Deathly Hallows Chapter 25

[montavilla.livejournal.com]

Shell Cottage

We pause for a few days as Harry listens to the sound of the sea and contemplates the enormity of his decision not to prevent Voldemort from obtaining the Elder Wand.

Harry can’t remember ever choosing not to act in his life before. He must have forgotten all those time he chose not to practice Occlumency. Also, the time he chose not to try and figure what the screaming egg meant—even though everyone and Hermione kept pestering him about it.

JKR has Ron second-guessing Harry in an attempt to make Harry’s decision seem more important than it actually was. Harry can’t help but wonder if Ron is right and it was “outright madness” not to try to keep Voldemort from opening Dumbledore’s tomb.

Okay. I’ll play along, Harry. How exactly were you planning on stopping him? You’ve been stuck in hiding for months. You were dead tired and emotionally drained. Hermione was in a bathrobe for goodness sake. You were on the other side of the country.

So, you thought you’d just skip into Hogwarts—where Voldemort was fresh and deadly, and had at least three Death Eaters for back-up and do… what, exactly? Accio Dumbedore’s body?

Might I remind you that Snape wiped your butt last time you dueled?

Hermione sensibly reminds Harry that the Wand is Evil, and any plan to keep Voldemort from getting the wand would have meant breaking into Dumbledore’s tomb themselves. Which only results in Harry getting mad at Dumbledore all over again.

And leads into an argument about whether or not Dumbledore is actually dead. Of course he is. JKR told Salman Rushdie that he was. Shall we move on?

Fleur comes to deliver the message that Griphook is ready to talk. She’s irritated at Griphook for making her deliver that message. Also, her silver hair is flying around. I wonder if it that’s a Veela thing. Maybe their hair is like cat’s tails. When they get irritated, it waves around.

Griphook is in the tiniest bedroom (which Hermione and Luna share) and he’s drawn the curtains, which gives the room a red glow. Obvious demonic symbolism here as Harry prepares to make a deal with the devil, er Shylock, er… goblin.

Griphook says that he’ll help Harry in return for… payment. Harry, naturally enough, offers gold (which he has a bunch of in his vault). This insults Griphook who declares that he has plenty of gold himself, thank you very much. He wants the Sword of Gryffindor, which Harry refuses to give him.

So then Ron blunders even worse by offering treasure from Bellatrix’s vault—at which Griphook declares that he is not a thief. (Just an accomplice.)

And… now they’re all arguing about whether the Sword belongs to wizards or to goblins.

According to Griphook, the Sword originally belonged to Ragnuk the First, and was “taken” from him by Godric Gryffindor. Which could mean stolen, or it could mean that they dueled, or there was a war, or any number of things.

So… in trying to relate understand this (Reading Strategy 4.1 monitor and adjust comprehension using background knowledge), I think about such controversies as the Kennewick Man where Native Americans sued for the return of an ancient skeleton found on Federal land. In terms of shedding light on Harry’s situation, I conclude that it’s far too complicated to try and argue this conflict through on historical grounds, and they should come up with a different process.

jim_smith would point out that, by offering to help Harry in return for the sword, Griphook is acknowledging that he doesn’t already own the sword, so this entire argument about who does own it is moot.

At this point, Harry breaks off negotiations with Griphook in order to confer with Ron and Hermione. For the content of that discussion, I can do no better than to refer you to Jim Smith’s summary of this chapter:
Jim Smith pitches in for his brother who was killed by a poison duck (don’t ask).

It’s very long, and the part you’d want starts about midway through. The easiest way to find it is to do a page search for "Princess Leia slave costume." That will get you to the paragraph before the one you want to start on. Read through the dialogue and enjoy. ; )

So, the upshot is that Harry decides that he will give the Sword to Griphook (not that Harry has any special right to the Sword. Legally, it belongs to Hogwarts. Magically, it belongs to Ron). However, Harry needs the sword to destroy the Horcrux they find, plus the one they still don’t have a clue about, and possibly the one last encountered in Bathilda’s body, so he’ll leave out the part where he doesn’t hand it over immediately—but holds onto it. Possibly for years.

I haven’t spoken to any six-year-olds who read this book, but I’m pretty sure that all of them would be able to figure out that this is a Very Bad Idea. And Wrong, too.

Even Harry can figure out that it’s wrong. What he can’t figure out is that it’s also stupid.

