GOF Chapter 2: The Scar
Jan. 9th, 2011 10:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslockHarry wakes up with his scar hurting. We are let to understand that he experienced the events of the previous chapter as a dream. He quickly starts forgetting the details so as to keep him from noticing when relevant information pops up again. BTW from what POV did he experience the vision? Starting from the following year his visions will be from Voldemort's POV but this does not seem to be the case this instance. Consistency? What consistency?
The description of Harry's room shows he was already on his way to becoming the worst slob child hero in the history of literature. Didn't living in a closet teach him to appreciate having space?
Harry can't even see a cat in the darkness (sorry Harry, your Head of House doesn't spend her summer spying on you) so he concludes there can't be any wizard lurking outside. Despite knowing at least one way to be invisible and knowing that some wizards don't need a cloak to be invisible.
Bizarre accidents and injuries are unavoidable at Hogwarts, which is why it is such a safe place.
The Dursleys weren't of any help to Harry while awake. Except by magically protecting him from Voldemort, just the wizard he feared might be near. OK, they didn't have to be awake for the protection to work, but their being awake didn't hinder it either. (I know Harry didn't know of the protection yet, it's just that he makes judgments in ignorance.)
The story about Harry supposedly attending St Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys is now the official line the Dusrleys tell anyone. How does that fit with their desire to project the 'perfectly normal' image? (Note the foreshadowing of Barty entering Harry to the Tournament as a student from a different school.)
Voldemort is still "the most powerful Dark wizard for a century". Maybe the ones before him were Albus and Gellert, in the summer of 1899. Just under a century ago - the timing almost works. Gellert never came back to Britain and Albus thinks he abandoned Dark magic, under some definition thereof.
Harry thinks there was a fortnight to go until his return to school. Looks like ending his math education at 11 didn't do him good.
Harry's assessment of Hermione's probable response is realistic. However why does not knowing where Albus went for the summer preclude writing to him? Not knowing where Sirius was didn't stop Harry from writing to him. Ah, he's ashamed to look stupid for saying his scar hurt. What about including that it hurt while he was having a vision of Voldemort killing someone? Why would this look stupid to Dumbledore rather than, say, informative? But a Gryffindor can't afford to appear weak in any way, even if this means hiding potentially crucial information.
Arthur is described as a 'fully qualified wizard'. Aren't almost all adult wizards? How meaningful is this description? Again, Harry's fear of appearing weak to the Weasleys trumps any common sense.
Only Dumbledore believed the trio's story about Sirius. Maybe because he was the only one who heard it in detail from Sirius. Anyone else present (Severus, Fudge, Poppy) just heard kids insisting on something. Severus also heard Sirius and Remus admitting to being serial liars. And was repeatedly injured by Sirius (after already being injured by the kids) and thus was denied a chance to receive evidence of the truth.
So Harry writes to Sirius. The part about Dudley's diet looks like Harry already mentioned the diet in a previous letter, but on the previous page I got the impression this was the first time Harry writes to Sirius. Oh well.
Dudley is ridiculous for enjoying a game called "Mega-Mutilation Part Three". That's because Harry goes to a school where kids learn how to really mutilate each other.
Again, Harry avoids mentioning any part of his dream. Nor does he date his letter. How is Sirius going to know when 'this morning' refers to? Why be helpful to adults whose advice you are seeking?
The description of Harry's room shows he was already on his way to becoming the worst slob child hero in the history of literature. Didn't living in a closet teach him to appreciate having space?
Harry can't even see a cat in the darkness (sorry Harry, your Head of House doesn't spend her summer spying on you) so he concludes there can't be any wizard lurking outside. Despite knowing at least one way to be invisible and knowing that some wizards don't need a cloak to be invisible.
Bizarre accidents and injuries are unavoidable at Hogwarts, which is why it is such a safe place.
The Dursleys weren't of any help to Harry while awake. Except by magically protecting him from Voldemort, just the wizard he feared might be near. OK, they didn't have to be awake for the protection to work, but their being awake didn't hinder it either. (I know Harry didn't know of the protection yet, it's just that he makes judgments in ignorance.)
The story about Harry supposedly attending St Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys is now the official line the Dusrleys tell anyone. How does that fit with their desire to project the 'perfectly normal' image? (Note the foreshadowing of Barty entering Harry to the Tournament as a student from a different school.)
Voldemort is still "the most powerful Dark wizard for a century". Maybe the ones before him were Albus and Gellert, in the summer of 1899. Just under a century ago - the timing almost works. Gellert never came back to Britain and Albus thinks he abandoned Dark magic, under some definition thereof.
Harry thinks there was a fortnight to go until his return to school. Looks like ending his math education at 11 didn't do him good.
Harry's assessment of Hermione's probable response is realistic. However why does not knowing where Albus went for the summer preclude writing to him? Not knowing where Sirius was didn't stop Harry from writing to him. Ah, he's ashamed to look stupid for saying his scar hurt. What about including that it hurt while he was having a vision of Voldemort killing someone? Why would this look stupid to Dumbledore rather than, say, informative? But a Gryffindor can't afford to appear weak in any way, even if this means hiding potentially crucial information.
