PS Chapter Thirteen: "Nicholas Flamel"
Aug. 26th, 2016 10:02 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslock* The trio look for mentions of Nicholas Flamel by “skimming through books”, because apparently wizarding publishers still haven't invented the index.
* I’m not sure why Harry would end up tired out after quidditch training, he spends most of the game sitting on his broom looking around.
* I do kind of miss the carefree early books where a potentially biased quidditch referee was treated as the height of evil. Although part of me suspects that JKR so stunted her characters than even in Book VII everybody would be freaking out about Snape giving unfair penalties to Hufflepuff.
* Why am I not surprised that Hermione only ever gets beaten at a board game with no wider plot or characterisation relevance?
* Gryffindor have no reserve seeker, because only wimps display common sense.
* Malfoy’s been looking for someone to practise his new curse on,just like Harry in HBP.
* Harry, Ron and Hermione are all so stupid they can’t find out who Flamel is unless somebody literally hands them the answer written on a piece of paper.
* Still, the foreshadowing with the chocolate frog card on the Hogwarts Express is quite good, so points for that.
* Less good is the way in which Hermione completely forgets about how she’s recently read about Nicholas Flamel, before suddenly remembering now that the plot requires her to deliver a bit of expository dialogue on the matter.
* Harry’s American doppelgänger has every reason to be confused here, seeing as how there’s no such thing as a Sorcerer’s Stone.
* “‘And no wonder we couldn’t find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry,’ said Ron. ‘He’s not exactly recent if he’s six hundred and sixty-five, is he?’” Well… no, but I’d still expect his name and work to come up occasionally when discussing younger wizards who’ve built upon his work on alchemy. Kind of like how I’d expect Charles Darwin to be mentioned in a textbook on modern biology.
* As the big match commences, the narrative voice gets a brief attack of vertigo and falls off Harry’s broomstick onto the stands where Ron and Hermione are sitting.
* “‘The whole school’s out there!’ said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door.” I’m not sure why they wouldn’t be; it’s not like there’s much else to do as a Hogwarts student.
* Oh, that biased meanie Snape, penalising Gryffindor just for lobbing bludgers at him!
* This quidditch game seems a little… anticlimactic. “The trio felt a prickle of anxiety every time they thought about Snape’s sudden, sinister desire to be a referee. This would put Snape in an ideal position to make an attempt on Harry’s life. Ron and Hermione learnt extra spells to defend their friend, but at their last parting all three knew that this might be the last time they ever met alive. Then the match started. Snape gave Gryffindor a couple of fouls and Harry caught the snitch. The end.”
* I’m not sure why Snape wanted to meet in the Forbidden Forest, given that he lives in a castle chock-full of abandoned classrooms, hidden passages and assorted secret hiding-places. Maybe it’s just the Slytherin love of drama shining through.
* Fred and George celebrate their victory in true Gryffindor style, with a bit of petty theft for the kitchens.
* I’m not sure why Harry would end up tired out after quidditch training, he spends most of the game sitting on his broom looking around.
* I do kind of miss the carefree early books where a potentially biased quidditch referee was treated as the height of evil. Although part of me suspects that JKR so stunted her characters than even in Book VII everybody would be freaking out about Snape giving unfair penalties to Hufflepuff.
* Why am I not surprised that Hermione only ever gets beaten at a board game with no wider plot or characterisation relevance?
* Gryffindor have no reserve seeker, because only wimps display common sense.
* Malfoy’s been looking for someone to practise his new curse on,
* Harry, Ron and Hermione are all so stupid they can’t find out who Flamel is unless somebody literally hands them the answer written on a piece of paper.
* Still, the foreshadowing with the chocolate frog card on the Hogwarts Express is quite good, so points for that.
* Less good is the way in which Hermione completely forgets about how she’s recently read about Nicholas Flamel, before suddenly remembering now that the plot requires her to deliver a bit of expository dialogue on the matter.
* Harry’s American doppelgänger has every reason to be confused here, seeing as how there’s no such thing as a Sorcerer’s Stone.
* “‘And no wonder we couldn’t find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry,’ said Ron. ‘He’s not exactly recent if he’s six hundred and sixty-five, is he?’” Well… no, but I’d still expect his name and work to come up occasionally when discussing younger wizards who’ve built upon his work on alchemy. Kind of like how I’d expect Charles Darwin to be mentioned in a textbook on modern biology.
* As the big match commences, the narrative voice gets a brief attack of vertigo and falls off Harry’s broomstick onto the stands where Ron and Hermione are sitting.
* “‘The whole school’s out there!’ said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door.” I’m not sure why they wouldn’t be; it’s not like there’s much else to do as a Hogwarts student.
* Oh, that biased meanie Snape, penalising Gryffindor just for lobbing bludgers at him!
* This quidditch game seems a little… anticlimactic. “The trio felt a prickle of anxiety every time they thought about Snape’s sudden, sinister desire to be a referee. This would put Snape in an ideal position to make an attempt on Harry’s life. Ron and Hermione learnt extra spells to defend their friend, but at their last parting all three knew that this might be the last time they ever met alive. Then the match started. Snape gave Gryffindor a couple of fouls and Harry caught the snitch. The end.”
* I’m not sure why Snape wanted to meet in the Forbidden Forest, given that he lives in a castle chock-full of abandoned classrooms, hidden passages and assorted secret hiding-places. Maybe it’s just the Slytherin love of drama shining through.
* Fred and George celebrate their victory in true Gryffindor style, with a bit of petty theft for the kitchens.
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Date: 2016-08-27 02:57 pm (UTC)Or because if they did have a reserve seeker, then it wouldn’t be a big deal that Harry wasn’t able to play.
/Malfoy’s been looking for someone to practise his new curse on, just like Harry in HBP./
Nice catch!
/Oh, that biased meanie Snape, penalising Gryffindor just for lobbing bludgers at him!/
Apparently, attacking non-players during a game isn’t and shouldn’t be a big deal. This will come up again later when Ginny attacks Zacharias Smith for his commentary.
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Date: 2016-08-27 04:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-08-29 04:19 pm (UTC)However, what does that make the Marauders who called Sev 'Snivelus' to his face? Somehow, I think even name calling is 'brave' if you're a Gryffindor. And Harry's 'snark' at the Dursleys is considered brave.
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Date: 2016-08-29 08:08 pm (UTC)