HBP Chapter Eighteen

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

*The biggest surprise being that somebody other than Harry is getting a birthday.

*For all the girl machinations in these books Hermione is incredibly obvious about being jealous of Ron. For all her superiority, she seems to care a lot more than he does. I’m surprised he’s not thrilled by this. ETA: I forgot, he's too stupid to get it.

*I know the whole Harry cheating storyline is kind of wonky because he’s actually just using different directions, but it still drives me crazy that people twist it into a story where he’s not cheating. Even when Hermione tells us Harry’s supposed to be understanding the principles instead of using a shortcut or cheat—which is exactly what he does. Can’t blame JKR for that one. She’s making it obvious enough that Harry’s Charlie McCarthy to Teen!Snape’s Edgar Bergen.

*ETA: And just like Charlie McCarthy, he won't ever publically acknowledge he's not doing his own talking.

*Note that Harry would never dare try the bezoar trick with Snape. Because Snape is a worse teacher than Slughorn. Totally.

*Blaise is in Potions. I don’t think I’d remembered that. So the four Slytherins are Draco, Blaise, Theo and one other person.

*That's now two teachers who have made a point of individual spirit and creativity being the mark of a truly great student…and each time with Hermione being held up as the wrong example. Of course both times it isn’t about Hermione being faulty so much as Harry (and Snape!) being better. But at least Snape actually is.

*Although again the author’s a little hard-pressed to really demonstrate what she’s talking about. The bezoar trick hardly shows an intuitive grasp of Potions—no more than knowing the Heimlich maneuver shows an intuitive grasp of medicine.

*Draco’s the only person looking angrier than Hermione. I may not ship D/Hr, but their characters actually do have interesting connections throughout the books. That’s more obvious post-HBP. ETA: I wonder if D/Hr shippers liked the RoR scene in DH.

*Everyone looks annoyed at Harry. Quick! Somebody write an essay explaining how even here Harry isn’t really favored!

*Harry reminds himself of Voldemort—awesome! ETA: No idea what that was about. Harry's nothing like Voldemort!

*Ron’s just resentful Harry didn’t give him a bezoar. Though Harry’s right on this one—they couldn’t both do it. ETA: Ron Weasley: can't even slack off as well as Harry Potter.

*Still, not exactly something to get infuriated about. Harry really needs to get used to other people having concerns other than him.

*Hermione hasn’t found anything about Horcruxes even though she’s been studying books of Dark Magic and learning how to make the most horrible Potions. And taking copious notes and making practice samples. Well, you never know when those are going to come in handy.

*ETA: Too bad she can't just say "Accio books about Horcruxes!" Oh wait.

*Seriously, doesn’t Hermione sound absolutely thrilled at describing all those most horrible books where they teach you to brew the most gruesome Potions?

*I sort of love Draco getting reprimanded like an 11-year-old, and the subtle little suggestion of inter-house rivalry about the whole thing with Snape allegedly annoyed that McGonagall was the one to scold him.

*Draco’s speaking is described as "Malfoy’s rudeness"—because we know how offended our narrator is by kids talking in class when the Trio is doing it.

*At least he doesn’t splinch himself in half so that Harry can tell us it was his own fault for not listening when Twycross said his name. ETA: Reading that now just makes me think of one of Ron's many stellar moments in DH: The splinching.

*Twycross announces they will be Apparating inside Hogwarts today. Much to my surprise after Hermione's constant warnings, the world does not end.

*By the way, don’t forget to take a drink on that—Twycross remembers to tell us you usually can’t Apparate within Hogwarts before announcing they will be.

*The students are ordered to stand with five feet of space in front of them. This somehow inspires lots of jostling and fighting, despite the fact that we ought to be talking about 40 people in a room that regularly seats over four times that.

*All the Ravenclaws want to be near the front. I think we may have gotten the very first suggestion that Ravenclaws are grinds in canon!

*Seems like Ravenclaws should be good at Apparating. It’s a mind-ish, airy thing. Like Slytherins are associated with Potions.

*This is like the chapter of firsts in all of canon. Harry says something to Malfoy that’s…not exactly antagonistic. And I really have no idea why—if he’d stayed quiet he might have heard something more helpful. It’s like he can’t help himself. And he speaks just loudly enough for Malfoy to hear, like the way Malfoy always talks to him from across rooms. OTP!!

*ETA: Clearly, that was by accident.

