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deathtocapslock* Apparently Harry’s “outraged” at Hermione’s
suggestion that Umbridge has been intercepting his mail. I’m not sure whether
he’s supposed to be outraged at Umbridge for reading his letters, or Hermione
for suggesting it. Knowing Harry, it could be either.
* Is it possible to zoom “gloomily”?
* Harry is “squeezing his bullfrog so tight its eyes
were popping”, continuing the long tradition of animal cruelty in these books.
* Hermione’s probably right to distrust the
judgement of Sirius “the danger would have been what made it fun for you
father” Black. Not that Harry will ever consider this, of course. Sirius is
nice to Harry, therefore he is good, therefore we can trust his judgement.
Simple.
* According to Ron, Hermione sounds like his mother.
The books often describe Hermione acting in a mothering way towards the boys, which
has the effect of both making the boys look incompetent and making Ron/Hermione
seem rather creepy and Oedipal.
* Ginny is a lot like Lilly, although their
relationship isn’t quite as bad, as Harry was raised by his aunt and uncle and
therefore ought to be getting an Oedipus Complex on Aunt Petunia rather than
his mother.
* I’m surprised that Impervius Charm isn’t used more
often. It seems like a useful spell to know.
* I wonder, if you did it on the top of your head,
would it act like an umbrella and make the raindrops all miss you?
* Harry gets his first major scar pain, but he’ll
have to wait a while until he gets reliable Voldie!Vision.
* Harry continues acting like a petulant child,
withholding potentially valuable information because Dumbledore isn’t speaking
to him enough.
* Harry thinks of the mysterious Weapon again. I
think that all this build-up makes it rather disappointing when we actually get
to find out what it is.
* Also, it’s a prophecy, not a weapon. Does Sirius
not know what it actually was, was he deliberately misleading Harry to stop him
from guessing what it was or make it sound more interesting, or does he just
not have a very good grasp of the English language?
* Hermione’s made some more hats to try and trick
the house-elves into being free. She can’t offer to let them choose, because they
can’t be trusted to know what’s best for them and need a benevolent protector
figure to make their decisions for them. Hermione = such a New Labourite.
* So, out of the two freed house-elves we see in the
series, one is driven to alcoholism because she can’t cope with being free, and
the other is the most servile character in the whole series. What an
outstanding argument for tolerance and equality these books present.
* IIRC, the movie gave the task of revealing the
Room of Requirement’s existence to Neville. That seems like a rather good
change to me. Any change which means we have to see less of Dobby gets my
approval.
* Harry thinks of Dumbledore’s description of the ROR
the previous year, without wondering why a grown man would run back and forth
along a corridor instead of running to the nearest lavatory.
* Dobby claims that “very few people” know about the
ROR, although I’m sure you’d find somebody saying “Hey, I happened to find some
spare teaching equipment in this room the other day, but it had vanished when I
next passed that spot,” and somebody else saying, “Really? I found a room full of chamber pots,” and then eventually people
would realise what was up.
* Harry displays a rare moment of sensibleness by
not dashing to the ROR as soon as he hears about it, although it’s interesting
to note how Hermione now seems to have become his superego, which is
essentially her main function for the rest of the series, along with learning
all the magic that Harry and Ron can’t be bothered to.
* Erm, Harry, don’t you think it might be a good
idea to see how the ROR works before inviting everybody along? What if you
can’t get in, and end up wasting everybody’s time?
* Dumbledore likes it, therefore it’s good enough
for Hermione. Scenes like this really make me wish for Evil!Dumbledore. That’d
serve the Trio right for blindly trusting in him like that.
* Actually, wait, what am I talking about? We’ve
already got a book with Evil!Dumbledore in it. It’s called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
* Am I the only one who finds the idea of having to
swear that you’re “up to no good” before using the Marauders’ Map to be faintly
sinister?
* Not nearly as sinister as the Map itself, though.
Seriously, something like that would be every totalitarian dictator’s wet
dream. If a group of schoolchildren can make one covering Hogwarts, why do we
never hear of any Dark Lords making similar maps to spy on their enemies? Big
Brother’s got nothing on the wizarding world.
