COS Chapter Thirteen: "The Very Secret Diary"

[for-diddled.livejournal.com]

* Hermione’s really ashamed to be seen with a furry face. Pity the memory of this won’t stop her from cursing the words “SNEAK” across Marietta Edgecombe’s face in OOTP.

* Way to go, Dumbledore, giving the job of janitor to the person in the school least qualified for it. No wonder Filch has snapped.

* And Filch was so angry, he walked into Dumbledore’s office and beat him to death with a wet mop. The end.

* Ron’s once again demonstrating what it was like back when the WW was explained by somebody who might reasonably be expected to know about it, before he was lobotomised and his memories all given to Hermione.

* Ron’s had to spend an hour wiping slime off of Tom Riddle’s trophy. Even in (sort of) death, the Dark Lord still has the power to make people suffer. :)

* I think it says something about the insularity of the WW that it’s unthinkable for anyone to buy anything from a Muggle shop without being Muggle-born themselves.

* “Maybe he murdered Myrtle, that would’ve done everyone a favour…” *Chalks one up for Seer!Ron.*

* Harry keeps Riddle’s diary, even though he doesn’t know why. Even in the early books, the malign influence of authorial fiat is plain to see.

* Also, for all that Harry will bitch about Draco’s “infatuation with the Dark Arts” in HBP, it’s interesting to note that he seems to feel an instinctive bond with the evil Lord Voldemort, and doesn’t turn against him till he knows who he really is.

* Note, however, that Harry’s being initially taken in by Tom, before turning against him when he realises who he really is, is entirely different to Draco’s initially supporting Lord V, before turning against him when he realises what sort of man he really is.

* Ron’s dismissive of all that intellectualism stuff, until he needs Hermione to help him with his homework, in which case he’s all for it. Hypocrite.

* Ron’s disgusted to be surrounded by all that girly pink. See under “Gryffindors, insecure sexuality thereof”.

* I love those little Cupid!Dwarves, BTW.

* Yeah, because obviously The Boy Who Lived and the star player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team would only get one Valentine. *rolls eyes*

* Malfoy probably feels that Christmas has come early in this scene. :)

* Still, you’d’ve thought that a member of a House famed for its cunning would have known better than to needlessly antagonise authority figures. IITS, I guess.

* “Malfoy, who obviously hadn’t noticed the date on the front cover, and thought he had Harry’s own diary.” Christ, JKR, show, don’t tell, remember?

* I’m going to disagree with Harry and suggest that Ron does need to spend the whole of Charms belching slugs. Aside from being fun to watch, being on the receiving end of a few curses might stop all this wand-happy “Hex first, ask questions later” Gryffindorishness.

* Harry hasn’t yet hit puberty, so we’re spared the usual gushing descriptions of how handsome Tom is.

* Being a helpful old soul, Dippet pauses to have a long expositional conversation with Tom for the benefit of anybody who might be magically watching from fifty years in the future.

* DD’s “penetrating stare” is probably meant to show us how awesomely perceptive he is in guessing that it was really Tom all along. Unfortunately, it makes him look like an arrogant fool whose neurosis about sharing information leads him to recklessly endanger the lives of students under his care.

* So Hagrid’s just going to let that giant spider wander the corridors, then? It may not have killed anybody before, but it’s a miracle it didn’t kill anyone that night.

Comments

[sunnyskywalker]

Harry keeping the diary could have been retconned later as some sort of Horcrux attraction, but he doesn't seem to have any mysterious attraction to the locket or anything else, so it doesn't work. Maybe the diary has a magical enhancement to make people want to keep it? I don't know why I'm trying to find an explanation...

[lynn-waterfall.livejournal.com]

Maybe the diary has a magical enhancement to make people want to keep it? I don't know why I'm trying to find an explanation...

Because it's what we do? ;)

(thinks)

...Ack, I suppose JKR might just say it's because the Diary had already absorbed some of Ginny's soul, so it's really *Ginny* that Harry's drawn to, or something. :^P

Maybe I'll think of something sensible later.

Diary Attraction

[karentheunicorn.livejournal.com]

It's a diary, everyone under 16 is super attracted to someone elses diary. The thought of reading someone elses diary is 'old magic' - there is no incantation for it, it just exists without any real explanation.

It is just like Lily's 'old magic' love protection.

Reading someone elses diary is unavoidable when it's placed in a kids hands - well unless the kid has really good moral fiber and the ability to withstand the powerful temptation of humiliating someone else.

Re: Diary Attraction

[sunnyskywalker]

Well, Harry is still reading at this point (or at least he will over the next summer vacation), so maybe. But at the point he's keeping the diary for some reason he can't define, he thinks it's totally blank, right? I can't really see him wanting to write a diary, and there's nothing to read.

Re: Diary Attraction

[detritius.livejournal.com]

Harry seems to have some hoardy tendencies, at least in the later books, when he keeps a bunch of probably poisoned chocolate cauldrons, a "Potter Stinks" badge, and a broken mirror. The cleaning-out-the-trunk sequence in DH makes it appallingly clear that he never gets rid of anything, but I'm not sure if that bit of plot-induced stupidity had kicked in at this point.

Re: Diary Attraction

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, ngl, if I found someone's diary, I would TOTALLY read through it...who wouldn't want intimate insight into somebody's personal thoughts and feelings? I'm not gonna deny I'd give into temptation.

[sunnyskywalker]

It smells like something flowery he remembered from the Burrow :P

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

That's HILARIOUS. I love it! It's so crazy, it just could be true!

Random theory: suppose it was Harry's horcrux Ginny was subconsciously attracted to? Like, Tom Riddle imprinted on her so strongly that she sought out his shadow in Harry...and after DH, it just wasn't the same... :P

[borg-princess.livejournal.com]

If he'd had any affinity for Horcruxes, that would've made something in the series worthwhile! Oh, here's the reason Dumbles sent off an untrained kid and his BFFs to defeat the evilest wizard evar! Because Harry has a crucial role that nobody else can fulfil! Got it!

But no. Harry not only cannot detect Horcruxes, but he also doesn't know how to destroy them. *headdeskwallfloor* Explain to me again why Dumbles didn't send off competent adult wizards years ago to find and destroy the Horcruxes?