*Malfoy’s hand goes to his wand here—the kid’s already jumpy and paranoid as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair factory.

*ETA: I guess that's the required foreshadowing of the Sectumsempra scene.

*ETA: It certainly isn't foreshadowing of Draco being at all defensively capable in DH!

*Old-fashioned wooden hoops appear. Old-fashioned for us readers, I assume. They can’t be all that old-fashioned to people who write with quills.

*Nice touch the way everyone looks around to make sure everyone else is staring into their hoops before doing it.

*Harry’s already forgotten what the three D’s stand for. Times like this I really do love Harry.

*Though of course if Harry was injured in the class he would deserve no sympathy because he didn’t pay attention enough! Right?

*And here’s my favorite funny moment in canon: Ernie MacMillan and his thrilling pirouetting leap into his hoop. I can picture it all too easily. ETA: Ernie's high point. Right there.

*So this isn’t so much a class but a teaching telling the kids to "do this" and then watching them struggle for an hour. I’m even more confused as to why kids don’t try this long before they come of age.

*ETA: Those Wizards. They just never follow rules. These are the same people who continue to be driven by a points contest that's blatantly arbitrary and unfair.

*Susan amputates her own leg, because she’s not determined enough. And people are going to let Neville try this?

*Hermione’s really not making much of an impression with her anti-Ron campaign, is she?

*Harry tells Ron he’s not fussed about Apparating, since he prefers flying. I think he’s trying to subtly come out to Ron.

*ETA: Not that Harry won't be able to do it, since the ability to not Apparate isn't connected to a strength of character.

*Peeves stops everyone from going down a passageway, so Harry and Ron take a shortcut that gets them to the Tower. One wonders why the don’t take the shorter route every time.

*Harry is disappointed to find Malfoy in the Slytherin Common Room. He was hoping he would find him with Voldemort in the Room of Evil, I guess.

*And in comes Neville, reeking of slapstick.

*Harry begins making unnecessary trips to the bathroom to think about Malfoy. ‘Nuff said.

*When he’s not paying attention, Harry begins thinking about Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle as humans with a friendship—and even compares them to the Trio!

*Hermione’s still not speaking to Ron into March? Jeez. Ron okay, because he’s always got people to hang out with, but Hermione doesn’t even have SPEW.

*Well, I guess it’s not surprising given that we see Ron a little sick of Lavender after Christmas yet he’s still going out with her. Kids at Hogwarts take a way long time to get on with these things. It’s almost as if they arrange them around the plot schedule…

*Dogbreath and Dughead are the two politest nicknames Twycross has inspired. Hopefully they’re also the two lamest.

*Harry gives Ron a present on his birthday—then gives himself a birthday by checking to see if Malfoy’s out of bed yet.

*Everybody thinks Ron’s watch is important, but I’m not so sure. It could just be a standard coming-of-age present. ETA: Yup, pretty much. Lame present for Ron.

*ETA: Though at least Ron isn't wearing a broken watch like Harry.

*This chapter reminds me of the illogical proofs of the Werewolf!Malfoy story. Draco’s disappearing off the map several times a day all month because he’s in the RoR somehow becomes Draco disappearing for a week each month because he’s a werewolf.

*Harry, sadly, will not be able to follow Malfoy around all day. People would miss him. Maybe he could ask Old!Ginny for tips on this sort of thing, from when she used to follow him around. If she hadn’t been killed and stuffed in a suit of armor by the new and improved version.

*Ron starts acting funny, having eaten chocolates he thought were for him, but had actually been sitting in Harry’s trunk for several months under his socks and underwear. I’ll bet he’s feeling funny. He’s lucky there aren’t some owl droppings in those cauldrons.

*Not that there should be—owls don’t leave droppings, they make pellets! (I learned that here!) They’re magic owl droppings.

*At this point in the series, I don’t even have to ask why Harry threw the Potioned cauldrons into his trunk instead of throwing them away. ETA: I'm sure that's the type of thing that would be used well in fanfic, suggesting that Harry can't throw food away because he might be starved again. Of course in canon Harry doesn't even think to bring food on a 9-month camping trip.

*Having been hit, Harry’s quite keen on the idea of Ron running around making a fool of himself—and Romilda too, presumably, but they’re supposed to be friends. Harry has now paid back Ron’s tremendous sacrifice of not laughing when Harry got his nose broken.

*Harry naturally doesn’t simply tell Lavender that Ron’s been drugged, because that would be too simple.

