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Reader Comments: (Page 11)

has any body noticed that in CoS hermione fixes harry's glasses in diagon alley (with magic) and the ministry doesn't get hermione in trouble for the under aged wizard sorcery degree or whatever they call it.

Posted by AbZ from Pennsylvania, USA on December 16, 2007 10:09 AM

It was not hermione in the book that mended harry's glasses but Mr. Weasley and even if hermione, it would not have resulted into the breach of decree of reasonable restriction of underage sorcery as no muggle would be present in diagon alley, the same way Lily was not punished for turning teacups into rats. (His muggle family was already into the secret of wizarding world having a witch in their family.)

Posted by swati from India on December 16, 2007 9:22 PM

Technically, Hermione wouldn't have gotten in trouble at Diagon Alley because she hadn't been caught. She was in the presence of several adult witches and wizards and so the Ministry would have had no idea. But Lily has a different situation, with turning teacups into rats. J.K. Rowling said that Petunia was under a lot of stress when saying this after having another wizard in the family, and was trying not to remember Lily because she hated her for being a witch. Lily was not turning teacups into rats in her "muggle dunghill" neighborhood, and if she had she still would have gotten in trouble, because, for example, if someone had come to call and she had been doing it, what would the person say if they suddenly saw a rat on the table? What if the rat had not been transfigured properly? What if the next-door neighbor saw her doing it through a window while he was mowing his lawn? They also had Harry doing "Lumos" at the beginning of the third movie, too. Eerie lights out the window? He would have at least gotten a warning letter.

Posted by C.J. from Utah on December 28, 2007 11:43 PM

You know how in the movie the map can talk to you? Like how it had words on it when Snape wanted to take the map away from Harry. maybe, it said something to Fred and George because it knew that they were people of mischief and wanted them to know the passwords for it. That's my theory.

Posted by Anonymous on February 21, 2008 3:38 PM

All right, lets get this squared away for all the false fans that never bothered to pick up a book.

Moony = Remus Lupin (Werewolf, thus Moony)
Prongs = James Potter (Turns into a stag, thus Prongs)
Padfoot = Sirius Black (turns into a big, black dog)
Wormtail = Petter Pettigrew (Turns into a rat)

As boys at Hogwarts, these four created the Marauder's Map. In their seventh year it was confiscated by Filch. Fred and George later find the Map during one of their many visits into Filch�s office. The Map does not �Instruct� anyone how to use it. How stupid would that be? Any one could then use it, right? On the contrary, Filch got the information out of Lupin (having been the �good boy,� of the group, this seems the most likely source of the information) and then jotted down the instructions on a piece of paper which he clipped to the Map for his own use, later. This is how he knew when students were sneaking around the castle, and why it seemed that when Mrs. Norris got you, Filch would suddenly appear as if heralded by the cat (as mentioned in the first book).

For those of you whom claim to be fans but only watch the movies, the still laid plenty of an obvious trail as to why Lupin knew how to use the map, despite leaving out a few little details. If you can�t understand it, you�re an idiot, plain and simple. Do yourself a favor and pick up a book, and book, and start reading. It expand your ability to understand simple clues and your complicity for intelligent speaking and writing increase ten fold.

Good Luck.

Posted by Book Reader from Rolla, Missouri on March 13, 2008 1:40 PM

Book Reader from Rolla - nice theory about the instructions that Filch clipped to the map. There are a couple of problems with it though. The most obvious one, Filch is a Squib. He can't use magic, nor does he have a wand, so witting the instructions down for his own use would have been completely pointless. The map needs both these elements to operate, so even if non-magic users knew the pass-phrase, they still wouldn't be able to open it to "know when students were sneaking around the castle." And if you have a doubt that it had been properly closed when it was confiscated...

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."[PA, US p.192]

He never knew how to work it and "suspected what it was" not "must have known what it was 'cause it was open and in plain sight." This seems to indicate that the map was blank, but possibly he saw one of the Marauders using it in order for him to suspect something suspicious about it.

Jo has even said herself that the map "helped them" as Rasila from Amsterdam mentioned on page 9 of the comments here. The map did have sort of a few minds of its own, being able to insult Severus for attempting to force it to reveal itself.

I do agree Filch more likely got the map from Remus than the others, but on purpose - as has been mentioned, it's not very much worth outside the castle, and it would be a great way to test the mischief making intentions of the next owners if they stole it straight out from Filch's files. How funny it would be if it was confiscated from Remus only to be confiscated by him fifteen or so years later!

Posted by monkeeshrines from orlando fl on March 27, 2008 6:20 PM

After messing around with the map it probobally told them the exact incantations, like it did for harry when he wanted to get through the hunchback to the secret passage. It is able to say things without people saying the incantations like it did to professor snape. The maps magic can sense things it prolly sensed that they were up to no good and revealed its secret to them.

Posted by FLeb on April 8, 2008 09:45 AM

The Mauraders Map could have told them the incantations the same way that it insulted Snape in PoA (the words showing up when they ask it).

Posted by E from USA on April 23, 2008 2:06 PM

If Fred and George didn't find out how to use the Mauraders Map, then Harry wouldn't be able to do lots of the things he did in the books. I like analysing little details usually, but i think this is being read into a wee bit too much.

Posted by Lucy on April 30, 2008 11:02 AM

well lupin helped wright the book? He would have to know how to operate it. I agree with Fleb above me about Fred and George though

Posted by hdg on May 1, 2008 06:06 AM

Here's something that stumps me about Fred and George:

Ron said in HBP that Fred and George tried to get him to do an Unbreakable Vow when he was seven. If he was seven, then Fred and George would be nine and none of them would be at Hogwarts or even close to being in possession of a wand. Don't you need a wand to do an Unbreakable Vow? Ron said they were holding hands and EVERYTHING, so wouldn't a wand be an important part of the Vow? And if Fred and George borrowed a wand from Charlie, Bill, or Percy then how would they know how to work it? It just doesn't make sense.

Posted by C.J. from Utah on May 20, 2008 8:11 PM

nice point, C.J.. however i've always imagined it to be kind of game children play with otherthings in household say screwdriver or plugs. they don't know how to do things with it but they just try to do it the way they've seen elders doing it. my 3 yr old son tries to mend doorstopper everytime it breaks with the screwdriver and somehow manages to insert the screw in the hole. same way, Fred and george must've heard the words or seen say bill and charlie practice it, and tried to do it themselves. younger children could always take wand when their parents were busy. in the GoF, a witch was yelling to her child about not picking his father's wand. Mr. weasley must've beaten them to show that it was a wrong thing and to warn them against it as we do when we threaten our children to keep them away from dangerous things like electricity etc. I hope that makes sense.

Posted by swati from india on May 20, 2008 9:07 PM

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