Chapter 24 - Sectumsempra
Harry tells Ron and Hermione about the horcruxes during charms. Ron is so astounded that he makes it snow which leads to the first time JKR uses a non-aggressive adverb in describing Hermione talking to Ron. SCORE! Of course, Lavender can tell that Hermione is talking "patiently" instead of snapping, berating, or otherwise belittling Ron and she
( Read more... )
It's funny, I didn't even make much note of this when I first read it, and later a lot of people were talking about it and I had to go back and find what they were squeeing about. It's a nice little moment, IMO. The Ron/Hermione interactions after he's poisoned on his birthday--and especially after she hears him muttering her name while semi-conscious--are very nice.
Harry has an internal argument with himself about Ginny being Ron's sister
It seems that we have a newly-introspective Harry in HBP, who earlier was considering the various ramifications of Ron/Hermione and who is now considering the possible complications of asking Ginny out. I don't really remember him thinking so much about the ramifications of personal relationships before. When he was interested in Cho while she was with Cedric he was wishing horrible fates on Cedric and picturing Cho beaming at him while he held up the Triwizard Cup. I would think that part of his angst over The Death HAD to partly involve his having wished these horrible things on Cedric and then doing something--sharing the cup--that led to Cedric's death, even though it technically was not Harry's fault, but JKR doesn't really elaborate on that and just has Dudley tease him about saying Cedric's name in his sleep. (I also found it odd that in OotP Harry NEVER considered how slightly creepy it was for him to go out with Cho considering the Cedric connection; I would have thought that guilty thoughts about Cedric would be as effective as a cold shower and prevent his being anything other than a friend to Cho, but I was also surprised that she went after another boy so soon after Cedric's death, and especially HARRY, of all boys.)
His observations concerning Ron's jealousy of Viktor and Hermione's fury over Fleur kissing Ron were very also very dispassionately reported--it felt like Harry was very emotionally removed from what he was observing. For the first time he's putting these things into context, which may be a sign of his growing emotional maturity.
There they find a recovered Katie Bell who tells them that the last thing she remembers before waking up at St. Mungos is pushing open the door of the bathroom at the Three Broomsticks, telling our intrepid trio that it must have been a girl that put the Imperious on Katie.
And yet Harry still suspects Draco, which later proves to be correct (he sent the necklace). Ron and Hermione team up a lot in HBP to oppose his opinion of Draco, interestingly enough.
Harry decides that they had to win the final Quidditch match and the Championship and in the post game euphoria he'd make his move.
This seems a bit like an echo of Harry picturing Cho beaming at him after winning the Tournament.
Harry finds Malfoy in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where he is being consoled by the ghost. Malfoy sees Harry and they start throwing hexes at each other. Harry yells Sectumsempra at Malfoy and blood erupts from the Heir of Evil as if he'd been slashed with a sword.
I admit that the idea of Draco/Myrtle immediately appealed to me. :D (I can see her offering up her toilet to share with him if he dies, much as she once did with Harry. Hee!) I'm not sure whether to attribute Harry's extreme results from using the spell to his temper, power or a lack of control, since Snape using the spell on James (non-verbally, too) seemed very controlled and only gave him a cut on his face. I'm inclined NOT to think that this was because of a lack of power on Snape's part--quite the opposite. But it speaks well for Harry that he was so alarmed at the damage he did that he was completely docile and obedient to Snape; when Harry knows he is in the wrong he does not try to escape punishment. He's really a good kid when all is said and done.
Reply
I thought the same thing, too, after reading ootP. It bothered me so much that I tried to analyze it.
I think I understand a bit where Cho was coming from. She wasn't over Cedric yet, and wanted someone to talk to about him. Since Harry saw Cedric die, she might have thought that Harry would be willing to talk about Cedric. After all, she did cry often when she was with Harry, which led to him breaking it off with her.
As for Harry...hmmm. I found it weird for him to go after Cho, in my opinion, but it was her who first sought him out. At fifteen, and at a time when things weren't going well for him and he wasn't really emotionally stable, I could hardly blame Harry for going after what he wanted for so long. But of course, Cedric's death wasn't something to be ignored, so the Harry/Cho relationship didn't pan out.
I wondered, though, how H/C would've fared if Cedric didn't die. But that's for another discussion. :)
Reply
I've often thought about Harry being a filter to our understanding of the Ron and Hermione relationship. He was, after all, a fourteen-year-old boy who was witnessing a turning point between his friends. You are right, we don't see him thinking about it too much...he had a lot on his mind and his own concerns. I like seeing him come of age and actually think about the ramifications of the relationship between his best friends, and how it relates to him.
I also imagine these scenes played out from the filter or point of view of other characters and how different it could have been portrayed.
Reply
I thought the difference was because Harry was waving his wand wildly, and Snape made a slashing motion.
Reply
Leave a comment