Half-Blood Prince: Chapter 7: The Slug Club

[handhfan]

This is my first summary, so be easy on me. :) Sorry if this is a little long, I think I got carried away…

Chapter 7: The Slug Club

Harry is spending a lot of time over the last week to figure out why Malfoy was in Knocturn Alley, and why he was in a good mood. He came up with an irrational suspicion that Draco could be a DE. To make matters

Comments

[house_elf_44]

For all that the war is supposedly making a daily impact on their lives, Ron and Hermione seem determined not to think that the world (well, Draco) is dangerous. They really come off as dense in this scene. Or children who are too naive to handle the reality of war.

Their not believing Harry makes no sense to me. They've believed dodgier stuff for which they only had Harry's word. Maybe there really are Wrackspurts.

Ginny sabotaging Ron's attempt to get a kiss from Fleur makes me think scary thoughts about sexual jealousy. Now I need to scrub out my brain.

Yeah, what was her motivation there? Is it the standard siblings getting each other whenever possible? or she didn't like that Fleur just kissed Harry and took it out on Ron? It didn't do anything against Fleur.

I find it interesting that both Dumbledore and Slughorn use students as messengers.

Poor Hedwig must have felt unneeded. I think it was a way to slip in the name Demelza, and to fool us about Harry's reaction when Ginny delivers a message to him. I'll save that for later.

[cadesama]

They've believed dodgier stuff for which they only had Harry's word. Maybe there really are Wrackspurts.

Heh, Wrackspurts are as good as anything. That's why I'm convinced that the DoM marked a deterioration in the amount of trust Ron and Hermione have in Harry. Unfortunately, I don't think this issue is dealt with anywhere in the book, and I don't have much hope that it'll be dealt with in the next.

Yeah, what was her motivation there? Is it the standard siblings getting each other whenever possible? or she didn't like that Fleur just kissed Harry and took it out on Ron? It didn't do anything against Fleur.

Well, the scary thought I had ties back into the theory that Ginny wasn't a wholly unwilling participant with the diary, as the diary only took out rivals for the men in Ginny's life (Harry's fans, Ron's future girlfriend, Percy's girlfriend). So the idea would be that Ginny needs to be the only girl in Ron's life, as well as Bill's, and takes revenge on Ron for ignoring her for Fleur. I don't think it's really true, but I don't like the vibe of Ginny's apparent jealousy of Fleur at all.

I don't think general sibling rivalry really covers it. Taking out her frustration with Harry on Ron might have some merit, though. I really do think, though, that jealousy is at the heart of it. Maybe because Fleur is taking her brothers away, maybe because Fleur is so beautiful, I don't know. But that sort of spite screams jealousy to me.

[house_elf_44]

...I'm convinced that the DoM marked a deterioration in the amount of trust Ron and Hermione have in Harry.

I didn't think that. In the end they knew it was a convincing trap, and Kreacher lied to make it work. Harry didn't draw any wrong conclusions, except that it didn't occur to him that a House Elf could lie to him, and Ron and Hermione didn't think of that either.

...Unfortunately, I don't think this issue is dealt with anywhere in the book, and I don't have much hope that it'll be dealt with in the next.

Ron and Hermione have no choice but to realize Harry had been right about Malfoy all along, and they were wrong. I think this will put Harry and Hermione on equal footing as far as figuring things out, whereas it was all Hermione before.

[cadesama]

In the end they knew it was a convincing trap, and Kreacher lied to make it work. Harry didn't draw any wrong conclusions, except that it didn't occur to him that a House Elf could lie to him, and Ron and Hermione didn't think of that either.

Yeah, but feelings don't have to be logical. I don't think Ron or Hermione sat down and decided that following Harry around was dangerous. I think nearly getting killed is a very viscerally frightening experience, and that anyone with decent instincts would be hesitant to follow the path that led to such a bad result again. So, I think that Hermione, at least, has had a gut reaction of fear to some of Harry's plans, which has resulted in her acting distrustful of his reckless behavior.

Ron and Hermione have no choice but to realize Harry had been right about Malfoy all along, and they were wrong. I think this will put Harry and Hermione on equal footing as far as figuring things out, whereas it was all Hermione before.

They have no choice, I agree. But will we see them admit that they were wrong? Why would we, when we never saw why they wouldn't listen to Harry in the first place? I don't know if it will put Harry and Hermione on equal footing, because, imho, they always have been. Harry's always been the leader in their adventures, and he's usually alone. Hermione, on the other hand, got to be dominant the rest of the time. I don't think it's Harry being right in the end that makes the difference -- he usually is, and the adventure is his time to shine anyway. But the academic aspect in this book, where Harry is fully independent from Hermione, is new. That I can see as causing a major shift -- although, I definitely think that aspect contributed to Hermione's continued denial of Harry's suspicions, as well.

[pilly2009]

That I can see as causing a major shift -- although, I definitely think that aspect contributed to Hermione's continued denial of Harry's suspicions, as well.

Yes, sort of like she could not believe that Harry's suspicion of Malfoy could be logical and/or well-founded, without having been helped along or approved by her. I suspect it was the same aspect that led her to disapprove and antagonize every instance of Harry's displaying intellectual thought without help from her (ie, the HBP, and the successful luck-potion feint used on Ron). I can easily see her insecurity increasing almost exponentially in this book.

[cadesama]

Have you seen sistermagpie's essay along those lines? It's an interesting read, and I think she hits the nail on the head with Hermione's need to make herself intellectually invaluable to the boys, yet how her insecurity leads to her undermining her own accomplishments. From all of Hermione's complaints about the boys over the years, you'd think she'd be overjoyed that Harry is finally taking the initiative in his studies and with his suspicions, rather than just sitting around letting Hermione do all the work. Yet, it seems to make her angry instead.