The Harry Potter Bloopers thread [Archive]

Pilgrim Grey

01-03-2003, 07:44 AM

I know we used to have a Bloopers thread (or at least, I think we did...) and we have a nitpickers thread, but I thought I'd start up a new thread to waste some time before OOTP comes out:

Some bloopers that I can think of off the top of my head:

Marcus Flint staying at Hogwarts too long
People coming out of Voldy's wand in the wrong order
JKR says many times that Harry first met Malfoy on the train, when they really met at the clothing shop
JKR says, late in PS, that Quirrel shook Harry's hand when they first met in the Leaky Cauldron (this would presumably have been a blooper in itself, because they couldn't touch each other without pain, the movie made a point of this), but when they actually met, they DIDN'T shkae hands.

Bloop away!

Ravenclaw

01-03-2003, 10:54 AM

didn't notice the Quirrel one. Nice catch. Noticed the others.

Um, Harry didn't properly MEET Malfoy in the clothing shop. They had an encounter, but neither of them knew who the other was until later. Technically, they did meet in the clothing shop, but they weren't officially introduced until the train.

Or maybe I'm just trying to defend JKR in her absense. It is a pretty weak arguement. None the less, she should mention the clothing shop.

I can't think of any bloopers at the moment but I'll keep you posted.

Rivenlas

01-03-2003, 12:17 PM

I'm not sure Quirrel did shake his hand in the books--they say he made his way forward, twitching nervously or something, but they just say in general that people were shaking hands, right? So JKR can get away with that one, even if people realize she really messed up. ;)

Oh, another very obvious blooper is NHN's age--nearly four hundred in the first book (I think) and then suddenly five hundred in the second.

Colli

01-03-2003, 01:03 PM

:D I've often wondered about the Quirrell one, PG, nice to see someone else noticed. :) Elfea, I ran to check my book for you. :)

"P-P-Potter," stammered P. Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."

:D In an interview once, someone asked Ms Rowling about Flint, and she just said he had had to repeat a year. ;) I guess he's not the smartest fellow, is he?

My next one is incredibly picking. It's just that I was working on a timeline and this annoyed me terribly.
We know that Harry's birthday is July 31st. In PoA, that's the very day Aunt Marge came to visit, and her visit lasted a week. On the last day of her visit, Harry blew her up and ran away.. So the date would be the 7th of August. That night/morning, he arrives at the Leaky Cauldron and meets Cornelius Fudge. Cornelius tells him he is to stick around for the two weeks before catching the Hogwarts Express, but how can that be, when term always starts on September 1st?

Someone get Ms Rowling a calculator. ;)

Seriphus

01-03-2003, 05:43 PM

JKR says, late in PS, that Quirrel shook Harry's hand when they first met in the Leaky Cauldron (this would presumably have been a blooper in itself, because they couldn't touch each other without pain, Ah, but Quirrell was not possessed by Voldemort at that point. Voldemort said he had to keep an eye on Quirrell after he messed up the robbery at Gringots. When Harry arrives at Hogwarts he notes then that Quirrell is now wearing a turban. So he would have been fine to shake hands when they first met.

The one I can think of off the top of my head, that I'm sure I've mentioned here before, is when they go to the Shreiking Shack in PoA it is already dark and yet Remus only transforms when they leave. If all he needs to prevent transforming is to stay indoors then he wouldn't need the Wolfsbane potion.

Serphy

Pilgrim Grey

01-03-2003, 10:46 PM

This might not be a blooper, but it's weird.
In the quidditch final in POA, we are told that there are 200 people in Slytherin, which means that there should be about 29 people in each year, or about 15 boys and 15 girls. I know that there's bound to be some differences in the number of people per house and per year, but in Harry's year, there's only 10 Griffindors, which means that either JKR stuffed up, she did it intentionally as some sort of plot point (Slytherin have most people because there are lots of power0hungry people out there), or Harry's got a VERY small year...

Rivenlas

01-03-2003, 11:16 PM

Originally posted by Seriphus
Ah, but Quirrell was not possessed by Voldemort at that point. Voldemort said he had to keep an eye on Quirrell after he messed up the robbery at Gringots. When Harry arrives at Hogwarts he notes then that Quirrell is now wearing a turban. So he would have been fine to shake hands when they first met.

