CoS Chapter Seven

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

*OMG, JKR used the equivalent of the n-word on the title of a chapter!!

*Ron’s wand continues to publicly malfunction and nobody cares.

*Colin shows Harry a magic picture he took, having already explained that it’s the developing solution that makes it magical. Didn’t JKR totally forget this in an interview and claim Colin was always trying and failing to take Muggle photos?

*Colin’s never flown? Shouldn’t he have had his first flying lesson by now? Or is that only for years that have hidden prodigies in them?

*At least Colin’s on schedule other ways. By this point Harry had found someone at school he hated more than his greatest hate. Colin’s found somebody he loved more than he thought he could love before, which is much the same thing.

*Speaking of loving as you never thought you could love, Malfoy’s slacking off here. He should totally get himself some Polyjuice, pretend to be Colin and follow Harry around getting him to brag about himself or listen to himself be praised so he can make fun of him later.

*Harry, as resigned as you are to explaining the complicated rules of Quidditch, we’re resigned to hearing them. Again.

*Unsurprisingly, the game makes no more sense upon second explanation than it did on the first.

*Katie Bell is nodding off, which I guess is why she’s the kind of player who needs to tryout for the team every year, unlike Harry.

*Harry shifts guiltily in his seat, reminding everyone that after winning their previous games single-handedly, he was unable to attend the last one because he was recovering from saving the world again.

*I don’t think Gryffindor can blame Harry for suffering their worst defeat in 300 years, if they were too stupid to stick somebody else on a broom and make him a Seeker. I guess Harry hasn’t invented that solution yet.

*Ron and Hermione are sitting in the stands watching. Stop trying to pretend to know when Quidditch practice is, Hermione. You’re only embarrassing yourself.

*Harry can hear Colin’s camera from way up in the air? Is he sure Colin’s not actually shooting at him with a gun?

*Marcus Flint has trollish cunning. Meaning too stupid to be truly cunning, like our hero.

*He’s also wearing a patch that says TEAM EVIL on his robes.

*There are no girls on the Slytherin team. Because the good guys are so totally feminist. Really.

*Why would a note from Snape give the Slytherin team the right to the pitch anyway?

*Marcus did say he meant to share the pitch at first, at least.

*Not that the Weasleys care about blood or anything, but Fred wants to know if this kid isn’t Lucius’ son.

*Malfoy is smirking so broadly his cold eyes are slits. In other words, he’s not smirking, but grinning with joy. And probably pretty cute. JMO.

*Ron and Hermione, who have even less business being there than the Slytherins, show up to cause trouble.

*Ron sets himself up as usual, acting as if it’s strange that Malfoy should be there.

*Not condoning the racist talk, but if Hermione wants to trash talk so bad, she’ll get trashed back.

*I haven’t read this whole scene in context for a while, and you know, it really doesn’t seem at all like Draco’s bought his way onto the team. I know the brooms and the new Seeker and all, but Draco’s too damn happy to have just bought his way onto the team. He’d be broadcasting that kind of trick all over the place. The slit eyes say THIS IS THE BEST DAY IN MY LIFE BECAUSE I MADE THE TEAM AND MY DAD SHOWED THAT WAS GOOD AND I’M POPULAR!

*Nice that Fred and George were ready to jump on Malfoy even in CoS when Malfoy is twelve and they are two fourteen year olds.

*Funny how the Gryffindors don’t react this violently to slurs like "sneakin’ Squib." I guess cause that’s just funny. Especially when it’s Filch.

*Wait, Harry, where are you going? Is practice over? Why are you just walking away?

*Nice heads-up on what’s going to happen to Lockhart with the slugs, but it does make you again wonder why nobody fixes Ron’s wand.

*That was quite a nasty curse Ron was going to throw at Malfoy. Jeez. Sounds far worse than the famous Bat Bogey.

*Yeah, take him to Hagrid. He’ll be…of no use at all.

