Reasons to bounce!

[lls_mutant]

1.) It's Friday. And that is always a good thing.

2.) My husband is coming home tonight after a week a way.

3.) This time tomorrow (or shortly thereafter), I will be curled up on my couch with my copy of HBP.

4.) JKR answered her FAQ poll question!!!!!

I was pretty excited about this, actually. For anyone who wants to know (although I'll put the answer behind a cut), it was the question about how DOES the Order of the Phoenix communicate with each other? She thought we'd go for the other two, because the answers are in Book 6 and the answer to this one is in Book 4. But maybe she should take a bit of a hint from that- we all KNEW we'd get the answers to the other two questions, and we weren't sure about this one. Hmmm.

The reason I'm so excited about the answer is that I firmly believe I might be proved right about something. And I like being right. For more, click behind the cut.



Like pretty much everyone else, I'd picked up that Dumbledore sending the phoenix to Hagrid in Goblet of Fire was the method of communication. And of course I'd guessed Dumbledore's Patronus was a phoenix- I mean, DUH. But what I'd failed to put together was that that phoenix he sent WAS his Patronus. The problem was that, well, it's the Order of the Phoenix. Y'know? It didn't occur to me to put Dementor-repelling device and Method of Communication together. But a pretty cool answer, nonetheless.

So what am I right about?

I've always been convinced that Remus's Patronus is Sirius's dog form. I love the theory for shippy reasons, but I also think it makes sense. Harry's is a stag- it's obviously something deeply representitive to him. I don't think ALL Patronuses (Patroni?) are representitive- Hermione's otter, for example, isn't exactly speaking volumes to me- but I think a few important characters might have a representitive Patronus. Harry's is his father... why shouldn't Remus's be one of his best friends who made such a huge effort for him? Especially since the Animagus transformation was probably accomplished before Remus learned the Patronus charm.

I'd kind of figured before that this might be the case, but who knew? For something to come up, Harry needs to notice it, and were Harry and Remus going to fight Dementors together? But now, I'm really wondering- because I can see where it WOULD come up. Imagine, Harry and Dumbledore are together for some reason (and judging by the covers, I'd say that's a pretty fair bet!), and suddenly Sirius's dog form in Patronus appears. We'd see Sirius again, and it would definitely, defintely have an effect on Harry. (Although I still want to see Prongs and Padfoot charge down the Dementors together.) Even if you don't ship Sirius and Remus, you pretty much have to admit that they were very close and very important to each other. (I can understand why people don't ship them. I don't understand those people who say they didn't really get along. Huh????) And like I said, I LOVE to be proved right, and I think on this one particular case, I've got a good shot.

Wheee!!!!!!

Comments

[yma2.livejournal.com]

Oooh, you know I can VERY much see that happening! Or something like it anyway. It would make a facinating plot twist and... yeah, now I'm excited too! Love the way you updated that question today... oh darn it all! Now you've got me all excited.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Heh. She updated the question, not me :) I know. I was bouncing off the walls anyway, but now I'm having a terrible time concentrating. I can't imagine I'm going to be very disappointed with the book. Even if there is a Lupin/Tonks ship (ick), it won't be major just because they're adults, and there certainly isn't going to be a chapter of them being nauseating. Everything else... I'm sure some of my theories are dead wrong, but I'm not very attached to them. (It really won't bother me if Amos Diggory's not the MoM, or that Mr. Lupin Sr. isn't the new DADA prof.

I SO need a workout! I need to get rid of all this extra energy!

[yma2.livejournal.com]

ER... I meant 'she updated,' darn fredean slip! There's rumours of Remus/Tonks eh? Well... it's possible I suppose. Not really what I wanna see hapen massively, but I don't think it'll make me sick or anything. I can't see it too much though, I must admit, but maybe that's me being oblvious. (and we can always pretend he's only going out with her 'cos she can look like Sirius (; ) Heh, I am looking forward to reading the book, hope I manage to get it tomorrow. :crosses fingers:

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

There's been rumors of Lupin/Tonks since they carried the trunk together in OotP. ::rolls eyes:: Makes sense, I suppose- it's the most plausible het ship for the adults. But still... I'm preparing for it, just because it COULD be there, but I'm also not counting on it. (I mean, he didn't even react when she went down in the DoM.)

Hope you can get it as well! And hope my copy comes!

