[identity profile] for-diddled.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] deathtocapslock
* Or, spoilers!

* The lack of a sea breeze tells Harry that he’s successfully apparated back to Hogsmeade, as opposed to one of the literally millions of places on Earth that (a) aren’t Hogsmeade and (b) don’t smell of the sea.

* I’m not sure why Harry would need to leave Dumbledore behind while he heads back to the castle and fetches Snape. He’s a wizard, couldn’t he just levitate the Headmaster back to school?

* Also, why didn’t Harry notice the giant Dark Mark in the sky until it was pointed out to him? And why hasn’t anybody in Hogsmeade except for Madam Rosmerta seen it?

* Good job the pub door wasn’t locked, or else those brooms would have just been smashed up against it.

* Credit to Rowling, this scene where they return to the castle is actually quite gripping and suspenseful.

* Dumbledore’s “Join the good side, Draco, we can protect you and your family” might be more convincing if he’d ever in the past given any sign of caring for Draco, or for any non-Gryffindor student for that matter.

* Dumbles was certain it was Draco behind all those murder attempts, and, erm, did nothing to follow up on his suspicions. What was that he said about caring for the safety of his students?

* Wait, no, he did do something – he got Snape to keep watch on him! And then, erm, did nothing with the information. Yeah, real good strategy there, Dumbledore.

* So Montague almost died because of the twins’ prank… Not that anybody sees fit to mention this to them, or to think about it at all afterwards.

* So Madam Rosmerta was imperiused for most of the year, and yet nobody noticed. Kind of like Barty Crouch, in fact, except that Harry doesn’t get all smug and judgemental this time about other people’s lack of observation.

* Still, I do quite like the characterisation here. Malfoy’s being torn between a desire to carry out his mission and growing sense that he can’t go through with it is well done, and Dumbledore’s coolness in the face of danger is very fun to watch.

* Malfoy got the idea for enchanted coins from Hermione… Good job the Marietta Edgecombe affair was hushed up, or else Draco might have got it into his head to try branding words across people’s faces.

* Still, it would be pretty funny if one day Dumbledore stood up at dinner to address the school, when suddenly *pop* the words Bad Headmaster appear in purple warts across his forehead.

* So Draco manages to carry out this super-cunning plan to achieve his goal, and seems to be more affected by death than most of the good guys are. Yet more proof that Draco Malfoy should have been the hero of this series.

* It’s lucky that Dumbledore addresses each of the Death Eaters by name, so that we readers know who they all are.

* So why is Fenrir Greyback so wolfish in his human form? We’ve never gotten any indication before that werewolves are anything other than normal human beings most of the time.

* Or maybe born werewolves are different to those who get bitten, and part of the reason Lupin is so angsty is that he’s worried his child will end up like Greyback.

* “Always the same, weren’t yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing, I don’t even know why the Dark Lord’s bothering to kill yeh!” Actually, Amycus does have a point, Dumbledore does have a very laissez-faire approach to fighting evil. It’s a good job Voldemort’s equally lazy, because any half-way competent and energetic dark lord would have totally crushed Dumbledore’s side by now.

* Snape comes, and totally owns this scene in the space of one page.

* Dumbledore’s death is cool and everything, but since when did Avada Kedavra make people hover in the air?

Date: 2014-04-11 06:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] snapes-witch.livejournal.com
Sirius would also have seen the relationship between Severus and Lucius when the three of them were Hogwart's students. There would have been a possible two or three years for the 'lapdog' type relationship to exist. I'd always assumed this was what Sirius was referring to.

Date: 2014-04-11 11:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] attilathepbnun.livejournal.com
Of course, we should also remember that it's Sirius using the term 'lapdog'.
Considering that he's speaking of Slytherins, I should think that term could describe any non-hostile relationship

Date: 2014-04-12 02:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hwyla.livejournal.com
And how like big dog Padfoot to use a term like 'lapdog' in a derogatory manner! He makes poor Sev sound like a pekinese!

Date: 2014-04-12 02:25 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hwyla.livejournal.com
Personally, I think young firstie Sev was what is referred to in the British Public School genre of literature as a 'fag' - a younger student who acted as a kind of servant to an older student - in return the younger student received 'protection' from other students. Altho' sometimes it was protection from said older student - as in he would bully the younger child himself if that child did not willingly perform his duties. As a reminder, the use of the term 'fag' here has nothing to do with sexual preference. In fact 'lapdog' (or pet) might very well be what another young student might call this arrangement if all they saw was the protection.

