Quickly And Carefully, Touch The Fire.
As he pushed past Harry into the darkening corridor, Zabini shot him a filthy look that Harry returned with interest.
When I first read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it didn't occur to me that 'with interest' was a metaphor meaning 'with extra filth'. I thought Harry just returned it... interestedly. Going 'hmm, Zabini's giving me a charged look. Intriguing. Where's this going?'
I puzzled over this for some time. It seemed to me unlikely that Rowling had introduced Blaise Zabini as a romantic interest for Harry, but I couldn't work out what else she could be getting at.
The Sectumsempra scene hit me so hard when I first read this book. Come to think of it, Dumbledore drinking the potion in the cave did as well. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is far from the best book in the series, but it does have some really impactful moments.
(The difference between these two scenes: Sectumsempra is horrifying and yet is also possibly my favourite scene in the entire Harry Potter series. Dumbledore drinking the potion is horrifying in a way that makes me squirm and want to look away, rather than in a way that makes me go 'OH NO THIS IS AWFUL but also the best thing ever'.)
Half-Blood Prince is also the book in which Harry finds out that Snape reported the 'Chosen One' prophecy to Voldemort, resulting in the deaths of Lily and James. Dumbledore tells Harry that Snape didn't anticipate the consequences: 'You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he realised how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy, Harry. I believe it to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason that he returned [to our side].'
This is the first time I've reread this book since Deathly Hallows, and this moment really struck me this time around. Snape is such a tragic figure. A deeply unpleasant figure, yes, but a tragic one.
YOU THOUGHT THIS WASN'T GOING TO BE AN ASSASSIN'S CREED ENTRY, BUT NO. I've written a bit more of Visitors (Gratuitous Wish-Fulfilment Edition)! I've edited it into the original post, though, rather than putting it up in a fresh one, because it's silly that I keep flooding your flists with this AU. I'm sorry! It's just a ridiculously fun universe to play around in, particularly now that I've thrown aside my shame and started writing all the platonic bedsharing scenes of my dreams. (ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS HAVE MURDERED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE.)
When I first read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it didn't occur to me that 'with interest' was a metaphor meaning 'with extra filth'. I thought Harry just returned it... interestedly. Going 'hmm, Zabini's giving me a charged look. Intriguing. Where's this going?'
I puzzled over this for some time. It seemed to me unlikely that Rowling had introduced Blaise Zabini as a romantic interest for Harry, but I couldn't work out what else she could be getting at.
The Sectumsempra scene hit me so hard when I first read this book. Come to think of it, Dumbledore drinking the potion in the cave did as well. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is far from the best book in the series, but it does have some really impactful moments.
(The difference between these two scenes: Sectumsempra is horrifying and yet is also possibly my favourite scene in the entire Harry Potter series. Dumbledore drinking the potion is horrifying in a way that makes me squirm and want to look away, rather than in a way that makes me go 'OH NO THIS IS AWFUL but also the best thing ever'.)
Half-Blood Prince is also the book in which Harry finds out that Snape reported the 'Chosen One' prophecy to Voldemort, resulting in the deaths of Lily and James. Dumbledore tells Harry that Snape didn't anticipate the consequences: 'You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he realised how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy, Harry. I believe it to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason that he returned [to our side].'
This is the first time I've reread this book since Deathly Hallows, and this moment really struck me this time around. Snape is such a tragic figure. A deeply unpleasant figure, yes, but a tragic one.
YOU THOUGHT THIS WASN'T GOING TO BE AN ASSASSIN'S CREED ENTRY, BUT NO. I've written a bit more of Visitors (Gratuitous Wish-Fulfilment Edition)! I've edited it into the original post, though, rather than putting it up in a fresh one, because it's silly that I keep flooding your flists with this AU. I'm sorry! It's just a ridiculously fun universe to play around in, particularly now that I've thrown aside my shame and started writing all the platonic bedsharing scenes of my dreams. (ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS HAVE MURDERED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE.)