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deathtocapslockYes, Chapter 9. Still behind schedule, remember?
Also, I've been bouncing ideas for an HP-related project in my head, so I'll occassionally include related notesin my increasingly desperate attention-whoring for the interested.
In Which we learn that cheating is only acceptable if you let your brainy friend do it for you.
- We start the proceedings with a scene that's probably meant to foreshadow R/Hr. I mean "probably" because if it were anyone else, you'd think Hermione's just being a bitch.
- Say hello to Lavender. Her main role in this book is to throw Ron a bone before his OTP finally comes to pass. No one ever pities her for this... in the book, I mean.
- Ron shows he's smarter than most give him credit for by having already come up with their alibi for not taking CoMC anymore. At least, I hope so, as obviously the problem was not the subject, but the way Hagrid teaches it.
- I know that this is the part where I have to sneer derisively at Neville "just needing confidence" to be any good, but really, it’s not like he did that much better than expected: Neville has always excelled in the study and care of plants phallic and vaginal alike, and his DADA grade is high becauseHarry-Stu needs to look good as a teacher he’s gonna be the one teacher to break the curse [/tinhat] had good teachers. His grades weren’t high enough to enter Potions or Transfig, which is both refreshing and relieving.
- Props to McGonnagal for giving Neville some brisk words of encouragement, thus making the best of their limited screen time. That still doesn’t cancel the fact that she was as bad to Neville as Snape in her own way back in PoA and GoF, though.
- Conveniently enough, Ron gets the same classes as Harry. Remember back in CoS, when Harry chose the same subjects as Ron? It’s probably the other way around in most people’s heads.
- Also conveniently enough, Harry is still primed to become an Auror, as predicted by everyone and their mother pre-HBP. I suppose we should be glad Snape wasn’t forced to lower his standards for Harry, all things considered.
- So why wasn’t Katie made captain, if she a) has seniority, and b) is more involved in the game? Oh, so we could get our instances of Leader Harry? Then why was the DA dropped? Oh, because JKR had grown bored of it? Ookay.
- Katie speaks some words of wisdom. Too bad Wood and Angelina never followed that advice and led their teams to victory anyway. Seriously, the Quidditch portion of the books might have been more interesting if Gryffindor didn’t always win, or if the other Houses actually had a stronger team.
(Note for future use: by using three POVs from different Houses, an author is met with the necessity of giving each hero an equal chance of victory, as well as the just-as-equal possibility of them all losing to the fourth House. This can be used for Quidditch as well as the House Cup, regardless of any hero participating in or even caring about such things.)
- First thought upon Snape’s décor for the DADA classroom: cheer up, emo kid.
- For all of Harry’s inner ranting, Snape at least manages to stay neutral regarding his five predecessors. Lord knows he could have gone on a lengthy lecture about how it’s a miracle anyone could have passed the OWLs after being taught by a spy posing as a nervous wreck, an incompetent fool, a self-pitying, self-serving werewolf, a mentally imbalanced double agent and a pencil pusher more interested in pursuing her agenda than in actually teaching. That might be because he’s a less-mentally imbalanced double agent and as prone to theatrics as half his predecessors, but still…
- Um, Harry? I’m sure you wouldn’t remember Snape’s speech from your first year, what with it being all of five years ago and all, but he was also speaking with a loving caress in his voice back then. It’s just his love for the subject showing through, as Hermione later implies.
- And once again, we are reminded of why Harry hates Snape: because rather than ignoring the Trio’s shortcomings (Hermione memorizing the books rather than actually learning from them, Harry’s apathetic approach towards most endeavors), he points them out. You know, anyone else would have used those weaknesses against you, people.
- Interestingly enough, today’s instance of Ron So Pathetic is a result of his refusing to cheat in this class. The message, apparently, is that Cheaters Always Prosper.
- Lame as the “no need to call me ‘sir’” line is, Snape left himself open for that one; he would have avoided this had he said “Yes, what?” instead. Maybe he just wanted to give him detention and maneuvered him to say it?
- Plot bunny: “Chosen One” has been adopted as a term of ridicule among the Slytherin House.
- It’s heavily implied that Hermione helps Harry and Ron with their DADA homework, thus confirming the prior message. I’m more shocked that they didn’t leave it to the last moment; it’s what most teenagers do, right?
