HBP Chapter Twelve: "Silver and Opals"

[for-diddled.livejournal.com]

* Harry feels “slightly abandoned” now Dumbledore’s not talking to him. I wonder if this is how every other Hogwarts pupil and member of staff feels all the time?

* Harry’s trying out his hexes on unsuspecting victims in the corridors. Obviously he doesn’t give them an opportunity to fight back or defend themselves in any way; clearly, Gryffindors are only expected to show their famous courage and chivalry towards the right sort of people.

* Incidentally, remember when those notorious pureblood supremacists in Slytherin tried out experimental new hexes on the helpless squib janitor? No, me neither.

* So Levicorpus is specifically written as non-verbal. Any ideas as to why this is? Maybe there are two different kinds of spells, non-verbal and verbal, and the reason why non-verbal spells are usually so difficult is that you have to try and cast them using the “wrong” type of magic for that spell. Oh, for a thought-through and consistent system of magic!

* “On the other hand, the Prince had proved a much more effective teacher than Snape so far.” Ooh, I see what you did there, JKR, you master of irony you.

* “‘…and then there was another flash of light and I landed on the bed again!’ grinned Ron, helping himself to sausages.” Did Ron really “grin” that, Rowling? Does he have some hitherto unsuspected power as a ventriloquist? Or did you actually mean to write “said Ron, grinning”?

* I assume that when Hermione disapproves of the spell because it’s “not Ministry-approved”, there was meant to be an implicit “…and therefore potentially dangerous”? If so, she’s quite right, and Harry’s rather reckless for trying it out. If not, and her objection is just that it’s not been approved by the Ministry, then that’s a rather bizarre attitude for a supposedly curious and questioning person to take.

* We’re told that “[b]oth Harry and Ron shouted her down at once”, but only Ron gets quoted as saying anything. What Harry just making a loud incoherent noise then?

* Err, Ron, “Fred and George do it, therefore it must be OK” is not a good argument. You of all people should know that.

* Harry objects to the idea that the Prince wasn’t very nice, because “if he’d been a budding Death Eater he wouldn’t have been boasting about being ‘Half-Blood’.” Apparently he’s forgotten about all the people he’s met who were neither Death Eaters nor particularly nice people.

* “I’m going [to Hogsmeade] with Dean,” says Ginny, “might see you there.” Hey, look, everybody, she’s got a boyfriend! How cool and awesomely popular she is. Can you see how perfect she is for the Chosen One?

* “[W]hen they finally reached Hogsmeade and saw that Zonko’s Joke Shop had been boarded up, Harry took it as confirmation that this trip was not destined to be fun.” I, meanwhile, take it as confirmation that’s Harry’s been stuck in a state of arrested development since age eleven or so, which is when most people grow out of finding whoopee cushions and fake dog poos remotely fun.

* Incidentally, I wonder if Zonko’s has gone bust because it was out-competed by the Weasley Twins.

* Ron’s strange methods of speech are once again on display: he’s “shiver[ing]” his words now.

* Harry, Ron and Ginny like to laugh about Hermione being cooped up with McLaggen and Zabini. Meanwhile, I bet most other students are laughing about Harry, Ron and Ginny being stuck with… well, with each other, probably.

* Harry “had momentarily forgotten that he owned number twelve, Grimmauld Place.” Wow, it must be nice to be rich enough to forget about owning a new house and fortune.

* Incidentally, don’t think that this makes Harry any less of an underdog. Quite the reverse, in fact: since he keeps forgetting about his new house and wads of cash, it’s as if they don’t exist to him, and hence they make no difference to his levels of privilege.

* Hermione keeps belittling Ron and doing him down, and reacts quite strongly when he even so much hints at losing interest in her and showing attention to another woman. Can we say “abusive relationship”, anybody?

* Katie rises to the air, “not as Ron had done, suspended comically by the ankle, but gracefully.” Sorry Ron, even people who are half-way through being murdered look better than you.

* Harry recognises the opal necklace from four years ago, but next book he won’t be able to recognise Grindelwald from the previous chapter. Once again people’s abilities vary wildly according to the demands of the plot.

