PoA Chapter Fifteen
May. 7th, 2010 01:24 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslockOh no. More quidditch. Just try to concentrate on “final” part rather than “Quidditch.”
Hagrid’s second letter is dripping with tears and snot so I guess he’s back to normal.
Beaky has enjoyed London says Hagrid. Oh, shut up, Hagrid.
I so hate that he’s started calling him Beaky as if he’s adorable now.
Once again Harry declares that Buckbeak isn’t dangerous, without really explaining what that means. It’s not like anyone suggests ways to keep him contained, it’s just that no, his attacking that kid doesn’t make him dangerous. It’s not like Buckbeak wouldn’t have had ample reason to attack anybody in a committee who might say something negative about him. Was there really never a possibility of Buckbeak attacking Sirius if he was drunk and said the wrong thing? Kreacher’s even more insulting than Malfoy is. Is it really likely he wouldn’t have been killed? (I seem to remember him getting attacked only once and it was on purpose.)
Hermione’s crying for some reason, even though she’s been completely uncomprehending about peoples’ pets dying up until now. And this is just one of Hagrid’s many creatures with whom he has a fantasy relationship. If Lavender said Binky enjoyed Bournemouth Hermione would no doubt have lectured her on how the rabbit couldn’t even know he was in Bournemouth. I’m chalking this up to her general stress.
Hermione also tells us Lucius scared the committee into agreeing executing Buckbeak, because she totally would know that.
What’s supposed to be so scary about Lucius anyway? After seven books it seems pretty clear that he’s really not scary at all. And I don’t just mean “he’s not so scary as he thinks he is once he meets someone bigger” or whatever. I mean seriously, he never seems to be that scary to anyone.
Ron vows to help with the appeal. You know, maybe if Hagrid actually had to suffer a consequence for his actions he might learn something. This is probably why his crack legal team has to be made up of third years.
Draco, however, does have to learn something through the consequences of his actions. I swear Draco is the only character in canon capable of learning anything like this. He learns to look after himself and pay attention in CoMC, he learns killing isn’t cool and he learns Voldemort sucks. But in his case learning things just proves you had things to learn and therefore suck!
Oh wait, Snape also learns things. So that’s two. And Dumbledore learns to be celibate to protect the world from his homosexual urges. Which is learning the wrong thing.
Hermione finally apologizes about Scabbers. There’s that at least. Ron doesn’t apologize for treating her badly, as is the Gryffindor way. Apologies are always about one person admitting they’re wrong, never two people admitting they were insensitive to each other. If the other person’s wrong, you were automatically right in all things.
They can’t get to see Hagrid with all the security measures, none of which are keeping out Sirius Black. Don’t ask me why as a teacher Hagrid can’t just walk to the castle and say hello.
Anyway, Hagrid says he got tongue tied and forgot all of Hermione’s dates she gave him. Which I think is supposed to make us feel sympathy for Hagrid. Damn that Lucius being able to speak in front of other people.
I would appreciate Hagrid’s saying he “owes it” to Beaky to give him a nice last few weeks because it indicates some responsibility on his part, but I know he’s only blaming himself for not being evil enough to stand up to the evilness of Lucius Malfoy.
That Hagrid was supposed to remember dates at all continues the idea that this is a trial, and trials never have anything to do with the issues at hand. They’re just law stuff.
Malfoy calls Hagrid pathetic and Hermione slaps him. Harry will later somehow remember this as a punch. Hmmmm…where could he have gotten that idea?
Hermione sputters that Malfoy is evil and foul. Now imagine if Neville got poisoned by that stuff Snape made him drink earlier and the Slytherins immediately blamed it on Neville (he should have made the Potion correctly! He’s an idiot and deserves it!) and were working to make sure Snape got off, kept his job and the botched Potion was officially regarded as harmless. And when it seemed like it wasn’t working the Gryffindors were saying how greasy and pathetic Snape was for being angry about it.
Hermione says Harry better beat Malfoy in Quidditch so Slytherin doesn’t win, desperately trying to tie this tedious Quidditch final to some sort of ethical victory.
At this point Malfoy’s been mauled, slapped and run over in this book. Only beating him at a sport as well will prove that maybe he’s the most non-threatening antagonist ever.
Hermione blames Malfoy for forgetting to go to Charms. Honestly, Malfoy should get some sort of medal for all the work he does in this book. He has to be both the hate object who gets smacked around and the big bad villain we hiss at and pray our heroes somehow manage to beat. And that’s when he’s not giving Harry information about Sirius, passing information to Snape and giving Hermione an excuse to miss a class.
Harry’s glad they’ve started on crystal balls in Divination, since Trelawney always flinched when she looked at his hands. Given what I know about Harry’s hygiene, it was probably all the crusted dirt.
