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deathtocapslock* So Montague still has to be spoon fed, and yet none of the good guys think to tell anybody what happened to him. I find this to be depressingly unsurprising.
* Professor McGonagall has been transferred to St. Mungo’s, whereas Montague is still in the Hospital Wing. Go figure.
* For those keeping track of Potterverse morality, launching four Stunners at a powerful witch = cowardly. Repeatedly hexing schoolchildren until they resemble slugs, OTOH, = hilarious and righteous.
* Apparently panic was “expanding inside [Harry] like poison gas.” That’s a really odd simile. I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced panic like that.
* Good on you Hermione, actually using reason and logic like that. A pity such concepts are alien to the average Gryffindor male.
* Also, note how violent Harry’s being – he’s shouting in his friends’ faces, wanting to shake Hermione, and Hermione herself is “looking positively petrified at the look on Harry’s face”. Harry’s relationship with Ron and Hermione often seems more like that of an abusive spouse/parent and their family than that of good friends.
* “Hermione, it doesn’t matter if he’s done it to get me there or not” – oh my God, somebody please save me from the stupidity! Harry, you utter flipping moron, of course it matters if Voldemort’s trying to lure you into the Department of Mysteries, because if he is, you’ll be walking right into his trap and playing right into his hands. Now I think I know why Harry was made Head Auror. It was to tie him down with a desk job and stop him ruining missions with his sheer idiocy.
* Luna raises a good point – how are they going to get to London? Especially since Sirius is apparently in such imminent danger that they can’t hang around a few minutes and discuss their plans. But not in such imminent danger that they can’t afford to take several hours at least to fly there. Logic? What logic?
* “OK… Now, we need to keep students right away from her office while we force entry, or some Slytherin’s bound to go and tip her off.” Not “some member of the IS”, that is, or “one of Malfoy’s cronies”, just “some Slytherin”. Because Slyterins are all the same, really.
* Also, note how once again it’s a Slytherins vs. everybody else situation. There’s no chance any Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs or Gryffindors will help Umbridge; it’s just the Slytherins you have to watch out for.
* Fred and George have let Ginny in on their plans to set off Garrotting Gas in the corridor, showing how cool and rebellious she is. Although if Garrotting Gas has the sort of effects its name implies, “cool and rebellious” might not be such a good term as “worryingly sadistic”.
* I find it somewhat surprising that the Order HQ wouldn’t have anybody but Sirius there. Although I suppose they’re not a very big organisation, so maybe everyone’s busy somewhere else.
* Ginny’s still trying the kick the shins of the Slytherin who’s holding her, like a petulant child might try and kick its parents.
* Neville’s randomly here becauseJKR will want him to go to the Department of Mysteries later he tried to stop one of the Slytherins carrying off Ginny. Neville/Ginny FTW!
* The Slytherins are all evil for laughing at McGonagall’s illness. Unlike the twins, whose laughter at what happened to Montague shows that they’re merry tricksters with a rough-and-tumble sense of fun. IOIAGDI, clearly.
* “There was still a member of the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts – Snape.” Well done, Harry, you got there in the end. After having the answer practically shoved in your face.
* Harry still doesn’t get that Snape is on his side. Apparently subtlety is too much for our hero to cope with.
* Umbridge’s little “the ends justify the means” speech is rather creepy, made even more so by the fact that I could imagine Hermione saying something very much like it.
* Malfoy was watching “with a hungry expression on his face.” This is probably meant to indicate that he’s a sadist looking forward to seeing Harry get brutally tortured; I, however, will choose to interpret it as a sign that he’s had to skip lunch due to IS-related duties, and is, literally, hungry.
* “‘No!’ shrieked Hermione. ‘Professor Umbridge – it’s illegal.’” Yeah, because Hermione’s always been so concerned with not breaking the law. *rolls eyes*
* Umbridge has her Bond villain moment and randomly confesses to sending the Dementors after Harry, even though she’s got absolutely nothing to gain from doing so.
* I’m sure that Twinkly would be amused to hear Hermione described as “Little Miss Question-all”. She never questions Dumbledore.
* Hermione’s acting must be pretty poor if Mr. Unobservant notices something’s wrong. Luckily nobody else realises.
* The Slytherins are described as Umbridge’s “minions” now. That woman’s starting to look more like a Bond villain with every passing sentence.
* I think it’s interesting that Umbridge reserves her most suspicious look for Malfoy. Has he criticised or gone against her before? Is Lucius Malfoy opposing Fudge in certain areas, making Umbridge suspicious of the entire family? Does Umbridge sense the aura of great evil which hangs around young Draco?
* Professor McGonagall has been transferred to St. Mungo’s, whereas Montague is still in the Hospital Wing. Go figure.
* For those keeping track of Potterverse morality, launching four Stunners at a powerful witch = cowardly. Repeatedly hexing schoolchildren until they resemble slugs, OTOH, = hilarious and righteous.
* Apparently panic was “expanding inside [Harry] like poison gas.” That’s a really odd simile. I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced panic like that.
* Good on you Hermione, actually using reason and logic like that. A pity such concepts are alien to the average Gryffindor male.
