Comments on: The Deathday Party

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:00:58 +0000

I always wondered about ghosts interacting with their environments, too. In addition to all the points made above, there’s the big question that no one seemed to bring up: How does Myrtle flood the bathrooms? I mean, how does she create water, if she’s essentially just a shadow?

By: GYM

GYM — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:51:24 +0000

I always wondered about Filches connection to Mrs Norris as is mentioned above. I wondered if squibs had certain connections to cats, purely because the only other squib that we meet in the books, Mrs Figg, also has a brilliant relationship with cats, to the point that she can send one out as a look out for Harry’s safety (she mentions stationing one under a car at the start of the 5th book, i think) which then reports back to her when Mundungus disapparates leading her to tale Harry and find him in the Alley with Dudley following the dementor attack. I dunno but it just always made me think.

By: May

May — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:17:55 +0000

The Headless Hunt rode ghost horses?! How the hell does a horse become a ghost?

Thumbs up to Andrea for pointing out more cleverly-hidden hints and facts. Great detective work! :)

Laurence Peguy’s artwork of Myrtle is so devastatingly accurate. I looked at it for more than a minute. :)

By: Todd

Todd — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:25:54 +0000

One thought on Nearly Headless Nick. He’s described as wearing a ruff and tights, which suggests an Elizabethan courtier. But we learn in this chapter that he was executed in 1492, a hundred years before the Elizabethan Age. Back then, the clothing styles would have been more late medieval (to put it into context, 1492 – alongside being the date of Columbus’ first voyage – was seven years after Richard III’s defeat at Bosworth; Nicholas survived the end of the Wars of the Roses by just a few years). Most likely this is another of Rowling’s slip-ups.

By: Mandi

Mandi — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 06:11:26 +0000

Amy, I’d like to think ghosts can swap clothes with other ghosts, so to speak. I know it’s an absurd theory, but perhaps another ghost saw Nick’s suffering with his wobbly head and decided to lend him his ghostly ruff.
As for all the questions about choosing to become a ghost, I think those people that REALIZED they were dead and transitioning into the afterlife, or whatever, they fought the process and left a part of themselves behind. Those that were “ready to go on” just kind of went with the transition process and didn’t have a second thought about leaving their life behind.
And who says there aren’t Muggle ghosts? We just see the wizard ghosts because the wizard ghosts haunt wizard locations.

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:51:56 +0000

Nick gets a letter from Sir what’shisface. I was wondering how he managed to send the letter. Ghosts don’t seem to be able to interact with anything other than their clothes so where did the parchment, quill and ink come from? Also Nick wears the ruff to keep his head on. Where did that come from? I assumed the clothes ghosts wear are the ones they died in but if the ruff is specifically to keep his head on then where did it come from?

By: Lewis

Lewis — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 07:29:58 +0000

Ok, good point on the Nick in Gryffindor bit. One point still brings me doubt however.

Harry got the choice to come back as flesh and bone, sure. If wizards get a choice when they die, then why aren’t there more wizards coming back from the dead? And for that matter why aren’t there muggle ghosts? I would expect that all people go to this transistion phase. No, I now believe that there is magic to be done to become a ghost.

OH NO!!! I forgot about Myrtle, she was only a schoolgirl and wouldn’t have known about the magic required. Damn just blown my whole theory to shreds. :P

But still, Harry was an exceptional case. Voldemorts blood was his blood, Lily’s protection and all. And I think while Harry was a Horcrux he couldn’t be killed by the Horcrux’s owner.

But alas, thinking about King’s Cross at all drives me mental.

By: Casey

Casey — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:56:51 +0000

Lewis, I assume all of those ghosts in the first book stay at the castle. In HBP, Harry sees the group of ghosts at Dumbledore’s funeral joined together, shimmering and nearly invisible in the light of the sun. I’m not sure they have much of a purpose. They just walk where they’ve imprinted their souls, though in CoS we see that they can move across the country (possibly the world) if they want to. I think Moaning Myrtle is confined to the castle because of her restraining order.

