CoS Chapter Eight

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

*Ginny’s already looking peaky—does she have a cold, or is it a touch of evil?

*Pepper-up potion is a cold remedy, not speed, as it so often becomes in fanfic.

*Percy bullies Ginny into taking some Potion. Another sign this is Ginny I. Ginny II can’t be bullied into anything, and Percy would probably have gotten a feminist rant for his trouble.

*Not that he doesn’t deserve it. He’s so obviously evil here.

*Fred and George are spying on the Slytherin team. Have we ever actually heard of the Slytherin team spying? It seems like it’s constantly hinted at, darkly, as the kind of underhanded thing they’d do while the ones who actually do it are the Twins. Who do it in a noble, straightforward way.

*Oddly, after spying, Fred and George bring back no tales of how bad Malfoy is, having bought his way onto the team. He’s just yet another green blur in the air.

*By the way, the unfairness of the Slytherins’ speed should in no way be taken to apply to Harry on his own Nimbus 2000.

*Harry runs into Nick, who is wearing a ruff. I guess ghosts can still shop after they’re dead, because I don’t think Elizabethan ruffs were worn in 1492.

*Call me a mean Slytherin, but I’m siding with Sir Properly-Decapitated Podmore on the Headless Hunt. If the point is that you can use your head for things other than a head because it’s not attached to your neck, Nick doesn’t qualify, and I’m not sure why he wants to join it anyway. What, the "Ghosts With Heads League " isn’t good enough for him?

*Filch has to clean frog brains off the ceilings, even though other people can do that with magic. Kind of makes you wonder why the Squib has to have the cleaning-up job, doesn’t it? Isn’t cleaning exactly the kind of job magic takes care of? I’d imagine Squibs would be more valuable doing brain-jobs like accounting, even in magical places.

*Oh wait, I forgot. If you can’t do magic you must also be stupid and unable to handle anything except menial labor.

*What exactly is foul about Filch’s cat?

*Having been forced to do chores at the Dursleys, and having grown up with Petunia Dursley, Harry is of course properly contrite about tracking mud through hallways Filch is going to have to clean, right?

*Filch has an office, which is pretty flash for a janitor.

*I won’t ask why it smells like fried fish.

*What the hell, I will ask. I suppose it’s because Filch has to eat in there because he’s not given a seat in the actual dining room? (Cats generally don’t like their fish fried.)

*Little Harry Potter followed the janitor to the cramped room in the basement of the school. "My office," he said, his hand sweeping around the cramped boiler filled with filing cabinets in which he’d obsessively chronicled punishments he’d given to boys of the school over the years, and piles of dog-eared porn magazines. Beside the cabinets were instruments of torture. Little Harry began to suspect he’d come to the basement with a very bad man.

*Peeves lives to cause havoc and distress, which means he’s a good guy.

*Reading about the Kwickspell course, Harry wonders if Filch isn’t a "proper Wizard." Funny, because it makes me wonder about Wizard education. The course is in Beginner Magic for adults.

*Well, reading Filch’s reaction to Harry seeing his Kwickspell course I can now totally see that Hagrid was in no way being a bigot when he calls Filch a Squib. Being a Squib clearly isn’t something that one feels ashamed about, or that one has to hide in the Wizarding World. Filch is going red and twisting his hands together in a proud way.

*It was Nick who persuaded Peeves to crash the Vanishing Cabinet to save Harry. I so love that every single step of the Plan That Killed Dumbledore except one was done by Gryffindors. Well, except two.

*Is Nick particularly fond of the Trio? Or is he just compelled to give them a chance to show how tolerant of outcasts they are compared to the rest of the school?

*I’d think all of Gryffindor would have fun with an annual Deathday party for their school ghost, even if they didn’t hold it exactly on Halloween.

*Oh, my bad. Nick wants Harry at his party because he’s famous. I’m sure this will just make Harry furious.

*If being to a Deathday party is a rare treat for the living, how come Nick makes it seem like nobody wants to come?

*Fred and George, those lovable japes, torture an animal for the amusement of the other kids. Hang a bunny next, boys, please do!

*Speaking of torturing animals, the Hall’s been decorated with live bats, which I assume have been stapled to the walls so they don’t fly around getting stuck in peoples’ hair and pooing in the food.

*Funny that Wizard Halloween is the same as Muggle Halloween, right down to the New World pumpkins.

*Oh, tell me there aren’t loads of teenagers who wouldn’t want to go to Nick’s party. A midnight blue chandelier and black candles? It’s like Goth Heaven in there! Are Slytherins the only ones who appreciate spooky beauty?

*Of course, one does wonder why Nick’s tastes have suddenly run to squeaky music and black since he died. You’d think as a ghost he’d just want things the way they were when he was alive.

*And there’s the Bloody Baron being totally shunned by the other ghosts. If there’s one character I’d like to learn more about and talk to in DH, it’s him.

*But not if it turns out he’s spent the last 7 years wishing he were friends with the Trio.

*Would rotting food have a stronger flavor of food or just of rot? In my experience stale cake has less flavor than fresh cake.

*I know I asked this before, but Nick wants these three humans out of all the world at his Deathday party why?