Serphy

Uh...that's what I meant to say. :rolleyes:

Seriphus

01-04-2003, 04:48 AM

.In the quidditch final in POA, we are told that there are 200 people in Slytherin, which means that there should be about 29 people in each year, or about 15 boys and 15 girls. I know that there's bound to be some differences in the number of people per house and per year, but in Harry's year, there's only 10 Griffindors, which means that either JKR stuffed up, she did it intentionally as some sort of plot point (Slytherin have most people because there are lots of power0hungry people out there), or Harry's got a VERY small year... Or maybe there are other Gryffindors that she hasn't mentioned. That seems a bit strange though.
Maybe it emphasises how few people get into Gryffindor. I guess that would make the Weasleys a pretty special family.

Serphy

Colli

01-04-2003, 03:34 PM

:confused: And then in an interview, Ms Rowling said

There are about a thousand students at Hogwarts.

Which should round to (about) 250 per house, which makes her number for Slytherin accurate. That just seems odd to me.. there are so many more people we have to meet!

Plus... you saw how few first-years there were in the first movie.

Someone is NOT doing their math.

Kristin

01-04-2003, 05:22 PM

It always seemed to me that there were 10 in Harry's year in Gryffindor. The boys being Harry, Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus. I know she specifically talks about those 5 boys and only those 5 (going to classes, being in the common room, etc.) So does she explicitly say it's just those 5, or does she just imply it?

Colli

01-04-2003, 09:49 PM

I would think that it would have to be more than just those 5 boys.. because isn't each little dorm room made up of 4 four poster beds? I'd hate to see Neville in a room all by himself.. I'm sure there are more.

I want the next book! NOW!

Pilgrim Grey

01-04-2003, 10:01 PM

Don't worry Colli, Neville HAS to be in the same dorm as Harry, because JKR mentions in GOF that Neville isn't asleep yet. In fact, everyone has to be in that dorm, because Ron and Harry are in the same dorm, as is Neville, and it says in one of the books that Harry catches Ron poking Dean's west ham poster, which implies that they're in the same dorm, and in GOF Seamus' bed is plastered with shamrocks after the world cup... and I'm pretty sure that she says that there's only five people (ie beds) in the dorm, and she only ever mentions one dorm room... I think that she hasn't done her math...

Colli

01-04-2003, 10:35 PM

That's it.

I'm DEFINITELY buying her a calculator. This makes no sense whatsoever.

Unless it does say "five four-posters" and I'm just remembering it wrong?

Irys

01-04-2003, 11:43 PM

Unless it does say "five four-posters" and I'm just remembering it wrong?

It does.:)

Ravenclaw

01-05-2003, 06:21 AM

Originally posted by Seriphus

The one I can think of off the top of my head, that I'm sure I've mentioned here before, is when they go to the Shreiking Shack in PoA it is already dark and yet Remus only transforms when they leave. If all he needs to prevent transforming is to stay indoors then he wouldn't need the Wolfsbane potion.

Remus doesn't transform immediately after exitting the hole in the whomping willow. They walk a bit first and Rowling mentions the moon coming out from behind the clouds...

It might not mean he has to be outdoors, but maybe if he sees the moon, or when the moon rises (it is not always visible when the sun first sets) he turns. But again, here I go with my weak points...

Pilgrim Grey

01-05-2003, 10:26 AM

The topic of werewolves and Lupin's transformation was discussed in the Nitpicker's thread, and I'm pretty sure that point was brought up... but it still begs the question, why did Lupin just hide himself somewhere where he wouldn't be able to see the moon until morning? Although the moon simply rising is a good point...

Seriphus

01-05-2003, 11:33 AM

I thought I'd discussed it before.

Your points aren't weak Ravenclaw. Maybe it does have something to do with a specific time when the moon becomes visible. If the moon finished rising (reached its highest point or something) at the point the clouds moved it could possibly have triggered the transformation.

So does she explicitly say it's just those 5, or does she just imply it? She never says explicitly that there's only five as far as I'm aware, but then no one else is ever mentioned. Maybe she only mentions the four Harry shares a dorm with because that's who he spends his time with.

If there's 250 students in each house the common rooms must be huge.

Colli

01-05-2003, 12:53 PM

:D Thanks, Irys.

If there are roughly 10 students per year per house... classes only have 20 students in them, right? That seems to make sense to me. 20 is a fairly good number (a little on the small side) for a grade school class (class meaning course in a certain period) here in Ohio... though the standard might be different in Europe.

But then that brings us back to about 70 - 80 students per house, 280 - 320 in the school which we know isn't right. :mad:

Ravenclaw

01-06-2003, 01:06 PM

Originally posted by Pilgrim Grey
Although the moon simply rising is a good point...