* The map must be pretty big to show every floor of
Hogwarts. And it must be really difficult to find anybody is the Map shows
literally everyone in the school.
* So is the door still visible to everyone, or is it
just DA members who can see it? Because if it’s the former, mightn’t somebody accidentally
wander in and find them?
* Fred suggests “the Ministry of Magic are Morons”
as a name for the group. That’s the sort of thing that most people stop finding
funny around the time they go to high school.
* “Defence Association” is a better name than
“Dumbledore’s Army”, IMHO. It would make it easier to explain away if they ever
were caught.
* Yup, Harry, pin that parchment up against the
wall, with all your names on it. It’s not like anybody could find it there, is
it?
* I’m surprised they didn’t learn Expelliarmus as part of their regular
school lessons. DADA teaching in this school is a joke.
* Zach objects to learning disarming spells,
apparently thinking that they’re beneath everyone in the DA. Seriously, why
does everybody in this world seem so hostile to the idea that disarming your
opponents in a fight might be a good idea?
* Harry gets the group to practise without giving
them any instructions or demonstrations first. Apparently the group are going
to learn through a sort of intellectual osmosis from the Chosen One, rendering
proper lessons unnecessary.
* The Twins are what, seventeen years old now, and
their idea of fun is to Hex somebody behind his back? At the risk of coming
across as all Hermione-ish, what pathetic behaviour.
* Well, I say Hermione-ish, but the real Hermione
would be all for it. Hexing people is only bad when the good guys are the
victims!
* Also, note how the text never suggests that the
Twins deserve to be turned into small animals and bounced against the walls for
their behaviour. That sort of punishment’s only necessary when it’s the
Slytherins doing something bad.
* I wonder is Michael Corner’s unwillingness to jinx
Ginny is due to old-fashioned chivalry or something? Because that’s the sort of
attitude the WW would have, even though it would make no sense in a world where
women are every bit as good as fighting as men.
* “‘That wasn’t bad,’ said Harry, ‘but there’s
definite room for improvement… Let’s try again.’” Yeah, great feedback, Harry.
What a masterful teacher you are.
* Note how Cho’s defending Marietta to Harry, rather
than criticising her for not being dedicated enough to the DA. Clearly, this is
a sign that she is morally unfit to be the Chosen One’s woman. The truly
righteous know they are superior enough to get as judgemental as they like on
other people.
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no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 11:14 am (UTC)school lessons. DADA teaching in this school is a joke.
It sure is. After 3 years of learning DADA Harry doesn't know what Death Eaters are (!) and after 6 years he still doesn't know about the "wand will change alliance if won in a fight" rule. And this is when a war is looming!
Yep Dumbledore was the best headmaster evah!!1 alright.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 02:16 pm (UTC)Regarding house elves: This is one case where the fans ought to have seen that Hermione was being very thoughtless as far as strategy. Ron has lived all his life up until this point thinking that there was no problem with house elves and she literally expects to be able to just tell him "it's wrong" and he's supposed to change instantly? Talk about your cultural insensitivity. In this case, maybe Ron knows better than you do, Hermione? You didn't even know about house elves until you were at least twelve (but more likely, she didn't know until this year).
She must understand the concept of "he doesn't know it's wrong". That was how she defended Crookshanks when he was chasing Scabbers. ... Hey, Hermione thinks Ron's smarter than her cat. That's something, I guess.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 03:10 pm (UTC)Imo many fans have seen it and were expecting Hermione's wrongness to be acknowledged in canon. First in HBP, and when that didn't happen, in DH.
But then came DH and all we got was - It's wrong to send house elves to a wizard's battlefield.
BTW, isn't it strange how Hermione never faulted Dumbledore for all the house elves working at Hogworts? It's also strange that we never got to see Dumbledore's take on the issue.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 03:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 03:16 pm (UTC)Now I'm wondering what Hermione expected the house elves to do once they were free. I wonder if she knows what they eat, where they lived before this, what they generally did, their community... anything. If the house elves' communities and families are all working, then would being free be like exile? Not in Dobby's case, but in a case such as the elves in the Hogwarts kitchen?
