Christmas on the Closed Ward
Chapter Twenty Three
Catching up a little!
* Did he expect to see Voldemort staring out of them, afraid, perhaps, that their vivid green might turn suddenly to scarlet?
More of the interesting colour juxtaposition - green, the Slytherin theme, is Harry’s eye colour, inherited from Saint Lily; whereas Voldemort’s is Gryffindor red.
* He felt dirty, contaminated, as though he were carrying some deadly germ, unworthy to sit on the Underground train back from the hospital with innocent, clean people whose minds and bodies were free of the taint of Voldemort…
What creeps me out is that Harry never ever questions himself or his actions when I find him/them 'bad', but as soon as he's associated with Voldie/Slytherin/his enemies, there’s self-doubt. Cast an Unforgiveable and he sleeps like a baby, associate him with reptiles and he’s suicidal. I guess because it’s easier for him to associate all the negative parts of his personality with Voldemort - ‘(he) made me do it’; the positive with his parents) Which is understandable, except I’m not sure if he’s capable of recognising when his own actions are negative - he feels guilty when he hurts his friends (not guilty enough to stop doing it, of course) but does he understand the concepts of how far is too far with his enemies? (iirc, he used to, a little. Even in GoF and CoS, where he did some arguably pretty reprehensible stuff, he still believed in the concept of a ‘fair fight’.) Or that he has extraordinarily high standards for the people around him, higher than his own, and so sees enemies (and thus EEEEVIL!11) where there are just normal people?
Harry's got a bit of a Madonna/Whore complex going on. (And so does Ron, apparently. Maybe it's JKR? ;) Except with both sexes.
No shades of grey, you're inherently Evil (‘tainted’) and need to be harmed, or Good (‘innocent’) and need to be protected/saved, even from yourself.
* I'm the weapon. I'm the one Voldemort’s trying to use, that's why they've got guards around me everywhere I go, it's not for my protection, it's for other people's.
That would be such a wicked plotline. Why even suggest it, JKR? Cause, not to be cruel, but the one you picked doesn’t even compare, so bringing it up maybe wasn’t smart. (I’d also find Harry the Decoy interesting, btw.)
* They were all watching him.
One day I will count the number of times it’s mentioned that everyone is staring at Harry, either in wonder or because they’re So Worried about him and his huge burdens. I swear it’s come up at least ten times in this book alone.
* Perhaps Voldemort was an Animagus…yes, thought Harry, that would fit, he would turn into a snake of course…
Ooh, imaginative.
I would actually like to see some unexpected Animaguses, if we have to have them, which we no doubt will (‘It’s a rare talent that only the best wizards have, but somehow Harry/Hermione/Ginny/Neville has accomplished it!’
Although I did hear JKR promised not to make Harry one, at least.)
I’m convinced if any Slytherins somehow muster the skill to become one, they’ll ‘hilariously’ show their inner characters by turning into a pig/insect/insert ‘ugly/useless’ animal here (snakes would be too high an aim!) whereas our heroes will naturally be proud, beautiful creatures.
But I’d find it interesting if someone not in Slytherin became a snake, say. Or someone not in Gryffindor became a lion. And so on.
Harry would probably be a bird with his natural flying talent (or better, a mythical beast. Like a unicorn with purple spots and wings and a sparkly horn!) Ginny a cat (in the lion family, since she’s such an archetypal Gryffindor), Ron something comical like a monkey, Neville something clumsy but strong, Hermione - ??? I can’t think of anything special enough…A dolphin? They’re pretty smart. A wise owl?
* …but then Voldemort's about the most powerful wizard in the world, apart from Dumbledore, it's probably no problem at all to him to transport people like that.
It’s very hard to remember how powerful and intimidating Voldemort’s supposed to be, considering he couldn’t kill a baby, and had Wormtail perform his last on-screen murder.
I get that JKR is probably trying to tread water - can’t have too many deaths in the space of a short time, can’t have too much happen before the ending of the book/year, still two books left to write and it’s likely hard to write any events including Voldemort without him doing major harm, or else he looks inept(er) but then I find it difficult to emphasise with everyone’s fear of him.
It’s the whole reading too much meta, like how people expect Harry to like Snape (isn’t it obvious he’s a good guy?!) or never be bothered by the current Slytherins (isn’t it obvious they’re total wimps?) and have friends of every house and girlfriends to spare (when so far he’s in fifth year, he barely knows Luna, who’s the closest to A Good Person Not In Gryffindor; and is terrified of holding hands.) The fandom has kind of moved beyond the text, progression wise.
* …I've heard loads of stuff I shouldn't have, everything Sirius told me the first night I was here…
Heh. Starting to finally see perhaps one reason people might not wish for you to know every single last detail, other than They’re Adults and thus Evil/Overprotective/Ignorant of How Very Important I Am?
* He would spend Christmas at Hogwarts without the others, which would keep them safe over the holidays at least… but no, that wouldn't do, there were still plenty of people at Hogwarts to maim and injure…He had no alternative: he was going to have to return to Privet Drive, cut himself off from other wizards entirely.
Erk! So he’s just going to maim and injure unimportant Muggles, who are even more helpless than his dorm-mates and friends? And not just ‘deserving’ Muggles like the Dursleys apparently, since the impetus of that last sentence is that Harry can’t bear to harm not only people he likes, but all ‘other wizards’ (well… As Magpie suggested, maybe he’d be more comfortable in the Slytherin dorm, where the people are entirely worthy of maiming?) which going by the logical contrast, means he’d be endangering all other Muggles. I’m going to touch on this later, but Harry’s loyalties re: Muggles vs. Wizards are quite interesting.