Originally posted by Seriphus
Your points aren't weak Ravenclaw.

Yay! My points aren't weak! That means I'm smart! That means I'm clever! I make good points! I should be acing debate and English class. Funny that I'm, um, not...

Yeah, ignore that. I'm having one of those pathetic moments.

Pilgrim Grey

01-08-2003, 11:07 PM

I found a new blooper! It took a bit of thinking, but I think I've got it figured out (although it could be one of JKR's 'failures to mention' things):

In POA, Hermione is taking Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies, Arithmancy and the Study of Ancient Runes. Harry and Ron are (presumably) only taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. At the end of the year, Hermione turns in the Time Turner, saying that by dropping Divination and Muggle Studies she'll have a regular timetable again. But she won't - she's still doing three subjects to Harry and Ron's two!

And Colli's post about class sizes got me thinking - if Hogwarts has around 1000 students, as JKR has said, then each house must have around 36 people per year. Each class has two house groups in it - which means that any single class would have over 70 students in it!! :eek: I think JKR's made a mistake on this one :)

Seriphus

01-09-2003, 06:38 AM

In POA, Hermione is taking Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies, Arithmancy and the Study of Ancient Runes. Harry and Ron are (presumably) only taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. At the end of the year, Hermione turns in the Time Turner, saying that by dropping Divination and Muggle Studies she'll have a regular timetable again. But she won't - she's still doing three subjects to Harry and Ron's two! Well spotted. Maybe she's still doing more subjects than them, but can fit them into a weekly time table without overlaps and need for the time-turner. Do Harry and Ron have any free periods? If so then Hermione could possibly sacrifice the free time in her timetable to do one more subject.

And Colli's post about class sizes got me thinking - if Hogwarts has around 1000 students, as JKR has said, then each house must have around 36 people per year. Each class has two house groups in it - which means that any single class would have over 70 students in it!! I think JKR's made a mistake on this one It does sound like she hasn't thought it out, although I guess the houses could be split in half and go to different lessons to try and get students in different houses to mix and make more friends. One set of Gryffindors could have herbology with half the Hufflepuffs whilst another set could have potions with half the Ravenclaws. Then there'd be about 36 in each class.
That still doesn't explain why other Gryffindors haven't been mentioned, though.

Serphy

Mithrildin

01-14-2003, 05:18 PM

About the ghosts coming out of Voldie's wand: They are actually in reverse order because the wand is "reurgitating" the last spells it did (maybe just the killing ones, I can't remember).

Having read through the thread, I'd say JKR definitely slept through maths class. :rolleyes: ;)

Pilgrim Grey

01-14-2003, 07:39 PM

No, all the spells that Voldy did were regurgitated, because Wormtongues silver hand thing came out - the blooper is that Harry's dad came out before Harry's mum, but apparently this was fixed for later editions :)

Peregrinning Took

01-17-2003, 08:51 PM

They walk a bit first and Rowling mentions the moon coming out from behind the clouds...

That must have been one BIG...FRICKIN'....CLOUD, man :D

(Sorry, only those who've seen 'The Blair Thumb' will understand that...Which means...Me...O_o)

Another blooper with the wands thing--You'd expect Voldie to have done other spells, wouldn't you??? Even if it's just "Lumos" or "Wingardium Leviosa" (which are the only ones that I can think of off the top of my head :o), there'd HAVE to be atleast a "shadow" of the spells...

sirius2004

01-18-2003, 01:03 AM

ok...this is sorta late...so sue me...about the moon. Werewolves change at the full moon right? well when its a full moon it means basically that the sun is on one side of earth adn the moon is on the other. IOW, about the same time that the sun sets in the west, the moon rises in the east. if werewolves change when the full moon rises, it means Lupin SHOULD have changed when the sun set and change back when it rises, depending on the time of the year 12 hours later, give or take a couple of hours. Like someone said (don't rememner...SORRY!!!) if all he has to do is avoid seeing the moon, then the potion is pointless unless he feels like randomly going for an evening stroll. He SHOULD have turned into a werewolf when the moon rose when the sun set, unless he changes when the moon peaks, which on an equinox would be around midnight. (i forget what time of year and what time of day that part took place) but it really wouldn't make sense that he would only be a werewolf for 6 hours till the sun rose now would it??
just my...rather lengthy...two cents.

