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deathtocapslock* 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.
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no subject
Date: 2010-12-10 11:58 pm (UTC)Yes. See comment regarding Gryffs and empathy below.
Way to go, Dumbledore, giving the job of janitor to the person in the school least qualified for it. No wonder Filch has snapped.
I certainly would in his situation. And I rather think he and Snape commiserate often regarding the Headmaster.
And Filch was so angry, he walked into Dumbledore’s office and beat him to death with a wet mop. The end.
ROFL.
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.
Word. I miss competent!Ron.
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.
Obviously. Harry is a Gryffindor, Draco is a Slytherin. Good, Evil. How dare you make such a comparison - clearly the situations are in no way alike. /sarcasm
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.
An admirable sentiment. However, this assumes that such Gryffindors are capable of or in the least interested in feeling empathy for someone not a friend, family member, or fellow Gryffindor.
Maybe I'm tad cynical. Blame it on whoever broke the moral compass of these books.
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.
Word. Word word word. Things like this are why DH's manipulative b*st*rd Dumbledore doesn't seem like a personality transplant - unlike nearly all the other characters, he's actually *consistent* throughout the series. In the earlier books we all just bought into the kindly mentor persona he put on for Harry and co.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 01:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 01:42 am (UTC)Ouch. And yet everyone let that sort of thing slide in the early books. Because they were written in a childlike style? Because they weren't all that common?
Little did we know how Rowling's use of authorial fiat would become more and more blatant, more and more insultingly clumsy, culminating in the disaster of DH.
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.
Yeah. Poor Hermione! Having a 'weary' expression on her face, as I recall, when pushed back into service as Ron's homework machine in book 6.
It may not have killed anybody before, but it’s a miracle it didn’t kill anyone that night.
*cough*authorialfiat*cough*
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 01:56 am (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 06:14 am (UTC)Yes, before Steve Kloves got ahold of him and turned him into the stupid, timid sidekick who took a backseat to everyone, and JKR followed suit. *grumbles*
/* 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. :)/
Now I'm imagining an AU showdown between Ron and Voldemort in which Ron whacks him with his trophy and yells, "And that's for making me waste an hour of my life cleaning this, you miserable git!"
/* 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./
Because wizards never use Muggle inventions like trains, quills, toilets, etc. What about all of those wizards who live in Muggle neighborhoods? I'd think that faced with a choice between going to the Muggle-owned grocery store down the block or having to travel all the way to Diagon Alley (or wherever a wizarding supermarket would be), a wizard or witch would shop at the Muggle place.
/* 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./
Don't forget Harry's infatuation with the HBP's spells, even though Hermione warned him that they might be Dark Magic.
/* DD’s “penetrating stare” is probably meant to show us how awesomely perceptive he is in guessing that it was really Tom all along./
And HBP ruined it completely. Dumbledore didn't need to have the "penetrating stare" of Legilimency to know that something was wrong. He knew that Tom was trouble the moment he met him. He was practically *told* that Tom was bad news. At the orphanage, Dumbledore learned all the evidence that he needed to know to prove that Tom was the Heir of Slytherin.
Let's see, the person who's doing this is supposed to be the Heir of Slytherin, right? Slytherin's symbol was a snake. And the victim didn't have any marks on her body. And a basilisk, which is a gigantic snake, can kill people without wounding them. And Dumbledore knows of one boy who is not only disturbed, but who told him on the very first day of their acquaintance that he was a Parselmouth.
And yet Dumbledore is supposed to be "awesomely perceptive" because he *suspected* that Tom is the Heir? Only people as perceptive as a brick wall wouldn't be able to put two and two together with the kind of information that Dumbledore had!
Now I'm imagining an AU scenario where Harry and Voldemort have their confrontation and Voldemort yells at Harry for blindly trusting in Dumbledore and snarls that Dumbledore knew everything about him and had done nothing about it.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 06:23 am (UTC)It's Hermione, subconsciously punishing herself before she disfigures another person. See? She was totally owed the freebie she got later on. Karma-wise.
* 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.
It so strange that Ron lost all his smarts. Maybe it was the brains in the MoM raid? Otherwise, it seems like Movie-bleed. This was the film, after all, when Ron's lines started sneaking off 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. :)
Oh, this seemed like such a great clue to a Horcrux. So much more in keeping with Tom's supposed psychology.
* 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.
I think it says more about the ridiculously difficult exchange rate.
* Yeah, because obviously The Boy Who Lived and the star player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team would only get one Valentine. *rolls eyes*
Colin Creevey didn't give Harry a Valentine? What is wrong with that kid?
* 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.
Bwahaha! I have to agree that Dumbedore is the most consistent character in the series (aside from Filch, perhaps). It's rather clever of JKR to fool us so long about him.
* 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.
I do get the feeling that Aragog isn't so big fifty years ago. Just maybe the size of a basketball? It's like Neville and his toad. Except Neville's toad doesn't eat people.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 06:37 am (UTC)Well, Avada Kedavra kills without leaving a mark, too. Even if someone was claiming to have released Slytherin's monster, the effects could be achieved without a basilisk. Even the petrifications, since apparently petrification is a known thing. Dumbledore's reaction to Mrs. Norris' petrification is "She has been Petrified.... But how, I cannot say." Even if basilisks were a known cause of petrification, there are apparently others. A student or group of students could have been using those other means to attack students.