High on having slapped another character without getting any response whatsoever, Hermione starts picking at Trelawney.
As many have pointed out, the books don’t really at all encourage thinking for yourself instead of looking to authority, because they love authority. But they are very concerned with rooting out when someone isn’t worthy of the authority they have and must be rejected. Somebody could probably do a big overview of this, ending, of course, with the story proper’s end portrait of Harry the good slave master.
Harry feels stupid trying to empty his mind. He keeps thinking “this is stupid.” Is he sure that’s a thought about the crystal ball and not just his mind’s natural neutral state?
Hermione continues tutting. The way she acts in this class she ought to have rejected the whole idea of being a witch or being able to make anything happen by waving a stick.
As stupid as she thinks Divination is, Hermione’s still wasting hours of her time studying it, so I think Divination wins.
Note that Hermione’s bitchiness is obscuring the fact that Trelawney actually is right in her divination here if she’s seeing a Grim.
When Hermione’s under stress she starts yelling at everybody and judging them impatiently. Ron really is seeing his future here in Divination!
Ron’s taken over Buckbeak’s appeal, freeing up Hagrid to no doubt buy another crate full of man-eating animals.
Harry prepares for the big Quidditch game, where the burden of winning falls mostly on him. Unlike every single other game they’ve played.
Harry and Malfoy are apparently really angry at each other. It hasn’t seemed like they’ve been hating each other that much but we need to make this Quidditch match mean something.
Crabbe and Goyle keep showing up and looking disappointed that Harry’s surrounded by people. In case you’re not understanding this, Slytherins are cowardly and only attack Harry when he’s alone and outnumbered. Something Gryffindors never ever do. Never.
In fact, everyone in the whole house has enthusiastically created an entourage for Harry. It’s so hard being the unpopular kid, isn’t it?
Ron reminds Harry that he’ll be fine, he’s got the Firebolt. Oh yeah! Hey you guys, we forgot that we have a totally unfair advantage over that other team that makes it very unlikely they could ever win. How did we possibly forget that?
Harry has a nightmare that the Slytherins are riding flying dragons in the game. Malfoy has a nightmare that Harry’s riding a Firebolt he couldn’t possibly beat. Oh wait, that isn’t a dream.
Harry sees that dog outside again and wonders if Crookshanks can see it too. It never occurs to Harry that maybe there’s just an actual black dog hanging around Hogwarts. I know it’s not a Flufferweazlebop or some other funderful magical beast, but surely wizards have dogs too.
The Gryffindor team is applauded by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well. Yeah.
I assume this is supposed to be because Slytherin’s been such an unbeatable team for all those years that aren’t in the book.
Malfoy looks pale. Coward.
Two hundred people in the Slytherin stands (not sure where the 200 came from) wouldn’t exactly look like much next to all of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw cheering for Gryffindor.
The Slytherin team are all enormous except for Malfoy, because if there’s one thing that gives you an advantage in flying fast and accurately on a narrow stick of wood, it’s massive body mass.
Gryffindor wouldn’t have enough enormous people to even fill a team like this, because Slytherin is the home of cowardly huge guys.
Btw, all that extra weight on the Slytherin side actually doesn’t make Gryffindors and their FIREBOLT the underdog. Sorry.
Marcus Flint smashes into Angelina, which is totally bad form! Don’t even think about smashing into the commentator, Flint, just because he’s yelling helpful tips to the Gryffindor team that he’d never yell to yours!
Luckily Fred then chucks a club at Flint’s head and injures him. Nice.
The Slytherins continue to cheat—badly. So badly I don’t even know if you can call it cheating. Basically, they just keep handing the Gryffindors penalty goals and put themselves far behind. How did this house get known for cunning again? They cheat worse than Slughorn networks.
Lee tells the Slytherin beaters that they can’t beat the Firebolt. Outward sign of inward grace, boys!
So to review, the Slytherins cheat badly, can’t score points against the Gryffindor goalie and their Seeker’s broom leave the Slytherin Seeker’s broom in the dust. But there’s supposed to be suspense about who will win?
Once again, JKR’s hindered by her terminal stinginess when it comes to people who oppose Harry. In order to be real opponents at all they have to be competent, but unfortunately if she actually let any of them be good at anything except something Harry doesn’t value, it would kill her.
Given Harry’s ridiculous advantage I think the idea that Malfoy’s not allowed to hold onto his broom to slow him down is some huge cheater’s move is a little silly.
And then Harry wins the game because—guess what?—turns out his broom is really really fast!
I remember someone actually trying to say that Harry won here because he was “more aerodynamic or something.”