Arthur is described as a 'fully qualified wizard'. Aren't almost all adult wizards? How meaningful is this description? Again, Harry's fear of appearing weak to the Weasleys trumps any common sense.
Only Dumbledore believed the trio's story about Sirius. Maybe because he was the only one who heard it in detail from Sirius. Anyone else present (Severus, Fudge, Poppy) just heard kids insisting on something. Severus also heard Sirius and Remus admitting to being serial liars. And was repeatedly injured by Sirius (after already being injured by the kids) and thus was denied a chance to receive evidence of the truth.
So Harry writes to Sirius. The part about Dudley's diet looks like Harry already mentioned the diet in a previous letter, but on the previous page I got the impression this was the first time Harry writes to Sirius. Oh well.
Dudley is ridiculous for enjoying a game called "Mega-Mutilation Part Three". That's because Harry goes to a school where kids learn how to really mutilate each other.
Again, Harry avoids mentioning any part of his dream. Nor does he date his letter. How is Sirius going to know when 'this morning' refers to? Why be helpful to adults whose advice you are seeking?
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Re: Snape the teacher Good or Bad
Date: 2011-01-15 09:22 am (UTC)Except for that whole malicious 'your patronus is WEAK' comment. Although Tonks' shocked (and angry, but let's focus on the former) suggests this was an unexpected dynamic to their interaction, that they're usually civil and his verbal attack was unexpected. Then again, if Snape had a WEREWOLF patronus bounding toward him, I can see why he'd be wanting to snipe at her for unnerving him like that.
(now I'm picturing kids waylaying each other in the corridor with surprise patronus attacks- especially since in the movie, these things were able to trip people up, can't you just see the twins getting off on that?)
Re: Snape the teacher Good or Bad
Date: 2011-01-15 12:14 pm (UTC)Re: Snape the teacher Good or Bad
Date: 2011-01-15 03:37 pm (UTC)Re: Snape the teacher Good or Bad
Date: 2011-01-15 03:48 pm (UTC)As Harry swung the cloak back over himself, she waved her wand; an immense silvery four-legged creature erupted from it and streaked off into the darkness.
Sounds quite vigorous...
I do get your point about her magic fading in strength 'coz of her emotional distress (ugh, sexist, much, JKR?) but it's not being adequately foreshadowed here if that's the intention.
As for malice- that wasn't my description!
"I think you were better off with the old one," said Snape, the malice in his voice unmistakable. "The new one looks weak."
What I find ridic is how Snape somehow 'took her message' even though it was meant for Hagrid. Yeah, very secure form of communication, isn't it? *eyeroll*
Re: Snape the teacher Good or Bad
Date: 2011-01-15 11:41 pm (UTC)Things that are similar. He himself has another persons patronus, or at least my assumption is he assumed Lily's patronus whenever it was he learned to do patronus.
His patronus is supposedly very clear and I'm guessing pretty easy to identify. Hell even Harry feels a connection with the darn thing.
Anyway, here we have Tonks, assuming the werewolf patronus because of love.
So was he sort of making the comparison to his own, and his own love and feeling of love. I'm guessing that at this point he's proud of his patronus, or at least it's proof to him of his devotion and love.
Could it also have something to do with the fact that he knew what Tonks patronus was before and thus he knew that her new one was being formed because of Remus - so maybe it was equally as much a slight against Remus as it was Tonks. I sort of get hints of his dislike of all things marauders in that comment he made to her.
Sometimes I almost have envisioned it as a kind of warning he was giving her, against falling into the same trap he suffers.
I've also considered that the character of Snape can say things that are cold, hurtful and seem to be downright mean but in a lot of ways he's speaking the truth as he sees it. So, he comes across as a bastard but he's also bluntly honest at the same time.
Re: Snape the teacher Good or Bad
Date: 2011-01-16 02:12 am (UTC)'weak' could mean he's trying to insult Tonks' ability to cast;
he's insulting her choice of love-object (and Remus is weak in some ways, he's a moral coward and easily pressured into things);
an objective description of a patronus that is only partly corporeal and therefore difficult to make out accurately (werewolf? Padfoot? merely something four-legged is as clear as it is described);
a subjective assessment by Snape of Tonks' feelings for Remus, based on the patronus' lack of clarity;
etc. Or more than one of the above.
I agree that Snape tends to be bluntly honest about how he sees thing; he won't lie or dance around to spare someone's feelings if he thinks it better for them to simply know what he thinks. So it is possible to read the interaction (stripped of the Harry filter) as a misfired attempt to warn Tonks about her relationship with Remus, who we know Snape thinks little of. It can also be read other ways. It's an ambiguous interaction upon which Harry projects the worst interpretation, as he is inclined to do WRT Snape.