However, in a bizarre way, I found it rather touching that he’s planning to go back to the Dursleys - ‘home’s the place’ and all that…
But then, I find their gifts also strangely sweet, unlike everyone else, and missed seeing what they'd send this year.
* …he glanced around automatically for Hedwig before remembering that she was still at Hogwarts - well, her cage would be one less thing to carry…
Ha! Harry and Hedwig’s relationship continues to crack me up.
Also, Hedwig is on my Death List, as far as predictions go. (Maybe Harry can get a magical phoenix in replacement?)
* …a snide voice said, 'Running away, are we?' …Phineas Nigellus was leaning…watching Harry with an amused expression…
'Not running away, no,' said Harry shortly…
'I thought…that to belong in Gryffindor…you were supposed to be brave! It looks to me as though you would have been better off in my own house. We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid.’
Surely that disqualifies Harry, then?
And why is Phineas semi-dissing his own house? ‘Being a coward, are we? You belong in Slytherin, where all negative people go!’
I get his point (and of course, that he’s trying to provoke Harry into staying) it’s just a little backhanded. Especially since Phineas has probably seen many cowardly Gryffindors (and apparently brave Slytherins ;)
* ‘For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks.'
'It's not my own neck I'm saving,' said Harry tersely.
'Oh, I see, this is no cowardly flight - you are being noble.' Harry ignored him. His hand was on the doorknob when…
Wow. Cuts through the pretense, doesn’t he? ‘Ah, you’re being the heroic unselfish martyr again, of course!’ <3s Phineas.
I’ve never really gotten why everyone in these books cares so much if people think they’re cowardly. Big deal. You hardly know Phineas, you don’t like him, he’s a Slytherin… I’d say it was something to do with Gryffindor house and the emphasis they put on pride at all times, but even the other houses get angry if someone accuses them of it, angrier than they do to any other insults (for instance, the Gryffindors are totally unmoved by insults regarding them being privileged/favoured, which is a Slytherin-esque trait, apparently.)
Although to be fair, I was actually surprised Harry ignored the insult long enough to leave anyway, I thought just hinting he was frightened would be enough.
* Phineas Nigellus said lazily, 'I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore…I have just given it to you, dolt,' (he) said smoothly.
As Magpie pointed out, lots of Slytherin tagwords: ‘snide’, ‘lazily’, ‘smoothly’. As well as the body language (‘amused’, relaxed) And of course, casual insults ;)
* Harry's temper rose to the surface like a snake rearing from long grass.
So many clever serpent descriptions/similes! Not. (There’s also mention of Voldemort’s ‘snake-like’ face, and that Harry’s ‘insides writhe and squirm like serpents’)
* 'So that's it, is it?' he said loudly. '"Stay where you are"! That's all anyone could tell me after I got attacked by those Dementors, too! Just stay put while the grown-ups sort it out, Harry! We won't bother telling you anything, though, because your tiny little brain might not be able to cope with it!'
Aw. At least Harry is aware of his limitations. Oh, wait, that was sarcasm, wasn’t it?… ;)
I do find it hard to respect anyone who uses the phrase ‘grown-ups’, even ironically, however.
* 'You know,' said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry, 'this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the Headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done-by, to note that following Dumbledore’s orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognise danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realise what the Dark Lord may be planning -'
'He is planning something to do with me, then?' said Harry swiftly.
HAHAHA. So Phineas accuses him of being self-obsessed, and his immediate reaction is 'This is all being planned against ME?'
Although I’m a little sad that Phineas is so confident in Dumbledore, even if they have shared a job. Neither would I exactly agree with the idea that Dumbledore’s orders have never harmed Harry. And actually, I think he has a remarkable amount of faith in the man. Of course, it’s not difficult to win Harry over, you just have to tell him what he wants to hear.
Also, the ‘Harry is being a jerk because he’s a teenager, and they always think they’re right, over-react, are self-centred and angry’ spin kind of irritates me.
Partly because I feel it’s another excuse, along the lines of: he’s got a lot to be upset about; he had a troubled childhood; he’s tired and confused and scared; Neville only lacks confidence; Hermione’s deeply self-doubting at heart, blah blah and partly because it’s such a subjective reasoning. Should we excuse all characters behaviour on these grounds?
James and Sirius were only teenagers, after all. So are Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. And Marietta. Teenagers can apparently become Death Eaters.
And what if Umbridge is going through the change?! ;) OMG HORMONES!11
Not to mention, not many other characters seem to be exploding with the regularity of Harry. (Although to be fair, there seems a lot more hissyfits in general, except from Ron/the Slytherins who remain useless and spookily non-reactive.)
Sure, he’s Going Through So Much More, but then isn’t that the reason he’s being irritating, and not because of his age?
I mean, if he’s so hormonal, why doesn’t he get spots (apart from because only evil people are ugly)?
Why is he afraid of even holding a girl’s hand (yeah. Go ask 15 year old boys about that…)?
I see no signs of him, or even his friends particularly, acting at all like normal teenagers (especially Hermione, who’s 15 going on 40) - in fact, the closest ‘realistic’ adolescent in the books is Dudley, imho.
* Phineas Nigellus…idly examining his silk gloves. 'Now, if you will excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to adolescent agonising…good-day to you.'
Not much of a recommendation for the book as a whole, really, is it? Anyone else tired of reading adolescent agonising? *puts down book, finds something better to do*
I like the silk gloves, though. They remind me of the movieverse ones and their Ever So Subtle Slytherin monogram.