As for Nick being in Gryffindor, we’ve seen some other pretty cowardly characters in Gryffinor (Pettigrew). Lupin is kind of cowardly in his own way, as well, and Ron can be, too. As we know, the Sorting Hat takes choices into account. It’s possible that Nick, as some other Gryffindors, subconsciously wanted to be brave, or it saw that quality in them under the surface.

I believe the process is much like Harry’s. Jo (I think in an interview) said that while Harry sees King’s Cross, other wizards would see other places in their “transition period” which alludes to the fact that other wizards go through the process. However, instead of getting Harry’s choice to go back as flesh and blood, they get the choice to go back and be a ghost, or move on to the next adventure. Though, I am slightly confused as to whether they merely choose to leave an imprint of themselves behind, and still get to move on, leaving that imprint in a sad state, or if their entire consciousness stays behind. Am I making sense?

By: Lewis

Lewis — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:19:15 +0000

So many questions on the Hogwarts ghosts, an ghost in general:

Firstly when did the Hogwarts ghosts get “appointed” as we know each dies at different time? The Grey Lady and the Baron died only a few years after Hogwarts was founded, but Nick is killed in 1492. Was there a different ghost of Gryffindor Tower up until then, or were the introduction of House ghosts a more recent addition to Hogwarts.

Secondly, where do the other ghosts of Hogwarts come from, and what is their purpose? While we are only ever introduced to the four House ghosts and Peeves, when Harry enters the castle for the first time, before the sorting, “dozens” of ghosts burst through a wall. Are these others ghost permanent residences of Hogwarts, or do they only come for special occasions, like the start of term feast.

Next is a question on how the hell Nick ever became the ghost of Gryffindor, or even a Gryffindor in the first place. A Gryffindor is meant to brave, but he says in his hypothetical ballad that he turned into a “gibbering wreck”. Also in the battle of Hogwarts, when Harry asks him who the Ravenclaw ghost is, Nick appears to be fleeing the castle, while half of his house wanted to stay and fight. Real brave Nicholas, real brave!.

Finally, what is the actual process of becoming a ghost? I never understood whether you had a choice when you die, like Harry did (sort of), or whether there is magic that must be done to ensure your survival?

Any help will be appreciated!

On a side note, I love how everyone assumes the Baron is evil even because he is the Slytherin ghost. I know he does kill Helena Ravenclaw, but he does feel very remorseful, and punishes himself for eternity. He draws up comparisons of Snape in my mind, who bad qualities were also drawn out of jealous love.

By: Casey

Casey — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:17:32 +0000

I agree with hphphp. I played soccer for years, and even if you weren’t running around on the muddy ground, just grabbing a muddy ball with your hands can get you pretty dang muddy. I also like the idea that it could be from drills. I can definitely see some physical training being required in Quidditch practice, even if they don’t necessarily show it in the books. Hard landings and falling off is also plausible, though I can’t see them falling off too often, unless they were really really tired toward the end.

As for Filch, when I read this around the age of ten, I was very surprised Harry hadn’t figured it out that he couldn’t do magic myself. I distinctly remembered being like, “really, Harry? You just figured that out?” He just doesn’t seem magical at all, except for his connection to Mrs. Norris. I always assumed his hatred for the students was because he couldn’t do magic himself, and was forced to watch them grow up and become wizards, even before that was revealed to us. And I assume Dumbledore kept him on, both out of pity, and because of his openness to all people, magical or not. I believe he admired any man who was willing to put himself through taking care of a huge castle like Hogwarts without using any magic. Dumbledore’s the type of person to admire elbow-grease over a magical cleaning, saying something like it made it seem cleaner to him. Not to mention he knew Filch cared so much about the school, he could never put a man through being fired after putting so much of himself into his job.