Harry feels like he could make the world’s best Patronus. Hopefully it would look like a Firebolt.
Of course, there’s no doubt that had Malfoy been on the Firebolt Harry would have managed to beat him anyway because he’d be plucky and clever. It’s just hilarious the way this whole book has been about cheering Harry on for his broom that gives him a huge advantage.
Things that happen more than once:
After slapping Malfoy for calling Hagrid pathetic, Hermione all but calls Trelawney pathetic to her face. Just as she’ll make her views known to Umbridge. It’s only Hagrid whose incompetence can’t be commented on. Since as Hermione has already told us, no matter how much of a scholar she seems to be, loyalty to your posse always comes first.
Two characters make up but only one of them has to apologize.
Lucius Malfoy scares the government into the ruling he wants. Just take our word for it. Again.
Harry wins Quidditch again. Yawn.
The Firebolt wins Quidditch again. Yawn.
Malfoy suffers a humiliating defeat. Twice. More to come.
The Slytherins cheat a lot. Gryffindors also cheat, but only in retaliation because that doesn’t count.
Someone smashes into someone else for spite and claims it was a mistake. Only this time they get penalized for it.
Malfoy’s rude to Hagrid (booo!) Hermione’s rude to Trelawney (ha!).
And now there’s an appeal. It never ends.
Ron offers to help again.
It’s a gun. No it isn’t! It’s Chekov! No it isn’t!
Fred chucks a beater’s club at Flint’s head
Status: Fired. Fred likes Angelina, remember? He asks her to a dance and his twin marries her because she was Fred’s true love!
The Grim
Status: Fired, though it seems like it’s taking forever, doesn’t it?
Designated Hero
Why every student except the evil ones are now cheering for Harry.
Informed Attributes
Gryffindors=underdogs. Slytherins=advantaged team. Despite the Gryffindors clearly being better and smarter players with a super broom.
Misdirected Answering
Are we ever going to hear anything about the crazy maniac allegedly stalking the school? As opposed to everything in this chapter?
Exploitation Filmmakers’ Credo
Slytherin, if you see that bashing into someone makes you a dozen points behind, stop doing it.
Jabootu score 4
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Date: 2010-05-07 06:46 pm (UTC)Books!Lucius (not to be confused with the movies version) is as scary as the plot demands. Last year he scared the governors into suspending Dumbledore, until they decided they weren't scared anymore and begged him to return. I don't think he scared Fudge into cooperating with him, I think he quite charmed him with his ideas and generous contributions. Hmm. He may have scared Rita though. The same way Hermione did.
Oh wait, Snape also learns things. So that’s two. And Dumbledore learns to be celibate to protect the world from his homosexual urges. Which is learning the wrong thing.
Well, Tom learned to avoid Albus (though not well enough). He also learned that power and threats were the way to get what you wanted (burning wardrobes anyone?). Percy learned he had to let his family walk all over him if he wanted to be part of them.
Hermione finally apologizes about Scabbers. There’s that at least. Ron doesn’t apologize for treating her badly, as is the Gryffindor way. Apologies are always about one person admitting they’re wrong, never two people admitting they were insensitive to each other. If the other person’s wrong, you were automatically right in all things.
Remember that, Percy!
Harry feels stupid trying to empty his mind. He keeps thinking “this is stupid.” Is he sure that’s a thought about the crystal ball and not just his mind’s natural neutral state?
He won't get any better at emptying his mind in his Occlumency lessons in 5th year. (Is there a list of Severus-Sybil connections somewhere?)
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Date: 2010-05-07 06:49 pm (UTC)I guess that's when he came up with the idea of crossing whichever creatures they were that gave rise to next year's skrewts.
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Date: 2010-05-07 07:43 pm (UTC)Well, he threatened to curse people's families, had they voted differently, at one point. Forgot where. Lucius is supposed to be scary in a way a cross between a slippery blackmailer and a poisoner is scary. Can't prove anything, yet...
1 - The Slytherin team are all enormous ...because if there’s one thing that gives you an advantage in flying fast ... it’s massive body mass.
2- Marcus Flint smashes into Angelina
3 - Lee tells the Slytherin beaters that they can’t beat the Firebolt. Outward sign of inward grace, boys!
4 - Slytherin, if you see that bashing into someone makes you a dozen points behind, stop doing it.
It's all logical. 3-->4 + 1 (helps 2)
The Slytherins know the only question is how, not whether, they'll lose. Thus, they do point 4 repeatedly both to save face (*) in front of their House and to have revenge. Body mass helps the bashing to be more effective, so it's an advantage.
May be they aren't so enormous, but just most of them are in the seventh year & they look so in Harry's eyes?
