Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

[Jasper]

Well, fair's fair.  This IS the nerdiest conversation I've taken part in for maybe years.

[Juana]

A squib can see a dementor, a muggle cannot.  Presumably squibs have other awareness of magic that muggles do not.

Nope. Squibs and muggles both can feel a dementor, but can't see one.

[Requia ☣]

5th book, Harry's trial, a squib testified that she could see the Dementor that accosted Harry and Dudley.

[Juana]

5th book, Harry's trial, a squib testified that she could see the Dementor that accosted Harry and Dudley.

Incidentally, Arabella Figg never saw the Dementors that attacked Harry and Dudley, but she had enough magical knowledge to identify correctly the sensations they created in the alleyway.

http://www.jkrowling.com > Extra Stuff (the hairbrush) > Miscellaneous > Squibs

I'd just post a link ordinarily, but her site doesn't work like that.

[Requia ☣]

Rowling needs to have a chat with the editors of the American versions then.

Mrs. Figg at once, as though she had learned what
she was saying by heart, "when I heard a disturbance down the alley-
way between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. On approaching
the mouth of the alleyway I saw dementors running —"
"Running?" said Madam Bones sharply. "Dementors don't run,

More importantly though:

Weasley. Incidentally, can Squibs see dementors?" he added, looking
left and right along the bench where he sat.
"Yes, we can!" said Mrs. Figg indignantly.

It's possible she was lying on one or both counts I suppose.

[Juana]

Figg was lying on both counts, yes.

[Rumckle]

Or JK Rowling lost track of the laws of her own universe.

[Juana]

I don't think so. Hence why Arabella said they run and Amelia Bones corrected her.

[Freeky]

What I interpreted from that scene is that Figg had indeed lied about seeing the dementor. And there's also the fact that she was acting uncomfortable when asked by Fudge (?) whether squibs could really see dementors, but was on more stable ground when she said that she felt one there, too, and remembered " terrible things".

[Eater of Clowns]

Or JK Rowling lost track of the laws of her own universe.

Somewhere in the incredible success she found, she hired a "Potterologist" to keep things relatively in sync with one another.  I think it's easy to drift when writing seven books - I can barely remember if I've contradicted myself after a few pages.  Stephen King did the same with The Dark Tower series - Robin Firth I think her name was?

[Cain]

Rowling did seem to be making it up on the fly quite often though, in the earlier books at least.

Also, I know Terry Pratchett has a wordfile where he stores all the information he has on the various Discworld characters and books, which has since been published as a Guide to the Discworld and formed the basis of the L-Space Discworld Wiki.

[Eater of Clowns]

I am finally devouring this and loving the crap out of it.  Great find, thanks for sharing.

[Cain]

I think Voldemort has possibly "repented."  By which I mean he no longer wants to be a Dark Lord*.  QQ's actions are confusing if you follow the assumptions of the novel, that he is in fact Voldemort and that he still aims to do the whole Dark Lord routine.  And confusion, as the author is fond of saying, means you believe something which is fiction.  The two key assumptions, to my mind, are those above.  Eliminating one of those assumptions makes his actions make sense, and since the author has already implied one of them is true (that QQ is Voldemort, in the chapter notes) then it would seem the other is the most likely correct one.

*By "Dark Lord", I mean the traditional Evil Overlord kind of Dark Lord.  Voldemort is still evil, still morally reprehensible in many ways, but he may be considering how to channel his lust for power in more useful and less dangerous (to him) ways - such as creating a single point of failure in the state of Magical Britain and Imperiusing the person in question to control it.  In short, he's being exactly what a Slytherin should be - cunning and ambitious, rather than a thug with a wand and sadistic tendencies.  And because he is focusing on these kind of goals, Harry is not a threat in the way he was for the Evil Overlord Voldemort of the books, prophecy nonwithstanding.

[Kai]

Pretty smart of him.

[Eater of Clowns]

The author's notes were all taken down as I read through this, I believe, so I had no idea that QQ being Voldemort was any more heavily implied in those than in the text.  If that's the case, and we definitely see two sides of QQ in his waking and trance-like states, I'm not sure their goals are one in the same.  They're both individuals of power but QQ is controlled and disciplined while Voldemort is temperamental.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I wouldn't rule out the idea that Quirrell allowed/sought out/agreed to be the host for Voldemort's deceased form in hopes that he could control the Dark Lord in some way.  Maybe he wanted the power or maybe he wanted to act as a vessel to contain and reduce the threat using his own strong will instead of allowing Voldemort to enact a plan that will get him ressurected with more power quickly.
We might be seeing in Hat-and-Cloak a breaking down of QQ's control, where either Voldemort is now able to act directly through him or at least some of the professor's decisions are molded that way.