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 03:31 pm (UTC)Yes she does. She learned about the Hogwarts elves and about Dobby (and how he negotiated his salary *down* with Albus) in the previous year.
She expects free elves to seek paying jobs. Somehow. When people are used to either not having any around (meeting Winky at the QWC was Ron's first encounter with an elf) or having ones they aren't paying.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 03:42 pm (UTC)Waaait a second. House elves clean the common rooms... wouldn't at least a few get freed every year accidentally when some article of clothing was left laying around beneath something? By law of averages... what then? Do they re-apply for the job? Tell nobody, and just keep working?
I feel like I'm trolling with these questions, but dang, I'm wondering now.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 03:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 03:56 pm (UTC)have to wait a while until he gets reliable Voldie!Vision.
He had dreams about the Ministry corridor since the summer. There was also an extremely strong Voldiepain shortly after Harry's hearing (chapter 9). I agree with Jodel that it was caused when Tom realized Lucius' actions lost him his diary. I'm not quite sure what this instance here is about.
Harry continues acting like a petulant child,
withholding potentially valuable information because Dumbledore isn’t speaking
to him enough.
Foreshadowing DH where Harry will be paralized for months because Dumbles never told him about his family, or because Harry wasn't quite sure Dumbles loved him.
Also, it’s a prophecy, not a weapon. Does Sirius
not know what it actually was, was he deliberately misleading Harry to stop him
from guessing what it was or make it sound more interesting, or does he just
not have a very good grasp of the English language?
Sirius said that in front of other Order members. And the kids picked up that Tom was after some mystery weapon from what they overheard from meetings before Harry's arrival. So it looks like an agreed-upon code word the Order used.
People not comparing notes about mystery-room: Just like no Muggle prime minister ever thought to ask his predecessor about the Minister of Magic.
Dumbledore likes it, therefore it’s good enough
for Hermione.
And if Sirius likes it she doesn't. Only barely more logical than Harry. She judges opinions based on perceived sensibility of source, Harry on perceived friendliness.
If a group of schoolchildren can make one covering Hogwarts, why do we
never hear of any Dark Lords making similar maps to spy on their enemies?
Because the enemies could be in way too many possible places? But why don't Dark Lords use something like Molly's clock to spy on their enemies? And why didn't Albus use something like that do find who among his Order was the spy?
So is the door still visible to everyone, or is it
just DA members who can see it? Because if it’s the former, mightn’t somebody accidentally
wander in and find them?
Harry doesn't even consider the room needs protection from uninvited guests, so he doesn't ask for any. The first to have the brains to do so is Draco (followed by Neville). And then he pins the parchment to the wall.
I’m surprised they didn’t learn Expelliarmus as part of their regular
school lessons. DADA teaching in this school is a joke.
The first DADA teacher (in Harry's years, I have no idea about older students) to have them practice any kind of defensive combat spellwork was 'Moody'.
Harry gets the group to practise without giving
them any instructions or demonstrations first.
Well, that's just the way they are taught. The instructions are on the board, follow them. The incantation is in your book/on the board go do it.
Well, I say Hermione-ish, but the real Hermione
would be all for it. Hexing people is only bad when the good guys are the
victims!
Right. Percy-ish might be closer to the truth.
You are forgetting
Date: 2011-07-15 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 04:01 pm (UTC)>> * Hermione’s made some more hats to try and trick
the house-elves into being free. She can’t offer to let them choose, because they
can’t be trusted to know what’s best for them and need a benevolent protector
figure to make their decisions for them. Hermione = such a New Labourite. <<
on that subject, I wonder how Hermione would punish someone for shouting the word "rubbish" at her? Undoubtedly that would only happen with intent to cause a riot.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 04:04 pm (UTC)That sounds like an interesting fanfic there.