(*) "[Slytherin not from the team] William, what was that smashing for? What if Draco caught the Snitch & we still wouldn't have won because of the lost points?
[Quidditch player] (thinking: as if Draco would ever beat Firebolt with Potter on it) Oh, shut up, John. You try fighting the temptation to bash into one of those Firebolt owners. But wasn't his face funny, when I did it?
- Yeah, their commentator looked "nice" too."
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Date: 2010-05-07 08:00 pm (UTC)Imagine how this looks to Malfoy - preening Saint Potter surrounded by toadies and sycophants
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Date: 2010-05-07 08:31 pm (UTC)Flint is repeating 7th year. Warrington and Montague are probably 5th years, they play again in OOTP but not in HBP. Derrick and Bole, the beaters, are probably either in 6th or 7th year, because in OOTP they are replaced with Crabbe and Goyle. I don't think we know about the Slytherin Keeper.
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Date: 2010-05-07 10:16 pm (UTC)Right. So the first person to apologize forfeits the right to be right, conceding that right to the opponent. Which is why Gryffindors are so tenacious - they never want to be proved not-right... With the exception of the Gryff girls who automatically know what mothers used to teach their daughters - to get and keep a man, make him think he's always right and that you absolutely look up to him and cede to him.
Ron really is seeing his future here in Divination!
So, in the end, the books actually do support Divination as a legitimate magical science. Wonder if Rowling realized it.
The Slytherins continue to cheat—badly. So badly I don’t even know if you can call it cheating.
Just had to laugh at this again.
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Date: 2010-05-07 10:18 pm (UTC)That's right. Anything Hermione does wrong in this book is excused on those grounds. She's exonerated!!
Hermione finally apologizes about Scabbers.
She does? Even while all stressed out, with an official pass for any wrongdoings in this book? Wow. WHAT A GIRL!
Harry will later somehow remember this as a punch. Hmmmm…where could he have gotten that idea?
Just proof that Rowling wasn't lying when she said she's never re-read her own work.
Where in the books does Harry remember the slap as a punch?
High on having slapped another character without getting any response whatsoever ...
That's nothing compared to what super!Ginny gets away with after her makeover for book 6. :-(
When Hermione’s under stress she starts yelling at everybody and judging them impatiently. Ron really is seeing his future here in Divination!
Hee. :-)
In fact, everyone in the whole house has enthusiastically created an entourage for Harry. It’s so hard being the unpopular kid, isn’t it?
That's okay, next year he'll be rejected again, the outsider, with only his best friend Hermione (WHAT A GIRL!) by his side.
Then in book 6 he'll be 'fanciable' again.
Maybe there was a point there, other than how Rowling wrote every book much as if it was a stand-alone effort?
Malfoy has a nightmare that Harry’s riding a Firebolt he couldn’t possibly beat. Oh wait, that isn’t a dream.
Laugh-out-loud!! :-)
Once again, JKR’s hindered by her terminal stinginess when it comes to people who oppose Harry.
Oh gawd, and this was NOTHING compared to how the universe would bend to help Harry in the last book. Ugh. Why in blazes did we ever like these books?
(Well, you lot; I'm using the superior fan fiction as my excuse. :-))
The Firebolt wins Quidditch again. Yawn.
I have this mental image in my mind right now of a riderless firebolt winning all of its matches ... of a charmed sentient firebolt (hey, if wands can dictate the fate of the wizarding world all of a sudden, why can't brooms wake up also? BROOMS ARE PEOPLE TOO!) taking the field, doing a victory lap ... I'm feeling rather silly right now ...
Someone smashes into someone else for spite and claims it was a mistake. Only this time they get penalized for it.
Actually that's useful for the anti-Ginny argument. Although she barged into the commentator for petty revenge after the match was over, hmmm.
He asks her to a dance and his twin marries her because she was Fred’s true love!
HA HA HA!!
No, wait a minute ....
EWWW!!!
(I'd like to officially note that you didn't mention the word/phrase 'soul mate' once in the review of this chapter!)
no subject
Date: 2010-05-08 01:10 am (UTC)Just a thought: if these animals are supposed to be so big on their dignity they'll attack anyone who insults them, would they really approve of cutesy nicknames?
Hermione’s crying for some reason, even though she’s been completely uncomprehending about peoples’ pets dying up until now.
Every once in a while, the books have Hermione break into tears. I can't remember when they all happen, but iirc they're all generally pretty out of character. They're usually a form of empathy that I honestly don't think Hermione, as written, is supposed to have. Tears over Harry's dead parents or suffering house-elves and the like. I'd believe Hermione angry at the injustice or horrified by the...lack of orderliness or something. But not empathy. That's not her thing. (Going by consistent character traits, anyway. Shaky ground in Rowling's world, I know. *g*)
Malfoy calls Hagrid pathetic and Hermione slaps him.