*Hermione says there’s nothing to do but wait for it to stop. And if Dr. Hermione says so it must be true.

*They’re only starting to think the DADA job is jinxed? Hasn’t it been jinxed since the 1960s?

*Ron says Malfoy called Hermione the most insulting thing he could think of. Yup, that’s the idea. Though of course to her it’s not insulting at all, not having any sensitivity about being a Mudblood. Tons more things Malfoy could have said. He never picks on Hermione the way he could. (D/Hr shippers take note.)

*As gross as the slugs are, I’m so happy listening to Ron explaining about Pure-bloods and Mudbloods because it’s not the scene in the movie where Ron’s stuck belching the things while Hermione has a dreadful, tearful speech about how her blood is dirty. Shut up, Whitey!Hermione.

*Nice the way Ron automatically goes from explaining the Malfoy view to promoting himself as a good liberal. "The rest of us know that blood doesn’t mean anything. Why, look at Neville who sucks."

*Ron doesn’t see blood. People tell him he’s Pureblood and he believes them because his dad gets to make the laws and no-name Muggleborns start angling to marry him when they’re 13, but he can’t see it himself.

*Hagrid steps in to condescendingly point out what a brilliant Muggleborn Hermione is, and she sucks it up.

*Ron goes on with how mad blood prejudice is, and how Wizards would have died out. There’s such a thing as protesting too much, Ron. Somebody stop him before he starts showing us pictures of Arthur with his Muggle-born friends.

*Hee! Now I’m picture Arthur in that classic Stephen Colbert "friend" picture with some annoyed looking Muggle-born.

*Actually, I should probably just give Stephen Colbert credit for this whole run of commentary.

*Hagrid, eager to show he’s just as affronted by prejudice, tells Ron he doesn’t blame him for wanting to curse Malfoy. Though to be fair, Hagrid would have said the same thing if Ron had tried to curse Malfoy for just being Malfoy.

*Hagrid says if Ron had cursed Draco Lucius would have come marching up to the school. No, Hagrid, Lucius only gets involved when he thinks there’s an incompetent teacher wasting everyone’s time. Draco can get cursed all he wants with no interference from Lucius.

*So does Hagrid, at this point, think that Myrtle was killed by Aragog? Which btw, totally could have happened? Because he’s amazingly guilt-free over that. What am I saying—guilt-free is Hagrid’s middle name. Right after Drunken Menace.

*Engorgement charms on the pumpkins? Somehow sounds like the equivalent of the sort of biological engineering that will make them flavorless.

*And just when we’re all about to give this chapter up for a loss, something actually HAPPENS!

*So can nobody else hear the hissing? Because shouldn’t Harry just be hearing a snake hissing that he understands?

*I do kind of love investigating in a magical world, so they can accept that sure, there might have been an invisible person murmuring to Harry, but an invisible person would have had to open the door. That’s what makes it odd.





Exploitation Filmmakers’ Credo
Ron, your wand is broken. You can’t hex anything.

IITS
No, McGonagall, you may not do something about Ron’s wand because we’ll need it later. Jeez, work with us, people!

Informed Attributes
God, prejudice is just so awful! Ron thinks so. And Hagrid thinks so even more than Ron! Imagine the idiocy of people being prejudiced. Everyone knows Hermione’s the best Muggle-born ever. And what about Neville? He’s Pureblood and not good at all! How could anyone know those examples and be prejudiced? Not me, certainly. I’m disgusted at the thought. I don’t even get prejudice. We’d have died out without Muggle-borns for breeding stock.

Selling Wood
Can’t help but use this one here.:-)

Final score: 4

Signs of things to come: And so is born the Mudblood stuff, and the Weasleys and Hagrid as rather ironic symbols of tolerance.

Things that didn’t come: Hexing Malfoy makes no difference to Lucius. Quidditch here clearly does not have try-outs every year, and once you’re on the team you’re on the team for good.