About the class sizes...someone mentioned (again...srry don't know who...:() something about varience in class sizes...it would actually make sense for harry to have 20 something fellow classmates to draco's 30 or so...i dunno about u guys, but in my class there are 122 people...in last years graduating class there were 98...(if this has absoulutly NOTHING to do with what U guys were saying, someone tell me...PM, post, do whatever, i'll edit it later...it makes sense to me but then again...i am very small...er...tired...see?? hehehe) class sizes aren't going to be exact for every class, its normal to have variations. and i'm gonna shut up now cuz i really think i stopped making sense....
Clear skies
*~Sirius~* (hey...sirius is up now...hmm maybe i'll go stare at it a little bit, then go to bed yay!! bye bye)

Peregrinning Took

01-18-2003, 12:06 PM

I think that the class size thing is probably *THE BIGGEST* mistake that JKR made....I think that there are only 40 people total in each year, because when the Slytherins and the Gryffindors had flying lessons together, they mention that there were only 20 brooms. Also, when the Gryffindors had Herbology w/ the Hufflepuffs, then there were only 20 earmuffs.

Either that or Harry has a reeeeeeeeeeeally small year O_o

Oh, and I thought of a spell that Voldemort did!! He did the Cruciatus (sp?) Curse on Wormtail in Harry's dream...

glaelia

01-18-2003, 12:51 PM

in my book it's been corrected... lily comes out of the wand first... so i sooooo didn't understand what you were on about there.... :rolleyes:

Peregrinning Took

01-18-2003, 01:10 PM

Really??? In my book, James comes out first, and he tells Harry:"Your mother's coming..." he said quietly. "She wants to see you...It will be all right...hold on..."

What does your book say??? What version do you have??? (Mine is the American version, that I got at 12:01am on July 8th, 2000 :D)

glaelia

01-18-2003, 03:00 PM

in mine, lily comes out first and says

"Your father's coming..." she said quietly. "He wants to see you...It will be all right...hold on..."

lol...

it's quite poignant... i only got my books about 3 weeks ago. got forced to read PS by my friends kids i babysit... loved it.. hadn't thought it would be any good even though i'd seen both films.... read them all in less than a week :rolleyes: and have read them all about four times each since then.... :rolleyes:

so i guess it's about as recent as it gets... and lily def. comes out first!

glae

xxx

Kristin

01-18-2003, 05:12 PM

It's one of the big errors. In the first version of GoF, James comes out first. Fans noticed this right away. JKR admitted it was an error, and it was changed for all subsequent editions. :)

Námo

01-18-2003, 05:17 PM

I don't know if someone has said this yet (I didn't see it), but the one that stuck out to me is the changing number of legs on the Sorting Hat's stool. In GoF, first it has three, then it has four (or the other way around, I can't remember). :)

Sirius Black

01-18-2003, 06:46 PM

The moon-thing. As I understood it, the potion just wears off, because he didn't take it that evening. And the cloud is just there for... dramatic introduction?
SB

Kristin

01-18-2003, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by Námo
the changing number of legs on the Sorting Hat's stool.

Does it specify that it's the same stool each time? Or is it just that the Sorting hat is put on a stool?

Námo

01-18-2003, 07:40 PM

I can't remember -- maybe someone can check it out for me. It was in the American Hardcover version of GoF. If I remember right, they put it on a three-legged stool and took it off of a four-legged stool.

Kristin

01-18-2003, 09:27 PM

Oh, I thought you meant that they set the hat on a 3-legged stool in one book and a 4-legged stool in another book. :o But if it changes mid-scene... :eek:

Námo

01-19-2003, 02:43 AM

Nope, it happened mid-scene. Maybe I am just making all of this up, because now I am starting to doubt myself! :eek:

Colli

01-19-2003, 03:22 PM

Back on the numbers debate... there's a quote somewhere (book 2, I think) that implies that Harry and the other four boys are the only Gryffindor boys in their year.

And then in PoA, at the Slyth/Gryf Quidditch match, it describes the crowd as 200 people in green robes.... and since nearly everyone in the school would have been there for the Quidditch final, I think it's safe to say that that's 200 students in Slytherin house.

The mystery continues...

Peregrinning Took

01-19-2003, 07:17 PM

Also, when the Gryffindors and the Slytherins had Broomstick Practice together in Book 1, there's 20 broomsticks. I remember that they mention that...Also, when the Gryffindors had Herbology w/ the Hufflepuffs in Book 2, with the Mandrakes, they mention there being 20 earmuffs...

Just further cementing the fact that THIS IS A BIG MISTAKE. Poor JKR. Great writer, horrible at math :D Someone should get her a calculator.

Colli

01-19-2003, 09:20 PM

:devil: Wouldn't it be hilarious if we sent her one?

