Blondes Have More Fun In Chapter 19!
Feb. 22nd, 2006 10:59 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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deathtocapslockThis chapter is the shizzle. Why? Mostly because of Draco and Luna – but there's other great moments as well.
– One of the first things I noticed about this chapter is that the Weasleys were called into Hogwarts due to Ron's poisoning. IIRC, the Grangers were NOT called in when Hermione was petrified in COS. Yet Montague's parents were called in when he was found after the whole vanishing cabinet scenario...so Hogwarts does at times inform parents if a student is ill or hurt.
– "Half our family does seem to owe you their lives, now I stop and think about it," Mr. Weasley said in a constricted voice. "Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry." (pg 404)
Yet Harry's the main reason this family often finds itself endangered, isn't he? Hmmm...
– I don't think I've ever been so goddamn happy to see Hagrid. Not only does he suggest that The Board of Governors will finally shut down Hogwarts for failing to keep the students safe:
Gotta see it from their point o' view," said Hagrid heavily. "I mean, it's always bin a bit of a risk sendin' a kid ter Hogwarts, hasn' it? Yer expect accidents, don' yeh, with hundreds of underage wizards all locked up tergether, but attempted murder, that's different. 'S'no wonder Dumbledore's angry with Sn—" (pgs 404-5)
But he also informs Harry that things are not at all rosy between Dumbles & Snape, who wants out. Like Don Corleone, Dumbles makes offers one cannot refuse:
"Well – I jus' heard Snape sayin' Dumbledore took too much fer granted an' maybe he – Snape – didn' wan' ter do it anymore —"
"Do what?"
"I dunno, Harry, it sounded like Snape was feelin' a bit overworked, tha's all – anyway, Dumbedore told him flat out he'd agreed ter do it an' that was all there was to it. Pretty firm with him..." (pgs 405-6)
Finally, he gets delightfully dissed by Filch, who forgets Hagrid is a professor these days. :D
– Cormac McLaggen is completely unintimidated by Harry, which is interesting. He's a highly competitive bloke: he's keen to take Ron's place in the match, and impresses upon Harry (much to his dismay & aggravation) that he's far more interested in – and aware of – the ins & outs of his team than the captain is. He's definitely one to watch in Book 7.
– Nobody in Gryffindor seems to care much about Ron being poisoned. WHAT A SURPRISE. The kid just can't get a break, can he? Yeah, he was real lucky he met up with Potter on the Hogwarts Express first year! *rolleyes*
– Well, Lavender cares about Ron (much to Harry's dismay and aggravation). But Ron is taking his immense frustrations at being Perpetual Second Best out on her in a rather passive-aggressive way: by pretending to be asleep whenever she comes to visit him. Harry comes over all "If you don't want to go out with her anymore just tell her!", forgetting what happened to Ron last time he pissed a girl off. :o
– The classic line "Harry, however, had never been less interested in Quidditch; he was rapidly becoming obsessed with Draco Malfoy" is found in this chapter, of course, on page 409. And when Harry DOES come across the object of his intense preoccupations, he's kicking back with two underage girlies – we soon find out just how kinky this whole scenario is! – and a snappy comeback for his opponent:
"You'd better hurry up, they'll be waiting for 'the Chosen Captain' – 'the Boy Who Scored' – whatever they call you these days." (pg 412)
Dissed & dismissed, Potter! ;)
– A lot of people take Luna's initial Quidditch match commentary as an indication that she genuinely likes Ginny, or at least feels the need to kiss her arse by saying "She's nice, I like her". But look at the whole paragraph:
"And that's Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle," said a dreamy voice, echoing over the grounds. "He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think probably on purpose, it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he's playing them – oh, look, he's lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her, she's very nice..." (pgs 413-4)
Far from sucking up to Ginny, Luna states plainly and for the record that Ginny purposefully attacked the last Quidditch commentator, Zacharias Smith, and that he may have cause to regret speaking his mind now that he's playing a particularly brutal sport against her and her team! Luna has no desire to to share Zach's fate, but she still intends to freely express her opinion (and therefore fulfill her role as commentator). This is best done through sly, careful humour; Luna handles Ginny in this scene the way Pallas Athena treats The Eumenides in Aeschylus' play of the same name:
I'll not tire of telling you your gifts,
so you can never lodge complaints that I,
a newer god, or men who guard this land
failed to revere such ancient goddesses
and cast you out in exile from our city.
No. But if you respect Persuasion,
holding in reverence that sacred power
whose soothing spell sits on my tongue,
then you should stay. If that's not your wish,
it would be unjust to vent your anger
on this city, injuring its people,
enraged at them from spite. It's up to you—
take your allotted portion of this land,
justly entitled to your share of honour.
Athena is the victor, sweetening a raw deal with honeyed words in dealing with three extremely pissed off, dangerous Furies. (The Eumenides in e-text, if anyone's interested.)
Also, notice that Luna's commentary confuses the Gryffindor players; Harry and Cormac in particular are incapable of paying attention (we know Potter's got Draco on his mind, but what's McLaggen's excuse?). Luna barely mentions the game play-by-play, but does persist on mentioning Zacharias and his "Loser's Lurgy". Despite his inability to keep his hands on the Quaffle, Hufflepuff keep scoring and end up winning the game, 320 to 60.
No friend of Ginny Weasley would ever allow Gryffindor to lose a game! ;)
– "I want to catch him at it!" cries Harry (oo-ee!). But as he can't quite follow Draco about while laid up at Madam Pomfrey's suffering from a cracked skull, he decides to have Kreacher & Dobby do it for him. Funny how it's the free elf who's all obsequious and fawning, while the elf in thrall to Harry manages to retain some small dignity in his utter disgust with his new "Master".