* I like how Ron doesn’t think that Draco could be behind it, because Katie got the necklace in the girls’ bathroom. Yeah, sure Draco could cast an Unforgiveable Curse and plot to murder somebody, but sneaking into a girls’ bathroom? Don’t be ridiculous. Even evil has standards, after all.

* So how exactly did Malfoy get the necklace to the school in the first place? Did he conceal it somewhere outside the grounds and give it to Madam Rosmerta later?

* “‘Away?’ Harry repeated angrily.” Yeah, how dare the Headmaster go away without telling Harry. He ought to have realised that his primary duty is to attend on the Chosen One whenever the Chosen One wishes him to be present.

* Harry tells McGonagall about Draco’s trip to Borgin and Burke’s… and for some reason neglects to tell her how he overheard him boasting that he’d been given a task by the Dark Lord. Oh well, can’t have Harry presenting his case too strongly, can we, or else Malfoy might get found out and apprehended before he can advance the plot sufficiently.

* Incidentally, does Harry ever tell anybody other than Ron and Hermione what he heard on the Hogwarts Express? If it was me I’d go to Dumbledore/a responsible teacher first thing off the train and report what I heard.

* Whilst McGonagall pooh-poohs Harry’s Malfoy theory, neither she nor any other members of staff ever try to find out who the actual culprit is.

* I’m not sure why the idea of using accomplices seems so ridiculous to Hermione. Maybe it’s too cunning for the average wizard to think of.

* Ron “casually [turfs] a first-year out of one of the good armchairs by the fire”. Good to know that Gryffindor prefects all have such a fair, friendly manner. Not like that evil Malfoy kid, who went around bullying the younger students.

* Incidentally, how come Harry always knows what year people are in? Do they have little numbers on their uniforms or something?

* Malfoy’s never been one of the world’s great thinkers, says Harry, who clearly recognises a fellow simpleton when he sees one.

Comments

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

/Harry’s trying out his hexes on unsuspecting victims in the corridors. Obviously he doesn’t give them an opportunity to fight back or defend themselves in any way/

Well, his father didn’t. At least not with Snape.

/Incidentally, remember when those notorious pureblood supremacists in Slytherin tried out experimental new hexes on the helpless squib janitor? No, me neither./

In fact, when was the last time that we heard of the Slytherins hexing anybody outside of the Trio since Draco hexed Neville in PS/SS?

/Hermione keeps belittling Ron and doing him down, and reacts quite strongly when he even so much hints at losing interest in her and showing attention to another woman./

But when Ron makes Hermione cry and flips out at her about Viktor Krum, he’s just being a jealous jerk.

/Sorry Ron, even people who are half-way through being murdered look better than you./

Poor Ron. *hugs him*

/Yeah, sure Draco could cast an Unforgiveable Curse and plot to murder somebody, but sneaking into a girls’ bathroom? Don’t be ridiculous. Even evil has standards, after all./

Umm…didn’t Tom Riddle kill a girl in the girls’ bathroom? And doesn’t Ron know this?

/Whilst McGonagall pooh-poohs Harry’s Malfoy theory, neither she nor any other members of staff ever try to find out who the actual culprit is./

And neither does Hermione, who also denies Harry’s theory. She’s far too busy sniping at Harry about the Half-Blood Prince’s book and being nasty to Ron to worry about something as insignificant as attempted murder.

[oryx_leucoryx]

In fact, when was the last time that we heard of the Slytherins hexing anybody outside of the Trio since Draco hexed Neville in PS/SS?

In OOTP Harry believes a Slytherin hexed Angelina to disable her before a Quidditch game. I can't remember if any hexes were involved when the IS captured Neville, Luna and Ginny.

[mmmarcusz.livejournal.com]

At least then there was at least some purpose, they weren't attacking them for their amusement.

[lynn-waterfall.livejournal.com]

/Yeah, sure Draco could cast an Unforgiveable Curse and plot to murder somebody, but sneaking into a girls’ bathroom? Don’t be ridiculous. Even evil has standards, after all./

Umm…didn’t Tom Riddle kill a girl in the girls’ bathroom? And doesn’t Ron know this?