* 'Fine, go then!' Harry bellowed at the empty frame. 'And tell Dumbledore thanks for nothing!' The empty canvas remained silent.
Ooh, SNAP! Hahaha. OMG, Phineas, how can you let that one go?
* 'Harry,' said Ron's voice, from far, far away, 'Mum says dinner's ready, but she'll save you something if you want to stay in bed.'
Hee. The ‘far, far away’ of…the door, presumably. But it’s millions of miles in terms of suffering!
They’re all leaving, they don’t want to be alone with me! It’s all they can do to bring me dinner in bed while I loaf around feeling sorry for myself! I’m going to throw myself on my bed, eat icecream, hug my teddy bear, cry and wish for DEATH!!!1
Of course, if Ron had stayed, Harry would be angry that he wasn’t picking up on his (already admitted) desire to be alone, so it’s hard to please him, as usual.
* He doesn't want to be on his own with me, Harry thought…He supposed none of them would want him there any more, now that they knew what was inside him. He would not go down to dinner; he would not inflict his company on them.
Again: Harry thinks people won’t want to be around him because he’s connected to Voldemort (which they must already be aware about: I didn’t notice any of his friends recoiling from him when they found out he was a Parseltongue, or you know, TBWL in the first place!11) - an ongoing theme (still hasn’t even told them about his Sorting, yet) and yet never wonders whether perhaps people might not want to be subjected to ‘Wah, you’re all slagging me off behind my back and are useless tag-alongs while I suffer alone! Your problems are all petty and boring next to mine; never question me!’ presumably expecting them to tolerate it or get out, as he told Seamus. Geez, maybe that’s inflicting them with bad company, and the reason why they’re edging around you (in fact, I would say if anything, Harry’s friends are not concerned enough with their own safety, as those closest to him.)
* ...The cold drawing room where he was sitting alone, all the time feeling a savage pleasure that he was giving the others the opportunity to keep talking about him, as they were bound to be doing.
...When he heard Mrs Weasley calling his name softly up the stairs around lunchtime, he retreated further upstairs and ignored her.
...Harry merely settled himself more comfortably against the wall where he was hiding, trying to ignore how hungry he felt.
Oh, for pity's sake. Get off the cross, we need the wood!
* 'Well, to tell the truth, skiing's not really my thing,' said Hermione. 'So, I've come here for Christmas…Mum and Dad are a bit disappointed, but I've told them that everyone who is serious about the exams is staying at Hogwarts to study. They want me to do well, they'll understand.’
Already noted in Magpie’s chapter and comments is how rough this is on the poor Grangers, and how for all Hermione’s sensitivity to Oppression and the message that being Muggleborn is nothing to be ashamed of; she doesn’t appear to want to spend much time with any Muggles, shunning them for the most prominent pureblood family around and the boy who defines the entire Wizarding World.
I really wish this would come back to bite her in the ass. I mean, so far the presentation of parents has been fairly one-sided: they over-protect, so it's best not to tell them things, even if they could accept it. (Even Molly and Arthur don't appear to know most of the stuff the Trio's been up to, plus Dean and Hermione as examples of sensible rationalisation: I don't tell my parents anything, ever.)
Bad parents like the Dursleys and the Malfoys get involved in/excuse their children's behaviour, whereas good parents are dead/absent. (Molly is the fussy, overprotective Mother who we actually see, you know, doing some parenting, whereas Arthur is the cool one everybody loves and stays out of the whole thing. However, as Good Wizards and in general, parents, they encourage self-reliance: Where are either of them when Ron breaks his leg? Or gets threatened with a knife? Or nearly gets eaten by spiders?
How much do they know - Does he tell them who Scabbers is? Because logically they must know now, however Molly refers to him as a pet in OotP, which seems a little...odd. And presumably they know about Lockhart's memory charm, since they were there after the events in CoS, but Molly still uses his books in OotP. I call flints!)
So where are the parents who are *gasp* close to their children because they love them, and wants what's best for them?
And more importantly, is it ever a mistake to continually deceive your family (blood is blood, after all)?
I mean, Draco apparently tells Lucius every last detail about his schooling, which is emphatically Bad not just because it's him, but because Lucius couldn't care less (silly Lucius, wouldn't you encourage your son to talk about the boy you want dead?)
The Dursleys deceive themselves over who their son is, and he has grown to fool them himself.
Even The Order trick the Dursleys to get Harry.
I think what I'd like to see is someone tricking their family, perhaps for their own good, and it backfiring.
I mean, Hermione's family's awfully unprotected, and as came up in the recent chapter, she makes a great target to get to Harry.
If her parents literally don't know where she is and can't physically find her, what happens if there's an emergency?
I've convinced myself, writing this ;) that they're gonna die.
After all, they're Muggles, which steps up the 'The Bad Guys are an actual threat, and really do want to harm people' as opposed to 'Hermione's Oppressed, except never suffers any Oppression, and the Bad Guys are helpless against her girl power'.
They're helpless, even more so than the Dursleys.
And it does place Hermione and Harry in an interesting position. Not only would someone else have Suffered, but where are Harry's loyalties? We know he's obviously pro-Muggle, but he also self-identifies completely as a wizard, and loathes the only Muggles he knows.
We know what way he's pointing now, but what if Muggles actually are dangerous to the wizards/vice versa? (General wizards, I mean, rather than Evil ones. Because it appears even to the ever-so-liberal Dumbledores and Weasleys, Muggles are not a priority. Cf: Mr. Roberts, The Dursleys, the fact that the Muggle parents weren’t told about Cedric’s death.) Who would he pick?