Comments

[papier.livejournal.com]

Ron’s wand continues to publicly malfunction and nobody cares.

*Giggles childishly*

Colin shows Harry a magic picture he took, having already explained that it’s the developing solution that makes it magical. Didn’t JKR totally forget this in an interview and claim Colin was always trying and failing to take Muggle photos?

Oh dear...not quite maths.

Ron and Hermione are sitting in the stands watching. Stop trying to pretend to know when Quidditch practice is, Hermione. You’re only embarrassing yourself.

Meanwhile, Ginny is talking to her imaginary friend about Harry Potter.

Not condoning the racist talk, but if Hermione wants to trash talk so bad, she’ll get trashed back.

Hermione seems like the kind of girl who sticks up for everyone but herself, so she gets talked down pretty easily. She's such an awkward kid and I hate that we lose a lot of that as the books progress.

I haven’t read this whole scene in context for a while, and you know, it really doesn’t seem at all like Draco’s bought his way onto the team. I know the brooms and the new Seeker and all, but Draco’s too damn happy to have just bought his way onto the team. He’d be broadcasting that kind of trick all over the place. The slit eyes say THIS IS THE BEST DAY IN MY LIFE BECAUSE I MADE THE TEAM AND MY DAD SHOWED THAT WAS GOOD AND I’M POPULAR!

What I don't get is that if he bought his way on the team, how come he nearly out-seeks Harry on more than one occasion despite Harry having a better broom for most of their games? Harry has to struggle during many of his matches even with the firebolt.

Hermione says there’s nothing to do but wait for it to stop. And if Dr. Hermione says so it must be true.

The sad truth being that, despite an adult and our hero being present, she is the most competent person in that hut.

[aasaylva.livejournal.com]

Ron’s wand continues to publicly malfunction and nobody cares.

*Giggles childishly*
Never thought of that. Am still way too innocent...


What I don't get is that if he bought his way on the team, how come he nearly out-seeks Harry on more than one occasion despite Harry having a better broom for most of their games? Harry has to struggle during many of his matches even with the firebolt.
So true. And I have to hand it to JKR for succeeding fairly well in making me believe for quite some time, that Harry WAS such an incomparable seeker. Until I counted: he won against Malfoy thrice (CoS, PoA and OotP) and twice with the better broom. As to the much famed youngest seeker of the century - it is hardly difficult to become if rules are altered on your behalf in order to get you on the team one year earlier than everybody else...

[papier.livejournal.com]

Well, with a forum like my one you get corrupted every day, so my mind is officially lurking somewhere down in the sewer. :(

As to the much famed youngest seeker of the century - it is hardly difficult to become if rules are altered on your behalf in order to get you on the team one year earlier than everybody else...

And when you're placed on the team based on one catch and not even given tryouts first. Why, McGonagall, why?

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

What I don't get is that if he bought his way on the team, how come he nearly out-seeks Harry on more than one occasion despite Harry having a better broom for most of their games? Harry has to struggle during many of his matches even with the firebolt.

Yes, it's a classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat too to believe it, imo. If he bought his way on the team, it would show. He wouldn't be good enough, there would be other Slytherins wanting on the team, they'd want him off. Instead he's a real threat. Ironically in OotP it's Ron who doesn't really belong on the team because he was let through on technicalities, and it shows.

[papier.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat too to believe it, imo. If he bought his way on the team, it would show. He wouldn't be good enough, there would be other Slytherins wanting on the team, they'd want him off. Instead he's a real threat.

Not like Draco's dad got the brooms as a reward for his son managing to get on the team through...I dunno...'talent'? Which really shows the immaturity of the trio - Draco's bad, so he must be useless, too!

Ironically in OotP it's Ron who doesn't really belong on the team because he was let through on technicalities, and it shows.

And in HBP when McClaggan really should've been on the team. Hypocryte!Hermione. But hey, if a Gryffindor does it, it must be for a good cause!