[...]
Hermione says Harry better beat Malfoy in Quidditch so Slytherin doesn’t win...
Now see, that's the way an IC Hermione should act when stressed. Angry and vengeful. She can cry, but those better be tears of rage is what I'm saying.
Ron’s taken over Buckbeak’s appeal...
Soul-mates!! :D To be perfectly honest, this is something I'd have pointed to as illustration both of Ron's intelligence (he can research too!) and his and Hermione being a better match than you might think. (Earlier on I thought the series painted Ron as a smart kid trying to hide it.)
Malfoy looks pale.
Oh! *HUGS* Poor tiny little Draco going up against big, bad unbeatable Gryffindor with everyone booing him (except his little band of friends) and his shabby little broom! We're cheering for you, Draco! You can do it!
Informed Attributes
Gryffindors=underdogs. Slytherins=advantaged team.
Yeah. I don't think JKR has a handle on what "underdog" means. You can show Michael Jordan being nervy before a big game. Don't mean he's the lesser player. Never will.
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Date: 2010-05-08 02:24 am (UTC)This makes me think of two things.
1 - When Hermione said - I think in book 5 - that Harry has a "saving people thing" (and parts of fanon picked it up as canon Harry characterization, to my severe annoyance) and this was supposed to demonstrate her empathy when in fact it only demonstrates her perception of herself as an empathetic. Harry does not have a "saving people thing" - he has a "never bring your problems to an authority figure" thing and a "notice only peers in your immediate circle, sometimes" thing.
2 - Hermione always struck me as someone who is tightly wound and prone to hysteria when under stress. What I remember mostly about this book is how she's completely overloaded with schoolwork. I know this was discussed in previous chapters, so there's no need to get into it again, but Hermione being logically inconsistent and misdirecting her emotions all over the place makes sense to me. It's part of her character, and it's yet another thing that could have actually led to some character development in the, you know, rational and benevolent and compassionate version of the universe. >:[
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Date: 2010-05-08 03:59 am (UTC)Hermione continues tutting. The way she acts in this class she ought to have rejected the whole idea of being a witch or being able to make anything happen by waving a stick.,
and also at this:
Crabbe and Goyle keep showing up and looking disappointed that Harry’s surrounded by people. In case you’re not understanding this, Slytherins are cowardly and only attack Harry when he’s alone and outnumbered. Something Gryffindors never ever do. Never.
So true! Especially Hermione calling Divination unreasonable. That's not awfully logical of her, is it?
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Date: 2010-05-08 08:36 am (UTC)Or her pretending not to hear the voices behind the veil. I mean for years she was surrounded by proof that there is afterlife (the Hogwarts ghosts). Thinking about it...why did she (when she was in DoM I mean)think the voices were coming from dead people? It could have been something else that was making the noises for all she knew.
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Date: 2010-05-08 08:53 am (UTC)The Harry Potter prayer:
God, grant me the serenity
To blindly follow those who are worthy of authoroty
The courage to reject those not worthy of autority
And the wizdom to know the difference
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Date: 2010-05-08 02:36 pm (UTC)Percy is kind of the poster child for how to lose an argument in the WW.
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Date: 2010-05-08 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-08 02:38 pm (UTC)I get the impression the Slytherin team really is supposed to be enormous rather than just 7th years. Hulking guys who speak in grunts seem to be common in Slytherin.
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Date: 2010-05-08 02:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-08 02:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-08 02:47 pm (UTC)It's in HBP. I think maybe it's when Harry has just won the FF potion? He compares the look on Malfoy's face to the time when Hermione punched him in the face.
I remember having a discussion with someone about the meaning of "popular" re: OotP. Because people sometimes think it means actually being loved by everyone. It can mean that, but in school it's more about having social currency. If you're friends with the popular people, if you're in that group, you're one of the popular people--even if they're always talking behind your back and nobody really likes you. In OotP Harry isn't suddenly a social outcast. He's become *notorious.* Everyone's talking about him, as usual. They're fascinated as well as wary.
That's nothing compared to what super!Ginny gets away with after her makeover for book 6. :-(
Oh god, yes. Well, Ginny basically gets scene after scene where people act as straight men, feeding her lines so she can shut them down with a withering remark or a hex or some outburst of violence.
LOL at the Firebolt taking a victory lap. It totally should!
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Date: 2010-05-08 02:50 pm (UTC)I agree with the comment above that I totally buy Hermione bursting into hysterical tears when she's stressed. That seems to fit her character--she gets frazzled and first it comes out as annoyance where she snaps at people and gets impatient but eventually she gets hysterical.