There are already wedges beteen him and Ron, what could be one between him and Hermione
Pogrebin wrote two very interesting fics exploring this issue.
* ’Anyway,' she said briskly…
Magpie wondered if the use of the word “briskly” indicates Hermione feels bad over leaving her family.
I can only see one other interpretation, which is that she's pretty damn cold. ‘On with actual important business, like you, Harry, and less chitter-chatter about my Muggles.’
* Hermione airily…pulling off her jacket before Harry had time to speak. 'So…" She sat down next to Ginny, and the two girls and Ron all looked up at Harry. 'How're you feeling?' asked Hermione.
The Oh So Important Matter of exactly how Harry’s feeling and why, which naturally Hermione knows better than he does, must of course be dealt with instantly.
Without Hermione, the whole mess would have never been resolved! No-one else can communicate to other human beings without her wise guidance.
And the Everyone’s Staring At Harry Count (please, someone suggest a better name! Perhaps it should be part of Jabootu Bingo?): Two so far this chapter.
* ‘Fine,' said Harry stiffly.
'Oh, don't lie, Harry,' she said impatiently. 'Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back.'
‘They do, do they?' said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny.
Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed. 'Well, you have!' she said. 'And you won't look at any of us!'
Ugh. This is such an obvious attempt of JKR’s to make the audience warm to Suddenly Gutsy Brave Ginny, the Truth Teller who Says What Needs to be Said, and it’s working.
Sadly only because I find Harry so vile that literally anyone standing up to him at all is welcome.
Although I’m not sure who’s worse, Harry for trying to intimidate/guilt his friends into feeling guilty for speaking to their other friends (how dare Ron and Ginny even communicate with Hermione separately, anyway? Everyone’s relationship should be centred around Harry! Thank goodness their conversation was, or I don’t know what I’d do!) or Ron for just nervously indulging him. (It is hard for Ron to win, of course, since both characters and audience have far stricter standards of friendship for him to maintain than either Harry’s own in that dynamic, or Hermione’s in her own friendships.)
* 'Maybe you're taking it in turns to look, and keep missing each other,' suggested Hermione, the corners of her mouth twitching.
'Very funny,' snapped Harry, turning away.
Oh, I don’t know. Nice to see Hermione making a joke, albeit a weak one. Similiarly to the tactic used for Ginny, against my will I find myself liking her a little more. How can I resist: 'Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood,' said Hermione sharply.?
* 'Yeah?' growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets. 'All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it.'
'We wanted to talk to you, Harry,' said Ginny, 'but as you've been hiding ever since we got back -'
And of course, everyone's talking about him 24/7! You wish. Except as always with Harry, his self-centredness is always proved right: 'We were talking about you, nicely, because we all love you so much, and think of nothing but you!'
Also, why is Ginny doing the conciliatory flattering bit when she’s so Brazen and Sassy? Because she also has equal amounts of Kindness and Sympathy, I suppose.
Although, if she’s so unintimidated by Harry’s moods, why does she only raise the subject when Hermione’s there to begin the discussion and back her up?
* 'I didn't want anyone to talk to me,' said Harry, who was feeling more and more nettled.
Jeez. He’s nettled by being talked to (OMG, HARASSMENT!11 Hermione and Ginny are just like those bullies in high school!); he’s irritated when avoided; he doesn’t want people talking about him; but when they don’t, they’re concentrating too much on ‘rubbish’.
* 'Well, that was a bit stupid of you,' said Ginny angrily, 'seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels.'
Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled round. 'I forgot,' he said.
'Lucky you,' said Ginny coolly.
'I'm sorry', Harry said, and he meant it.
I love that Harry’s forgotten that, but he still remembers his own part crystal clear (‘WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE?’ in Chapter Four, for example). It’s like literally no-one else is affected by anything except him. I wonder if he recalls Ron getting his leg broken in PoA or Hermione getting petrified in CoS; or just a vague feeling that they’d lucked out of having to assist him with his Immense Burdens?
Also, I have to add I’m fairly unimpressed by his genuine contrition here - both that he can be jogged into sympathy for Ginny Weasley of all people (because they’re BFF suddenly? Or rather: ‘Look how feistily she reprimands him! Why, they’re a modern-day James and Lily!’) and because I don’t think anyone, even here, doubted that while in the depths of self-pity, Harry couldn’t/wouldn’t feel pity for others.
This isn’t some ‘Ooh, look, Harry feels bad for others, he can emphasise and even regret his own actions, look at his healthy acknowledgement of mistakes’ reassessment of how nice Harry is, to reassure anyone who thought he was perhaps behaving like a prick here, since a fundamental part of his character is that of course he feels sorry for other people!
Other people he already knows and likes.
It's a bit of a theme in this book (even coming up again in this chapter with 'Harry could not remember ever feeling sorrier for anyone') that Harry is helped by his new friends: Neville, Ginny and Luna, all of whom he initially wrote off as not cool enough, haven't we all learnt a lesson about judging people? *'The More You Know' plays*
Woop-de-doo. That Harry can sympathise with people who he identifies with is unquestionable: ie. I am a victim of absent parents/influence of Voldemort/death. So is N/G/L. Hence they, like me, are good people.
Likewise, his emphathy with Snape later seems based around 'Snape was a victim of bullies. So am I. I thought my father was good, since everyone says how alike we are, but I'm also oppressed and harrassed cruelly so I must emphasise with the closest approximation of me in this scene: the poor little underdog.'