*If Nick doesn’t like the Headless Hunt, why does he invite them to his party?

*Where, btw, they do prove that Nick would be sort of useless. I mean, maybe they could make him an honorary member, give him the ghost equivalent of a letterman jacket in headlessness, but he wouldn’t be able to do much during their show.

*Ron’s still the smartest at this stage of the game. I love that he just tells Harry and Hermione they don’t want to be found with the cat.

*Oh, come on. There’s a whole crowd of people just standing there silently. You couldn’t expect Draco to not leap into the spotlight, could you?





Box Picture
The main point of the Deathday party being to introduce Myrtle and use up our cameos. I’m sure Buster Keaton was in there somewhere.

Hero’s Death Battle Exemption
You know it must be working on Harry because he’s still alive after years of being the kind of child who says, "The invisible murderer is going to kill somebody! Let’s follow him!"

Nut o’ Fun
Rumor has it that Dumbledore has "booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for entertainment" at his Halloween party. Wouldn’t re-animated corpses be considered Dark Magic? Or is that only if there’s flesh on them?

Final score: 3

Signs of things to come: Hmmm…I’m alone in somebody’s office and there seems to be something private on the desk. Better check they aren’t about to walk in and snoop! VANISHING CABINET!!! Is it me, or does the Malfoy kid seem a bit deranged in close proximity to Dark Magic? And not in the "OMG, I can’t wait to do this to somebody myself" way. Harry suspects an act of monstrous violence is going down, and runs off to get in on it.

Comments

[papier.livejournal.com]

Harry runs into Nick, who is wearing a ruff. I guess ghosts can still shop after they’re dead, because I don’t think Elizabethan ruffs were worn in 1492.

Oh dear, history.

Call me a mean Slytherin, but I’m siding with Sir Properly-Decapitated Podmore on the Headless Hunt. If the point is that you can use your head for things other than a head because it’s not attached to your neck, Nick doesn’t qualify, and I’m not sure why he wants to join it anyway. What, the "Ghosts With Heads League " isn’t good enough for him?

Well, you couldn't possibly expect a Gryffindor to put logic before a chance to be victorious at something.

What the hell, I will ask. I suppose it’s because Filch has to eat in there because he’s not given a seat in the actual dining room? (Cats generally don’t like their fish fried.)

That's not remniscient of segregation. Not one bit.

Peeves lives to cause havoc and distress, which means he’s a good guy.

Except when he causes havoc for the darling trio. I do have a soft spot for him though, being pretty much the only canon H/L shipper.

Reading about the Kwickspell course, Harry wonders if Filch isn’t a "proper Wizard." Funny, because it makes me wonder about Wizard education. The course is in Beginner Magic for adults.

I can imagine a lot of Harry's generation having to take adult courses in COMC.

Oh, tell me there aren’t loads of teenagers who wouldn’t want to go to Nick’s party. A midnight blue chandelier and black candles? It’s like Goth Heaven in there! Are Slytherins the only ones who appreciate spooky beauty?

Hey, if we can't wear our leather trousers and eyeliner, we're not going! Though judging by the bad music it does seem as though he's at least managed to book My Chemical Romance. ooooh, burn

Ron’s still the smartest at this stage of the game. I love that he just tells Harry and Hermione they don’t want to be found with the cat.

"I've created a monster, c'os nobody wants to see Harry no more, they want Ron, he's chopped liver!" Cries JKR, before resolving to dumb him down in the sequel and blame it on puberty.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Except when he causes havoc for the darling trio. I do have a soft spot for him though, being pretty much the only canon H/L shipper.

Hee! Everybody has an opinion on Harry's love life.

"I've created a monster, c'os nobody wants to see Harry no more, they want Ron, he's chopped liver!" Cries JKR, before resolving to dumb him down in the sequel and blame it on puberty.

I so miss snarky!smart!Ron with his clueless friends...

[kaskait.livejournal.com]

*Peeves lives to cause havoc and distress, which means he’s a good guy.

Obviously, Peeves is "the power he knows not".

*Funny that Wizard Halloween is the same as Muggle Halloween, right down to the New World pumpkins.

Stupid Muggles and their evil pumpkin imperial designs of ultimate power.

*Ron’s still the smartest at this stage of the game. I love that he just tells Harry and Hermione they don’t want to be found with the cat.

Poor Ron.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Stupid Muggles and their evil pumpkin imperial designs of ultimate power.

I forgot they were giant pumpkins. That makes them so much cooler.

In fact, what is the obsession Wizards have with pumpkins that they even drink it as juice? They're like Baldrick from BlackadderIII with his turnips.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I sure hope Jo's gotta a whopper of surprise for this character up her sleeve. My only guess: he'll have some interesting info regarding Dumbledore's Tower Tumble night.

I was pathetically hopeful in OotP when Nick started speaking so well of him.

[mmmarcusz.livejournal.com]

Anyway, the Bloody Baron's tale of how he got bloody is dull and cliched. Noodle Incidents should remain in the imagination.

[(Anonymous)]

By the way, the unfairness of the Slytherins’ speed should in no way be taken to apply to Harry on his own Nimbus 2000.