[kaskait.livejournal.com]

*Ron says Malfoy called Hermione the most insulting thing he could think of. Yup, that’s the idea. Though of course to her it’s not insulting at all, not having any sensitivity about being a Mudblood. Tons more things Malfoy could have said. He never picks on Hermione the way he could. (D/Hr shippers take note.)

Draco never drops gratuitous insults towards females. Not like the Twins or Ron do practically all the time. I suppose he considers Hermione open game because she hangs with Potter all the time. If she didn't, she wouldn't even register on Draco's radar at all.

*Hagrid steps in to condescendingly point out what a brilliant Muggleborn Hermione is, and she sucks it up.

Hagrid has Stockholm syndrome. He thinks he is a wizard. WRONG. Hagrid is in an even worse position than Hermione, the big doof. The WW barely considers Hagrid human.

*So does Hagrid, at this point, think that Myrtle was killed by Aragog? Which btw, totally could have happened? Because he’s amazingly guilt-free over that. What am I saying—guilt-free is Hagrid’s middle name. Right after Drunken Menace.

Too bad Alfred E. Neuman can't play Hagrid.

[aasaylva.livejournal.com]

Draco never drops gratuitous insults towards females. Not like the Twins or Ron do practically all the time.
Mmm - makes it look like it's just different groups they pick on - Draco on muggle(born)s ("race"), twins on females and anybody weaker than themselves. But only the first form is deemed to be politically incorrect - sadly enough just like with us muggles. I mean, can you even imagine what would happen, if the Roman catholic church refused to accept priests with coloured skin under the argument that Jesus had been white? Yet that is the reasoning for not accepting women as such...

[kaskait.livejournal.com]

The books are strange with the female issues.

On one hand we have women in important positions and they seem to live with no limits. But when anything gets dangerous, the attitude is, "let the menfolk handle it".

There are women in the history background of the WW with power but we don't seem to see actual examples of it in the HP present.

The last female with some power in the HP series we saw was suffering from mousy brown hair and screeching at her lover in a sick room.

[mmmarcusz.livejournal.com]

Yet that is the reasoning for not accepting women as such...

No, it's that Jesus only called male apostles.

[aasaylva.livejournal.com]

Interesting - two priests told me what I said in my comment and I didn't bother to research the topic on my own afterwards. Still, even if the argument runs along the apostle line, it doesn't change the point: arguing you have to have male priests because the apostles were male - well, then why have apostles of black skin, because the apostles certainly were no black men.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Draco never drops gratuitous insults towards females. Not like the Twins or Ron do practically all the time. I suppose he considers Hermione open game because she hangs with Potter all the time. If she didn't, she wouldn't even register on Draco's radar at all.

It's true--and I wonder if JKR really is often thinking about him having a close relationship with his mother knowing what she's leading up to.

I remember times when people would try to suggest that he was particularly sexist or violent towards women (if he's bad he must be a rapist!) when he seems to actually have a pretty good relationship with a female friend who's at least as much of his equal as Ginny. I also don't think, as some do, that he's in any way impolite to Pansy in the train scene in HBP.

[ladymauv.livejournal.com]

I love the Stephen Colbert references. :D And now I'm thinking of all the other Colbert Report motifs that could apply... "Dumbledore: great headmaster, or greatest headmaster? Pick a side, we're in a war!"

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Hee! Stephen Junior would totally bring his mail.

[ellecain.livejournal.com]

Ron doesn’t see blood. People tell him he’s Pureblood and he believes them because his dad gets to make the laws and no-name Muggleborns start angling to marry him when they’re 13, but he can’t see it himself.

I love the way the books are all: "But Blood doesn't matter!", only to get Harry and Hermione a social boost by having them marry into a pureblood family. (And in Harry's case, a popular, sassy smokin' hot pureblood!)
All the good Muggleborn heroes (esp. Lily) don't care about the blood, but they sure know which are the right families to marry into...