- The Potions NEWT class is composed of 4 Slyths, 4 ‘Claws, 3 Gryffs and a ‘Puff. I wonder if this causes people in Slytherin and Ravenclaw to believe that the other two Houses are actually half a competent House.
- Slughorn’s belly precedes him out of the door. Did I forget to mention that he’s fat?
- Harry takes a whiff of the Love Potion. Somehow it reminded him simultaneously of treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick handle, and something flowery he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow. Word that starts in “T” and ends with “-cle” + wood + flowers = gay. Just sayin’.
- Also, freshly mown grass + new parchment = control freak. I’m guessing the third factor was a well-polished badge.
- Draco, don’t underestimate the power of obsessive love; it will tear you from the inside later on. Literally.
- “Giddiness, recklessness and dangerous overconfidence”? And Slughorn is offering it to teenagers? If Felix Felicis weren’t a Deus Ex Pocima, this would not have ended well.
- Or maybe, since they are teenagers, they’re immune to the side effects of Felix Felicis. Food for thought.
- Appropriately enough, the Draught of Living Death was the very first potion mentioned by Snape back in PS/SS. The process used seems rather different to the one described by Snape back then, but maybe they’re just doing the “infusion of wormwood” part.
- Harry first finds the HBP’s scribbling annoying, yet comes to appreciate them the moment it proves itself greatly useful to him. Just like with Hermione, Neville and Luna.
- It looked as though Malfoy would have to rely on nothing but talent to win the bottle of Felix Felicis. Harry, meanwhile, would rely on nothing but the notes inscribed on his borrowed book.
- Admittedly, I have no problem with Harry making use of additional notes to improve his craft. The problem is that, he doesn’t quite do so. Rather than learning from the notes and gaining enough of an interest in the subject so as to become good in Potions, he depends on the notes to be good at Potions.
- So what, that flowery smell was from Ginny’s hair shampoo? It goes well with Harry’s hair fetish, at least.
- The implied reference to the diary is the only mention to Ginny’s past plot involvement in this book. Honestly, I can’t blame Harry forgetting her being taken over by Horcrux!Riddle, if she rarely makes an effort at taking part on the group’s Voldemort-related conversations.
Next up: Harry and Dumbledore venture into the Deep South! Or what passes for it in Wizarding Britain.
Also, I've been bouncing ideas for an HP-related project in my head, so I'll occassionally include related notes
In Which we learn that cheating is only acceptable if you let your brainy friend do it for you.
- We start the proceedings with a scene that's probably meant to foreshadow R/Hr. I mean "probably" because if it were anyone else, you'd think Hermione's just being a bitch.
- Say hello to Lavender. Her main role in this book is to throw Ron a bone before his OTP finally comes to pass. No one ever pities her for this... in the book, I mean.
- Ron shows he's smarter than most give him credit for by having already come up with their alibi for not taking CoMC anymore. At least, I hope so, as obviously the problem was not the subject, but the way Hagrid teaches it.
- I know that this is the part where I have to sneer derisively at Neville "just needing confidence" to be any good, but really, it’s not like he did that much better than expected: Neville has always excelled in the study and care of plants phallic and vaginal alike, and his DADA grade is high because
- Props to McGonnagal for giving Neville some brisk words of encouragement, thus making the best of their limited screen time. That still doesn’t cancel the fact that she was as bad to Neville as Snape in her own way back in PoA and GoF, though.
- Conveniently enough, Ron gets the same classes as Harry. Remember back in CoS, when Harry chose the same subjects as Ron? It’s probably the other way around in most people’s heads.
- Also conveniently enough, Harry is still primed to become an Auror, as predicted by everyone and their mother pre-HBP. I suppose we should be glad Snape wasn’t forced to lower his standards for Harry, all things considered.
- So why wasn’t Katie made captain, if she a) has seniority, and b) is more involved in the game? Oh, so we could get our instances of Leader Harry? Then why was the DA dropped? Oh, because JKR had grown bored of it? Ookay.
- Katie speaks some words of wisdom. Too bad Wood and Angelina never followed that advice and led their teams to victory anyway. Seriously, the Quidditch portion of the books might have been more interesting if Gryffindor didn’t always win, or if the other Houses actually had a stronger team.