However, I am trying to stick with as much canon as I can here and it is strange that Lucius is not mentioned as one of the 'gang of Slytherins'

As for how long Lucius and Sev's years overlapped? Lucius was 41 at the start of school year '95-'96. His first year at Hogwarts was therefore '65-'66, making him a 7th year in Sev's first year of '71-'72. Truthfully - I think this is the origin of Sirius' comment about Snape knowing more when he entered Hogwarts about curses than half of the 7th years. Aside from the fact that knowing about curses doesn't mean he necessarily could perform them, I think this is how the Marauders explained to themselves what a 7th year Slytherin might see in a firstie.

But that is all my own head-canon to link it all together. I really don't have canon proof.

Date: 2014-04-12 11:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] vermouth1991.livejournal.com
Wasn't Severus 36 going on 37 in Year OotP? Lucius might only be 6 years above him.

Sirius is an unrepentent violent bully and attempted murder, does his judgements or character fall under a "fruit from a poisonous tree" catagory?

Date: 2014-04-12 03:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hwyla.livejournal.com
We have (as of the last book) a birth date of January 1960 for Lily. That means that since Sev was also a January baby and they both began Hogwarts in the same year, he was also born in January 1960. Placing both of them as firsties for the school year '71-'72.

At the time of bk5, when we were given Lucius' age of 41 before the beginning of that school year, JKR also said in interview that Snape was 35 or 36. What she didn't say was at what point during that book he was that age. Apparently he turned 36 in January '96, which took place during that particular school year.

As for Sirius' judgement I wouldn't even need to bring up attempted murder or bullying. We see often enough in canon that Sirius is not a good judge of character.

He was fairly sure that BartyJr hadn't been a DE, despite telling Harry that his entire family was 'dark' and despite the evidence on that tapestry that every generation had someone blasted from it. Despite being well aware that Peter had once tricked him, he also preferred to bounce a concussed and unconscious Snape's head off the tunnel ceiling rather than making sure Peter didn't fool him again.

I can easily see Sirius and James between them convincing themselves that the ONLY reason 7th year Lucius might associate with a smart little firstie is that said firstie must have known something that Lucius didn't - especially when their mindset about Slytherins meant Lucius couldn't possibly be protecting Snape without getting something for it. I doubt it would occur to them that Lucius might have been influenced by his Head of House to leave networking opportunities open And at least in Gryffindor, there doesn't appear to be a 'fagging' situation. I would question however whether the idea of 'lapdog' ever came up in regards to Peter's 'toadying'.

All I can say is imagine first year Ron's opinion of 'scary' Hermione if she had been a Slytherin,

Date: 2014-04-12 04:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] vermouth1991.livejournal.com
PoA was a wonderful book, but the screenwriter and director for the film failed to realize that the true climax of that story is actually in the background (which resulted in what I perceive to be a castrated story for film!PoA): the marauders' incessant abuse against Snape, Snape's hatred for them, the M-'s disregard for rules, feeling they're so fucking smart and their underestimating Wormtail: it ALL came back to bite them in the asses as the events unfurled in the Shrieking Shack. Whaddyaknow, Wormtail got off scott free a-frikin-gain, Snape did not get to see the truth, and such a Godawfully elaborate plan had to be hatched in order to save Sirius's sorry ass. And Lupin gets 'outed' as a werewolf who legitimately threatened to bite everyone, frankly I dunno why he wasn't outed years ago.

Re: Lucius/Sev

If anything, Lucius was seeing Severus's talants that could be valuable to the Dark Lord in later years. I don't think he'd feel threatened since his family's political ties and money (his dad would still be alive, right?) would not be something that Severus would so easily accumulate in his lifetime, with his proletarian background.

*

I just re-watched The Dark Knight last night. There was a very suspenseful sequence where The Joker had just successfully killed the judge that was trying the underworld and Commissioner Loeb of the Gotham Police Department, and was on his way to grab Harvey Dent (a very righteous D.A. who is prosecuting the Gotham mob) at the fundraiser that Bruce Wayne (Batman) is throwing at his penthouse suite. Bruce got a tip that the Joker was approaching, and found Harvey arguing something with his girlfriend Rachel (who is a childhood friend of Bruce's and knows that he's Batman). And does he stop to yammer like Sirius and Remus and Harry? No, he walks up silently from behind, does a swift move that renders Harvey unconscious and then hides him in a closet, literally seconds before the Joker bursts into the house. Then he escapes to suit up as Batman and saves the day.

See, sh/t can actually be handled in a story without everyone holding the Idiot Ball and monologuing like Bond Villians.

i have a Headcanon where Luna did exactly that to shut Harry up and then floo over to Grimmauld Place with her wand after the Centuars got Umbridge, thus saving Sirius's life.
Edited Date: 2014-04-13 12:49 am (UTC)

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