Halfway through the book...
Dec. 16th, 2005 10:40 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslock...and I did tell my flist I'd be putting up this chapter, so here you go.
*It's Christmas in the book now, how very timely. Apparently, the Great Hall requires twelve Christmas trees. I imagine they're charmed to stop any shedding, or that'd be a fuck of a lot of needles for poor Filch to sweep up (and I just imagined Mrs. Norris getting needles in her little paws :( )
*There's also mistletoe, with girls gathered underneath waiting for Harry. I suspect the other people in the school are curiously unsympathetic. In fact, I find myself curiously unsympathetic. It's not even as if they block his way - he knows Secret Passages. So it's just less sexy people that can't get past. Come to think of it, what the hell were they thinking to hang mistletoe up in school corridors anyway? Considering it seems to have the same significance in Hogwarts as it does in modern Muggle cultures (otherwise the girls wouldn't be crowding under it), you'd think a supposedly respectable school would seek to avoid this sort of thing. I guess our "beloved" headmaster thought it'd be just the ticket to inspire love and kindness. Try telling that to someone who can't get to the lavatory because the corridor's blocked by a group of mad girls waiting for Harry Potter.
*Ron is more cheerful since getting attention from Lavender. Harry is resentful of having to "put up with" Lavender, who "seemed to regard any moment she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted". Nobody will say anything to Harry when he's in the period of regarding any moment he's not kissing Ginny as a moment wasted. After all, this is perfectly natural.
*Ron still has scratches from Hermione's tiny canaries. As others have said, I don't think they could have done that scene with Ron and Hermione's roles switched, because people would regard that as a shame and Ron as a violent beast.
*Hermione, meanwhile, cares so little about what Ron is doing that she can't bear to be in his presence lest she is engulfed by waves of indifference. Or something. Anyway, she's in a dignified strop right now, which clearly proves that she and Ron are MFEO blah blah.
*Yet again, Harry has learned more from the HBP "than Snape or Slughorn have taught me". Foreshadowing - it smells like cheese. Or maybe that's just my spaghetti topping.
*Hermione warns Harry of Romilda Vane's love potions. Again, it would clearly be played for shock value if a man were to slip a love potion into the food or drink of a girl. Don't we get warned about people who do stuff like that? If we found in book seven that someone (please don't say "Snape") had done something like that to a female (*weep*), the whole fandom would explode like a pustulent infection about how such and such Bad Man was "clearly a rapist".
*They're Fred and George's love potions, incidently, and "probably work". How useful that these boys spend their time and Harry's ill-gotten Triwizard winnings on manufacturing magical rohypnol. It says something that the Death Eaters have better things to do than bother with that stuff. You know, wanktacular as it may sound, I prefer my pre-HBP idea that "love potions" was just the polite term for "aphrodisiacs". At least "magical viagra" doesn't have such worrying connotations.
*Ginny is cropping up in Harry's dreams. Thankyou for sharing that with us, Captain Damppatch. *shudders*
*Harry spins the conversation round from sneaking potions in to Draco sneaking that necklace in. Hermione says no, since putting stuff under a concealment charm would be detected by Filch, but just putting stuff in another bottle could be cheerfully bypassed. Seems to me there's some holes in this whole "using magic for everything" stuff.
*Oh noes! Madam Pince has seen Harry's scribbly Potions textbook and unleashes the fires of WOE. But! This does lead Harry to theorise that Madam Pince and Argus Filch are sekritly hot for each other. This is, hands-down, the best pairings revelation to come out of HBP XD
*Meantime, Hermione and Ron are still in a piss, leading to Hermione weeping about stuff in the toilet, and being discovered by Luna. Luna simply has to get in a mention of how nice Ginny is: apparently, she stopped boys calling her "Loony" in transfigurations. Gryffindor has Transfigurations lessons with Ravenclaw now? But anyway, Harry and Luna are now going to Slughorn's party together. As friends, of course. Ginny takes time out to compliment Harry for being kind to Luna. Harry wishes he was taking Ginny instead. Le Woe.
*Parvati and her sister were apparently nearly removed from Hogwarts. So much for it being the safest place ever - I guess even the dimmer bulbs are working it out now.
*Hermione is "going out with" Cormac McLaggen. "Didn't you know?" Oddly enough, no. Ah, romantic gameplaying is so entertaining and not at all dreary to have to read about.
*Slughorn's office sounds horrible, but I'm not really a party person. Especially not when it's crowded. It's bad enough Christmas shopping in some places :(
*Slughorn wears a smoking jacket and a matching hat. Whatever you think of the guy himself, you've got to admire his fashion sense. What a dandy!
*Apparently, vampires in the HP universe get girls "curious and excited" as much as they do in this one. It's the dinner jackets, isn't it?
*Harry's biography can wait until he's old enough, damnit. I don't care how exciting his life's been, he's sixteen.