*I hate to think of what the look Harry really did give Lavender looked like, if not apologetic. Amused, yes, but probably also pleased or something.

*Fred and George’s Potions get stronger the longer you have them? That couldn’t be dangerous….

*Once Ron’s no longer dosed, Slughorn suggests they all start drinking. At seven o’clock in the morning.

*And then Slughorn the Potion Master whose job it is to make antidotes stands around like an idiot while Harry roots through his Potions kit and grabs a bezoar that Slughorn’s got right there in the room. I’d really hate that if it didn’t kind of make Snape the one who really saved Ron.

*ETA: I guess this is foreshadowing for the entire upcoming war where all the adults stand around forgetting all the skills they have while Harry does the obvious thing and gets praised for his amazing ability to act under pressure.

*You know, I just realized it’s kind of convenient that nobody-including Slughorn himself, it seems-thinks Slughorn wasn’t the real intended victim for that poison. Hasn’t he been paranoid all year? Isn’t he in hiding? Isn’t he the horcrux guy?

*Luckily, since there’s no investigation of the murder at all, this oversight doesn’t stand out.





Exploitation Filmmakers’ Credo
Wait, somebody tried to murder someone? I mean, I know that there was already an attempted murder that was unsuccessful and the person was never caught—but why think they would try again?

IITS
Oh no. Someone is dying from poison. Poisons I spent all of last week explaining how to counteract. Whatever will I do? It is a good thing Harry Potter who knows nothing about Potions is here to save his friend with my own bezoar that he gave me.

Idiot Picture
Nice that everybody just trusts that Dumbledore’s doing something to find out who the murderer is.

Final score: 3

Slytherin Liquid Count: Slughorn’s cracking open the mead before breakfast. Ron drinks love potion in chocolate cauldrons and antidote before sucking down the poisoned-laced mead.

H/D alert: Harry goes into full stalker mode, checking for Malfoy in the bathrooms and in bed, thinking about the friendship of the Slytherin Trio, moving closer to him in class and talking to him.

Comments

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

*And in comes Neville, reeking of slapstick.

I love it!

*Harry naturally doesn’t simply tell Lavender that Ron’s been drugged, because that would be too simple.

It would also be un-Gryffindor, since the best route to anything is the twisting switch-back route. See mention of not habitually taking a generally-known short-cut earlier on the page.

*And then Slughorn the Potion Master whose job it is to make antidotes stands around like an idiot while Harry roots through his Potions kit and grabs a bezoar that Slughorn’s got right there in the room. I’d really hate that if it didn’t kind of make Snape the one who really saved Ron.

You've just got to wonder how Snape learned anything at all after his first year. He's worlds ahead of this guy in everything but brown-nosing. (But then, we all know how important it is to brown-nose, especially for those "cunning and ambitious" Slytherins. Yup, it's all fixed by a handshake in the back room for them.)

...this is foreshadowing for the entire upcoming war where all the adults stand around forgetting all the skills they have...

Yup, just like all those made-for-TV kid panderings and Freddie Kruger movies. Those kooky, mind-mushed adults! Pinch their cheeks and toss them off a bridge.

Oh no. Someone is dying from poison. Poisons I spent all of last week explaining how to counteract. Whatever will I do?

And yet another Slytherin is shown to be less than useful for anything but the good guys to ridicule. Can't have them becoming uppity, can we? I guess it's the awesome presence of Harry "The Chosen One" Potter that makes the mind go weak at the knees... IOW, stupid is catching.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

It is sort of funny to imagine Snape learning from Slughorn. I'm surprised there's not a lot of notes in his book about Slughorn's idiocy.

[artystone.livejournal.com]

There probably are. But we'd never be privvy to those!

[elanor-x.livejournal.com]

*ETA: And just like Charlie McCarthy, he won't ever publically acknowledge he's not doing his own talking.
Probably, but I can have a pet theory that he does it privately. After all, Harry named his first 2 children after his parents, who gave him life, and the third one - after DD and SS, who orchestrated it.

*Harry reminds himself of Voldemort—awesome! ETA: No idea what that was about. Harry's nothing like Voldemort!
The idea was to remind readers of Harry's high morals. When he does something even slightly questionable for the greatest good (stopping V), he is so upset as to start comparing himself to the man, even though, as you noted, Harry's nothing like Voldemort.