Especially when you consider that Seeker is the only position where the quality of the broom makes a major difference. If Harry played on a school broom his victory would mean something. Except then Draco would win because he'd have the better broom *and* years of training over Harry.

Filch has to clean frog brains off the ceilings, even though other people can do that with magic. Kind of makes you wonder why the Squib has to have the cleaning-up job, doesn’t it?

Let's make the arthritic old man clean the castle without magic when there are, like, 500 house-elves who could do it for him. It's all he's fit for, the loser.

Fred and George, those lovable japes, torture an animal for the amusement of the other kids. Hang a bunny next, boys, please do!

See now, this is why little Tom wasn't a favorite with the other orphans. He kept the fun to himself like a big meaniehead.

But you can't fault F&G's logic. Obviously a salamander will like fireworks because it lives in fire. Like butterflies live in butter.

Hmmm…I’m alone in somebody’s office and there seems to be something private on the desk. Better check they aren’t about to walk in and snoop!

I love how Harry never has the slightest doubt or twinge of conscience about invading people's privacy. This one can't be blamed on his bad upbringing, as I'm pretty sure Petunia would have enlightened him on the subject the first time she caught him examining her Mini-Pills.

-L

[ellecain.livejournal.com]

I love how Harry never has the slightest doubt or twinge of conscience about invading people's privacy.

Oh, but he was just doing it out of curiosity, which makes him good. Unlike Umbridge who read his mail in OOtP because she thought some kid was making up rumors to frighten the general public - which is totally evil.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Let's make the arthritic old man clean the castle without magic when there are, like, 500 house-elves who could do it for him. It's all he's fit for, the loser.

LOL. It's really one of those places where you run into trouble trying to just mirror the Muggle world.

I love how Harry never has the slightest doubt or twinge of conscience about invading people's privacy. This one can't be blamed on his bad upbringing, as I'm pretty sure Petunia would have enlightened him on the subject the first time she caught him examining her Mini-Pills.

I know! Not that I wouldn't be just as big of a snoop as Harry, but he does manage to stumble on all the worst stuff he could find. One day he'll walk in on two people having sex and it will cure him forever.

[saylee.livejournal.com]

*Harry runs into Nick, who is wearing a ruff. I guess ghosts can still shop after they’re dead, because I don’t think Elizabethan ruffs were worn in 1492.

Though there must be some clause in there that says they can only shop for a century or so, because there must be more comfortable fashions than ruffs.

*What the hell, I will ask. I suppose it’s because Filch has to eat in there because he’s not given a seat in the actual dining room? (Cats generally don’t like their fish fried.)

I bet he has to clean that dining room, though. I hope, for Filch's sake, that he eats in his office by choice, because he doesn't like the students or the other staff.

*I’d think all of Gryffindor would have fun with an annual Deathday party for their school ghost, even if they didn’t hold it exactly on Halloween.

I'm going to pretend that the Slytherins hold a Deathday party for the Bloody Baron in style. The highlight of the evening is Draco's dramatic reenactment of the Baron's death scene.

*Would rotting food have a stronger flavor of food or just of rot? In my experience stale cake has less flavor than fresh cake.

I think it would depend on the type of food. Rotting apples, for instance would taste stronger, stale cake would have less taste.

Is it me, or does the Malfoy kid seem a bit deranged in close proximity to Dark Magic? And not in the "OMG, I can’t wait to do this to somebody myself" way.

I thought the same thing. He seems a little off.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Though there must be some clause in there that says they can only shop for a century or so, because there must be more comfortable fashions than ruffs.

I know--how come the other ghosts aren't in random clothing from other time periods? You'd think the ruff would just irritate that neck wound.

I'm going to pretend that the Slytherins hold a Deathday party for the Bloody Baron in style. The highlight of the evening is Draco's dramatic reenactment of the Baron's death scene.

Oh, please, yes! And of course there's an epic poem about the whole affair.

I thought the same thing. He seems a little off.

I love me some Mad Mad Mad Malfoy.

[ellecain.livejournal.com]

You know it must be working on Harry because he’s still alive after years of being the kind of child who says, "The invisible murderer is going to kill somebody! Let’s follow him!"

Heh. And then in PoA he gets that fab line: Why would I want to go looking for someone I know wants to kill me?".

Yeah Harry, where would Arthur get an idea like that? It's not like you *chose* to go get the Philosopher's Stone when you knew the madman who killed your parents was after it. Or walked into the Chamber of Secrets when you knew there was a Basilisk inside which kills with just one look.

Honestly, Harry seems to have almost suicidal tendencies in the first few books. That is, until HBP where these tendencies transform from suicidal to homicidal.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Heh. And then in PoA he gets that fab line: Why would I want to go looking for someone I know wants to kill me?".

LOL! Yes. Um, Harry? Because that's what you do.

[mmmarcusz.livejournal.com]

Honestly, Harry seems to have almost suicidal tendencies in the first few books. That is, until HBP where these tendencies transform from suicidal to homicidal.

See, there IS character progression! He's like a soldier in boot camp, gradually learning to transfer hatred of himself and his situation into hatred of "the enemy". Dumbledore, you genius!