And wasn't Ron himself in a girls' bathroom frequently in that book?

Maybe his point is that Draco would've been noticed, since this bathroom wasn't an abandoned one. Still, if you're using the Imperius Curse anyway... nope, this objection doesn't stand up to scrutiny, either.

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

And neither does Hermione, who also denies Harry’s theory. She’s far too busy sniping at Harry about the Half-Blood Prince’s book and being nasty to Ron to worry about something as insignificant as attempted murder.

One of the things that bothers me most about this book is the rampant OOC syndrome.
Ron and Hermione went along with Harry for years. And whenever something interesting was happening all three of them were in the middle of it.
In this book there are attempted murders and they don't care.
Even if they believed Harry was wrong with his Draco obsession, they still should have been trying to find out what is happening.

[sunnyskywalker]

It's a shame Draco (or Snape, helping him) didn't set up a decoy alternate suspect. Then Ron and Hermione could have had their own explanation for what was going on and been keeping tabs on it, but Harry disagreed with their conclusion. (I wonder if Zacharias Smith is a leftover fossil of such a subplot that cut cut, come to think of it.)

I mean, I like the explanation that after the Ministry "rescue" fiasco, Ron and Hermione are wary of trusting Harry's judgment on what should be done about a problem, but there obviously is a problem here (Harry didn't just get a Voldie-vision hallucination that Ron got poisoned!), so it would make sense if they thought they knew what was going on - and that they had taken steps to make sure it was under control ("Harry, we told McGonagall what we overheard Zacharias say, and we and Ginny and Luna have been having the portraits watch his every move! He can't try again without being discovered") and Harry really was just being paranoid and bearing grudges.

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

It's a shame Draco (or Snape, helping him) didn't set up a decoy alternate suspect. Then Ron and Hermione could have had their own explanation for what was going on and been keeping tabs on it, but Harry disagreed with their conclusion. (I wonder if Zacharias Smith is a leftover fossil of such a subplot that cut cut, come to think of it.)
That would have been much more interesting to read.
But it would have also made sense so I suppose JKR just couldn't use it. WW is above silly things such as sense.

Yes, the way they just don't care about things is stupidly OOC.
Ron was almost killed, Katie Bell was in hospital for six months (even if they don't care about her personally, I would have expected them to think it was a attack on Gryffindor Quidditch team or something) ... they should have reacted to it.

I mean, Hermione spends time trying to find out who was the Half-Blood Prince but she doesn't care to investigate anything else?
If she was fed up with Harry's Draco obsession she should have been working extra hard to find out who is responsible for the attacks.
If nothing else then just so she could say "You see Harry? It wasn't Draco! I told you so!"

[for-diddled.livejournal.com]

"Maybe his point is that Draco would've been noticed, since this bathroom wasn't an abandoned one. Still, if you're using the Imperius Curse anyway... nope, this objection doesn't stand up to scrutiny, either."

Yeah, that objection, whilst slightly less silly, still fails. After all, there are plenty of ways Malfoy could have avoided being noticed: hide in a cubicle till the right moment, polyjuice, invisibility cloak...

[for-diddled.livejournal.com]

Actually, now that I think of it, we aren't told that Katie got the necklace in the bathrooms, just that she had it when she came back. Draco could have met her on the way back, convinced her to come somewhere quiet with him, whipped out his want and imperioed her, all without ever setting foot in the bathrooms.

[oneandthetruth.livejournal.com]

Harry feels “slightly abandoned” now Dumbledore’s not talking to him. I wonder if this is how every other Hogwarts pupil and member of staff feels all the time?

I doubt it. Nobody else is self-centered enough to think the head of the school should dance attendance on him whenever he needs attention.

I assume that when Hermione disapproves of the spell because it’s “not Ministry-approved”, there was meant to be an implicit “…and therefore potentially dangerous”? If so, she’s quite right, and Harry’s rather reckless for trying it out. If not, and her objection is just that it’s not been approved by the Ministry, then that’s a rather bizarre attitude for a supposedly curious and questioning person to take.