*Dogbreath and Dughead are the two politest nicknames Twycross has inspired. Hopefully they’re also the two lamest.
In DH D's friend in Rita's book is referred to as Dogbreath many times. Apparently JKR couldn't think about other nickname.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

LOL! That's a pretty good description of Harry's kids. Obviously they need to reflect his life just that closely.

Harry tends to compare himself to Voldemort at odd moments but miss times like, oh, when he's torturing somebody. It was just for a few seconds in self defense! That's just not being a saint!

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

Harry really needs to get used to other people having concerns other than him.

LOL, I was expecting a ETA: No, he doesn't.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

LOL! OMG, how did I miss that? You're right! I must have still been in the turkey coma.

[merrymelody.livejournal.com]

Happy thanksgiving, sweetie!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[eir-de-scania.livejournal.com]

*That's now two teachers who have made a point of individual spirit and creativity being the mark of a truly great student…and each time with Hermione being held up as the wrong example. Of course both times it isn’t about Hermione being faulty so much as Harry (and Snape!) being better. But at least Snape actually is.
***But Harry is The Hero so he doesn't have to learn things and develop his skills. He just has to rely on his author fixing things for him.


*Well, I guess it’s not surprising given that we see Ron a little sick of Lavender after Christmas yet he’s still going out with her. Kids at Hogwarts take a way long time to get on with these things. It’s almost as if they arrange them around the plot schedule…
***Now what makes you think that? :-P

Of course in canon Harry doesn't even think to bring food on a 9-month camping trip.
***Can't blame him. He's too used to Hermione doing the thinking.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

There must be levels of awesomeness. On the bottom you've got the dumb kids. Then you've got the ones who are creative. Then at the top you've got the kids who are dumb again but the universe molds itself to suit them or they magically do everything well anyway. It makes me think of discussions in fandom where people used to try to figure out Quidditch skills. I remember people saying that even if Draco could fly he probably had to study and practice, where as Harry just hops on a broom and is awesome, and this makes Harry the one who deserves the skill more.

[aasaylva.livejournal.com]

I may not ship D/Hr, but their characters actually do have interesting connections throughout the books. That’s more obvious post-HBP.
I'm curious - what were you thinking about here?

Too bad she can't just say "Accio books about Horcruxes!" Oh wait.
This Hermione-version can't. It's the hormone-swamped-thus-not-able-to-think-straight edition. Just wait for super-heroine-Hermione in DH!

It’s like he can’t help himself. And he speaks just loudly enough for Malfoy to hear, like the way Malfoy always talks to him from across rooms. OTP!!
So true! It's like "Hey, listen to me! You've been ignoring me all year now! Why would you do that?"

Hermione’s still not speaking to Ron into March?
Such a lovely marriage to look forward to. Your husband offended you under the Christmas tree? Be sure not to give in until Easter, unless you want to be called weak minded.

Dogbreath and Dughead
This, in connection to calling Mundungus Dung and Fleur Phlegm, made me wonder. I mean, it's a fact that humour doesn't always translate well to other cultures. What in one is deemed hilarious, won't raise a corner of the mouth in another, so my question is: Are these in any way funny in English? Because to me, they only sound insulting. Or is this JKR's special brand of humour?

why Harry threw the Potioned cauldrons into his trunk instead of throwing them away.
Ah, the magical trunk of never cleaned out doom. Makes me want to go all shrinky and say, it's the equivalent of all the crap that's buried in the unconscious Harry didn't like to deal with (like it's said about people with digestive problems). In this case, it's the horrible idea of a GIRL making advances on him. Instead of waiting for him to do it. Or instead of Malfoy doing it - all he ever got from him was that badge!

[augustm.livejournal.com]

Dogbreath and Dughead
This, in connection to calling Mundungus Dung and Fleur Phlegm, made me wonder. I mean, it's a fact that humour doesn't always translate well to other cultures. What in one is deemed hilarious, won't raise a corner of the mouth in another, so my question is: Are these in any way funny in English?

Nope. Not even vaguely. In fact, it's not even particularly insulting, really. It's one of those insults that reflect more badly on the person using it than the person being insulted. If you tried calling someone over the age of four "Dogbreath" they would probably just shake their heads and walk away, wondering what on earth was the matter with you.

Or, alternatively, they'd unleash some grown-up insults and leave you weeping in the foetal position. (Under the age of four and their reaction would be "YAY! Dogs!")

It sort of makes me worry about JKR's children to be honest: Kids tend to mimic their parents' humour, but if any of them go around unleashing "Dunghead" as if it's a devestating witticism, they are going to get beaten up.

