Mrs. Norris is a very ambiguous character. Here is what we know about her:

• Mrs. Norris appears as a cat.
• The Basilisk attacked Mrs. Norris.
• Mrs. Norris works with Filch and helps him patrol the castle.

All of these together add up to my theory. First of all, things are not always what they seem. When we first read PoA, did we know that Peter Pettigrew was disguised as Scabbers? Or in GoF, that Crouch Jr. was disguised as Mad-Eye Moody? Of course not (unless someone told you)! I believe that Mrs. Norris is yet another of these characters. I think that Mrs. Norris isÂ… (Drum roll please) an Animagus.

Number one, in CoS the Basilisk attacks muggle-born witches/wizards and squibs. I do not think that the Basilisk attacked Mrs. Norris because she was FilchÂ’s cat. CouldnÂ’t the Basilisk have gotten to Filch just as easily? No other muggle-born animal was petrified. Tom Marvolo Riddle didnÂ’t order the Basilisk to kill a muggle-bornÂ’s animals, he told it to kill muggle-borns. In fact, it never once mentions that the Basilisk was after squibs. How could it be, if Hogwarts is a school for witches and wizards? No one in their right mind would send a squib to a school where they would learn witchcraft and wizardry.

Number two, why would someone name a cat Mr. or Mrs.? Okay, I know that thatÂ’s debatable, but still, IÂ’ve never heard of someone naming a cat Mrs. unless it was Mrs. Fuzzy-Cutezy-Wootzy or something like that. Also, why Mrs.? WouldnÂ’t it have to be Miss? I didnÂ’t know cats could get married.

Number three, wouldnÂ’t it be a perfect disguise for someone working for the Order? Think about it. She could send messages from Dumbledore to other Order members. It would be the perfect disguise! When Mr. Dursley met Professor McGonagall in SS he had no idea that she was an Animagus. In some books we donÂ’t hear about her for long periods of time. During that time she could be elsewhere communicating with Order members, perhaps at number twelve Grimmauld Place. We do not know all of the Order members. J. K. Rowling has said so herself. For all we know Filch may be in the Order.

I have a feeling that Mrs. Norris will play a very critical role in HBP and book seven.

If anyone would like to contact me (comments, concerns, ideas, etc), please do so at pdlvr at hotmail dot com. I encourage your feedback!

2/22/05