*Apparently, Hermione considered Zacharias Smith as a party date. Are there no depths to which she would stoop?[/fake horror] Actually, I like to think Zacharias would turn her down ("I'm going with Zabini"). Anyway, Harry is "revolted" that she even considered such an unwholesome prospect just to piss off Ron. Just because you wouldn't shag him, Harry. Look at your taste in women.
*Anyway, McLaggen is no gentleman, and Hermione wishes she had asked someone else. How fun *fails to care on a monumental level*
*Professor Trelawney has been drinking a lot, which is apparently hillarious. This makes me sad in ways I can't quite describe.
*Slughorn likes to come and tell people how brilliant Harry is at Potions. He says only a few have such an ability, that "even Severus" apparently failed to measure up to Harry's sainted mother. Teh irony wins the whole internet, although if this is used as proof that Professor Snape was clearly in love with Harry's mother, I shall eat book seven and declare it better digested that way.
*But never mind that! Draco suddenly appears, being led by Filch. Trying to gatecrash, apparently. But, besides all the kerfuffle, Harry notices Draco looking ill. Harry worries so for him. Seriously, though, poor Draco :( professor Snape leads him away, and Harry naturally decides to stalk them both.
*Harry overhears Draco say "Who suspects me?" People pre-HBP insisted that Draco cared more about Harry than Harry ever would about him. Naturally, they are now insisting that they were misheard, or quoted out of context, or whatever the stupid excuse of the week was round their way.
*Bellatrix knows Occlumency too. A plot point, I'd wager.
*Professor Snape admits to "acting". Still, we don't know if he's saying this to appease Draco or because he means it. Of course, enough people would insist that anything Professor Snape said would probably be true if it cast him in a bad enough light. I say we still don't know, so ner.
*I can't imagine "glory" would be quick to come from what Draco's trying to do, unless he means "Voldemort's approval". Nevertheless, he storms out soon after and Harry is left to be a big drama queen after that.
*It's Christmas in the book now, how very timely. Apparently, the Great Hall requires twelve Christmas trees. I imagine they're charmed to stop any shedding, or that'd be a fuck of a lot of needles for poor Filch to sweep up (and I just imagined Mrs. Norris getting needles in her little paws :( )
*There's also mistletoe, with girls gathered underneath waiting for Harry. I suspect the other people in the school are curiously unsympathetic. In fact, I find myself curiously unsympathetic. It's not even as if they block his way - he knows Secret Passages. So it's just less sexy people that can't get past. Come to think of it, what the hell were they thinking to hang mistletoe up in school corridors anyway? Considering it seems to have the same significance in Hogwarts as it does in modern Muggle cultures (otherwise the girls wouldn't be crowding under it), you'd think a supposedly respectable school would seek to avoid this sort of thing. I guess our "beloved" headmaster thought it'd be just the ticket to inspire love and kindness. Try telling that to someone who can't get to the lavatory because the corridor's blocked by a group of mad girls waiting for Harry Potter.
*Ron is more cheerful since getting attention from Lavender. Harry is resentful of having to "put up with" Lavender, who "seemed to regard any moment she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted". Nobody will say anything to Harry when he's in the period of regarding any moment he's not kissing Ginny as a moment wasted. After all, this is perfectly natural.
*Ron still has scratches from Hermione's tiny canaries. As others have said, I don't think they could have done that scene with Ron and Hermione's roles switched, because people would regard that as a shame and Ron as a violent beast.
*Hermione, meanwhile, cares so little about what Ron is doing that she can't bear to be in his presence lest she is engulfed by waves of indifference. Or something. Anyway, she's in a dignified strop right now, which clearly proves that she and Ron are MFEO blah blah.
*Yet again, Harry has learned more from the HBP "than Snape or Slughorn have taught me". Foreshadowing - it smells like cheese. Or maybe that's just my spaghetti topping.
*Hermione warns Harry of Romilda Vane's love potions. Again, it would clearly be played for shock value if a man were to slip a love potion into the food or drink of a girl. Don't we get warned about people who do stuff like that? If we found in book seven that someone (please don't say "Snape") had done something like that to a female (*weep*), the whole fandom would explode like a pustulent infection about how such and such Bad Man was "clearly a rapist".
*They're Fred and George's love potions, incidently, and "probably work". How useful that these boys spend their time and Harry's ill-gotten Triwizard winnings on manufacturing magical rohypnol. It says something that the Death Eaters have better things to do than bother with that stuff. You know, wanktacular as it may sound, I prefer my pre-HBP idea that "love potions" was just the polite term for "aphrodisiacs". At least "magical viagra" doesn't have such worrying connotations.