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

It sort of makes me worry about JKR's children to be honest...

Humor isn't the half of it. Could you imagine your child playing with her child and something breaking? Of course her little Dudley, er, darling, wouldn't have done it! If I ever found her as my neighbor (no chance), I'd point my kids in the opposite direction.

[augustm.livejournal.com]

Oh god, you're right. :shudder:

And I hate to think what reaction you'd get to the sentence: "Your daughter appears to be involved in bullying, Ms Rowling." (Especially if it was followed up with "And we have proof...")

[artystone.livejournal.com]

Imagine being their schoolteacher!

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

Maybe she'll just hire a sycophantic governess and tutor.

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

Dogbreath and Dughead *(snip)* Are these in any way funny in English?

To children between the ages of about five and twelve, yes. "Doo-doo head" is another stellar gem. It's making fun of bodily functions, which kids do. I guess they're not comfortable with their bodies but are very aware of them and so make (poor) fun.

I'm disturbed that a woman barely younger than I am thinks this is funny or that she thinks teen-agers think this is funny. I'm also wondering why, at this point in the series (going on to the childlike fantasy epilogue) she thinks she's still writing for the prepubescent crowd. Even the romances are a skewed child's view of romance.

[artystone.livejournal.com]

Ha Ha you said "doo-doo"!

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

:P Poopy-head. ;)

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I remember what I was thinking about the D/Hr connections in the books! I think I just meant that they have moments at all that people can work with. Like here I must have just been referring to how they're the two who are the angriest at Harry winning when they've worked really hard--even if Draco is mostly worried because of his mission he still tends to be cocky in Potions. It's my personal fanon that in GoF Draco made those buttons hoping Hermione would be the one to try to fix them to say something else. They're not shippy moments or anything, but they're just things that presumably shippers can work with. I think it was Go_Back_Chief who said she heard some young boys talking about the books and they took it for granted that Draco had a crush on Hermione because of the way he treated her.

LOL! Hermione's going to be like Angela on the US Office. "My sister and I used to be best friends. I haven't spoken to her for ten years over something I can't even remember. So yeah, I'm pretty good."

Instead of waiting for him to do it. Or instead of Malfoy doing it - all he ever got from him was that badge!

Which he keeps even though it's insulting. Awww.

[eir-de-scania.livejournal.com]

why Harry threw the Potioned cauldrons into his trunk instead of throwing them away.
***Normal teen behaviour, actually. Mostly among boys. You don't need a vacuum cleaner for their rooms, you need a shovel.

[augustm.livejournal.com]

De-lurking here.

* Harry, sadly, will not be able to follow Malfoy around all day. People would miss him. Maybe he could ask Old!Ginny for tips on this sort of thing, from when she used to follow him around. If she hadn’t been killed and stuffed in a suit of armor by the new and improved version.
Does anyone remember the episode of Red Dwarf where Kryten’s replacement turns up to kill him? I always seem to remember that episode when imagining what happened to Ginny between GoF and OotP, and it’s starting to bother me.

* Malfoy’s hand goes to his wand here—the kid’s already jumpy and paranoid as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair factory.
A friend of mine has this theory that Draco couldn’t be allowed to play Quidditch in HBP, because the narrative would be forced to let Draco win. He says it would be unreasonable to allow someone in such a fragile state to be unabashedly beaten by the protagonist and children would see it as bullying. He seems to have conveniently overlooked scenes like this where the protagonist unabashedly beats Draco at standing quietly at the back of a room.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

LOL! I think I do remember that version. Oh, poor GinnyI.

I like your friend's theory, but I have to agree it would never stand up against the Need For Harry to Always Win. Frankly, I thought Harry was going to lose to Draco in OotP as part of the whole "everything is going wrong at Hogwarts" theme. But no, it was supposed to be bad enough that Draco did something that would translate into a win if Harry did it, then his faster broom saved him, but then he beat Draco up anyway and got kicked off the team and that's supposed to be unfair.

[tdotm.livejournal.com]

- The whole 'Slughorn stood about not knowing what to do when Ron was poisoned, despite probably teaching the subject since before The Maurauders were born, and probably having having several procedures in place for when the Crabbe/Neville type of person completely ballsed things up during his lessons, and showing no sign of being a totally incompetent teacher a-la Hagrid, just a grossly unfair one given to playing favourites' thing really REALLY pissed me off. Especially as it followed the 'Slughorn can't fix his own memories for toffee' thing of a few pages previously.