I mean, I don't get the feeling he's sorry for being self-centred here, I get the feeling that remembering Ginny has experienced circumstances similiar to his own makes him pity her as an extension of his own self-pity.
Ginny still calls him You-Know-Who? And no ‘Oh, honestly, Ginny!’, I see.
* 'Harry you've had these dreams before,' Hermione said. 'You had flashes of what Voldemort was up to last year.'
I don’t know what I hate more, that Hermione is of course, better at remembering Harry’s past than Harry himself, or that Harry is so stupid he needs to be told his own history.
* 'One day,' said Hermione, sounding thoroughly exasperated, 'you'll read Hogwarts: A History, and perhaps it will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry.'
I keep thinking that with this being asserted OVER and OVER, that sooner or later, someone will Apparate/Disapparate into Hogwarts (and Hermione’s head will explode.)
* Sirius's delight at having the house full again, and especially at having Harry back, was infectious.
It would be nice if the others’ moods weren’t quite so dependent on Sirius/Harry’s mood swing of the moment.
I get that it’s hard to cheer up when your host/the centre of the universe is down, and likewise it’s difficult to be miserable when it’s Christmas and everyone’s cheerful; but once more it feels as if no-one else is quite ‘real’ - their feelings and values are all focussed on What Our Titular Character Thinks.
* He worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with their help.
Gryffindor men clean? I don’t mean to literally pick apart every detail, but this totally surprised me. I presumed that was ‘women’s work’, for Molly or the elves to do.
* A…tree…decorated with live fairies, blocked Sirius's family tree from view…
Nice bit of symbolism there.
* ...and even the stuffed elf-heads on the hall wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.
Heh. Bit macabre. Why didn't they just take down the heads when they purged the house?
* Harry awoke to find a stack of presents…and Ron already halfway through opening his own, rather larger, pile. 'Good haul this year,' he informed Harry… ‘Thanks for the Broom Compass, it's excellent; beats Hermione’s - she got me a homework planner -’
I like that Ron’s pile is larger. Nice, realistic touch.
‘Good haul’? He sounds like Dudley.
And both Ron and Harry seemed a little...ungrateful, considering they've apparently never had much in the way of gifts/attention - Harry throws Hermione’s present across the room and makes a note to burn it, his other gifts are described as ‘dreadful’ and ‘the usual’; Ron openly compares his and assesses whether he’s got enough.
* She had given him, too, a book it said aloud things like: 'Do it today or later you'll pay!'
I thought you’re supposed to ‘Never trust anything if you can’t see where it keeps it’s brain’ (of course, that never made much sense to me, since you can’t see the ‘brain’ of much that’s magical.) Is there any significance to Hermione giving a Voldemort-esque gift? (I would think this would be rather tactless, with Ginny in the house, but since the entire event occurred to Old!Ginny, and the only effect this version seems to have retained from the experience is the ability to help Harry, I doubt she’d be bothered.)
As bitpixie pointed out, Hermione's presents in previous years were much more thoughtful.
Calanthe_b, despite a defensive beginning, explored what she thought the possible intent behind the gifts were.
I must admit, I like the fact they're matching, myself. Very balanced and fair.
Ajhalluk meanwhile, touched on the significance of gifts in the Potterverse generally.
* Sirius and Lupin had given Harry a set of excellent books entitled Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts, which had superb, moving colour illustrations of all the counterjinxes and hexes it described. Harry flicked through the first volume eagerly; he could see it was going to be highly useful in his plans for the DA.
As I'm sure Lupin and Sirius were well aware of, and indeed, appeared to be their intention in selecting the gift.
I bet they know lots about the need for 'defensive' magic and 'counterjinxes'...
* Hagrid had sent a furry brown wallet that had fangs, which were presumably supposed to be an anti-theft device, but unfortunately prevented Harry putting any money in without getting his fingers ripped off.
Maybe fingers 'annoy' it?
Anyway, for once I disagree with Magpie, and was horrified to see she called Hagrid’s present ‘dangerous’.
As if Hagrid would ever endanger Harry!
She’s got it in for interesting wallets. It's not a bad present and there doesn't appear any particular harm in it.
On the contrary, it sounds positively cute.
* Tonks’ present was a small, working model of a Firebolt, which Harry watched fly, wishing he still had his full-size version; Ron had given him an enormous box of Every-Flavour Beans, Mr and Mrs Weasley...(a) jumper and some mince pies, and Dobby a painting by the elf himself.
So Tonks gives a present, but not the Twins? Or Ginny? I suppose because they're so 'cool'. (Of course, any present from Ginny would bring up comparisons of her old behaviour and tokens of affection, and since those were the actions of an entirely different character...) Or maybe it's the money issue.
I’d start a count of how many mournful references we get to the tragic fact that Harry’s not currently playing/Gryffindor’s not currently winning, but I may end up shredding my book, and I'm still not finished on my chapters.
* 'Mum's crying again,' said Fred heavily. 'Percy sent back his Christmas jumper.'
I liked Percy handing back the gift. I took that as similiar to the discussion had re: Snape not eating at Grimmauld Place - you don't accept stuff from people you're angry at/you dislike.
Taking the gift would mean a tacit mending of the relationship, and I think both Percy and the other Weasleys (apart from Molly) are waiting for the other side to come crawling with an apology first.
* 'Without a note,' added George. 'Hasn't asked how Dad is or visited him or anything.'