* Also, note how violent Harry’s being – he’s shouting in his friends’ faces, wanting to shake Hermione, and Hermione herself is “looking positively petrified at the look on Harry’s face”. Harry’s relationship with Ron and Hermione often seems more like that of an abusive spouse/parent and their family than that of good friends.
* “Hermione, it doesn’t matter if he’s done it to get me there or not” – oh my God, somebody please save me from the stupidity! Harry, you utter flipping moron, of course it matters if Voldemort’s trying to lure you into the Department of Mysteries, because if he is, you’ll be walking right into his trap and playing right into his hands. Now I think I know why Harry was made Head Auror. It was to tie him down with a desk job and stop him ruining missions with his sheer idiocy.
* Luna raises a good point – how are they going to get to London? Especially since Sirius is apparently in such imminent danger that they can’t hang around a few minutes and discuss their plans. But not in such imminent danger that they can’t afford to take several hours at least to fly there. Logic? What logic?
* “OK… Now, we need to keep students right away from her office while we force entry, or some Slytherin’s bound to go and tip her off.” Not “some member of the IS”, that is, or “one of Malfoy’s cronies”, just “some Slytherin”. Because Slyterins are all the same, really.
* Also, note how once again it’s a Slytherins vs. everybody else situation. There’s no chance any Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs or Gryffindors will help Umbridge; it’s just the Slytherins you have to watch out for.
* Fred and George have let Ginny in on their plans to set off Garrotting Gas in the corridor, showing how cool and rebellious she is. Although if Garrotting Gas has the sort of effects its name implies, “cool and rebellious” might not be such a good term as “worryingly sadistic”.
* I find it somewhat surprising that the Order HQ wouldn’t have anybody but Sirius there. Although I suppose they’re not a very big organisation, so maybe everyone’s busy somewhere else.
* Ginny’s still trying the kick the shins of the Slytherin who’s holding her, like a petulant child might try and kick its parents.
* Neville’s randomly here because
* The Slytherins are all evil for laughing at McGonagall’s illness. Unlike the twins, whose laughter at what happened to Montague shows that they’re merry tricksters with a rough-and-tumble sense of fun. IOIAGDI, clearly.
* “There was still a member of the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts – Snape.” Well done, Harry, you got there in the end. After having the answer practically shoved in your face.
* Harry still doesn’t get that Snape is on his side. Apparently subtlety is too much for our hero to cope with.
* Umbridge’s little “the ends justify the means” speech is rather creepy, made even more so by the fact that I could imagine Hermione saying something very much like it.
* Malfoy was watching “with a hungry expression on his face.” This is probably meant to indicate that he’s a sadist looking forward to seeing Harry get brutally tortured; I, however, will choose to interpret it as a sign that he’s had to skip lunch due to IS-related duties, and is, literally, hungry.
* “‘No!’ shrieked Hermione. ‘Professor Umbridge – it’s illegal.’” Yeah, because Hermione’s always been so concerned with not breaking the law. *rolls eyes*
* Umbridge has her Bond villain moment and randomly confesses to sending the Dementors after Harry, even though she’s got absolutely nothing to gain from doing so.
* I’m sure that Twinkly would be amused to hear Hermione described as “Little Miss Question-all”. She never questions Dumbledore.
* Hermione’s acting must be pretty poor if Mr. Unobservant notices something’s wrong. Luckily nobody else realises.
* The Slytherins are described as Umbridge’s “minions” now. That woman’s starting to look more like a Bond villain with every passing sentence.
* I think it’s interesting that Umbridge reserves her most suspicious look for Malfoy. Has he criticised or gone against her before? Is Lucius Malfoy opposing Fudge in certain areas, making Umbridge suspicious of the entire family? Does Umbridge sense the aura of great evil which hangs around young Draco?
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Date: 2011-12-19 12:38 pm (UTC)It also occurs to me that, living in a universe that is contrived to work against him at every turn, Draco could have easily become very bitter and even sadistic towards people like Harry, and not without reason. And yet the kid has no stomach for violence. I'm sure JRK thinks that makes him a coward, but it just makes me wonder why I'm supposed to like Harry and co more than him.
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Date: 2011-12-19 04:49 pm (UTC)"Very well," [Umbridge] said, and she pulled out her wand. "Very well... I am left with no alternative... this is more than a matter of school discipline... this is a matter of Ministry security... yes... yes..."
She seemed to be talking herself into something. She was shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot, staring at Harry, beating her wand against her empty palm and breathing heavily. As he watched her, Harry felt horribly powerless without his own wand.
"You are forcing me, Potter... I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use... I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice."
Malfoy was watching her with a hungry expression on his face.
"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosten your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.
So, Umbridge is clearly talking herself into something unusual, something more serious than normal school punishments, and something which some people might disagree with. Personally, given what we see of wizarding society, I can't imagine that many of them would have to talk themselves into caning somebody like this, and I don't think Draco would either. Then again Umbridge did have this sweet, girlish little persona, and as far as Draco knows (probably, though I don't think we're ever told just how much the IS know about Umbridge's punishment methods) the only punishment she gives out is doing lines and banning people from playing Quidditch, so perhaps he might have thought she was talking herself into corporal punishment. Perhaps he thought she was going to take a leaf out of Filch's book and hand him up by his ankles till he confesses, or something.