- Still, it was inevitable if we were to get a 'Harry saves the day' thing. Once he'd killed the Basilisk in 1959, whenever he *does* come to the rescue, it's so forced and unbelievable, that I long for the Glory Days of Book 7 when he stands around and dribbles while Hermione desparately does all the thinking for him (and Ron and 50% of the grown ups.) These are sadly far more believeable by this stage. Sigh. I'm mad already, and there's no sign of Ginny!!

- Ron hated Krum, but remained Hermione's friend - even if it was just to row endlessly (and increasingly dully) about him with her. Hermione on the other hand, refuses to even talk to him months after he DARED to get a girlfriend. She's obviously been spending too much time with The Blazing One. Still, as you pointed out, Ron only noticed occasionally. Ron - from a large family, had no trouble getting on with lots of other people, unlike Hermione who was apparently dependent on Harry.

- Where was Padma? Isn't she the beautiful, almost as clever as Hermione, but still likes a laugh with her sister, Patil twin? Maybe JKR made a conscious decision not to sort her into Gryffindor (back in the days when JKR made conscious decisions) as she'd have formed a bridge between the giggly/girly Lavender and Pavarti and the dull as sand Hermione. Hermione could have been a better and happier person for it. That's what I'll tell myself. Still fan w*nking after all this time.....

Also, some adolescent boys think a less than ideal girlfriend is better than no boyfriend! Typical Ron - not very attractive, but plausible. Unlike Harry and Hermione who left caricture behind books ago.

Harry not mentioning to Lavender that Ron had been drugged, is right up there with Harry not mentioning to Hermione that B*tch Ginny had taunted Ron with her snogging Krum. (Which he should have realised was probably exaggerated as she also used the Harry/Cho example. That was hardly a passionate encounter.) Or Hermione ignoring Draco's potential danger to fret over the identity of the HBP. It was the characters behaving in a ridiculous way to drive a 'plot' that should have been tied in a sack with some bricks and dumped in the Thames.

- That said, I remember the true Hermione starting to rear her ugly head in Book 3 when she couldn't have cared less that Lavender's pet had died, she just needed to be acknowledged as right. So maybe fretting about the HBP while Draco plans destruction for Hogwarts *is* in character after all.

- Draco and Hermione - both obnoxious but I don't see it. Hermione still has more in common with Umbridge. Also I have no doubt that Draco and his ilk, regarded Hermione and hers, as dog muck they'd just trodden in. Plus spoilt little Prince Draco couldn't begin to be interested in someone who could outshine him in class. He wanted to be the real leader of his Trio, not just the nominal one - mentioning no names.

[tdotm.livejournal.com]

And when I said "Also, some adolescent boys think a less than ideal girlfriend is better than no boyfriend!" I meant than no girlfriend. Don't want to encourage JKR in her attempt to be edgy by creating slash where there was none!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

It is kind of funny that Harry needs to do the saving here. On the one hand, of course, it advances the "there's a murderer on the loose that only Harry notices" line, so it's important. But it's also part of the "the HBP helps Harry and is on his side" line. Only it's unclear why that's necessary in this case since Harry will eventually decide the Prince isn't on his side at all--and he'll never have to consciously be grateful to Snape for any of this.

In fact, thinking back it would have been better if *Slughorn* had given Ron the bezoar and then after the fact made a joke to Harry about being surprised he didn't do that since, you know, he just pwned everybody in class by knowing that. That would reinforce that Harry was actually cheating--he didn't know it at all, the Prince did. So in a practical situation his real lack of instinct shone through. He could still have thought how he ought to have "listened to the Prince and remembered what he said."

Ah yes, Harry tormented by Ron and Hermione fighting but not wanting to help them make up at all or understand each other. That's our Harry.

Just to be clear, I don't see Draco/Hermione either. I just assume there's stuff there that can be used for shipping if one likes the pairing.This even before we see the Malfoy family is a matriarchy when true trouble hits.

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

In fact, thinking back it would have been better if *Slughorn* had given Ron the bezoar and then after the fact made a joke to Harry about being surprised he didn't do that since, you know, he just pwned everybody in class by knowing that. That would reinforce that Harry was actually cheating--he didn't know it at all, the Prince did. So in a practical situation his real lack of instinct shone through. He could still have thought how he ought to have "listened to the Prince and remembered what he said."