So, out of the two freed house-elves we see in the
series, one is driven to alcoholism because she can’t cope with being free, and the other is the most servile character in the whole series. What an
outstanding argument for tolerance and equality these books present.
Really, this makes me think more than anything of the way most slaves were represented in Uncle Tom's Cabin... except that was actually meant to make you sympathize with the slaves and was surprising fair for a 19th century book. JKR was born in the 20th century, yet she doesn't seem to have progressed one bit since then. Equality indeed. And somehow, the parallels between Dumbledore and Simon Legree seem stronger the more I think about it.
The map must be pretty big to show every floor of
Hogwarts. And it must be really difficult to find anybody is the Map shows
literally everyone in the school.
Maybe there's a way to flip through the different floors or something? At any rate, it still should be useless most of the time, if just because with so many people all in one place most of the time it would be impossible to read.
Fred suggests “the Ministry of Magic are Morons” as a name for the group. That’s the sort of thing that most people stop finding funny around the time they go to high school.
Is it strange to anyone else how the twins never really grow up at all mentally? I mean, past about 14 or so most people aren't amused by the kind of stuff they do constantly. I am starting to think that Molly put a charm on them or something as children that stunted their maturity. Then they would be dependent on her forever. Yay?
even though it would make no sense in a world where women are every bit as good as fighting as men.
Yet still rarely hold any position of real power unless they are evil, a la Umbridge.
Re: You are forgetting
Date: 2011-07-15 04:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 04:09 pm (UTC)So very true. I like to believe that the muggle government is quite aware of the WW but are just biding their time before they strike. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 04:40 pm (UTC)Well, the trio also got stuck at about 14. It must be all that pumpkin juice.
Yet still rarely hold any position of real power unless they are evil, a la Umbridge.
Rarely hold positions of power *visibly*.
There were plenty of female Ministers over the last 2-3 centuries, but it just happened that during the years of relevance we have 4 male Ministers (Fudge, Scrimgeour, Thicknesse and Shacklebolt) and a female Minister (Bagnold) who was completely overshadowed by the DMLE head. But Bagnold held her position for 10 years, as opposed to some of the above males who barely lasted a year in office.
Amelia Bones was a rather unnoticeable DMLE head for some 6 years.
And there were supposedly plenty headmistresses, though for the past century or so there were 4 male headmasters.
The powerful women are really there, promise! Except not when Rowling is looking.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:05 pm (UTC)Well, the trio also got stuck at about 14. It must be all that pumpkin juice.
I'd say that everybody in the Wizarding World is permanently stuck in preteen / teen mentality.
Note to self : Never drink pumpkin juice.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:09 pm (UTC)"All was well." is a High Octane Nightmare Fuel.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:30 pm (UTC)Does Lupin not count because he focused on creatures (not "combat") rather than the dangers posed by other wizards?
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:31 pm (UTC)I think other members were right when they suggested that JKR doesn't enjoy writing female characters unless they are authorial avatars or have a very specific purpose. Note the treatment the Diggorys get. Amos is annoying, but JKR clearly worked at giving him a distinct aspect and personality whereas Mrs Diggory is virtually nothing and is hardly mentioned.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:41 pm (UTC)How about :
“We have heard the evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of capturing an Auror—Frank Longbottom—and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your exiled master, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named—”
“You are further accused,” bellowed Mr. Crouch, “of using the Cruciatus Curse on Frank Longbottom's wife, when he would not give you information. You planned to restore He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to power, and to resume the lives of violence you presumably led while he was strong. I now ask the jury—”
Neville's mother was also an Auror but Crouch doesn't mention that. Hell, she is not even named. It's just Frank Longbottom's wife. Like her name, job and personality are all unimportant.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:53 pm (UTC)I mean... I can't see Dumbledore making *any* student use a Blood Quill. Not any. But I can't see Umbridge, say as headmistress in PS, being okay with the labyrinth of traps. Can you? I also think that, if not for/aside from the blood prejudice angle, she would have been more proactive in CoS -- probably not especially effective, but proactive. Although she'd've probably just settled for shutting down the school pretty quickly.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 06:01 pm (UTC)Polyjuice makes everything more confusing.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 06:02 pm (UTC)I wonder if Harry learned that tickling charm he used on Draco in the dueling club from Quirrell or from other students.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 06:07 pm (UTC)Then in HBP Amelia Bones dies before the book even starts, Tonks is a lovesick mess and we get Merope, Eileen and Romilda.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 06:39 pm (UTC)Thinking about it now, I don't know whether that means it's the first time they actually used magic in that class (my previous reading, and possible given what we know of Lockhart), or whether it was the first time they were going to use magic against an actual opponent of some kind.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 06:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-15 07:06 pm (UTC)*snorts* Tell that to the person (whose name I unfortunately cannot recall) who insisted (before DH) that Hermione *wasn't* the Wendy to Harry and Ron's Lost Boys, that that role was already covered by Molly Weasley, and ranted about how she couldn't stand how some fanfic authors wrote Hermione as a mother hen.