Oh god. How nice to be able to think Ron was smart and trying to hide it. Nope, his grades are mostly important for being not quite as good as Harry's.
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Date: 2010-05-08 02:52 pm (UTC)Though I don't think the books are intentionally linking it to her Muggle heritage. According to that she shouldn't believe any of this stuff. It's more, I think, about recognizing when it's a a joke on the real world or something.
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Date: 2010-05-08 02:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-09 04:02 pm (UTC)What complicates things is that sometimes Rowling uses Hermione as her stand in and is clearly supportive of her (regarding Divination, or at least Trelawney's version of it - despite the fact that she actually has a high success rate, and regarding the Lovegoods' cryptozoology - note Hermione identifying the horn correctly in DH) but sometimes Rowling is really criticizing Hermione's unreasonable closed-minded approach (the veil, the Hallows).
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Date: 2010-05-10 12:11 am (UTC)The irony of this is that it's completely true. In every other branch of magic they're practically encouraged to ignore the wider world/universe that they have managed by some freak coincidence of genetics to have the power to manipulate. It's only in Divination (and maaybe Potions if I want to be biased as I've always liked chemistry) that they take note of repeated patterns in the world around them and make some - hopefully useful; probably not - extrapolations.
Damn.
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Date: 2010-05-10 07:43 am (UTC)And how did the painting of Sirius' mother escape an attack? Surely the painting would've insulted Buckbeak as he was brought into the house!
But in his case learning things just proves you had things to learn and therefore suck!
Yes, sadly. The good guys may not be saints, but they certainly don't have anything to *learn*. :^P Everyone's imperfect, so there's no need to try to be perfect, or even to try to be better!
As stupid as she thinks Divination is, Hermione’s still wasting hours of her time studying it, so I think Divination wins.
It's really a shame that Hogwarts doesn't let students try electives out before committing to study them for three years. Hermione can quit Divination because she had plenty of other classes, but Draco presumably couldn't quit Care of Magical Creatures.
It's also kind of odd... Hermione took Divination because she was taking everything that year. Harry took it because he decided to go with what Ron chose. But why did Ron choose Divination? Because it's easy? But then, wouldn't Muggle Studies be fairly easy too, the way they probably teach it? His father would probably support him in that choice... although his mother probably wouldn't. Maybe that explains it.
I'd like to give Ron more credit than this, but I'm not sure what else would explain his decision. After all, how important can Divination be, when it plays no apparent role in wizarding society? ...Okay, that reasoning might rule out a lot of other stuff, but those could be being used in non-obvious ways. If Divination were being used for more than fighting Voldemort, it would be visible.
Unless maybe its use is pretty much restricted to weather predictions, thus replacing meterology as a science. I dunno.
Crabbe and Goyle keep showing up and looking disappointed that Harry’s surrounded by people. In case you’re not understanding this, Slytherins are cowardly and only attack Harry when he’s alone and outnumbered. Something Gryffindors never ever do. Never.
The funny thing is... when do we ever see a Slytherin student start a physical/magical fight? Sure, Slytherins start *verbal* fights all of the time, but it's always the Gryffindors that we see escalating to physical/magical attacks, at least on the page. I think the one exception is probably the Sectumsempra scene in HBP.
See also: Hermione slapping Draco, Ron nearly attacking Draco for insulting his family (PS), Harry and one of the twins attacking Draco after the Quidditch game in OotP, Ron's slug-vomiting spell in CoS, etc. Even outside school, we see that tendency a little outside of the war, with Arthur attacking Lucius in CoS.
Anyway, great recap. I enjoy them all, but this one was extra fun.
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Date: 2010-05-10 05:20 pm (UTC)Yeah, it's odd that Black just jumped on Buckbeak's back and took off (at least in the movie -- no books here), without the elaborate "howdy-do" ritual. And Buckbeak didn't attack Black, that we know of, but Kreacher did, and for a Buckbeak reason, too -- not being treated with kindness or respect -- according to that fount of empathy, Dumbledore.
I put it down to some kind of "elf smarts" that Buckbeak didn't attack Kreacher. Buckbeak attacked Lupin, who hadn't insulted him. Buckbeak attacked Snape, who hadn't insulted him. Buckbeak was very convenient that way, or devoted. I almost want to ship Potter/Buckbeak. Pobeak?
The attack on Snape was one of those actions that got some fans in an uproar about how evil Snape was supposed to be, because animals could just tell! Always trust those animal instincts. Snape was also supposed to have been cruel somehow to Hagrid's dog by running past it instead of trying to save it from burning to death in Hagrid's cabin... this in a series full of cruelty to animals of all kinds, not to mention cruelty to people.