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Funny how that happens, isn't it? Because like it or not, the Pureblood families seem to be the most interesting. I think for the same reason people criticize Slytherfen for writing about them--they're fun!

[luwanda26.livejournal.com]

I have a little pet crack theory that Lily was in love/liked Remus but she knew James' family connections would protect her better.

But I also think Snape was in love with Alice Longbottom and her torture was what brought him to Dumbledore, so my theories are probably not very reliable.

[rayerai.livejournal.com]

I loved this entire thing so much. So much. Just so you know. :)

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad you did!

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

Someone above mentioned that Draco doesn't drop gratuitous insults to the ladies - and this is true. It's quite possible that he also automatically used an insult that'd burn the boys more than directly attacking the girls. Just like he hit Ron back with a vengeance in PS, but didn't touch Hermione in PoA. Wizarding world and its outdated chivalry, I don't blame the boy, but I would like to see a Pansy/Hermione bitchfight. Come on, ladies! Don't let the boys have all the fun!

*whispers* what does JMO mean? Years, years spent on the 'net, and I am still netilliterate. I find this so sad. I also find Draco pretty cute, though. Why do you always have to be raining on his parade, Harry Potter brigade?

Racial slurs, much like evisceration, are only bad when the bad people perpetrate them. When the good people do it, they're canny observations and a jolly good thing to have up your sleeves.

Yeah, that Lucius, Draco is always running to him in a matter involving his fellow students. That dragon in first year, that time he was beaten up by Harry Potter in fifth year while George Weasley held him down... butt out, Lucius, seriously. Plus in fourth year when Draco was tortured by a teacher, Lucius came running! Or Draco had learned his lesson that daddy couldn't get incompetent dangerous teachers fired because Hogwarts isn't a democracy, damn it! Dumbledore's way or the high way! - I forget which.

I bet Hagrid cried over Myrtle. Maybe had himself a little Butterbeer, and then forgot all about it. Just like he would've had Aragog's kids eaten Harry and Ron, only at least then hopefully Dumbledore would have scragged him.

Ah, Draco could so pwn Hermione by mentioning how he outflew everyone at try-outs, had they only been invented yet.

Excellent as ever!

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

JMO = Just My Opinion, as far as I know.

Racial slurs, much like evisceration, are only bad when the bad people perpetrate them. When the good people do it, they're canny observations and a jolly good thing to have up your sleeves.

This chapter reminds me of some earnest dude at HPFGU who Magpie was bravely arguing with, who kept explaining how Hagrid's not bigoted or racist in any way. He totally couldn't see the similarities between this scene and the one where Filch questions Hagrid's ability (like how Hermione's questioning Malfoy's) and then Hagrid unloads with the squib comments.
Kept insisting it was different because Hagrid had never demeaned Filch on those grounds before (it doesn't count that he's previously been elitist/prejudiced about the Dursleys, Harry, Draco, Lucius, Karkaroff and Madame Maxime) - uh, so Draco never using the word Mudblood in PS means it's okay now? - and because Filch started the insults (like Hermione does here.)

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

Ah, valiant Magpie! Could she be... a secret Gryffindor?

One like Parvati Patil, mind you. Everyone should be like Parvati.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Someone above mentioned that Draco doesn't drop gratuitous insults to the ladies - and this is true. It's quite possible that he also automatically used an insult that'd burn the boys more than directly attacking the girls.

Yup, like I said above, he seems to be respectful of the ladies in his way. In his very strange way, what with the "Mudblood" comments.

Ah, Draco could so pwn Hermione by mentioning how he outflew everyone at try-outs, had they only been invented yet.

LOL! Once again Draco's world stands against him!

