OotP Chapter Seventeen

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

• The chapter title indicates we're getting into one of JKR's critiques of beaurocracy and society at large. Spoiler: the solution to all the problems of both is putting Harry and Hermione in charge of everything.



• Harry's happy there are people who don't think he's a lying weirdo. Harry is a very high-maintenance hero.



• Harry's happiness lasts a whole paragraph before being replaced by insides that are pulsing with rage(!!). ETA: I think his chest monster is gestating. So counting back, clearly Harry was impregnated with it at the Hogshead.



• Umbridge has disbanded all legitimate clubs, thus making Hermione's illegitimate club even more illegitimate if only that were possible. Yeah, I know Hermione spent a lot of page space in the previous chapter telling us their club was legitimate, but everybody knew it wasn't.



• You know, it's even more of a tragedy there's no real legal system in the WW because the one profession Hogwarts seems to really prepare students for is that of Defense Attorney. If there's one thing you learn here it's how to present whatever you do, from torture to assault to blackmail to murder as justified, correct and probably deserving of a medal.



• I find it refreshing the way Ron's suspicions are so transparently stupid and personal they can be seen as transparently stupid and personal without fear they're supposed to be objective. He just always assume it's the blokes he doesn't like what done it...even when Marietta begins wearing a tee-shirt to practices that says, "I find this all very dodgy and I'm getting ready to squeal."



• *sporfle* I'm sorry, did Ron just refer to Hermione as "honorable and trustworthy?" So much so that she can't imagine anyone being otherwise? It's the opposite, Ron. See also: Dumbledore, Albus.



• Note that he doesn't take it back when Hermione reveals she's put a disfiguring charm on the parchment without the knowledge of the suckers who signed it.



• Note also Hermione makes it seem as if said charm is actual useful in ways it isn't.



• I don't get why Harry lies to Prof. Binns about not feeling well. The whole class just saw him get his owl. Would a teacher really not let you take your hurt pet to get help?



• Then again, I'm still puzzling over why Hermione lied to Prof. McGonagall about why she was in the bathroom in PS/SS.



• Harry wishes Hagrid were here. Because he apparently wants to make this all that much worse.



• Thank goodness the bad guys can't actually take out something as big as an owl. Intercepting a letter's lot harder than taking over the world./*snerk



• ETA: Okay, they CAN take out an owl, at least if the owner helpfully traps it in a cage for them. Too bad Harry wasn't able to let Hedwig fly on her own in DH because...because then we wouldn't all learn an Important Lesson About Death.



• Hermione has figured out that somebody tried to intercept Hedwig. Thank God Sirius was using the special code language. "Same time, Same place," would read as total gibberish to somebody who wasn't in the know.



• And thank goodness Sirius was able to send this letter, at least, because it's not like he would be able to show up in the fireplace without warning like he did the last time.



• Btw, can the kids not use the fire themselves to warn Sirius?



• Malfoy's gone to Umbridge and she's given the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to play. Clearly evil is at work.



• Shouldn't Montague have gone to her since he's captain? Did it really require Ministry connections to be allowed to play Quidditch?



• Also, btw, I'd like to think that Draco used that interview with Umbridge to put his house forward to start using Umbridge to benefit Slytherin. He may have suggested the Squad himself when he saw how the woman responded to flattery and anti-Potter sentiments. ETA: Nah, that assumes far too many brains in Slytherin House. And too much ambition as well, sadly.



• This is where I started wondering if Neville was being affected by something, when he flew at Draco, because how would he have kept his secret for so long if he always flew at anyone who made a loony face? Surely this can't be the first time somebody's made a joke like Malfoy's in his presence. Would Harry hit someone for pretending to kill someone dead because his parents were...Oh wait, he probably would. And they'd deserve it too!



• Harry tells Neville that Crabbe and Goyle would have torn him apart so we know to give a) Neville credit for being very brave for moving to attack Malfoy and b) blame Crabbe and Goyle for tearing Neville apart even though they didn't actually lay a hand on him. Bastards.



• Umbridge mentions Snape's class is advanced...Snape's abilities as a teacher really get validated in this book.



• Not that this makes it any more horrible that he's given Harry more sleepless nights with more homework...though this is kind of diluted by the fact that we've already been told more than once that Hermione's managing far more work far more easily. Harry's drudgery is always surpassed by Hermione's normal life, so get over it, Harry.



• I have no idea why Hermione's nagging Harry not to skive off Divination when we know it's a joke class and she cares so little about it she told off the teacher and quit, especially when he's going to be working on a real class instead. Swot=/=brilliant genius.



• Poor Hermione, forced to live in perpetual Intervention-mode. It's kind of amazing she's never told off. Apparently the phrase, "What are you, my mother?" has never caught on in the WW.



• ETA: Sorry, that phrase obviously *has* caught on in the WW. Only there it's an expression of true love: "What are you, my mother? Oh my god, you are! Marry me and give me babies to name after her asap!"



• Neville slipped off his pouffe. I didn't know Malfoy was in this class. /*immaturity



• Good lord, someone's come up with a case for non-offensive response to magical attack? And lived to tell the tale? That's pinko commie Voldemort talk! F*****g Ghandi!



• I like it when Hermione is so blatantly harsh and mean about the stuff Fred and George know as being flashy and no use to anyone. Seriously, I like Hermione the best in this book when she's being openly judgmental and mean because it hints at a personality and some sort of motivation that might actually go somewhere. ETA: Not that it does, but I like Hermione when she's being a flawed character.