– One of the first things I noticed about this chapter is that the Weasleys were called into Hogwarts due to Ron's poisoning. IIRC, the Grangers were NOT called in when Hermione was petrified in COS. Yet Montague's parents were called in when he was found after the whole vanishing cabinet scenario...so Hogwarts does at times inform parents if a student is ill or hurt.
– "Half our family does seem to owe you their lives, now I stop and think about it," Mr. Weasley said in a constricted voice. "Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry." (pg 404)
Yet Harry's the main reason this family often finds itself endangered, isn't he? Hmmm...
– I don't think I've ever been so goddamn happy to see Hagrid. Not only does he suggest that The Board of Governors will finally shut down Hogwarts for failing to keep the students safe:
Gotta see it from their point o' view," said Hagrid heavily. "I mean, it's always bin a bit of a risk sendin' a kid ter Hogwarts, hasn' it? Yer expect accidents, don' yeh, with hundreds of underage wizards all locked up tergether, but attempted murder, that's different. 'S'no wonder Dumbledore's angry with Sn—" (pgs 404-5)
But he also informs Harry that things are not at all rosy between Dumbles & Snape, who wants out. Like Don Corleone, Dumbles makes offers one cannot refuse:
"Well – I jus' heard Snape sayin' Dumbledore took too much fer granted an' maybe he – Snape – didn' wan' ter do it anymore —"
"Do what?"
"I dunno, Harry, it sounded like Snape was feelin' a bit overworked, tha's all – anyway, Dumbedore told him flat out he'd agreed ter do it an' that was all there was to it. Pretty firm with him..." (pgs 405-6)
Finally, he gets delightfully dissed by Filch, who forgets Hagrid is a professor these days. :D
– Cormac McLaggen is completely unintimidated by Harry, which is interesting. He's a highly competitive bloke: he's keen to take Ron's place in the match, and impresses upon Harry (much to his dismay & aggravation) that he's far more interested in – and aware of – the ins & outs of his team than the captain is. He's definitely one to watch in Book 7.
– Nobody in Gryffindor seems to care much about Ron being poisoned. WHAT A SURPRISE. The kid just can't get a break, can he? Yeah, he was real lucky he met up with Potter on the Hogwarts Express first year! *rolleyes*
– Well, Lavender cares about Ron (much to Harry's dismay and aggravation). But Ron is taking his immense frustrations at being Perpetual Second Best out on her in a rather passive-aggressive way: by pretending to be asleep whenever she comes to visit him. Harry comes over all "If you don't want to go out with her anymore just tell her!", forgetting what happened to Ron last time he pissed a girl off. :o
– The classic line "Harry, however, had never been less interested in Quidditch; he was rapidly becoming obsessed with Draco Malfoy" is found in this chapter, of course, on page 409. And when Harry DOES come across the object of his intense preoccupations, he's kicking back with two underage girlies – we soon find out just how kinky this whole scenario is! – and a snappy comeback for his opponent:
"You'd better hurry up, they'll be waiting for 'the Chosen Captain' – 'the Boy Who Scored' – whatever they call you these days." (pg 412)
Dissed & dismissed, Potter! ;)
– A lot of people take Luna's initial Quidditch match commentary as an indication that she genuinely likes Ginny, or at least feels the need to kiss her arse by saying "She's nice, I like her". But look at the whole paragraph:
"And that's Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle," said a dreamy voice, echoing over the grounds. "He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think probably on purpose, it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he's playing them – oh, look, he's lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her, she's very nice..." (pgs 413-4)
Far from sucking up to Ginny, Luna states plainly and for the record that Ginny purposefully attacked the last Quidditch commentator, Zacharias Smith, and that he may have cause to regret speaking his mind now that he's playing a particularly brutal sport against her and her team! Luna has no desire to to share Zach's fate, but she still intends to freely express her opinion (and therefore fulfill her role as commentator). This is best done through sly, careful humour; Luna handles Ginny in this scene the way Pallas Athena treats The Eumenides in Aeschylus' play of the same name:
I'll not tire of telling you your gifts,
so you can never lodge complaints that I,
a newer god, or men who guard this land
failed to revere such ancient goddesses
and cast you out in exile from our city.
No. But if you respect Persuasion,
holding in reverence that sacred power
whose soothing spell sits on my tongue,
then you should stay. If that's not your wish,
it would be unjust to vent your anger
on this city, injuring its people,
enraged at them from spite. It's up to you—
take your allotted portion of this land,
justly entitled to your share of honour.
Athena is the victor, sweetening a raw deal with honeyed words in dealing with three extremely pissed off, dangerous Furies. (The Eumenides in e-text, if anyone's interested.)
Also, notice that Luna's commentary confuses the Gryffindor players; Harry and Cormac in particular are incapable of paying attention (we know Potter's got Draco on his mind, but what's McLaggen's excuse?). Luna barely mentions the game play-by-play, but does persist on mentioning Zacharias and his "Loser's Lurgy". Despite his inability to keep his hands on the Quaffle, Hufflepuff keep scoring and end up winning the game, 320 to 60.
No friend of Ginny Weasley would ever allow Gryffindor to lose a game! ;)
– "I want to catch him at it!" cries Harry (oo-ee!). But as he can't quite follow Draco about while laid up at Madam Pomfrey's suffering from a cracked skull, he decides to have Kreacher & Dobby do it for him. Funny how it's the free elf who's all obsequious and fawning, while the elf in thrall to Harry manages to retain some small dignity in his utter disgust with his new "Master".
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