Blah blah, he-doesn’t-sound-sorry-at-all cakes. I do get incredibly tired of how everyone in these books has such a massive victim complex about the proper amount of sympathy that should be shown their various misfortunes, when they never exhibit any to anyone outside their own circle, and in fact actively revel in suffering if it’s happening to someone they dislike.
* 'So Lupin took over. Best let him cheer her up before we go down for breakfast.'
Lupin's continuing the Peacemaker role.
* 'Looks like a gibbon with two black eyes.' …'Good likeness,' said Fred, grinning.
Oh, all right. Hee!
* ‘Thanks for the book, Harry' she said happily. 'I've been wanting that New Theory of Numerology for ages! And that perfume's really unusual, Ron.'
There is something insensitive about Ron’s gift, I think - you’re a girl, you get a girly present, which you appear to have no interest in (because you’re cool, and cool girls hate other girls and shun feminity) but then, Hermione made all that todo about him noticing her, so...
And on the other hand, it’s fairly tactless to make it obvious how much you prefer one friends’ gift to another (which all the Trio do) and not thank all your friends.
Of course, Harry's presents are all perfectly selected - witness Arthur's thrill at his sensitively chosen gift.
Harry does seem to vary wildly from being almost psychic in the extent to which he can analyse others' (which, I must say, is wildly OOC in itself for a child with his background and upbringing) to appearing almost autistic with others. (Cho...is...crying?...Is...she...sad? as jollity put it.)
* Hermione's gift is well-meant, but...jesus. She really does appear to think of herself as the Wise White Man, come to save the savages and teach them what they want. (Or as Magpie said, she apparently 'aspires to be the Witch in the Ministry statue'.)
I find it interesting that when Ron tells her not to give clothes, because Sirius has warned them against this; she says 'He'd be wearing (nicer ones) if I had my way' as if Kreacher's wishes are a moot issue: it's a power play between her and the WW's 'horrible thing...of thinking they're superior to other creatures'.
* 'Apparently he sleeps under the boiler in that cupboard off the kitchen.'
Heh. Like PS!Harry.
A bit of foreshadowing for the end 'Kreacher is evil, yet somewhat sympathetic' revelation: his 'nest' is rather pathetic.
I really don't know why Sirius can't/won't just give him the mementoes he wants - they apparently have no magical power of their own, and they're going to be discarded otherwise. Except that it would involve being the bigger man in a situation, which is patently beyond him (and indeed, any character at this point.)
* Their glass might be shattered, but still the little people inside them peered up at him haughtily...
Again, more symbolism about Sirius' family not being as easily destroyed as appearances first suggest.
* ...he felt a little jolt in his stomach - the dark, heavy-lidded woman Bellatrix Lestrange.
Harry/Bellatrix, OTP!!!111
* 'Come to think of it,' said Sirius, 'has anyone actually seen Kreacher lately?'
…'He couldn't have left, could he?' said Harry.
Liiiiiisten to Harry, Sirius, he Knows All.
* 'Of course, he might have crawled into the airing cupboard and died…but I mustn't get my hopes up.'
Fred, George and Ron laughed; Hermione, however, looked reproachful.
No reaction from Ginny or Harry?
* ...The car, which Harry doubted very much had been taken with the consent of its owner.
Mrs Weasley hesitated before getting in - Harry knew her disapproval was battling with her dislike of travelling without magic - but, finally, the cold and her children's pleading triumphed, and she settled in with good grace.
* Wizarding society appears to be non-practicing Christian, as I think has been confirmed in previous books. There’s even a star on the trees.
* I like the witch with an orange up her nose after a family row. Nice touch.
* Patients get fed turkey? I wonder if the health care in the WW is private or paid for by the MoM?
* 'What?' said Mr Weasley, looking rather frightened and pulling the bed covers higher up his chest. 'No, no - it's nothing - it's -I’...
He seemed to deflate under Mrs Weasley's piercing gaze. ‘Well - now don't get upset, Molly -'
Mrs Weasley let out an ominous noise somewhere between a shriek and a snarl. 'Do you mean to tell me,' said Mrs Weasley, her voice growing louder with every word, 'that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?'
'Not messing about, Molly, dear,' said Mr Weasley imploringly, 'it was just -Well…well, I don't know whether you know what - what stitches are?'
'It sounds as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together,' said Mrs Weasley with a snort of mirthless laughter, 'but even you, Arthur, wouldn't be that stupid -'
The Weasleys marriage really isn’t as cutesy as I think it’s intended to be.
Apart from the whole Muggle prejudice, which is somehow much worse morally when exactly reversed with the Dursleys; if Arthur were the wife, for example, I think the neighbours would be calling Social Services (if there is a wizarding equivalent) over this person who appears constantly on edge around and frightened by their spouse, who publicly demeans them.
(Of course, Arthur isn't exactly a saint, either.
And his pathetic attempts at concealing secrets reminds me of Hagrid. Which is never a good thing.)
* Lupin strolled away from the bed and over to the werewolf, who had no visitors and was looking rather wistfully at the crowd around Mr Weasley...
Hee. Clever Lupin. And poor werewolf.
This is probably one of the few times in which I think it's intended we see a character as doing a nice thing, and I actually agree.
* As it swung closed behind them, they heard Mrs Weasley shriek, 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA?'
Gosh, the Weasleys are almost as much fun to have around as Sirius and Harry. Hello, you’re in a frigging hospital, why not save the histrionics for the privacy of your own home? Bite them, anonymous werewolf!