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Hmm...if the Patronus is supposed to represent the most important inner quality of a person, it could work. (Has it been addressed anywhere by JKR whether a peron's Patronus also represents his/her Animagus?) Remus is a werewolf, but a dog is essentially a tamed wolf. Perhaps if he hadn't been bitten, Remus' real Patronus would've been a wolf, but being a werewolf the bite might also have transformed the Patronus?

Although--in PoA, Ron and Hermione witness Remus confronting a Dementor on the Hogwarts Express, and all they see is a wisp of silver emanating from Remus' wand. Surely they would have been able to see Remus' Patronus at that time and later told Harry? Or was it just a warning shot at the Dementor?

I like this idea, BTW! Hope you're proved right!

(What is it with all these thoughts for meta today? First Minnow, now you--as if I don't have enough OotP-era fics backlogged. *g*)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I thought about the wolf idea, but I think the werewolf isn't a protection for Remus, even if it's a defining quality. And the innermost quality of the person... it seems to be a range. Harry's is his father' Animagus form (deeply meaningful), Dumbledore's is a phoenix (symbolic but not overly so), and Hermione's is an otter (because JKR likes otters). So I think it depends on her mood :)

As far as PoA- simple explanation. Note that when Dumbledore shot the Patronus at the Dementors on the field, Hermione couldn't describe that one, either. I think JKR's just being very vague for the dramatic tension there, so Harry's Patronus is the first formed one that WE see. So I'm not at all worried about the vagueness. (Plus, if I'm right, JKR would have a reason to keep it quiet as well, since it gives away the Sirius Remus friendship WAY too early!)

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

the werewolf isn't a protection for Remus, even if it's a defining quality.

No, I agree, certainly not the werewolf. The "tamed wolf" though, I can see possibilities. The wolf is painted as both good and evil in literature and mythology (OK, primarily evil, but the dog was domesticated from the wolf, and dogs are generally regarded as good). There's still a lot more to Remus than JKR's let on, that I think will be coming out in HBP and the 7th book.

I wish I had your observational keenness! (Crosses fingers that you are right)

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

My theory about Remus' patronus not being corporeal on the train was to the effect that, Harry needed a very happy memory to make it work. I would think that almost every truly happy moment Remus has involves James and/or Sirius, so for him to be able to focus... Those memories, at the time, might not have been all that happy for him anymore. Also, it was very close quarters in the train, and Remus was standing directly in front of the dementor at the time.

And you know, it's funny. When Remus agrees to teach Harry, he never demonstrates, and in fact claims that he's not an expert. Yet, having been in the Order before, he would have to have been somewhat of an expert, since JKR said that Dumbledore taught them all how to modify it to be a messenger, which I imagine takes a bit more expertise. I love the idea that his Patronus is Padfoot though! :)

And it's funny. I re-read that scene barely two days ago, and I remember thinking that it looked like a patronus from the description, and I also thought that that was probably how the Order communicated, but I never actually put the two together. Heh.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I've wondered about that "not an expert" line too. I've come to a couple of conclusions:

1.) Remus was nervous about having Harry for private lessons and trying to dissuade him a little.

2.) Remus was still a bit wary about his teaching ability and Harry's perception- he didn't want Harry to think he could teach him how to snap his fingers and get rid of a Dementor.

3.) Remus is just very, very humble in certain ways.

The other thing I was thinking is that conjuring a Patronus and fighting a Dementor are not the same thing, as Harry points out in DA lessons in OotP. Both Hermione and Cho successfully conjure theirs, not faced with a Dementor. Remus points out that it's harder when there's more Dementors around. Could he perhaps have no trouble with it when there's no Dementor, but have some trouble when Dementors are making him hear his worst thoughts?

However, I think in the 12 years between 1981 and PoA, Remus MUST have created some very happy memories. Maybe they aren't strong enough to produce a corporal Patronus in front of a Dementor, but he's got to be able to do it, I assume. I hope. I hate the idea that he doesn't have enough happy memories to do it without a Dementor there! (One would certainly be Dumbledore telling him he could come to Hogwarts, I assume :) )

Hmmmmm. I would like to know what he was hearing then, though. I also really, really want to know what Sirius's Patronus is. Apparently now I'll need it for AiL! Any thoughts on what Sirius's might be? (I'll see if she says in HBP, but it's something to speculate about!)

And it's funny. I re-read that scene barely two days ago, and I remember thinking that it looked like a patronus from the description, and I also thought that that was probably how the Order communicated, but I never actually put the two together. Heh.

I didn't, either. I think it's because Dumbledore's Patronus is sort of the Order's mascot. If it had been Snape conjuring something, or McGonagall, it would have been a little easier to put two and two together!