JMO=Just my opinion.:-)

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

His mother taught him never to pull girls' hair. Unfortunately his father taught him tons of racist slurs. Well, you win some, you lose some. ;)

[drama-duchess.livejournal.com]

*Nice the way Ron automatically goes from explaining the Malfoy view to promoting himself as a good liberal. "The rest of us know that blood doesn't mean anything. Why, look at Neville who sucks."

What I find interesting here is that Ron is making it seem as though to the prejudiced Pureblood being Muggleborn = decreased magical ability and that's why the prejudiced act like they do. I do think if that's what Ron has been taught he's been sadly misinformed. I do remember that what Salazar thought about Muggleborns was that they were "untrustworthy" which is not exactly the same as "untalented". But I guess that is up in the air at the moment.

I do love the "what have you done for me lately ?" mentality of the wizarding world. It's all yeah, yeah, you may be decent, but what can you do with a wand ? So humane, this place. And not at all in need of total reform.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

What I find interesting here is that Ron is making it seem as though to the prejudiced Pureblood being Muggleborn = decreased magical ability and that's why the prejudiced act like they do.

That is a really good point. There's always that reaching for some sort of logic about the Muggle-born thing, even if it's false logic. Lucius does say Draco should be ashamed to be beaten by Hermione, but that's clearly not the basis of the prejudice completely. It doesn't seem to be the basis for it, though Slughorn makes reference to it later. Draco often talks about them being dirty or smelly, which indicates something else.

[drama-duchess.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It seems to be a lot more complicated than what we've been led to believe here. Then again, it is a child talking. He'd have been given the easiest (and easiest to dismiss) explanation.

Personally ? I think there may be historical events that have aggravated the prejudice as well as a very visceral fear. I mean, seeing as the muggleborn kids first learn to deal with their magic by themselves, that they are sort of little magical savages -- I could see why they'd be scary to some. And then I'm sure myths have been constructed around the nature and conduct of the muggleborn as well.

[(Anonymous)]

I haven’t read this whole scene in context for a while, and you know, it really doesn’t seem at all like Draco’s bought his way onto the team.

I'll never understand the logic as to which statements get analyzed to pieces and which get a free pass. When Harry expositions that the hook-nosed man in Snape's childhood memory was Snape's dad (which, you know, duh), fans second-guess him all over the map. But when Hermione implies Malfoy used bribery they accept it as fact. It's not like maybe Hermione has no idea if Flint can be bought and just quickly thought of the rudest possible comeback.

Ron says Malfoy called Hermione the most insulting thing he could think of. Yup, that’s the idea. Though of course to her it’s not insulting at all, not having any sensitivity about being a Mudblood.

And she's not likely to develop any even if he says it fifty more times. Why should she? It's just Malfoy being a jerk. Nobody who counts is prejudiced. Sure there's a small extremist group with a hate-on for Muggleborns, but after they're eradicated there'll be nothing to stop Hermione's rise to power.

-L

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

When Harry expositions that the hook-nosed man in Snape's childhood memory was Snape's dad (which, you know, duh), fans second-guess him all over the map. But when Hermione implies Malfoy used bribery they accept it as fact. It's not like maybe Hermione has no idea if Flint can be bought and just quickly thought of the rudest possible comeback.

I know! It's not like the scene is making any effort at all to say she's correct. She doesn't know anything about the situation or Malfoy, Harry's not surprised to see him on the team, he plays fine--even his reaction to her is just to have his smugness flicker for a moment. He's not showing on his face that she found out his secret. It was just a good comeback.

[saylee.livejournal.com]

*Ron says Malfoy called Hermione the most insulting thing he could think of. Yup, that’s the idea. Though of course to her it’s not insulting at all, not having any sensitivity about being a Mudblood. Tons more things Malfoy could have said. He never picks on Hermione the way he could. (D/Hr shippers take note.)

It's weird, because Malfoy normally knows how to hit someone's sore spot.

[(Anonymous)]

i love how you are trying to justify racism because you like draco.
it's very unbiased.