Heck, if some of Tom's classmates knew/had found out that Tom was a Parselmouth, they could theoretically have been setting him up to take the fall.
(Of course, none of that bears on your main point, that Dumbledore didn't need to be particularly perceptive here. As you say, after HBP we know that Dumbledore had reason to at least suspect Tom in any violence going on at Hogwarts.)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 09:22 am (UTC)Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but in my case it was because the earlier books were fun in a way that the later ones simply weren't, and I can forgive a lot in a work when I'm having fun. But the warped morality of the later books just sucked all the fun out of it, so I was inclined to just be swept along with what was happening and more inclined to look for other flaws in the books.
Diary Attraction
Date: 2010-12-11 01:12 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 02:52 pm (UTC)You're forgetting that wizards and witches can teleport there with Floo powder.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 02:53 pm (UTC)Insecure Gryffindor sexuality, of course.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 06:06 pm (UTC)Re: Diary Attraction
Date: 2010-12-11 06:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 06:34 pm (UTC)You have it backwards: This experience showed Hermione that mutilating someone's face was effective punishment.
Yeah, because obviously The Boy Who Lived and the star player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team would only get one Valentine. *rolls eyes*
OTOH everyone was trying to sneak a look at the hospitalized Hermione. She is more popular than Harry in this book!
So did Albus Legilimize Tom? Did he *see* that Tom was the attacker? Or did he notice Tom blocking his attempt to find out? And after that did nothing to confirm his suspicions? And kept them to himself all these years?
no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 09:26 pm (UTC)... distinct morality...
Date: 2010-12-12 04:56 am (UTC)Albus Dumbledore
Date: 2010-12-12 02:31 pm (UTC)Diary Horcrux
Date: 2010-12-12 02:41 pm (UTC)Oh, this seemed like such a great clue to a Horcrux. So much more in keeping with Tom's supposed psychology. <<<
The use of the diary as a Horcrux was authorial fiat as well. JKR was thinking of how her sister used a little black diary and how it worried JKR that she was making herself vulnerable to those who read it or to the diary itself. The Voldemort we see in HBP and the trainwreck of a novel that is DH would not have had any such idea for a Horcrux. He only used magical artefacts and pieces of treasure when left to his own devices without authorial fiat.
Re: ... distinct morality...
Date: 2010-12-12 03:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-12 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-12 06:40 pm (UTC)Re: Diary Attraction
Date: 2010-12-13 12:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-23 12:15 pm (UTC)*sighs* I yearn for the days when I could believe that was not the case. Instead, I find it chillingly plausible that Hermione recalled how utterly humiliating this experience was and decided it was the perfect revenge (yes, revenge, damn it, fandom, I love the girl and I know you do, too, but let's not ignore that this is by no means a 'safety precaution'- just simple cold vindictive vengeance).
everyone was trying to sneak a look at the hospitalized Hermione. She is more popular than Harry in this book
LMAO! I guess 'coz when Harry's in the hospital wing, he's been injured out in plain sight- quidditch, mainly- so there's no mystery there, whereas Hermione was injured at a time of great tension and fear with a basilisk on the loose, so it stands to reason they'd be wanting to check her out and see if it got her, too.
PS. I really need an icon for 'cold, calculating Hermione'- all my icons of her are so positive and fangirly but when I'm here, I'm nearly always criticizing her, lol. But I don't think there's a market for an icon that's all 'I like this character but I think she can be really cruel and petty at times'.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-23 12:34 pm (UTC)Wasn't it PoA? You mean the line-stealing began this early? *shakes head* Either way, boy never had a chance. JKR at least was willing to have Hermione screw up and get egg on her face, and Ron began as this kid who was knowledgeable about his society...then the movies started and what do you know, Hermione becomes ~flawless and Ron gets a lobotomy. In GoF, when he's clueless and has to ask Hermione to explain anti-Muggle enchantments and how a castle can be concealed... *grinds teeth* And of course he knows nothing about other magical schools! Hermione, who reads books, will know all the minutiae (kind of a random thing to read about, but hey), while the boy who grew up in the wizarding world would know nothing of other magical communities! *headdesk*
I have to agree that Dumbedore is the most consistent character in the series. It's rather clever of JKR to fool us so long about him
I'll give her that. Credit where it's due and all. I'm surprised by how consistent he was in hindsight- consistently bastardish, that is. The unfortunate part is that JKR doesn't seem to have intended us to get that impression about him. She still sees him as a triumph of morality (whose one great mistake was to love someone unworthy) and a suitable object for hero-worship and glorification. I don't know how his own creator could not see what a loathesome creep she wrote.
Except Neville's toad doesn't eat people
YOU DON'T KNOW. Maybe his toad was submerged in one too many potions and there was some sort of magical contamination that slowly mutated him over time and he'll eventually turn into a horrific monster that'll target dark-haired, dark-eyed boys. THE HORROR.