Ron, naturally, thinks that it’s brilliant.

They return and Harry promises to give Griphook the Sword in payment for his help. Hermione, meanwhile, has the words “We’re LYING!” written all over her face.

Oh, would that were literally true! Wouldn’t it be so great if Griphook had magically cursed the agreement so that pustules broke out all over Harry’s face if he broke his promise? It would go so well with that “I must not tell lies” hand of his.

But, he doesn’t and so the Trio and Griphook start planning their heist. It takes… big surprise… weeks of drawing diagrams and flow charts and to do lists. Hermione notes that their store of Polyjuice potion is very low. There’s only enough to Polyjuice one person.

Okay…. So…. they are doing this for weeks. Hermione knows the recipe for Polyjuice. Any reason they don’t brew up another batch? No, I didn’t think so.

Of course, it would take them so long to brew it that they’d end up breaking in the vault later than June, when the students would be at home and unavailable for the big battle finish—but that’s JKR’s problem. Not theirs.

The more time the Trio spends with Griphook, the less they like him. He’s bloodthirsty, he enjoys the thought of pain for wizards and lesser creatures (so… why was he so impressed about Harry burying Dobby?), and he insists on kosher food.

Harry apologizes to Fleur for all the bother, so that she can remind him that he saved her sister’s life, so that Harry can remind us that Gabrielle was never in any real danger. Fleur. One of the many characters in the series to bow to Harry’s awesomeness for no logical reason.

Maybe he does have Veela blood in him. That would also explain the hair.

Harry assures Fleur that the Trio will soon be vacating her small cottage, whereupon Fleur starts to make Mrs. Weasley noises. “Of course you must not leave, you are safe ‘ere!”

Oh god. It’s like we’ve regressed back to Chapter Six! Please. Please. Don’t go backwards. We’ll never reach the end!

Fortunately, Luna and Dean break up the conversation by bringing in wood. Luna is exhibiting her friend-gathering behavior by telling Dean about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and how her father found a horn for her… and now Hermione is arguing with her about whether it was a Snorckack or an Erumpent horn… God, we’re back in Chapter 20!

Snape! Where are you, Snape? Please come and rescue this story!

Fortunately, this is interrupted by Mr. Ollivander coming down the stairs on his way to Aunt Muriel’s. Fleur gives him her goblin-made tiara to return to Aunt Muriel. The tiara is important because 1) Griphook makes a comment, illustrating the goblin view towards ownership of goblin-made items, and 2) Luna reminds us that her father was working on a replica of the famous Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw.

There is a knock at the door! We get a little character snapshot as people react. Fleur looks frightened. Bill and the Trio draw their wands. Griphook slides under the table like the tiny, swarthy coward that he is.

“Who is it?” Bill calls out. What late night visitor is rapping, rapping on my chamber door?

“It is I!” replies Lupin, who must have been a member of the Hogwarts Melodrama Club. “I am a werewolf, married to Nymphodora Tonks, and you, the Secret-Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and bade me come in an emergency!”

I think it’s a real pity that we’re stuck inside the house and missed all the sweeping arm gestures that must have accompanied that speech.

Once he gets in the door, Lupin turns the melodrama into soap opera. He bursts out that Tonks has had the baby, hugs Harry, and asks him to become “Teddy” Lupin’s godfather.

I have to pause for a moment because it just hurts. I can’t even snark.

…

There’s only one reason in the world why Lupin would name Harry as his son’s godfather. Because this book is about Harry.

Here are the reasons against naming Harry: He’s seventeen. He’s the most wanted wizard in the country. He’s on a secret mission that may take years or decades and can’t be found most of the time. He has absolutely no experience with children. He can’t even take proper care of an owl. People around him die with alarming frequency. He’s impulsive and thoughtless. He’s seventeen.

By the way, how come there are zillions of godfathers in the wizarding world and nary a godmother to be found?

So, Lupin stays and they drink wine and it’s all cozy and wonderful. Harry notices that Griphook doesn’t seem as pleased as everyone else (why the hell would he be?), and slinks off to his bedroom. Harry also notices Bill noticing the goblin leaving.

After Lupin finally goes back to his own family, Bill pulls Harry into the kitchen. I like this scene. Bill is being smart. He knows something is up, and he doesn’t try to baby Harry, but he does warn Harry that trying to cheat a goblin is a Very Bad Idea.