/So, out of the two freed house-elves we see in the series, one is driven to alcoholism because she can’t cope with being free, and the other is the most servile character in the whole series./
Like slavery-apologists and Confederate-apologists depicted African-American slaves, whether it be in "Gone with the Wind" or in minstrel shows. Yeah, those are some really Unfortunate Implications there.
/“Defence Association” is a better name than “Dumbledore’s Army”, IMHO. It would make it easier to explain away if they ever were caught.
Even when I was reading that line for the first time, I couldn't understand why they thought that that name was such a good idea. First of all, the name contains the word "army," which never sounds reassuring. Second of all, it implies that you guys are all working for Dumbledore, when, in fact, nobody has told him about this. "Defense Association" may sound boring, but at least it's a safer name to use.
/Seriously, why does everybody in this world seem so hostile to the idea that disarming your opponents in a fight might be a good idea?/
Because it denies you the pleasure of slicing and dicing your enemies or dangling them upside down in the air, of course! You don't want to do anything as measly and cowardly as trying to end the fight early, do you?
/The Twins are what, seventeen years old now, and their idea of fun is to Hex somebody behind his back?/
Yes, but it's mischievous and fun when they do it. If Draco tries to do it, then he's just showing what a slimy and sneaky coward he is.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-16 01:07 am (UTC)Man, I feel like *such* a troll -.- . I don't mean to be, obviously. See, this is where the canon thumpers (like hms_stfu) get all pissy at us. They see us asking questions and dissecting and their only response is "that means you hate Jo and the series!" And it just isn't the case! Only a real fan would take the time to look at and think about this that much. It's out of love that a person goes niffling around.
Besides, there are still characters that I love in the series. In fact, all through the books, I can't honestly think of one character I hate.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-16 06:51 am (UTC)It does raise the interesting question how Barty *entered* himself into those contracts. We know he's a tidy hand with Confundus. Maybe he used the charm to confuse the official documents while he distracted Albus (who wasn't expecting any trouble from 'Moody') with a 'Look over there!' trick?
The constant analysis certainly indicates we're more *interested* in the series. However, that could be interested in the sense "This is the Perfect Example of what to Never Do," so I do understand by some fans who prefer the MST3K mantra in enjoying media get upset. That doesn't make it any less tiresome when they suddenly lose all comprehension of English the moment try to explain that you enjoy your stories in a different *manner* than they do, but doesn't mean asld kdlei onvlsdjaow...
no subject
Date: 2011-07-16 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-17 05:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-17 05:08 pm (UTC)Because the lost boys are Tom, Severus and Harry. And the only woman all three interacted with was Lily.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-17 11:50 pm (UTC)It could also be that Umbridge couldn't gain access to the office simply because Dumbledore never really relinquished his control of the castle.
Or maybe the portraits of the former headmasters have some role in selecting the next headmaster, and they'll only give their allegiance to hir. Or maybe the sorting hat chooses the next headmaster. Or maybe the elves decide who the master of Hogwarts will be.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-18 09:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-25 05:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-25 07:23 pm (UTC)