*Ginny is cropping up in Harry's dreams. Thankyou for sharing that with us, Captain Damppatch. *shudders*
*Harry spins the conversation round from sneaking potions in to Draco sneaking that necklace in. Hermione says no, since putting stuff under a concealment charm would be detected by Filch, but just putting stuff in another bottle could be cheerfully bypassed. Seems to me there's some holes in this whole "using magic for everything" stuff.
*Oh noes! Madam Pince has seen Harry's scribbly Potions textbook and unleashes the fires of WOE. But! This does lead Harry to theorise that Madam Pince and Argus Filch are sekritly hot for each other. This is, hands-down, the best pairings revelation to come out of HBP XD
*Meantime, Hermione and Ron are still in a piss, leading to Hermione weeping about stuff in the toilet, and being discovered by Luna. Luna simply has to get in a mention of how nice Ginny is: apparently, she stopped boys calling her "Loony" in transfigurations. Gryffindor has Transfigurations lessons with Ravenclaw now? But anyway, Harry and Luna are now going to Slughorn's party together. As friends, of course. Ginny takes time out to compliment Harry for being kind to Luna. Harry wishes he was taking Ginny instead. Le Woe.
*Parvati and her sister were apparently nearly removed from Hogwarts. So much for it being the safest place ever - I guess even the dimmer bulbs are working it out now.
*Hermione is "going out with" Cormac McLaggen. "Didn't you know?" Oddly enough, no. Ah, romantic gameplaying is so entertaining and not at all dreary to have to read about.
*Slughorn's office sounds horrible, but I'm not really a party person. Especially not when it's crowded. It's bad enough Christmas shopping in some places :(
*Slughorn wears a smoking jacket and a matching hat. Whatever you think of the guy himself, you've got to admire his fashion sense. What a dandy!
*Apparently, vampires in the HP universe get girls "curious and excited" as much as they do in this one. It's the dinner jackets, isn't it?
*Harry's biography can wait until he's old enough, damnit. I don't care how exciting his life's been, he's sixteen.
*Apparently, Hermione considered Zacharias Smith as a party date. Are there no depths to which she would stoop?[/fake horror] Actually, I like to think Zacharias would turn her down ("I'm going with Zabini"). Anyway, Harry is "revolted" that she even considered such an unwholesome prospect just to piss off Ron. Just because you wouldn't shag him, Harry. Look at your taste in women.
*Anyway, McLaggen is no gentleman, and Hermione wishes she had asked someone else. How fun *fails to care on a monumental level*
*Professor Trelawney has been drinking a lot, which is apparently hillarious. This makes me sad in ways I can't quite describe.
*Slughorn likes to come and tell people how brilliant Harry is at Potions. He says only a few have such an ability, that "even Severus" apparently failed to measure up to Harry's sainted mother. Teh irony wins the whole internet, although if this is used as proof that Professor Snape was clearly in love with Harry's mother, I shall eat book seven and declare it better digested that way.
*But never mind that! Draco suddenly appears, being led by Filch. Trying to gatecrash, apparently. But, besides all the kerfuffle, Harry notices Draco looking ill. Harry worries so for him. Seriously, though, poor Draco :( professor Snape leads him away, and Harry naturally decides to stalk them both.
*Harry overhears Draco say "Who suspects me?" People pre-HBP insisted that Draco cared more about Harry than Harry ever would about him. Naturally, they are now insisting that they were misheard, or quoted out of context, or whatever the stupid excuse of the week was round their way.
*Bellatrix knows Occlumency too. A plot point, I'd wager.
*Professor Snape admits to "acting". Still, we don't know if he's saying this to appease Draco or because he means it. Of course, enough people would insist that anything Professor Snape said would probably be true if it cast him in a bad enough light. I say we still don't know, so ner.
*I can't imagine "glory" would be quick to come from what Draco's trying to do, unless he means "Voldemort's approval". Nevertheless, he storms out soon after and Harry is left to be a big drama queen after that.
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Fashionably Late.
Date: 2005-12-18 12:25 am (UTC)Alcoholism is a fairly big problem in Scotland (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2005/12/15105006). When one is raised in a cultural environment where heavy drinking is considered quite normal, and anyone who can't keep up with the others or handle his/her booze intake is often considered a figure of fun, it makes sense for that attitude to crop up – however unintentionally – in one's creative endeavors. Such may well be the case with Rowling (but without knowing her personally I couldn't say for sure).
Slughorn likes to come and tell people how brilliant Harry is at Potions. He says only a few have such an ability, that "even Severus" apparently failed to measure up to Harry's sainted mother.
I saw Slughorn's comment as suggesting that "even Severus" was impressed with Lily's abilities, NOT that her skills were superior to his. Remember that Slughorn is aware of Severus next to him, and invites him to join the conversation:
Slughorn: "Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"
Snape: "Funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all."
:D
Professor Snape admits to "acting". Still, we don't know if he's saying this to appease Draco or because he means it.