I have to laugh when Bill says that nobody can understand goblin ideas of ownership unless they have worked with goblins. According to the goblins, anything they make is only rented to humans for the period of one lifetime.

When I’m lucky, I get paid to write. I’m really far down on the writer’s scale and when I get paid, it’s Work for Hire. That means that whatever I write is paid for with a flat fee. I never get royalties. (Well, I do for plays… but only when I get paid at all, which is rarely.)

But, higher up on the scale, people get paid for what is called First Run Rights. Usually, they are writing for magazines or newspapers. That means that the publishers are allowed to print the article or story once. The writer retains ownership of the writing and is allowed to sell the rights for a second printing to another magazine or newspaper. If the first magazine wants to run the story again, they have to negotiate for that and pay a second fee.

It’s not that hard a concept. I didn’t need to work in publishing for years to understand it. I got it the first time I heard it.

Goblins are basically like writers. They are only selling First Run Ownership. They want to be paid for the Second Run.

Bill finishes up by saying it would be less dangerous to break into Gringott’s than to try and cheat a goblin. In this way, goblins are not like writers, since writers are basically wimps.

As the chapter ends, Harry wryly reflects that he is going to be just as reckless a godfather as Sirius Black was. Yeah, I could have told you that three books ago, Harry.

All we can do is pray that nothing happens to Lupin or Tonks.

Fan Service:
A million fanfics are born as the good ship Duna takes off.
Teddy Ruxpin Lupin is born, along with a million more new fanfics.
A million fangirls squeal as Harry becomes the new Sirius Black (I should have figured that out when Harry saw his reflection in the previous chapter and noted how long his black hair had become—along with the manly stubble on his chin.)

Fan Slappage:
Just when you thought Lupin couldn’t go any lower.
Oh, and apparently Lupin will have sex with a woman.

DVD Extras:
INT: NIGHT—SHELL COTTAGE’S SMALLEST BEDROOM

The door opens in the still room and warm light accompanies a burst of CHEERFUL CHATTER from the floor below. In start contrast, GRIPHOOK the goblin, who has entered, is silent and dour. He closes the door on the happy noise, limps over to the bed, and swings himself up into it.

He lights a lamp and then takes a small metallic device from his pocket. He unfolds it and presses a few buttons. Then he places it up to his ear.

GRIPHOOK
Gustov? Griphook…. Yes. It’s on…. I’m not sure when. These schmucks take forever to plan stuff…. We’ll be bringing the sword with us, so just make sure that you’re prepared….

Hearing a noise, Griphook glances warily around the room, placing one protective hand on his magical device—which is definitely not a cell phone.

GRIPHOOK (cont’d)
No, they’re not telling me what they’re looking for. As long as it isn’t goblin, I don’t give bupkis…. Yeah, right. That kid can’t occlude for beans. I could tell he was lying the whole time…. Oh, I fed him a line of crap about what a mensch he was for burying this elf. (laughing) I know, I know. Can you believe these—

There is a knock at the door.

GRIPHOOK (cont’d)
Hold on a minute….

He hurriedly stuffs the device into his pocket and settles back on the bed.

GRIPHOOK (cont’d)
(weakly)
Come in.

The door opens and BILL WEASLEY enters, holding a wine glass.

BILL
Are you all right? I noticed you slipped out.

GRIPHOOK
My—my legs were hurting. It was a wizard celebration. We goblins find it bad luck to celebrate before the bris.

Bill nods thoughtfully, as he moves closer. Then he holds out his hand expectantly.

GRIPHOOK
What are you…?

BILL
Hand it over, Griphook.

Griphook scowls and pulls the device out of his pocket. He places it on Bill’s palm. Bill puts it into his own pocket.

GRIPHOOK
That’s private property.

BILL
And this is my house. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect it.

He moves towards the door. Griphook raises himself up a bit.

GRIPHOOK
We goblins protect what is ours, too!

Bill turns to face him.

BILL
I know. But believe it or not, we’re all on the same side right now. Try to remember that.

He goes out the door, closing it quietly behind him. Griphook mutters defiantly as he settles back on the cushions.

