Chapter 19: Elf Tails

[underlucius]

This chapter was a collaboration by gehayi and underlucius

In which we are in danger of being bored to death were it not for a brilliant commentary by Luna, JKR can't tell the difference between various parts of the castle, and Dobby doesn't impress me with his helpfulness.

Comments

[threeoranges]

Well, I know Hagrid's boots were the size of "baby dolphins" in Book 1, but FULLY-SIZED ones now? Maaaaan...

I would also love it if someone would explain to me the difference between´the effects of a bezoar and the effects of just sticking two fingers down someone's throat :)

[threeoranges]

Actually, that last statement was written without Mr Brain being present (vomiting can't help with cyanide, etc. can it?) but I'll let it stand as a reminder to myself not to do it again ;)

[cygna_hime]

Well, I know Hagrid's boots were the size of "baby dolphins" in Book 1, but FULLY-SIZED ones now? Maaaaan...

Maybe they're just taller boots? Like, much taller? *moment of silence* I just visualized Hagrid in go-go boots. Someone kill me now.

[phantomday]

Thanks for the brain exploding image.
No, really. It made my day more interesting.

[redcoast]

This surprised me, mightily. Hagrid has always been very defensive of the staff in the past, and seeing as how he hid his own half blood status for a long time, and was very upset when people found out about it and started calling him names, I didn't expect this kind of wizard racism from him.

Well, Hagrid did call the centaurs a bunch of ruddy ponies or nags or something. Can't remember.

Harry puts his wand back into his jeans which also surprised me - is this movie-verse creeping in again? Do the kids only wear professorial robes now, movie wise? In previous books it's said that the children have to "change into their robes" out of their civvies - now it seems they only wear them only the top.

In PS/SS Harry sticks his wand under his sweater, which he will be wearing under his Quidditch robes. There are a couple other mentions, but I put a lot of thought into it and concluded that you can wear "civvies" (jeans and a sweater or whatever) under your robes and leave them open, or you can just wear the robes, like Snape in OotP.

[t0ra_chan]

He called them mules.

[tiferet]

It's difficult to poison yourself with rue. If you take enough of it to poison yourself (or to cause an abortion, which is what most people who take a lot of it are attempting to do--they say 'don't use during pregnancy' for a reason--like pennyroyal and tansy, rue figures prominently in most herbal cocktails designed to terminate unwanted pregnancies) you will throw it all back up and be fine, unless you are very unlucky. (Of course, you could be very unlucky, and so I must caution you not to try this at home.)

The only reason I can think of to keep giving someone rue is to make sure they get all of a poison thrown up. Its entire medicinal value, far as I can tell, is as a purgative.

[tamerterra]

That's good to know! ^_^

[gehayi]

I've heard of the herbal cocktails to end pregnancy that you mention. The one I'm most familiar with is mostly tansy, some pennyroyal, and a very little bit of rue, bewed in tea.

However, this is what Poisonous Plants says:

Symptoms: Ingestion causes stomach pain, vomiting, exhaustion, confusion, and convulsions; may be fatal.

Toxicity: HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN! SKIN IRRITATION MINOR, OR LASTING ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES.

So it looks to me as if even in that cocktail, you're taking a risk by consuming it, let alone in "Essence of Rue."

[tiferet]

Well, I'm certainly not advising anyone to take rue for any reason, because anything that can be done with rue can be done much more safely by The Wonders of Modern Medicine (tm)--but rue, in small amounts, was used for centuries as an herbal remedy, and I'm assuming that like most drugs, it's highly toxic if misused.

That said, I did, when I was young and stupid and playing with herbals, drink rue tea, and the vomiting was so utterly immediate and amazing that it's hard for me to imagine how you could kill yourself by ingesting it. Syrup of ipecac would have been less effective.

[jamoche]

Slughorn ran for help,

Ran? Not waddled? Gee, this must be the one spot in the book where she missed mentioning he was fat.

"Do Mum and Dad know?" Fred asked Ginny.

"They've already seen him,

There's been some speculation as to whether Muggle parents are informed of their children's injuries. There was no sign of it in CoS - and if I knew nothing of magic but found out my child had been petrified for the better part of the school year I'd raise hell and probably yank the kid out. But obviously wizard parents are told.

Perhaps he was going to mix the glasses up. I would have. Maybe he wanted to get you alone, Harry…

"I spent the last few years building up an immunity to iocane powder...."

[ani_bester]

There's been some speculation as to whether Muggle parents are informed of their children's injuries. There was no sign of it in CoS - and if I knew nothing of magic but found out my child had been petrified for the better part of the school year I'd raise hell and probably yank the kid out. But obviously wizard parents are told.

*LOL* I think gehayi and I have already decided we will burn any Hogwart's letters that our children get. Would you like to join us ^__^

Really . . I like schools that keep me informed of my children's activities and you know . . that I can *see* and get to without suddnely running home to do something urgent I think I've forgotten *sigh*

*sigh*

But then, The Grangers were in Diagonalley, so Muggle parents must be able to get to Wizarding places somehow . . but it would have been *NICE* to see the Grangers when Hermione was petrified.

[jamoche]

First I'd string whoever the Ministry sends along until I got into Diagon Alley, then I'd find a tutor so I could send my kid to normal schools and still cultivate their magical talent. That way if it doesn't work out they've got something to fall back on.

Then I'd torch the Hogwarts letter.

[underlucius]

D'OH! I should have mentioned the running thing, being a big person myself that was something I should NOT have missed.

And yes - what kind of school IS THIS? Probably parents signed some kind of disclaimer, and if the child is an orphan like Harry then he doesn't need to worry about telling anyone.

[ani_bester]

Personally, I don't think Cormac was confounded during the game. I think he's just one of those jackasses who thinks they're a one person team. I've played soccar with those types before They're brillant by themselves but they can't work with a team worth squat

[story645]

If I friggen inherited a living being who hated my guts and wanted nothing more than to be free of me I'd give him socks. The Order can go hang itself for being to dumb to shut their mouths in front of an OBVIOUS HOSTILE in the first place.
But that's the issue. Once they talked about things, he was a liability free. And he's a liability free anyway cause he knows the house, and everyone that uses it, and the location. A good leader would have killed Kreacher, regardless of how ruthless that is. Which I think Hermione knows, which is why she's not pushing for a free Kreacher. Girl is as logical and ruthless as they come.

I don't think Harry had enough time to do tryouts, but yeah that screamed of "see, Ron was a better choice anyway, so no, it doesn't matter that he got on the team by dishonest means, he belongs, he BELONGS dammit"

[phantomday]

I was astounded Harry reacted as though he'd gotten a PRATicularly annoying piece of furniture or something.

Thats a very accurate typo.