Deathly Hallows, chapter 5

[anehan]

Fallen Warrior

* Well, that was boring.

...

All right, all right, I'll do it properly.

* Hagrid is alive. Damn. For a moment, I got hopeful there.

* The Order has placed protective charms on the Tonkses' houses. These charms seem to be able to keep Voldemort away, so why aren't all crucial places protected like this? How come the Death Eaters can get to the Ministry, Hogwarts, the Weasleys, you name it? Why did Amelia Bones die in her home if this kind of protective charms existed?

* Harry wallows in guilt. If something happened to anyone else, it would be his fault for endagering them, never mind that the plan wasn't his idea. Am I the only one who thinks JKR put this charming little display of guilt there so that the readers could assure themselves that of course Harry wasn't guilty of anything wrong, no indeed?

* If JKR wanted to convince me of Harry's ability to feel guilt, maybe she should have made him feel guilty when he really was guilty. Like when he, say, cast the Cruciatus Curse.

* Ted calls Andromeda Dromeda. My, what a hideous nickname. It's a bit too close to "dromedar" for my comfort; it makes me think that Andromeda looks like a camel.

* You know, it just occured to me to wonder why the Order permitted Hermione and Ron take part in this rescue mission. Previously, they've been all about protecting them, even to absurd lenghts. What's changed now?

* Harry is sure no one in the Order would have betrayed him. Considering the fate of his parents, his trust is touching. And by "touching" I mean "naïve".

* George's ear can't be restored, because it's been cursed off. Sounds like something JKR came up with just to make her heroes' life more difficult.

* Molly says she can't make George's ear to grow back, which seems to suggest that in ordinary circumstances she'd be able to do it. I always thought something like growing body-parts back would be a Healer's job.

* Aha! So Sectumsempra is Dark Magic. It still doesn't tell us what this ever-so-dangerous Dark Magic is. The distinction between ordinary and Dark magic has always seemed quite stupid to me. Even the most innocuous charm can be used harmfully.

* "Always the tone of surprise," Ron said. If only he could keep this up he'd be a much more interesting character. Unfortunately JKR seems to find it necessary to make him as stupid as she can, probably to make Harry look better. A guy's got to be really dumb to be dumber than Harry.

* Mad-Eye's dead. Why, of why couldn't it have been Hagrid.

* I really hate Fleur's pseudo-French accent. She's been in England for two years now. One would think she had lost most of it by now.

* "'Ear, 'ear." Very funny. Not.

* "The suddenness and completeness of death was with them like a presence." Now this, this is funny.

* Harry's histrionics are rather amusing as well. Yes, Harry, you've got to leave because your presence puts the others in danger. Never mind that they have chosen to fight this far. Not everything is about you, you know.

* Such a drama-queen, Harry is. One more thing he has in common with Voldemort, in addition of both being orphans, Parselmouths and addicted to the Cruciatus Curse, among other things.

* No one has heard of a wand performing magic on its own. They just haven't met Harry's wand. It's pretty much got to be special since Harry is so dumb he can't tie his shoelaces. Someone's got to know what to do.

* After an obligatory Cruciatus scene (one would think Harry would have enjoyed that, but no, Harry only enjoys Cruciatus Curses he himself casts) the chapter ends. Finally.

* See, I told you. It was boring.



Box Picture:
Harry Potter is The Tortured Hero.

Ken and Andrew's Rule of Plotholes:
Why isn't every place protected by the Order's protective charms?

Selling Wood:
Oh Harry, how tortured you are.

Final score: 3 Why, oh why does nothing happen in these chapters? I'm going crazy here.

Comments

Rant on the Lupin Scene

[cressida0201.livejournal.com]

This is the right chapter, right? I'm not near my book and don't really want to pick it up again anyway. Allow me to reiterate a rant I made about the exchange between Harry and Lupin on a message board last fall:

"In the first place, you're telling me that of all the wizards in the wizarding world, Harry is the only one who sees the value of a spell like expelliarmus and uses it extensively? When it's apparently the standard duelling spell and simple enough that a second-year student can do it? When it supposedly makes you the Rightful Owner of every wand ever owned by the defeated wizard?! (Arrgh, don't get me started on how lame the whole 'wand mastery' thing is!) You're saying no other wizard USES it?

"In the second place, if expelliarmus really is Harry's trademark spell, then why not just TELL all the polyjuiced Potters to use it if they're cornered?

"In the third place, when did Lupin turn into such a ruthless pragmatist? He sounded more like Sirius than like the Lupin of PoA. I'd also be very interested to know just what spell he would have liked Harry to cast instead, given that Harry was trying not to kill someone on a broom. Or does it not matter to him (or JKR) because he and Harry are on the right side, so anything they do is okay?!

"In the fourth place, how can Harry be so sure that Stan's not a Death Eater?! (ETA: You know, in my personal version of canon, Stan is a DE and Harry's just wrong. JKR never said it wasn't so. But please, nobody ask her about it in an interview or she'll certainly say Harry was right.)