* ‘Typical Dad,' said Ginny, shaking her head...'Stitches…I ask you…'
'Well, you know, they do work well on non-magical wounds,' said Hermione fairly.
Oh, way to defend Muggles there. Effusive! Especially since she gets more offended at elves being insulted. I guess she'd prefer the general view of Muggles to be fairly low - it makes her look even more amazing in comparison.
But then, everytime JKR uses the word 'fairly', it seems to be so the character can flatter someone (iirc, Sirius says 'fairly' how Remus was much better than the others, and the Twins how Ginny's brilliant at Quidditch) and yet in this case, I didn't think Hermione made much effort at all to share any insights she may have into Muggles (perhaps because Hermione restricts any sharing of knowledge until it brings personal benefits to her and her friends) or vindicate them. (And neither did Harry, but then, he never does.)
* …portraits of brutal-looking Healers.
I'm guessing this fits into the 'rough and tumble' warrior culture of their society? That they're tough, and have little time for sympathy or coddling and have to give you nasty medicines and painful remedies to fix any problems you have. No time for cowards! etc.
* 'But the unsightly blemishes upon your visage, young master -'
‘They're freckles!' said Ron furiously. 'Now get back in your own picture and leave me alone!'
He rounded on the others, who were all keeping determinedly straight faces.
As everyone else noted - huh? Doesn't Ginny also, by definition of being a Weasley, have freckly skin?
Of course, this might tie into the whole treatment of physical beauty and it's reflection on moral character. Ron recieves the most ambigous treatment of this small group (and Molly of the Weasleys, another who's overweight and thus apparently fairly unattractive to the narrator's eye) being the person with whom Harry gets irritated the most, and is also apparently the ugliest.
* 'Well, hello there!' he said. 'I expect you'd like my autograph, would you?'
'Hasn't changed much, has he?' Harry muttered to Ginny, who grinned.
I'm never sure whether we're supposed to be revelling in Lockhart's 'downfall' like Skeeter's (I don't know who saw the end of the CoS film, after the credits - heh, I used to work in a cinema at that time, I saw it (and that damn LOTR2 song! ;) hundreds of times. But there's an end shot of Lockhart in a straightjacket, which always gave me the willies. The audience loved it, though.) or whether we can/should feel any compassion.
I guess not if you take the Harry's outlook (or for that matter, his use as comic relief in the last line of this chapter):
* 'Er - how are you, Professor?' said Ron, sounding slightly guilty.
It had been Ron's malfunctioning wand that had damaged Professor Lockhart's memory so badly that he had landed in St Mungo's in the first place, though as Lockhart had been attempting to permanently wipe Harry and Ron's memories at the time, Harry’s sympathy was limited.
Heh. Of course! There's only so much sympathy to go around, and so much of it has to be lavished upon Harry himself.
This part made me warm to Ron, fractionally, though. His immediate instinct appears to be to blame himself for events, whereas Harry's is apparently to project onto others. Which is an arguably slightly more 'masculine' way of dealing with things, which may explain the occasional almost contemptous tone directed towards anyone who's inwardly focused and depressed (Winky, Myrtle, Trelawney.)
* The smile faded slowly from Lockhart's face. For a few moments he gazed intently at Harry, then he said, 'Haven't we met?'
Oh, he would remember Harry above anyone else.
* ‘Teach?' repeated Lockhart, looking faintly unsettled. 'Me? Did I?' And then the smile reappeared upon his face so suddenly it was rather alarming.
Why does this bother him? Is he embarrassed he can’t remember? Or does the word remind him vaguely of how his memory was damaged?
Iirc, his immediate reaction in CoS when told he teaches is to doubt his competence at the job (which is interesting in itself.)
* Once again there appears to be no middle ground between patronising and taking advantage of/detesting the weakness of the vulnerable, as illustrated by the slightly spooky 'motherly...Healer' who infantilises her patients (and incidentally, reveals private medical information about them. Which is odd, because the whole premise of the gang getting on the ward is the Healer assuming they know Lockhart, in which case, why would she then go on to inform them of his past?)
* 'Do you know, he never gets visitors, poor lamb, and I can't think why, he's such a sweetie, aren't you?'
No family? Or adoring fans, even? I'd guess a long-term ward for the mentally ill would have high-security, except that kind of destroys the whole basis for this chapter.
* '...his memory might be starting to come back.'
Wonder if he'll make any more appearances? I hope so, I like Lockhart.
* '...he's a bit of a danger to himself, bless him…doesn't know who he is, you see, wanders off and can't remember how to get back…'
So the closest Muggle approximation to Lockhart is...an Alzheimer's patient?
Huh. There does appear to be some similiarities between wizarding illnesses and actual RL ones - I recall a mention of 'Shock Spells' in the next chapter, which sounds like a reference to est.
Still not seeing the more common 'Werewolves = HIV/AIDS patients'.
* Gilderoy's headboard, for instance, was papered with pictures of himself, all beaming toothily and waving.
He had autographed many of them to himself in disjointed, childish writing.
The moment he had been deposited in his chair, Gilderoy...seized a quill and started signing all (the photographs) feverishly.
Aw. That's so sad.
* …a formidable looking old witch, a moth-eaten fox fur…
I wonder if the Longbottoms, like the Weasleys are ‘fine people’ down on their luck. Because iirc, later it’s established how well-known both Frank and Alice were, and how Mrs. Longbottom still has powerful friends (Griselda Marchbanks) and yet they don’t appear particularly wealthy like some of the other purebloods, and if Grandma’s clothes are ‘moth-eaten’…
Also, it builds yet more sympathy for them.