Harry declaring that Buckbeak isn't dangerous reminds me of Stan Shunpike. Here you have a guy who brags he's a Death Eater and hangs out with Death Eaters, yet Harry has decided he's OK because he's a working class simpleton who drives a bus. I didn't see Stan coming to Potter's rescue when Snape bested him in the HBP duel, though. (Don't get me started on the Knight Bus and the Ford Anglia, either.)
Kreacher and Dobby were fighting when Harry summoned them, because Kreacher said he didn't like Harry, correct? I can't remember what Harry thought about their fighting. Is this what you were referring to when you said Kreacher was attacked once on purpose? Or was it Black... I seem to remember that.
Imagine if Draco had a house-elf servant at Hogwarts. We all would have hated him as a slave-owning Malfoy. Yet, Harry had Kreacher at his beck-and-call in HBP. Did we question that Harry inherited Kreacher as part of the property of Grimmauld Place, and was basically given Dumbledore's blessing regarding house-elf ownership, even told to kick the tires to see if he'd roll for Harry? No, we were encouraged to hate the ugly, foul-mouthed, resentful, hoarding elf. And, the thing is that house-elves were shown to be powerful, yet Harry under-utilized Kreacher by having him follow Draco around, then forgot about him until he wanted a sandwich (but, of course, all wizards are stupid; Harry is just the most exemplary).
And the thing is... the treatment of Kreacher reminds me of the treatment of Snape. Maybe he was part house-elf.
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Date: 2010-05-10 06:12 pm (UTC)When was that? beacuse I really don't remember that. So if he attacked Lupin that kind of puts a dump on the whole "Buckbeak became as harmless as a kitten (but only to the right people) after the Draco attack" affair, doesn't it?
"I didn't see Stan coming to Potter's rescue when Snape bested him in the HBP duel, though"- was he with the Death eaters crowd who infiltrated Hogwarts?
So it's canon that Stan was a DE on his own free will? he wasn't under imperius (sp?)? well I got to give JKR credit here, she really surprised me with that one. I was 200% sure it will turn out that Stan was under imperius or some other spell.
"And, the thing is that house-elves were shown to be powerful, yet Harry under-utilized Kreacher by having him follow Draco around, then forgot about him until he wanted a sandwich spell."
Yes if the Potterverse was sensible wizards would be using house elves left and right. But then than would have ruined the plot and we can't have that.
And don't get me started on how the house elves fought at the battle of Hogwarts...
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Date: 2010-05-10 06:24 pm (UTC)Buckbeak attacked the werewolf in the film, if I remember correctly. I might be wrong, though, and the scene might not be in the book. Movie contamination?
I don't know if Stan was a Death Eater or Imperiused. Evidence can be found for both, I guess.
Kreacher led the fight at Hogwarts, didn't he? I guess that was another Buckbeak moment.
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Date: 2010-05-11 01:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-11 01:52 am (UTC)Omg, can you imagine slave-owning Malfoy? It would have been the ultimate sign that he was evil and he would have yelled at the elf all the time. In Harry's case it's mostly showing that it's almost not like slavery if you're working for a guy you love and it's Harry. (Of course Kreacher loving Draco in HBP was just a sign of his terrible slavery.)
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Date: 2010-05-11 01:55 am (UTC)The only exceptions I can think of for Slytherins attacking are Sectumsempra and also the part in OotP where we're told Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy tried to ambush Harry but they never actually get to do anything to him because the entire DA stands up as one and hexes them into slugs.
Oh, and of course Draco on the train stomps on Harry's nose.
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Date: 2010-05-11 04:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-11 05:43 pm (UTC)Counter examples are: Draco attempting to attack Harry from behind in GOF 13, Harry and Draco attacking each other simultaneously in GOF 18. Slytherin trio possibly attempting to ambush Harry on the train in OOTP 38. Draco attacking Harry on the train in HBP, bathroom scene in HBP. Of course if you include past generations and out of school attacks there is that business with Tom siccing his first pet snake on people, killing people for Horcruces and the whole war thing (though there are quite a few ambiguities even there as Terri pointed out in several essays).
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Date: 2010-05-11 05:45 pm (UTC)No, it was a sign of his evil ways, siding with the 'bad guys' and adopting their prejudices.
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Date: 2010-05-11 05:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-11 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-11 10:51 pm (UTC)That isn't *quite* a counterexample, because Harry went for his wand first:
Some of the anger Harry had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in his chest. He had reached for his wand before he'd thought what he was doing. People all around them scrambled out of the way, backing down the corridor.
"Harry!" Hermione said warningly.
"Go on, then, Potter," Malfoy said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now - do it, if you've got the guts -"
So Harry was still the one to turn it into a physical confrontation.
