Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Shoddy editing, the peeves of a beta reader

[xphoenixfirex]

Oh, right *palm, head* That goes back to Book 2, with Hermione and the cat hair. I guess it only makes sense it would go both ways. But that still leaves the subject of Fleur. I am sure I missed something along the lines somewhere about the veela. I'll have to go look it up.

[Illjwamh]

No, what we're saying is that one cannot use Polyjuice Potion to turn into something not fully human. Nowhere does it say that someone who is part but not entirely human can't use it. In other words, Fleur can use the potion to turn into Harry, but Harry could not use it to turn into Fleur. Make sense?

[batsnumbereleven]

I have another quibble, but I'm not sure whether it's valid, so perhaps someone can correct me:

In Chamber of Secrets (which I don't have a copy of to hand) I was under the impression that the Obliviation/Memory spell had the incantation "Oblivious", and that action of removing/modifying a memory was called "obliviation", but in Deathly Hallows, someone uses the incantation "Obliviate" instead...

...or does my memory deceive me?


...and, editing to avoid a double post:

If Hermione was able to turn into a cat (non-human) using Polyjuice (unintentionally) in Chamber of Secrets, why couldn't someone impersonate Hagrid?

[Sherylyn]

As for the "oblivious"... I'm not finding that anywhere. My memory is that it was always "obliviate", but I'm not going to swear I'm remembering it 100% perfectly, either. I just remember Lockhart (from both the book and the movie) doing his "Obliviate!" to try to charm Ron & Harry's memories.

As for Hermione and the cat... I think part of it is that you can't *successfully* turn fully into an animal (or creature, etc.) w/Polyjuice. Hermione had cat features, etc., of course, but she wasn't "really" a cat, even in the sense that McGonagall is when she transforms (or Sirius as Padfoot, etc.) -- she was just an odd-looking human who had to have medical assistance to get back to normal

In regard to that working with Hagrid... not sure, unless it's maybe something to do with the mass that a person would have to "acquire" to be Hagrid...? Obviously (as Harry learned), you can be fatter/thinner, etc., w/Polyjuice, but I'm guessing it has something to do with other, magical properties as well, maybe? For instance, Hagrid's immune to so many spell effects b/c of his giant blood, so maybe that's part of why it wouldn't work to turn in to some sort of "magical creature"...?

[ladybug]

Have just re-read DH for the xth time and - wonder of wonders! - I actually spotted a typo/proofreading error/mistake/boo-boo in my book!!! It is VERY minor, so do not get your hopes up. I have the Bloomsbury first edition, and the mistake is on p.116 (ch. 8) , about half-way down:

permettez-moi to assister vous

says Fred, trying to impress nameless French cousins.

If you look closely you will definitely see that the 'i' at the end of 'moi' is not italicised as it should be! (Compare it to the 'i' in 'assister' that follows.)

HA HA! I am delighted to have spotted a mistake - makes me think i could be good enough to proofread for Bloomsbury!

I know: small things ...

[Kamalia]

Haha! Actually, now that you say that I found one, too. Can't recall where, but it was a misspelling of some sort. Not spelled Nol, something along those lines.
And I almost yelled at my copy of SS when I reread it for saying things like "Mom" instead of "Mum". Those sort of easy-for-Americans-to-understand Britishisms changed in later editions.