Comments

[eir-de-scania.livejournal.com]

We never see post-Hogwarts, pre-Azkaban Sirius, though. Like James, I guess he grew up. I know of several jerk-ass sixteen-y-o boys who were nice mature young men at twenty.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

People keep saying that. We get to see post-Hogwarts, pre-Azkaban Sirius in Rowling's horrible prequel, and he remained a jerk in that, as did James. I really don't think any boy (or girl) who hasn't at least started maturing at 16 is going to be a decent person at 20. Most of the kids I know do (or have done) a great deal of maturing between 13 or 14 and 16. I know I did.

[eir-de-scania.livejournal.com]

Well, I didn't, not like I did between 16 - 20. Nor did anyone else I knew, especially not the boys.

[montavilla.livejournal.com]

Well, whether boys more often grow up between 13-16 or 16-20, Mary is right that Sirius and James are pretty much the same guys in that prequel that they were in SWM.

[eri1980b.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm going to stick up for Sirius here. As an initial choice for godfather yes, I agree it was probably not James and Lily's finest decision. However, if he had got Harry once they were dead I think it would have changed him somewhat. After all, his best friend died after the mother of all fuck-ups that night which he held himself accountable for. Harry would have given him something to live for. He wouldn't have got it right 100% of the time but I don't think he'd do a bad job.

Harry on the other hand, is a poor choice that remains poor because, whilst he has had "trials" throughout his life he remaims a self-obssessed idiot.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Um - okay. We'll have to agree to differ here* - and anyway, this is a sporking site, not a site for huge debates on the marauders and their virtues and vices! Suffice it to say that we're dealing with the show-don't-tell problem again, or, to be more accureate, Rowling's penchant for showing one thing and telling us something quite different. So, we get told that James grew up, but we are told this by his friends, who are trying to justify their own bad behavior and who both remain somewhat immature themselves. We are never shown this. On the contrary, every single time we see James, he is acting thoughtless and immature at best and downright nasty at worst. Rowling could have actually shown us a mature, thoughtful and even heroic James, but she couldn't be bothered to do so, it seems.

* Maturation takes a long time. It doesn't stop when people are 20 or 21 - but, otoh, it doesn't suddenly start when they are 16, either. Someone who is an abusive, bullying jerk at 16 is, imo, very unlikely to be a nice, mature individual at only 20 or 21. And, indeed, James still seems to be a bit of a jerk at that age. Perhaps he could have become a decent human being if given enough time. Sadly, he was only a boy when he died. So we can hardly blame him for being immature. I can and do blame him for being a bully, though.

[montavilla.livejournal.com]

And, at least as a literary convention, people rarely making large changes in their maturity levels without some strong motivation or event.

Which is why we (or at least some of us) were content to accept that James matured when we thought the Prank took place after SWM. There was a cause-and-effect there (comprehension skill 3.2). James was a jerk until he realized the consequences of his actions, so he tried to act better (although maybe he still had that Snape kid to fend off), and, because of his growing up, he was able to win over the spunky Lily.

That's a narrative anyone can follow.

Instead, what we get is this: James was acting up, hexing all sorts of people, but basically targeting Snape from the day they met (along with BFF Sirius). Sirius came up with a Prank that James realized went too far, so he prevented it and Dumbledore swept in to clean things up. But, this didn't cause any rift in his friendship with Sirius (and Remus was too desperate to protest being used as a weapon), so they just carried on their merry way for another year when James's libido finally overcame his sense of entitlement and he reformed just enough to fool Lily into thinking he had changed.

I can follow that narrative, but it sure doesn't make me like that guy. Or respect him.

[artystone.livejournal.com]

This.

Oh - sorry -

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Sirius, is, IMHO, the best of the marauders. He's not really such an awful choice for godfather, and, after all, he was James' best friend. I'm okay with Sirius as godfather, and will not debate the marauders further.

Now, Harry as godfather, otoh - I really can't see it. Like Tonks's death in the battle, it's all set up to show Harry healing the open wounds of the previous generation, as it were. And it doesn't work at all. Emily Bronte did a better job, by far.

Re: Oh - sorry -

[eir-de-scania.livejournal.com]

Two things: the tell-don't-show, and JKR's views on what's funny. Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, anyone? Obviously, JKR finds them funny, the wizworld are flocking to the shop, the pre-Voldie Ministry buys from them - but many readers -this one included- found much of it creepy and very much un-funny.

Add to that the White Hat's view of and treatment of Muggles...Potterverse wizarding morals doesn't quite match current-day muggle ones to say the least.

