On the hoary old question of whether or not boggarts can really assume the powers and abilities of the forms they take.
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Rather irritable rebuke to a listmember's objecting to what he perceived as a proliferation of "totally implausible" speculations on the list.
Why don't wizards disapparate themselves out of trouble more often? And why did various characters (Pettigrew, Lupin, Sirius, etc.) not use apparation as a means of transport at various points in the story?
Analysis of the first chapter of the series, with an eye to proving that Minerva McGonagall Is Ever So Evil. A rather tongue-in-cheek post that spawned a very fun thread on HPfGU.
Proposes that Voldemort's wand was in Hagrid's possession during the twelve years following Godric's Hollow, and that Peter recovered it from his shack shortly before fleeing to Albania, thus accounting for his presence in Hagrid's hut at the end of PoA.
More on apparating: a canon correction to the last post, apparating as an analogue to driving, and "splinching" as a deliberate authorial check to unwanted types of plot resolution.
Argues that allegiance to Voldemort imbued the Death Eaters with special Dark powers. Also contains a defense of the idea that at the time of his trial, Crouch Jr. had been out of school for less than a year; an evaluation of Peter Pettigrew's magical abilities; and an argument that the DEs were deliberately aiming to miss at the end of the graveyard scene in GoF.
Objection to the common fan assertion that Neville seems to be well suited to House Hufflepuff.
Analysis of the scene in PoA in which Snape brings Lupin his Wolfsbane Potion
Challenge to the Spying Game ("MAGICDISHWASHER") theory's claim that all but one or two of the Death Eaters were loyal to Voldemort and in on the conspiracy to bring about his reincorporation.
More on why Sirius and James might have suspected Lupin of being the spy, this time with an emphasis on his lycanthropy. Evidence from the Shrieking Shack scene to support the notion that Sirius, at least, really did suspect Lupin primarily because he was a werewolf. Also, a brief discussion of the canonical plausibility of Evil!Lupin, and an explanation of why Sirius and James might not have suspected Peter.
Sexual entendre in the HP books, with particular emphasis on depictions of Riddle/Voldemort and on the sexualized language of the graveyard scene in GoF.
Neville's behavior in PS/SS as evidence of his *failure* to uphold the values of House Gryffindor.
Discussion of the boarding school genre and its implications for Draco Malfoy's fated role in the story. Also, a discussion of the series' "genre soup" aspect, and how this affects the wide range and variety of speculations readers consider canonically suggested or plausible.
Evidence for the theory that Arthur Weasley was once a victim of the Imperius Curse. Also includes a summary of the "Missing Weasley Child" theory, and an invitation to combine to two for an "Unwilling Filicide Arthur Weasley" scenario.
More on Neville's behavior in PS/SS, and the extent to which it reveals not his courage, but his weakness.
Discussion of how Pettigrew found Voldemort so very quickly, and how Barty Jr. could maintain his standing as a Death Eater whose "loyalty never wavered" after his hysteria at his sentencing.
Discussion of the name by which Peter Pettigrew was known to the other Death Eaters (did he always go by "Wormtail" within the DE organization?) Also, some discussion of the thematic relevance of Pettigrew's name-change within the narration itself between PoA and GoF.
Canon correction to previous post, as well as a brief analysis of Peter, Sirius, and Lupin's respective ways of "going beast" at the end of PoA.
More defense of the "allegiance to Dark forces imbues wizards with special powers" theory, with the additional suggestion that Voldemort's return to semi-corporeal form and to British shores at the beginning of GoF might have been responsible for empowering and emboldening the Death Eaters. Also, a rejection of the notion that Peter Pettigrew's magical ability is particularly adrenaline-powered.
Analysis of the Graveyard Scene of GoF. Argues that the scene is written to inspire a sense of revulsion in the reader by deliberately twisting or perverting institutions (religion, sexuality, the family, treatment of the dead) that we hold sacred.
A "Peter Loved Lily" defense, presented in a turbo-charged "I'm going to commit the murder I was imprisoned for" TBAY style.
Discussion of contributing factors to the strength of an Imperius Curse, with particular emphasis on why Crouch Jr.'s will to resist should have grown stronger at the beginning of GoF. Also, some teasing support of the ludicrous "Cruciatus Makes You Stronger" theory.
Logistical objections to the theory that Voldemort planned to use the Triwizard Portkey to launch an attack on the convened spectators of the Third Task.