I think part of Hermione's job in the books is to be a wet-blanket rule-enforcer. That may be one reason she's so often paired with Snape in fanfic; they're both "stodgy" that way. And since in this book Snape does a lot less of that, Hermione has to take over his job to keep the story's tenor the same as previous books.

Besides, while I know it's an informed attribute for Hermione to be "curious and questioning," she's really not. We don't see any evidence of creativity or original thinking from her; she just memorizes approved texts and quotes them at length.

“[W]hen they finally reached Hogsmeade and saw that Zonko’s Joke Shop had been boarded up, Harry took it as confirmation that this trip was not destined to be fun.” I, meanwhile, take it as confirmation that’s Harry’s been stuck in a state of arrested development since age eleven or so, which is when most people grow out of finding whoopee cushions and fake dog poos remotely fun.

Well, so is his creator, so he can't really be blamed for that.

Katie rises to the air, “not as Ron had done, suspended comically by the ankle, but gracefully.” Sorry Ron, even people who are half-way through being murdered look better than you.

I think that's also supposed to be an indication that this spell is serious business, not a joke like Levicorpus. Unless, of course, you're being ganged up on and stripped publicly.

It just now occurs to me to wonder whether JKR deliberately made that spell look harmless and funny in this book as a response to the fans who were disgusted by SWM in the previous book. "See? It's just a joke spell. And Snape invented it himself. Don't feel sorry for him!"

Harry recognises the opal necklace from four years ago, but next book he won’t be able to recognise Grindelwald from the previous chapter. Once again people’s abilities vary wildly according to the demands of the plot.

That's also because Harry has noble blood, so he's naturally expert at recognizing valuable heirloom jewelry. But he is not gay or ac/dc, so of course he can't remember what a hot guy looks like from one minute to the next.

I’m not sure why the idea of using accomplices seems so ridiculous to Hermione. Maybe it’s too cunning for the average wizard to think of.

No, it's because that evil Malfoy must think he's too good to cooperate with anyone else. That's what it means to be a pureblood bigot.

[wolf-willow31.livejournal.com]

“On the other hand, the Prince had proved a much more effective teacher than Snape so far.”

That's because Harry actually read the book and paid attention, for once in his life (what got into him?). He rarely paid any attention to Snape or his other teachers. The only exception was Lupin, who recognized his specialness and gave him special private lessons.

Most people grow out of finding whoopee cushions and fake dog poos remotely fun.

Most people grow up, but Harry didn't. In fact, he got more juvenile.

Whilst McGonagall pooh-poohs Harry’s Malfoy theory, neither she nor any other members of staff ever try to find out who the actual culprit is.

Pathetic, isn't it?

[oryx_leucoryx]

That's because Harry actually read the book and paid attention, for once in his life (what got into him?).

There are only 2 types of books Harry likes reading: Books about Quidditch and Dark Arts books. The real thing, not the silly defense stuff. The book of curses at Flourish and Blotts in PS, Tom's diary in COS, and now the HBP's book. Oh, next year he will read Rita's book about Albus, that's a whole new category.

[lynn-waterfall.livejournal.com]

* Incidentally, remember when those notorious pureblood supremacists in Slytherin tried out experimental new hexes on the helpless squib janitor? No, me neither.

No, but I do remember the *movie* addition of *Draco* calling Filch a filthy squib, which never happened in the book.

And yet Hagrid's "sneakin' squib" somehow didn't make it to the movie. Hmm.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Harry feels “slightly abandoned” now Dumbledore’s not talking to him.

Last year Albus ignored him the entire year. Harry never got over the withdrawal.

So Levicorpus is specifically written as non-verbal. Any ideas as to why this is?

So that Harry would have to try it out before he recognizes it was the same spell his father had used on Severus.

I assume that when Hermione disapproves of the spell because it’s “not Ministry-approved”, there was meant to be an implicit “…and therefore potentially dangerous”? If so, she’s quite right, and Harry’s rather reckless for trying it out. If not, and her objection is just that it’s not been approved by the Ministry, then that’s a rather bizarre attitude for a supposedly curious and questioning person to take.