(Note for future use: by using three POVs from different Houses, an author is met with the necessity of giving each hero an equal chance of victory, as well as the just-as-equal possibility of them all losing to the fourth House. This can be used for Quidditch as well as the House Cup, regardless of any hero participating in or even caring about such things.)
- First thought upon Snape’s décor for the DADA classroom: cheer up, emo kid.
- For all of Harry’s inner ranting, Snape at least manages to stay neutral regarding his five predecessors. Lord knows he could have gone on a lengthy lecture about how it’s a miracle anyone could have passed the OWLs after being taught by a spy posing as a nervous wreck, an incompetent fool, a self-pitying, self-serving werewolf, a mentally imbalanced double agent and a pencil pusher more interested in pursuing her agenda than in actually teaching. That might be because he’s a less-mentally imbalanced double agent and as prone to theatrics as half his predecessors, but still…
- Um, Harry? I’m sure you wouldn’t remember Snape’s speech from your first year, what with it being all of five years ago and all, but he was also speaking with a loving caress in his voice back then. It’s just his love for the subject showing through, as Hermione later implies.
- And once again, we are reminded of why Harry hates Snape: because rather than ignoring the Trio’s shortcomings (Hermione memorizing the books rather than actually learning from them, Harry’s apathetic approach towards most endeavors), he points them out. You know, anyone else would have used those weaknesses against you, people.
- Interestingly enough, today’s instance of Ron So Pathetic is a result of his refusing to cheat in this class. The message, apparently, is that Cheaters Always Prosper.
- Lame as the “no need to call me ‘sir’” line is, Snape left himself open for that one; he would have avoided this had he said “Yes, what?” instead. Maybe he just wanted to give him detention and maneuvered him to say it?
- Plot bunny: “Chosen One” has been adopted as a term of ridicule among the Slytherin House.
- It’s heavily implied that Hermione helps Harry and Ron with their DADA homework, thus confirming the prior message. I’m more shocked that they didn’t leave it to the last moment; it’s what most teenagers do, right?
- The Potions NEWT class is composed of 4 Slyths, 4 ‘Claws, 3 Gryffs and a ‘Puff. I wonder if this causes people in Slytherin and Ravenclaw to believe that the other two Houses are actually half a competent House.
- Slughorn’s belly precedes him out of the door. Did I forget to mention that he’s fat?
- Harry takes a whiff of the Love Potion. Somehow it reminded him simultaneously of treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick handle, and something flowery he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow. Word that starts in “T” and ends with “-cle” + wood + flowers = gay. Just sayin’.
- Also, freshly mown grass + new parchment = control freak. I’m guessing the third factor was a well-polished badge.
- Draco, don’t underestimate the power of obsessive love; it will tear you from the inside later on. Literally.
- “Giddiness, recklessness and dangerous overconfidence”? And Slughorn is offering it to teenagers? If Felix Felicis weren’t a Deus Ex Pocima, this would not have ended well.
- Or maybe, since they are teenagers, they’re immune to the side effects of Felix Felicis. Food for thought.
- Appropriately enough, the Draught of Living Death was the very first potion mentioned by Snape back in PS/SS. The process used seems rather different to the one described by Snape back then, but maybe they’re just doing the “infusion of wormwood” part.
- Harry first finds the HBP’s scribbling annoying, yet comes to appreciate them the moment it proves itself greatly useful to him. Just like with Hermione, Neville and Luna.
- It looked as though Malfoy would have to rely on nothing but talent to win the bottle of Felix Felicis. Harry, meanwhile, would rely on nothing but the notes inscribed on his borrowed book.
- Admittedly, I have no problem with Harry making use of additional notes to improve his craft. The problem is that, he doesn’t quite do so. Rather than learning from the notes and gaining enough of an interest in the subject so as to become good in Potions, he depends on the notes to be good at Potions.
- So what, that flowery smell was from Ginny’s hair shampoo? It goes well with Harry’s hair fetish, at least.
- The implied reference to the diary is the only mention to Ginny’s past plot involvement in this book. Honestly, I can’t blame Harry forgetting her being taken over by Horcrux!Riddle, if she rarely makes an effort at taking part on the group’s Voldemort-related conversations.
Next up: Harry and Dumbledore venture into the Deep South! Or what passes for it in Wizarding Britain.
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