Yes, there's also Riddle as a student, too. And of course in the war, Slytherins do attack first plenty of the time.
I'd forgotten the two train fights where Slytherins do make it a physical fight first, and the one where Draco was punished by being turned into a ferret. Another counterexample is when Draco used the Leg-Locker curse on Neville in PS. I think there's also one time when one of the girls on the Gryffindor Quidditch team gets hexed by a Slytherin, offscreen, and Severus refuses to accept her account of the situation and punish the Slytherin because he didn't see it happen. I can't remember which book it's in, though.
Another *example* of this, though, would be in OotP, when Draco's saying things about Harry being insane, with reference to St. Mungo's, and Neville tries to charge at him.
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Date: 2010-05-12 12:34 am (UTC)Yes, but we have to consider that we only know for certain or even with high probability the House of some of the DEs.
I'd forgotten the two train fights where Slytherins do make it a physical fight first
In PS the future Slytherins attempt to grab Harry's sweets.
In GOF Draco threatens, and the Gryffindors attack the Slytherins.
In OOTP the Slytherins ambush Harry and get attacked by Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.
In HBP Draco attacks Harry.
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Date: 2010-05-12 01:24 am (UTC)True, although I was thinking more about Draco and Severus attacking Dumbledore at the end of HBP, or Voldemort generally not waiting for the Gryffindor characters to attack first. There's the DoM fight, where the Gryffindors strike the first blow, but it's clearly a physical confrontation before the first blow -- and while not everyone there is necessarily a Slytherin, Lucius is, and he was in charge.
In PS the future Slytherins attempt to grab Harry's sweets.
That one's a real muddle:
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."
Both Harry and Ron stood up.
"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.
"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.
"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.
Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle [...]
Harry and Ron standing up is what brought a physical fight into the picture, and Peter is the first to attack another person. It isn't totally clear-cut, but it isn't all about the Slytherins making it a physical fight, either.
Actually, this brings up another confrontation where a Gryffindor make it a physical fight: the first flying lesson in PS. Draco does more than *just* say things, since he also picks up the Rememberall. But it isn't a physical fight until Harry says "Give it here, or I'll knock you off that broom!" and then "shot [his broom] toward Malfoy like a javelin."
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Date: 2010-05-13 04:03 am (UTC)Also, I wonder if David Cameron has been visited by the Minister for Magic yet? Hope it's not Harry.
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Date: 2010-05-13 10:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-13 03:37 pm (UTC)It's me. I commented early and responded directly to the original post. When that happens, threads tend to die. I'm just negatively magical that way.
Yes, very funny about Cameron. Better Harry than Hermione, though, and better either one of them than Arthur. Can you imagine Arthur with a real, honest-to-goodness Muggle he's actually allowed to play with?
Being visited by the Minister for Magic
Date: 2010-05-13 05:33 pm (UTC)Re: Being visited by the Minister for Magic
Date: 2010-05-13 09:23 pm (UTC)Re: Being visited by the Minister for Magic
Date: 2010-05-13 10:12 pm (UTC)http://www.fictionalley.org/authors/pasi/SC01.html
The Serenity Prayer
Date: 2010-05-13 10:14 pm (UTC)Re: Being visited by the Minister for Magic
Date: 2010-05-13 11:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-13 11:23 pm (UTC)Oh, God, yes. I hated that the "saving people thing" was taken as canon. Except, I strongly feel JKR meant for it to be taken that way (just as I strongly think she sees Hermione as empathetic, or came to see her that way, anyway). But both are so evidently wrong that it became very annoying. (A hint of the DH to come? *g*)
...but Hermione being logically inconsistent and misdirecting her emotions all over the place makes sense to me.
*nods* I do agree with this. I could even see (and I think maybe did back in earlier reads?) Hermione feeling that the saving of Buckbeak was all on her and she's crying for her own failure, that she let Hagrid and Buckbeak down. As opposed to crying because she's feeling Hagrid's pain. I honestly did not see her as psychopathic in this book. That came a couple of books later. ;P
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Date: 2010-05-13 11:28 pm (UTC)Getting shoved into a room in a townhouse should have had him ripping down walls and doing some serious disemboweling. Can't even keep her animals consistent!
Oh god. How nice to be able to think Ron was smart and trying to hide it.
Hee! It was lovely, I'll freely admit. :) And it fit in beautifully with my fractured Weasley-family theory. It all started with Ron's mad chess skillz. Taking a talented chess player and making him a little dumber than your run of the mill dumb jock was... well, it broke stereotypes, I'll give JKR that! :D (And it did come in handy for that clever "rook" "tower" joke in DH.)