I remember a teacher who insisted on a Ministry-approved curriculum. Hermione did not appreciate her much.

Harry recognises the opal necklace from four years ago, but next book he won’t be able to recognise Grindelwald from the previous chapter.

To be fair, he did see the necklace again that summer.

So how exactly did Malfoy get the necklace to the school in the first place? Did he conceal it somewhere outside the grounds and give it to Madam Rosmerta later?

Or Imperiurized Rosmerta to obtain it herself?

Incidentally, how come Harry always knows what year people are in? Do they have little numbers on their uniforms or something?

Last chapter he wasn't that good about recognizing who was in Gryffindor. And last year he failed to recognize 2 of his own classmates. So there must be some way to recognize the year some unfamiliar student was in.

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

I assume that when Hermione disapproves of the spell because it’s “not Ministry-approved”, there was meant to be an implicit “…and therefore potentially dangerous”? If so, she’s quite right, and Harry’s rather reckless for trying it out. If not, and her objection is just that it’s not been approved by the Ministry, then that’s a rather bizarre attitude for a supposedly curious and questioning person to take.

I remember a teacher who insisted on a Ministry-approved curriculum. Hermione did not appreciate her much.

Ah, well. It's not like consistency and character development is important, right?

Incidentally, how come Harry always knows what year people are in? Do they have little numbers on their uniforms or something?

Last chapter he wasn't that good about recognizing who was in Gryffindor. And last year he failed to recognize 2 of his own classmates. So there must be some way to recognize the year some unfamiliar student was in.

Maybe he see it the same way as Ron? You know the "Hey you lot! Midgets!" way.
So, in this case he might have seen it as: "Small child that didn't protest when Ron dumped him/her from the armchair? Must be a first-year."

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

* Whilst McGonagall pooh-poohs Harry’s Malfoy theory, neither she nor any other members of staff ever try to find out who the actual culprit is.

I like to think that the way members of staff seam to care less and less about the student's welfare is DD fault.
In the first books we see the teachers and even Filch worry about and try to do something to help the kids. They are largely ineffective but still; in COS they worry and think that kids will have to be sent home, when Ginny is taken they are shocked up, in POA they try to have the portrait able to recognize the threat, they are patrolling the corridors and Filch is boarding up mouseholes.

It's not much but it shows some concern for the children they are supposed to take care of.

But later they just shrug it all off and go on on their way thinking that DD will take care of it and may even have it all planned / know perfectly well what is happening.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Of course Severus knows who is behind the attack, but if he exposes Draco and Minerva insists that Albus has to expel him Severus may have to kill Albus sooner than planned. I wonder if Severus and Albus were Confounding the other teachers to keep them from noticing hints to Draco's misdeeds.

[sunnyskywalker]

That sounds plausible, sadly... Either way, I wonder if the teachers suspected Snape of doing that after he killed Dumbledore? Maybe in retrospect, they realized it was strange how little attention they'd paid to an obvious threat to the school, when in previous years they'd been much more concerned (and had patrols, considered closing the school, etc. as they thought appropriate for the emergency at hand). And decided that Snape must have been responsible, given how things turned out. That would make them feel even more deeply betrayed, and much less likely to consider any explanation other than Snape Was Evil All Along. Less likely to notice that hey, isn't it interesting how Headmaster Snape's actions all seem to protect the students insofar as possible, because they're just too furious over how he meddled with their minds for a whole year (and maybe longer, for all they know) and see everything he does in the worst possible light. (Must be part of another dastardly scheme...)

[dracasadiablo.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Severus and Albus were Confounding the other teachers to keep them from noticing hints to Draco's misdeeds.

I actually hope that they were confounded or magically influenced in some other way.
Because if they weren't, then only possible explanations for their behavior are:
1. They just didn't care or
2. DD told them that he's aware of the situation and that he have everything under control. And they blindly believed him.

[hwyla.livejournal.com]

Having Albus or Severus confound the teachers makes sense. After all, the Unbreakable Vow would kick in if Draco SEEMS to fail - therefore none of the failed attempts can appear to be made by Draco, otherwise Snape dies long before he can kill Albus.