionally or originally) as a farming village and market providing for the inhabitants of Hogwarts, which only happened to be predominantly wizardkind because Hogwarts itself exclusively housed wizards.

And Eo, I must apologize for going off on this tangent all over your CoS discussion.

Your thoughts lead me to this: maybe Hogwarts was founded as a type of unification. If wizards mingled more freely in their local communities at that time, they would generally take on the allegiances of that community. That would create wizard-to-wizard tensions as well (and might even promote the development of the dark arts, if community-to-community tensions lead to hostilities). Taking the children out of the community to educate them would weaken their links to those communities and strengthen their links to the wizarding community as a whole.

And Eo, I must apologize for going off on this tangent all over your CoS discussion.

What's this, a joke? Tangents are my bread and butter! Tangent away!

mamadeb wrote an interesting essay (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mamadeb/305612.html) a few weeks ago about why Hogwarts might have been founded.

Something else to ponder: if Hogwarts was founded in 992 or thereabouts, then the entire British public school system must have been deliberately patterned after Hogwarts.

then the entire British public school system must have been deliberately patterned after Hogwarts.

Ha, that never occurred to me... You're quite right, of course.

That's someething I was thinking about bring up in the essay, but it has enough stuff in it.

My theory is that the first "public" school was founded by wealthy wizarding parents for a beloved Squib son, and other Squib children. Since it didn't have to be hidden, Muggle parents used it too (also to fill out the ranks. I'm assuming Squibs are extremely rare), and since it didn't have the Wizarding world behind it, it would be expensive to run.

And so. :)

I don't have the book on me, but Ron says Squibs are rarer than Muggle-borns.

CoS 9

and w00t enigmatic ginny

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