Deathly Hallows, chapter 17

[anehan]

Bathilda's Secret

* "Harry thought of A History of Magic; the graveyard was supposed to be haunted.
Wot? Harry remembers something he has read? Must be the first time.

* Ooh, look! The Potters' cottage, which Harry has been so eager to see that he hasn't mentioned the place once in the first six books. Harry's obsessions seem to come and go according to what is convenient.

* Harry could think of many reasons not to follow Bathilda, like the fact that she doesn't utter a word, but decides to follow her anyway, like a good little idiot that he is. I'm just surprised Hermione isn't a little more careful.

* Harry the hero reassures Hermione when she's feeling uncertain about the visit to Bathilda's. Yes, of course they could overpower someone as small as her. It's not like she couldn't be under the Imperius Curse, with a dozen Death Eaters waiting in her kitchen. Or, you know, dead.

* You know, this would be the kind of time and place where Remus would have come handy. He'd have probably been a bit more cautious about walking into a house where he couldn't know what was waiting him.

* Bathilda doesn't say anything, and the Horcrux beats faster and faster against Harry's chest. No, Harry, of course you shouldn't get out of there as fast as possible and send the Order in there to look at what was going on. You just take care of everything with you superpowers.

* Oh my god, can Hermione be any stupider? Of Harry I can believe it, but Hermione letting Harry to follow Bathilda alone upstairs is sheer idiocy on her part.

* Not only is our Boy Wonder stupider than any hero I've ever encountered, he can't even handle one snake. And he is someone who is supposed to be able to defeat Voldemort? Excuse me if I'm slightly sceptical about his chances of success.

* Does anyone else find the image of Voldemort flying without a broom ridiculous? I have this image of Voldemort in tights, a gigantic V emblazoned on his chest and a cape billowing behind him in my mind. Verrrry scary.

* But Hermione, who got only an E in her Defence against the Dark Arts OWL and is presumably much worse than Harry in duelling, doesn't freeze and manages to divert the snake from crushing Harry. Go girl! Hermione-Harry 1-0.

* Oh, all right, so Harry manages to finally get them out of the house, so I guess the points stand 1-1.

* This whole episode of visiting Bathilda was an exercise in stupidity.

* Ah, a trip down the memory lane. Was it really necessary to make us re-live the night the Potters died? We know what happened quite well enough. It's this kind of unnecessary things that make these books so bloody long.

* It's interesting that not even Voldemort knew that the wand thief he was looking for was Grindelwald. I would have imagined that, after he fell, photograps of Grindelwald as a young man would have found their way to the papers. Once again the Wizarding World only knows what is convenient to know.

* I wonder, could Voldemort sense that one of his Horcruxes was near?

* Okay, so a wound caused by Nagini's bite can be healed by dittany. And the Healers at St Mungo's didn't try this all-purpose healing agent at once why exactly?

* Oh, sorry, only our heroes are allowed to know useful things. Adults are notoriously stupid and ignorant and therefore unworthy.

* Yes, Harry, you shouldn't have gone to Godric's Hollow. I'm happy to see that you recognize your stupidity. Now, if only I could trust that it had taught you something, I'd be happy.

* Of course Voldemort knew Harry would go back to Godric's Hollow. A simpleton could have worked that out.

* I hate it when Hermione becomes this blubbering wreck who flinches at the tiniest sign of an impending Harry!tantrum. I guess that's part of the reason why I ship Harry/Draco. I see Draco as someone who wouldn't put up with Harry's bullshit the way Harry's friends do.

* And the chapter ends with a pity-party. Bleargh.

Comments

[sunnyskywalker]

Of course, a graveyard being haunted is something anyone could guess without reading, so I'm not too impressed.

Voldemort flying does sound very much like a supervillain, yes. I suppose swirly robes would work sort of like a cape. Now if only he got sucked into a jet engine...

Of course Healers who have trained for years wouldn't know about dittany! It's super-sekrit, reserved for Our Heroes. That, or Nagini has a special easy-heal venom just for Harry.

This whole chapter was so pointless. Going to Godric's Hollow ought to have had a point.

[anehan]

Heh, the whole book is pointless. But you're right. Godric's Hollow is so important that it ought to have been more than just a trap. Because an idiot could have predicted that it would be a trap.

[sunnyskywalker]

Well, yes, that goes without saying :D But this chapter seems especially designed to trick us into thinking something significant will happen, then cruelly yanking the football away.