Deathly Hallows, chapter 20

[anehan]

Xenophilius Lovegood

* Ron is elated, because someone is on their side! Someone is helping them! Oh, how I would love to see his face when he realized it was Snape all along.

* One Horcrux down! says Ron. If I were him, I wouldn't be quite so cheerful about it. It's past Christmas already, and they haven't made any progress beyond destroying that one Horcrux.

* The Trio gets back to discussing the possible locations of the Horcruxes, despite the fact that they have already discussed that subject to death. Only now it's somehow different, because they've got someone helping them! Rejoice!

* Oh yeah, the Taboo. One more thing in which Dumbledore did Harry a disservice was to encourage him to use Voldemort's name. He should have known it was possible to track someone by what they say. Names apparently have power.

* But if names do have power, why haven't we ever heard of magic done using names before? Or have we and I'm just not remembering it? I'm reminded of the Wizard of Earthsea that handles the power of naming things very well.

* I think Ron's hope that it was Dumbledore who was helping them with the doe and the sword is not at all consistent with Dumbledore's character. It's true that Dumbledore liked to be mysterious and not give straight answers, but he also liked to get credit for what he did. Anonymity wouldn't be Dumbledore's choice at all. No, anonymity spells Severus Snape so clearly that I'm surprised Hermione at least doesn't figure it out. It's not that Snape doesn't want recognition but that he's used to going without it.

* BTW, does anyone know whether Snape got an Order of Merlin posthumously? Has Rowling said anything about it? Or is the only tribute to him the name of Harry Potter's second son, a name he has to share with that old bastard, Dumbledore? *gags*

* Of course Hermione would recognize what Harry's new wand was made of. What wouldn't our know-it-all know. Probably she was a joiner or carpenter in her former life.

* Harry has forgotten Ron's fear of spiders. I think that's quite a feat, considering their adventure is CoS. Just goes to show how much attention Harry pays to his best friend.

* I think Harry is unfair in comparing a visit to Xenophilius Lovegood with their visit to Godric's Hollow. Hermione has a perfectly valid reason to see Mr Lovegood, whereas Harry just wanted to visit his parents' grave in Godric's Hollow. As if he couldn't have done it after the war was over. Or before it started. But no, he had to get a burning desire to do it in the middle of a war. Really, sometimes I feel the poor boy's brain has been permanently damaged by the connection to Voldemort.

* Harry asks if the symbol was important, wouldn't Dumbledore have told him about it before he died. Really, the boy is addle-brained. Has he already forgotten how many important things Dumbledore did not tell him? Like the location of the Horcruxes or how to destroy them?

* Mr Lovegood doesn't want them to come in. Warning bells ring! Except in the minds of the Trio.

* Of course the know-it-all has to make an issue of the Erumpent horn, as if she could afford to alienate Mr Lovegood.

* Oh no, Harry is getting sentimental over Ginny. And I thought we had been spared this when he passed the Burrow without getting maudlin.

* Ah, let's bludgeon us with the fact that Xenophilius Lovegood is eccentric. Wrackspurts, Gurdyroots. Plimpsies. What else? It's really getting very tiresome.

* Really, if Mr Lovegood's reluctance in helping them hadn't given them a warning, then the fact that Luna didn't immediately come to meet them should have given them a clue that not everything was as it should have been.

* Another chapter in which nothing happened. I don't really know why I bother to do these recaps when you can't even get anything juicy out of the chapters because they are so boring.

Comments

first real comment

[tevye-cat.livejournal.com]

Gags with you at the lack of tribute to Snape. Although I remain firmly convinced the sneaky git's alive. There was no body, no mention of a portrait, nothing.

Harry's enlarging the spiders seemed so cruel to me. It could be a subconscious thing, but still. This is the same boy who sent his pet to peck his friends and was satisfied to see the cuts on their hands, after all.

Also, this is stupid, but Hermione knows what kind of wood Harry's wand is made of on sight, but she doesn't know what a rook is?

Re: first real comment

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

If it wasn't for the interviews I'd put Snape in the Merlin position, grave unknown, story circulated, but still viable to return at a later date.

Re: first real comment

[tdotm.livejournal.com]

Why on EARTH would Snape want to return? The British Wizarding World was all up Harry's fundament after the Battle of Hogwarts. Then he became Head Auror. No doubt the Encyclopedia will reveal that despite his initial modest denials, Harry Potter became Minister of Magic at the age of 45. At 50, he'll go all Julio-Claudian on them and declare himself a God. Instead of 'Thank Merlin', law will dictate that people say 'Thank Potter'.

Snape should stay away, keeping the fact that he's cracked that old alchemy chestnut and can turn base metal into gold with him. Enjoy your retirement on your private caribbean island Severus!

Re: first real comment

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

My scenario's a little different. Harry goes on to be Head Auror and things fall apart. They need Snape. And he'll make them pay dearly for being such blind sheep but they'll learn their lesson. The WW will be a better place and Harry will take up the position he always would have had if his parents had lived - he'll be just another Ministry drone or, if the combined Potter and Black fortunes are large enough, he'll be sidelined in his manor sitting firmly on his laurels where he can't get anyone into trouble or killed.

Re: first real comment

[anehan]

Poor Snape. Dumbledore really fucked him over. He risked his life on a regular basis for the Cause, and not content with that, Dumbledore forced him to kill him. And in the end, no one but Harry Potter knows that he is innocent of that murder, so he is forced to be beholden to Harry for any recognition he may get.

Harry's enlarging the spiders seemed so cruel to me.

Yeah. It's so thoughtless.

Re: first real comment

[seductivedark.livejournal.com]

Dumbledore wasn't the only one who fucked him over. And that's just in canon...