• Harry can't do his essay for Snape partially because Hermione is distracting him with all her sniffing and huffing, which would be really annoying. *Makes theory about Hermione purposefully sabotaging Harry to be sure to be needed.* (ETA: Which I later wrote on my lj.)



• Molly's warning about the DA is very appropriate. Go figure.



• Why doesn't Sirius Polyjuice himself into other people to walk around? Oh of course, it's the law of Wizard forgetfulness--you can only remember this stuff when it doesn't interfere with the plot.



• Dolores' stubby hand with lots of rings (old fashioned and ugly, just like women like her!) chases Sirius out of the scene and that's a great image.



• You'd think a Muggleborn would start itching for a mobile phone about now. For all their magic they're easily and completely cut off from everyone.

Next up is Dumbledore's Army and I'm queasy at the prospect.





Designated Hero
Harry and Hermione, King and Queen of the DA 4-evah!

IITS:
Was that note of Sirius' really necessary? Imagine if Hedwig had lost her life over "Same time, Same place." ETA: It would have been a far nobler and less pointless than the death she got.

Also: Sirius is a Wizard and they can't figure out any way he could leave the house without being captured? Really?

Informed Attributes
Honorable and trustworthy. ROTFL!

Final Score: 4

Comments

[kaskait.livejournal.com]

# Good lord, someone's come up with a case for non-offensive response to magical attack? And lived to tell the tale? That's pinko commie Voldemort talk! F*****g Ghandi!

Clearly someone has been smuggling in DANGEROUS books into the WW. Voldemort read them and went wild! Just proof that pacifists encourage Dark Lords.

# You'd think a Muggleborn would start itching for a mobile phone about now. For all their magic they're easily and completely cut off from everyone.

*sniff* Cell phones are sooooooo medieval. Especially when you can talk through fireplaces. Duh.

[(Anonymous)]

* Note also Hermione makes it seem as if said charm is actual useful in ways it isn't.

The first time I read this scene, I filed Hermione's actions under "school story ethics". Rough justice and all that. If someone's stealing Jimmy's candy, the reader's expected to point and laugh when the candy thief gets caught in Jimmy's elaborate trap that probably involves GBH. Fine. However, when you think about it, Hermione's secret jinx is in itself a betrayal of trust. It's a pre-emptive trap. Now, obviously she couldn't warn people before they sign, unless she's prepared to Obliviate anyone who chickens out. But why not afterwards? "Remember, you'll be very, very sorry if you tell. I mean it." I'm sure she'd be believed.

To be fair, that didn't really bother me at the time. The truly disturbing part is how the jinx doesn't work, and what it tells you about Hermione's, or rather JKR's priorities. It doesn't prevent the jinxee from speaking (Langlock, anyone?). It didn't even alert the DA that they'd been ratted out. Its one and only function is to punish the person who tells on them. Never mind that they all got caught, as long as Marietta's disfigured for life it's all good.

* ETA: Okay, they CAN take out an owl, at least if the owner helpfully traps it in a cage for them. Too bad Harry wasn't able to let Hedwig fly on her own in DH because...because then we wouldn't all learn an Important Lesson About Death.

The inimitable JKR touch again. She kills Harry's owl to show us how scary and terrible this war is, then asks the fans, "Why are you upset about this thing that I wrote to upset you? She was just an owl! You should be upset about the human who died!" I'd forgive her the note of surprise since after all, she did her best to make Hedwig as flat, wooden and furniture-like as she clearly finds all animals; but Moody was a far more minor character than Hedwig, and not particularly deep or likable either. Why is it hard to grasp that the hero's pet might mean more to readers than some borderline fascist old blowhard who Harry barely knew?

* Umbridge mentions Snape's class is advanced...Snape's abilities as a teacher really get validated in this book.

Snape must be one of the best teachers at Hogwarts. Which isn't saying much when you look at the competition, but if he'd leave off bullying individual students he'd be pretty good by normal Muggle standards. At least he wants all his students to do well, even if he's a jerk about it.

-L

[meritjubet.livejournal.com]

Note also Hermione makes it seem as if said charm is actual useful in ways it isn't.

Preemptive revenge. Now this sounds awfully familiar... wouldn't it be better if it caused the lips of the person to sew up? I mean, just as cruel, but actually kind of effective then. No, instead Hermione starts her own blacklist.

# I don't get why Harry lies to Prof. Binns about not feeling well. The whole class just saw him get his owl. Would a teacher really not let you take your hurt pet to get help?

Teachers are absolute innocents or undoubtedly evil. They cannot know that Voldemort is disfiguring pets. Because then, you know, they might actually do something about it. And that wouldn't help the plot, now would it? I think it's more a cliche that keeps Harry from telling the truth. Trust no one over 30 etc. But Binns, while boring, never actually seems like a horrible person. Ghost. Whatever.

This is where I started wondering if Neville was being affected by something, when he flew at Draco, because how would he have kept his secret for so long if he always flew at anyone who made a loony face?

This is where there is a hint of character development. Neville begins his long and torturous path to herodom. Unfortunately, most of it is cut from book 7 because Harry is the hero. Like, totally.

You'd think a Muggleborn would start itching for a mobile phone about now. For all their magic they're easily and completely cut off from everyone.

Still don't see how they have a system so much greater than the internet. What the hell? A world without anonymous trolling? It's nothing at all like the internet. Maybe email. But then it's slower, so better? Not by a long shot. And how come they have radio but not tv? Right, it's only fifty years old. Too modern.