Why didn't you write this book? *sobs*

[sunlit-music.livejournal.com]

Hermione still has more in common with Umbridge.

Hermionie/Umbridge OTP!;)

Where was Padma? Isn't she the beautiful, almost as clever as Hermione, but still likes a laugh with her sister, Patil twin? Maybe JKR made a conscious decision not to sort her into Gryffindor (back in the days when JKR made conscious decisions) as she'd have formed a bridge between the giggly/girly Lavender and Pavarti and the dull as sand Hermione. Hermione could have been a better and happier person for it.

True. Padma could have been an interesting character, and it would have been good to see her bring Hermione, Lavender and Parvati together. Then Hermione could also have some *real* female friends (as opposed to an ally/acquaintance in Ginny. Plus spending time with the new but not improved Ginny could hardly be a good influence on Hermione).

[night-axe.livejournal.com]

I know the whole Harry cheating storyline is kind of wonky because he’s actually just using different directions, but it still drives me crazy that people twist it into a story where he’s not cheating. Even when Hermione tells us Harry’s supposed to be understanding the principles instead of using a shortcut or cheat—which is exactly what he does.

Huh. Harry not cheating? He's a C student passing himself off as an A student by cribbing from a real A student's notes. As far as I'm concerned the moment he wins a prize using someone else's research is the moment the cheating begins. Did he do any out of class work himself? Could he duplicate Snape's results? Does he have any idea how or why they work? Hahaha no. But he accepts credit for the improved potions anyway. Without the book his performance in class drops to its natural level, so we know he wasn't even learning anything. He's a cheating cheater who cheats.

*Susan amputates her own leg, because she’s not determined enough.

At least she's got enough willpower to hold back the fountains of arterial blood that would otherwise jet from her severed limb, as Ron's splinching in Book 7 clearly implies.

*When he’s not paying attention, Harry begins thinking about Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle as humans with a friendship—and even compares them to the Trio!

Not only that, but he thinks Ron and Hermione are growing apart, as childhood friends often do. A true to life reflection that goes completely against the grain of the rest of the series. If I didn't know better I'd think it was an editor's interpolation.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Huh. Harry not cheating?

I was honestly in a whole conversation where people were arguing it totally wasn't cheating because he was just following instructions like anyone else even though even Harry himself is saying he's cheating. When it got to where they couldn't completely deny he was cheating then he was cheating for the Greater Good because the poor boy just had to make Slughorn love him to get the memory and also he has such a hard life it's terrible to suggest he should be called on for cheating.

Yeah, you really don't get the impression that Susan is bleeding at all in this scene, do you?

It is kind of odd for Harry to think of childhood friends growing apart. It's absolutely untrue of everything in the WW. Harry's concerned with the exact same people the day his kids go to Hogwarts as he was when he went to Hogwarts. Same goes for the Marauders generation and also Dumbledore's. Grindelwald might have been a Dark Lord, but he was still Dumbledore's one friend at 120 the same as he was at 16.

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

As to the cheating: I don't know where it is, but posted somewhere on the web (probably somewhere on Leaky) is a bit of an interview in which Rowling reveals that originally, in PS/SS, it was *Hedwig* who was supposed to have caught the snitch for Harry in his first Quidditch game. Her editor made her take that out, which she claims is why she went ahead and killed Hedwig in DHs, since she no longer had a purpose for her.

WTF?!

Has the woman *no* concept of sportsmanship? None at all? Is the only purpose of playing a game in order to win? By any means at all?

Now I wonder whether the whole issue of "no one must touch the Snitch but the Seeker, otherwise it's a foul" from Quidditch Through the Ages was an add-on, or if the silly bint is completely unaware of the contradiction.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

That's hilarious! We already knew that sometimes a player just getting in the way of another player is a foul (if the blocking person is Slytherin), but now we know for the other team it would be okay if an animal belonging to the Seeker caught the thing? How does that work?

That said, kind of funny that that obvious fact got Hedwig killed. It's not like it wasn't clearly a hit, what with Harry carrying the poor thing in a cage when it can fly.

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

Harry always carried her in her cage to the Burrow. Why should he succumb to common sense in the last book?

If Hedwig catching the Snitch had remained in PS/SS, would we have twigged onto the whole Elect thing sooner? It would have been a heavy-handed hint that Harry doesn't need to do a thing for himself, manna falls from heaven when he needs it in the WW.