"In the fifth place, the whole reason for this scene is apparently to establish that Harry's too noble to use Voldemort's dirty tricks, even when it would be to his advantage to do so. This idea comes back when Harry uses expelliarmus again during his final showdown with Voldemort. So what on EARTH is Harry doing merrily casting Unforgiveables left and right in between those two scenes? Without remorse or any deliberation about whether it's a good idea? And being praised for it?!

"Not only do the later books contradict the messages of the earlier ones, but sometimes DH alone contradicts its own messages!"

Re: Rant on the Lupin Scene

[anehan]

Rant away! This is indeed the right chapter.

I agree with you re: expelliarmus. It just makes no sense. If you don't want to hurt your opponent, expelliarmus is the most logical spell to cast, since wizards seem unable to do anything without a wand.

You know, in my personal version of canon, Stan is a DE and Harry's just wrong.

I agree. Why would the DEs take an imperio'd person to such a delicate mission? Moreover, why imperio someone like Stan? It's not like he can be much use to them.

Re: Rant on the Lupin Scene

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

Au Contraire, I should think the conductor of the Knight Bus would be able to pass on a fair bit of useful information as to who is moving around and away from home. (And likely to be so for a while since they either; a. can't Apparate well enough to get a license, or have lost their wand; b. haven't access to a Floo.)

Until the trio mentioned Voldemort's name and gave the DE-run Ministry a closer fix on where they were, it was probably Stan who had passed on word of there being an order hideout in Grimmauld Pl. Since that's where Hermione went for Xmas break in OotP and where the whole lot of the trio and the rest of the Weasleys caught the KBus from #12 back to Hogwarts.

Re: Rant on the Lupin Scene

[tdotm.livejournal.com]

Excellent Point! It was cunning how JKR wove this possibility into the fabric of her story. I shared the Trio's uncertainty throughout DH as to whether Stan was imperiused into helping the DEs, or succumbed to bribery and promises of great wealth if he co-operated. Their concern of how much he'd picked up and passed on, and the possible ramifications, chilled me whenever it was raised.

I admired (as everyone does) Harry's true goodness of heart that he supported Stan at every turn, no matter what the end result might be.

I loved the counter story where Percy was taking such great risks, with no support, in order to help the Order without a smidgeon of gratitude (indeed he was roundly despised). I thought it brilliant of JKR how she made Harry care for the DE traitor, but hate the Order spy! I loved how all the different threads in this book came together in a suprising and satisfying whole. Or am I thinking of Prisoner of Azkaban?

I really really need a roll eye smiley - I think it might get some use over the next few weeks.

Re: Rant on the Lupin Scene

[(Anonymous)]

I can see why Stan might be Imperiused to give information - the bit about Hermione taking the Knight Bus to Grimmauld Place never occurred to me, and it makes so much sense! - but I don't think the DEs would take an Imperiused stooge on the mission to capture Harry Potter. Stan might have gotten in too deep between an original Imperius and his bragging at the QWC, but by the time he's on the broom in Surrey, blank look or not, I think he's been voluntarily marked.

Re: Rant on the Lupin Scene

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

That was me. Trying out a new browser and I think it hates me.

I just thought of Point #6

[cressida0201.livejournal.com]

Reading through the deadlyhollow sporking of this chapter, I just realized something else about this scene which doesn't make sense:

Lupin looked aghast. "Harry, the time for Disarming is past! These people are trying to capture and kill you! At least Stun if you aren't prepared to kill!"

Exactly why is the time for Disarming past? Hasn't it been established quite firmly in the series that a wizard without his wand is incapable of doing magic? What is a wandless DE going to do--ram into Harry on his broom? It's not like they are likely to be carrying guns or anything like that.

Re: I just thought of Point #6

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

Can a wandless wizard even keep a broom in the air?

Re: I just thought of Point #6

[cressida0201.livejournal.com]

Harry seems to think so...but then, we never see Stan after this, do we? Maybe Harry killed him after all!

Re: I just thought of Point #6

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

I think they can. There isn't a wand movement or latin incantation to make a broom fly. Just the commant of "Up". And you need both hands for Quidditch, so no wands necessary.

Re: I just thought of Point #6

[anehan]

Besides, IIRC it's especially mentioned when Harry, in PoA, takes his wand with him to a Quidditch match, so I'm guessing Quidditch players don't habitually carry their wands with them during a match.

Re: I just thought of Point #6

[cressida0201.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, and didn't QttA say that wizards were forbidden to use wands on the Quidditch pitch?

Re: I just thought of Point #6

[(Anonymous)]

Well, Our Heroes always managed to surprise their opponents by physical attacks when disarmed or otherwise not in position to use wands and Greyback seemed to be dangerous without casting either. Also, disarmed folks tend to retrieve their wands and return into the fray.
But that's only a part of the whole combat system problem - the way it was described, there is no reason for folks to use anything other than Stunners, Shield Charms and Avadas, if they are evil, in a fight. Everything else is just too inefficient. So, basically non-murderous kids learn everything there is to fighting by their 4th or 5th year and that's that.