Elfëa

01-19-2003, 09:49 PM

I bet someone has already... :p

Pilgrim Grey

01-20-2003, 12:35 AM

I found more!!! In GOF (an previous books probably) JKR says that Snape had missed out on the DADA job for FOUR YEARS RUNNING... but we know that he's been at Hogwarts longer than that because Fred and George (I think) mention him in PS - where they say that he's always been after the job. So it shouldn't be four years, it should be longer...

And when Moody shows Harry's class Avada Kedavra, it says that Harry had been picturing the way his parents died for three years, but then goes on to say all the things that he only found out in his second and third year.

Nitpicky, I know, but that's what this thread is for :D

Irys

01-20-2003, 02:28 AM

In GOF (an previous books probably) JKR says that Snape had missed out on the DADA job for FOUR YEARS RUNNING... but we know that he's been at Hogwarts longer than that because Fred and George (I think) mention him in PS - where they say that he's always been after the job. So it shouldn't be four years, it should be longer...

Well, for all we know, the DADA teacher before Quirell had been there for years, so Snape wouldn't have had a chance at the job until the year Quirell was hired, making it four years.

Pilgrim Grey

01-20-2003, 06:56 AM

But the rumour about the job being cursed (ie, nobody lasted more than a year) was already around when Harry started, which means that it would've had to have happened at least a couple of times already...

Colli

01-20-2003, 10:45 AM

First of all, I think Quirrell had been there more than a year. Could be wrong, though.

Second of all, I think I remember hearing the curse quote different, that they had had x DADA teachers in y years. And that they had never had a teacher that lasted more than a couple of years... I'll have to look that one up when I get home. :)

Elfëa

01-20-2003, 12:11 PM

And Quirell took a year of, didn't he? When he travelled to Albania and such :p

Irys

01-20-2003, 06:51 PM

Ack! I don't remember anything about Hogwarts having problems keeping a DADA teacher in the years before the books started.:o I can't believe I'm forgetting things already; I just reread them like last week.

Seriphus

01-21-2003, 05:30 AM

First of all, I think Quirrell had been there more than a year. Could be wrong, though. I've always assumed he was there already, as Hagrid seems to know him pretty well. And Voldemort says he was a teacher at Hogwarts when he met him (maybe he went travelling for the summer instead of a whole year):

"A wizard-young, foolish and gullible- wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of...for he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school..."

Elfëa

01-21-2003, 07:53 AM

Yes, but there must have been pretty much changing, cause what Fred and George say to Harry about the job being cursed...

Pilgrim Grey

01-22-2003, 11:11 PM

New blooper!

When students put their name into the Goblet in GOF, they also have to put their school name. Crouch tricked the goblet into thinking that there were four schools competing, and entered Harry as the only member of that fourth school. So shouldn't it have shown up when his piece of parchment came out of the goblet? Instead of saying "Harry Potter, Hogwarts" it should've said "Harry Potter, Other school" or something, which would prove that he didn't put his name in (Moody said that it would take a VERY skilled wizard to do the Confundus charm) and saved him a lot of trouble with Ron...

Elfëa

01-23-2003, 08:47 AM

Maybe he made the Goblet only believe that there are four schools but did not name the fourth school?

Colli

01-23-2003, 11:10 AM

About the number of legs on the stool.. maybe it's a magical stool. :p ;)

I wondered about the Goblet thing, too... but I think that's more one of those "unsolved mysteries" than an actual blooper. :)

Seriphus

01-23-2003, 11:10 AM

I think you're right. The schools weren't necessarily written on the pieces of paper that came out of the Goblet of Fire.

Pilgrim Grey

01-24-2003, 01:57 AM

Yeah, you had to put your school into the goblet:
From GOF, page 225 of my version:
'Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment...
And if Harry's slip didn't have a school on it, then it'd still be pretty obvious that the Goblt had been tampered with - because all the other pachment's had the school...

Seriphus

01-24-2003, 05:46 AM

Oh OK, I didn't make the connexion that the name that was thrown out was the one the student had put in themselves. ::trouts herself::

Maybe Crouch called the fourth school Hogworts and no one noticed. :p I'm stumped on this one.

Colli

01-24-2003, 07:53 AM

ROTFL! :LOL: :rotfl:

That is a possibility ;)

Pilgrim Grey

05-16-2003, 10:08 PM

On the thing about Lupin transforming, I think JKR implies that he only transforms when the moon is out because in POA, when Harry and Hermione watch him go to the Whomping Willow, Harry notices that the moon is behind a cloud. Although it still doesn't make much sense (would Lupin transform back into a human if the moon went back behind a cloud?), I think JKR didn't think too much about this one..