Oh, I think he means it. "It is an act that is crucial to success...Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act?" This statement is BRILLIANT, because it's a play on the word act (acting as thespian talents and acting as making decisive moves) and because even as he lets Draco in on his act, he never mentions who he acts on behalf of.
What a Player! <3 Sign me up for that super-sekrit Snape community, peeps!
...if this is used as proof that Professor Snape was clearly in love with Harry's mother...
Well, how is "love" being defined? What sort of "love" are we talking about here?
I can imagine Severus as a horny teenager, wanting a piece of arse and figuring it would humiliate James if it was Lily's arse he got a piece of. (Looking at how the teenagers interact in HPB, I can totally see Rowling writing that scenario with a straight face!) Perhaps Severus & Lily indulged in game-playing & mindfucking the way Ron and Hermione do, with a bit of opposing-House tension thrown in the mix – since Snape's far smarter than either Ron OR Hermione, such exchanges would at least be delightfully snarky on his end. (Wouldn't it be interesting if Lily "pulled a McLaggen" on Snape with James Potter and found she couldn't get out of it?)
Re: Fashionably Late.
Date: 2005-12-18 07:03 pm (UTC)Rowling seemed to think Winky's drinking problem was hillarious too, when she mentioned in an interview that Winky would never get over it. Granted, Winky was annoying anyway, but to find it a source of entertainment that someone (even a house elf) never gets over their drinking problem is really quite obscene to me :(
I saw Slughorn's comment as suggesting that "even Severus" was impressed with Lily's abilities, NOT that her skills were superior to his.
Could be. Of course, Slughorn doesn't seem to show any signs of understanding that "favourite" students are not best beloved by all, so he could well be projecting. But then, I'm guessing here too, since I really don't want Severus to have liked Lily in any capacity.
Oh, I think he means it.
I think that's what I meant to say, really. I think I meant to say that we as readers still don't know from that comment whose side he's on, despite what Harry (and others) would be naturally inclined to think. It could go either way - he is a slippery customer and no mistake *imagines Slippery!Snape*
As for Lily and Severus having a Ron/Hermione thing, I'd rather they didn't. I'd honestly rather he didn't like her at all, because the idea makes me ill. Sorry :|
no subject
Date: 2005-12-19 02:13 am (UTC)It seems that last paragraph of mine didn't come out as sarcastically as I intended, because I completely agree with you. A Severus/Lily affair would be highly tedious, clichéd and NOT a situation I'd pay money to read about. I'd prefer Snape to be left out of any romantic entanglements (past or present) and allowed to finish his part of the story with as much solitary dignity as possible (preferably ALIVE, dammit!).
I was trying to imagine how Rowling would actually manage to write this pairing – since I can't make sense of why they'd even bother with each other romantically – and those were two scenarios that came to mind.
Re: Fashionably Late.
Date: 2005-12-18 08:16 pm (UTC)I got the impression that he was mainly talking about Harry's brilliance, and "even Severus" refers forward to the claim that Harry's first Draught of Living Death was the best ever ("I don't think even you, Severus -"). But yeah, his syntax is so choppy it's anybody's guess.
It would be very interesting to know if Snape was in the Slug Club. If he wasn't, it's doubly offensive for Slughorn to burble about how Snape was great at Potions, almost in Harry Potter's league.
What sort of "love" are we talking about here?
That's the question, isn't it? Now we know JKR's idea of appealing and believable romance, I wouldn't put it past her to write Snape as having turned from the dark side through his love for Lily. Which will doubtless have been onesided because Saint Lily couldn't possibly have loved anyone but James.
Personally I don't think "Voldemort killed the only woman he ever loved" would be a satisfactory answer to the mystery of why Snape left Voldemort and was trusted by Dumbledore - it would be less lame if VM had killed someone who loved him back. Also I'd prefer him to have loved Regulus or Petunia or anyone less predictable than Lily. But that's just me.
-L
Re: Fashionably Late.
Date: 2005-12-18 09:41 pm (UTC)And I think he was in love with Petunia, but Mother Evans didn't let them be together. A year later she let Lily have *her Wizard* and that's where all the hate came from. Petunia stuck with that boring Vernon & Snape stuck with that boring Voldemort. Makes some sense to me.
Hello, Anonymous L.
Date: 2005-12-19 02:29 am (UTC)Agreed, and I can see Regulus fitting this slot far better than Lily Evans. The enmity between Severus and Sirius, the connection with Narcissa and (to an extent) Bellatrix – these would fall into place very easily if Severus and Regulus were tight pals and fellow DEs. It would also help explain why Snape went to Dumbledore; perhaps Sev & Reg both became disillusioned with Voldemort at the same time and tried to get out. Regulus dies and Snape's on the run, perhaps?
Love ≠ romance! :D
Hi there!
Date: 2005-12-19 09:10 am (UTC)-L