I agree with you on the Harry-as-a-godfather Plot Device, though. ;.)

Re: Oh - sorry -

[the-bitter-word.livejournal.com]

I also don't have a problem with Sirius as a godfather. He would have been devoted to Harry, and might have taught him a few handy skills. Besides, who else would the Potters have picked, someone older and wiser like -- oh, I don't know -- Dumbledore? Good job Lily found out about his big gay love for Grindelwald before the Potters had to pick a secret keeper. Phew!

Come to think of it, why did they come up with the Peter plan? They are betting that the Death Eaters won't use Veritaserum on a captured Sirius, I guess, opting instead for torture, which Sirius can valiantly resist before he dies. And Peter can blab the location to anyone even if Sirius is the secret keeper, if DH is anything to go by. What have the Potters gained by switching to Peter (especially when James, or Lily, could be the secret keeper instead)? I'm probably missing something.

Harry as a godfather is just Remus rolling over and showing his stomach to the Hero, even at the cost of reason and his son's welfare. I don't think Peter was the only sycophant in the Marauders. Peter was just less pathetic about it.

[artystone.livejournal.com]

True but considering it looks like Harry was born 9 months to the day after they all got out of HW, there wasn't much time for improvement.

[snapes-witch.livejournal.com]

HW = Hogwarts? Snape's cohort left Hogwarts the spring of 1978; Harry was born July 31, 1980.

[artystone.livejournal.com]

Hmm I thought I'd answered this. Anyway...obviously I was being facetious but not by much. Are we supposed to believe Sirius took a maturity pill or something? Becuase judging by his general assholishness when we see him in the series, it wore off.

[snapes-witch.livejournal.com]

Hmm I thought I'd answered this. Anyway...obviously I was being facetious but not by much. Are we supposed to believe Sirius took a maturity pill or something? Becuase judging by his general assholishness when we see him in the series, it wore off.

OK, but I'm not sure what Sirius's maturity or immaturity has to do with Harry being born 9 months after they left HW. lol

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

From what Rowling has to say about when that prequel happened, it would have been between 6th and 7th year. Or possibly during a term break during 7th. Not post Hogwarts. Not at all.

And they do *act* like a couple of 17-year-olds in it.

[montavilla.livejournal.com]

Wait... so Dumbledore was inducting school-age wizards into his Order of the Phoenix? No wonder Fudge was so worried!

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

Well, the obvious answer is that Rowling can't count, but yeah, it does tend to suggest as much, and Fudge doesn't come across as *quite* so much of a fool.

On the other hand, we have no reason to believe that Members of the Order went around in club T-shirts back in VWI either. It was 1977 and my recollections of popular culture is that it was crawling with fantasy motifs. Mostly Dragons and the ubiquitous Yawnicorn, but I suspect that you could have found Phoenixes if you looked. They could have bought those shirts at a Muggle mall.

It *does* tend to estabish that there was nothing secret about the Order during the first war, however. And if they were working with the Ministry -- which Sirius comes right out and tells us in OotP, it seems hard to imagine how they *could* have kept it a secret.

[montavilla.livejournal.com]

And I guess it shouldn't surprise me, given that Dumbledore starts using Harry in a more active way from HBP on.

And I wonder if I have a double standard. After all, there's not much indication in the memories we see of Snape becoming the suave, elf-made wine drinker we see in HBP, but I can easily imagine how it happens.

OTOH, Snape has fifteen years to get to that point, and the example of Lucius in front of him. James has only a couple of years. As we see from other characters, dating your true love doesn't magically cause you to grow up (Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny), nor does marriage (Remus and Tonks).

It could have been having a child. That makes sense, and I think I would have swallowed it as a reader if it had ever been suggested by anyone in the books. But in that case, we'd have to accept the fact that Lily went ahead and married an immature jerk--which I think would upset people as much as James leaving his wand in the living room.

It's a puzzlement.

[jodel-from-aol.livejournal.com]

Well, sure Lily married an immature jerk. She was hardy a poster child for mature responsibility herself, after all. The very fact that she was determined to marry somebody before she was even 20 is indication enough of that. Prooving she was a grown-up so no one could tell her what to do is what it comes across as to me.

About all you could say is that she considered James Potter the best pick from among the selections of immature jerks on offer. She may even have been right. I don't think she'd have been happier with Remus.