And a new blooper (well, I think): I'venever been to Scotland, so this might be accurate, but would the sun set at 9pm in June? In POA Buckbeak is executed on June 6 (I think that's it) and at 11:55 Hermione and Harry go back three hours (to 8:55) and the sun is still setting. I know the sun sets later during summer the further north you go, but does it set that late?

Edit spelling

lithorose

05-16-2003, 11:30 PM

Might even set later than that. I'm at the 45th parallel and it sets about nine pm near the solstice, and doesn't really get dark until 10pm.

Seriphus

05-17-2003, 06:37 AM

(would Lupin transform back into a human if the clod went back behind acloud?), I think JKR didn't think too much about this one.. I think that when discussing this before we came to the conclusion that something must set off the transformation and once it has begun he must stay as a wolf for a certain amount of time. What triggers the transformation may be the moon coming out from behind a cloud; or reaching a certain point in the sky etc... I think this is one of the most questionable points in the books. I just try not to think about it too much. ;)

Severus Snape

05-18-2003, 10:53 AM

I personally don't believe that Lucius should have lost his half elf because of Harry's nasty sock. Lucius was disgusted with the filthy thing and flung it at Dobby. I don't recall him vocally saying, "Here Dobby! Keep this disgusting piece of filth!"

In the movie, Harry put the sock in Tom Riddle's diary and handed it to Lucius. Lucius didn't know that his sock was in the diary when he handed it to Dobby so... again I'm against the idea that Lucius gave Dobby a sock when in fact he made Dobby hold a diary for him.

Dobby should still be Lucius's house-elf.

Elfëa

05-19-2003, 12:13 PM

Agree with Severus.

:p

When I'm back home in Finland the sunset is around 10ish... but it'll be dark around midnight in late June... :p So, that's wrong in the book. Cause there isn't that MUCH difference between southern Finland and Scotland... (consider I know this, I live in Wales - to those who didn't know that :p)

Severus Snape

05-19-2003, 05:12 PM

Thanks! I'm glad that someone agrees with me... the rest of my friends think that i'm just being mean.

ChianaWeasley

05-19-2003, 07:00 PM

Your right, but I am glad he's out of the Malfoy's clutches :)
Though he has been rather annoying in the past two books

Severus Snape

05-19-2003, 10:50 PM

Heh! Winky said that he wouldn't work for another Master unless he was paid wages... Should've stayed under Malfoy's thumb if you ask me. *evil grin*

not evil enough-->:D but'll do!

Kristin

05-20-2003, 05:56 PM

Are you perhaps wanting: :devil:?

(Click "Get More" under the smileys to your left.)

About Dobby being freed, though. Doesn't he say something about the family having to be careful they don't leave any pieces of clothing lying around? That implies to me that it doesn't have to be specifically given to him. Just that he gets clothing from his master (whether intentionally or accidentally).

Elfëa

05-20-2003, 06:35 PM

But who then does the laundry?

I gave this a thought about yesterday, and I came to the conclusion that the cloth that frees house elf has to belong to someone else than to a family member - like the sock was Harry's - or it has been bought for specially for the house elf - like Winky's clothes. Does that make sense?

Severus Snape

05-21-2003, 07:34 AM

Yes... House Elves do the laundry... Can you imagine how much laundry that has to be done at Hogwarts to keep those students smelling fresh? Think about it!
A house elf has to be given clothing. Have you read book 4 yet. Remember Mr. Crouch being severly pissed off at Winky for not staying in his tent when he told her to?

"This means clothes!" he said.

Winky wore a tea cozy/cover.

Elfëa

05-21-2003, 10:27 AM

Given - but how can you order one take them? ;)

You're right, but as we've all concluded, Mrs Rowling isn't always on top of her theories ;)

Severus Snape

05-21-2003, 02:26 PM

Point at the heaping load of dirty linens and what nots and demand, "Wash this filth! NOW!!!"

Elfëa

05-21-2003, 02:54 PM

But that's not 'giving' the clothes?

Colli

05-21-2003, 03:01 PM

Not necessarily... if you ask someone to do your laundry, you're not giving them the clothes, they're just taking them for a short period of time and then giving them back.

Giving someone a shirt, or in this case socks, however, implies permanence.

But I agree it's another weak point. :) Because doesn't somewhere it say something about wizards having to be careful not to accidentally hand their elves some clothes?