I do find myself rather liking ole Grandma, for some reason.
* '...I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you...And you two are clearly Weasleys,' Mrs Longbottom continued, proffering her hand regally to Ron and Ginny in turn. 'Yes, I know your parents - not well, of course - but fine people...and you must be Hermione Granger?'
Why not well? Because then they'd already have met, or what?
* Hermione looked rather startled that Mrs Longbottom knew her name...
Ouch. A little embarrassing there.
And confirmation that Neville apparently values the small attention he recieves through pity from the Trio, rather than resenting or being ambivalent about it. Of course. Because everyone wants to be the Trio's BFF, or should and is thrilled by any bones they might condescend to throw.
* 'Yes, Neville's told me all about you. Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven't you? He's a good boy,' she said, casting a sternly appraising look down her rather bony nose at Neville, 'but he hasn't got his father's talent, I'm afraid to say.'
Like the rest of the Wizarding World, Mrs. Longbottom appears to value traditional areas in which to succeed - primarily DADA, presumably, since this was a subject Frank Longbottom must have succeeded in; as tora_chan astutely pointed out.
Magpie's post also had some interesting points about why Grandmother might denigrate Neville in favour of his father.
* 'My son and his wife,' she said, turning haughtily, 'were tortured into insanity by You-Know-Who's followers.'
Ron stopped craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Neville's parents and looked mortified.
Way to go with finally remembering yourself there, Ron, but I might have stopped looking when I heard they’d lost both health and sanity.
* ‘They were Aurors, you know, and very well respected within the wizarding community'...'Highly gifted, the pair of them.'
Funny, because in the last book, they were described as an ‘Auror and his wife’ implying that only Frank was employed in that field. Is this more ‘girlpower’ along with Luna/Tonks/first female DADA teacher, or was Alice always an Auror, and JKR just didn’t make it clear before?
* Neville's mother had come edging in her nightdress. She no longer had the plump, happy-looking face. Her face was thin and worn now, her eyes seemed overlarge and her hair, which had turned white, was wispy and dead-looking. She did not seem to want to speak, or perhaps she was not able to, but she made timid motions towards Neville, holding something in her outstretched hand.
...Neville said quietly, ‘Thanks, Mum.'
His mother tottered away, back up the ward, humming to herself.
...As they left, Harry was sure he saw Neville slip the sweet wrapper into his pocket.
Nicely done.
* But Neville had already stretched out his hand, into which his mother dropped an empty Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper.
Where has she gotten this, anyway? Surely patients that ill wouldn’t be allowed gum. Nothing stopping them choking on it.
* Neville looked around at the others, his expression defiant, as though daring them to laugh, but Harry did not think he'd ever found anything less funny in his life.
Nobody has much faith in anyone, do they?
Neville’s given his grandmother the puff act on how great the Trio are, but thinks they’ll laugh at his parents; Ron’s convinced Harry will laugh at him trying out for the Quidditch team; Harry thinks everyone’s out to get him.
* …Mrs Longbottom, drawing on long green gloves.
The colour of doom ;) Which also matches her dress.
* 'I never knew,' said Hermione, who looked tearful.
I don't want to be cruel, but *gasp* Something Hermione doesn't know!
* They all looked at Harry.
Three for this chapter.
* Hermione...horrified. 'That woman Kreacher's got a photo of in his den?'
I love this reaction. Like, I had no idea Kreacher would admire a vicious Death Eater, because it's not as if EVERYTHING HE SAYS doesn't indicate that he's disgusted by Muggleborns! Maybe she thought he was secretly grateful to her, and rescinded all his principles at once, so the photographs were all of happy fluffy family members she'd approve of, like...uh...the Malfoys?
(Does Hermione even know that Bellatrix is related to Sirius/Narcissa?)
Catching up a little!
* Did he expect to see Voldemort staring out of them, afraid, perhaps, that their vivid green might turn suddenly to scarlet?
More of the interesting colour juxtaposition - green, the Slytherin theme, is Harry’s eye colour, inherited from Saint Lily; whereas Voldemort’s is Gryffindor red.
* He felt dirty, contaminated, as though he were carrying some deadly germ, unworthy to sit on the Underground train back from the hospital with innocent, clean people whose minds and bodies were free of the taint of Voldemort…
What creeps me out is that Harry never ever questions himself or his actions when I find him/them 'bad', but as soon as he's associated with Voldie/Slytherin/his enemies, there’s self-doubt. Cast an Unforgiveable and he sleeps like a baby, associate him with reptiles and he’s suicidal. I guess because it’s easier for him to associate all the negative parts of his personality with Voldemort - ‘(he) made me do it’; the positive with his parents) Which is understandable, except I’m not sure if he’s capable of recognising when his own actions are negative - he feels guilty when he hurts his friends (not guilty enough to stop doing it, of course) but does he understand the concepts of how far is too far with his enemies? (iirc, he used to, a little. Even in GoF and CoS, where he did some arguably pretty reprehensible stuff, he still believed in the concept of a ‘fair fight’.) Or that he has extraordinarily high standards for the people around him, higher than his own, and so sees enemies (and thus EEEEVIL!11) where there are just normal people?
Harry's got a bit of a Madonna/Whore complex going on. (And so does Ron, apparently. Maybe it's JKR? ;) Except with both sexes.
No shades of grey, you're inherently Evil (‘tainted’) and need to be harmed, or Good (‘innocent’) and need to be protected/saved, even from yourself.
* I'm the weapon. I'm the one Voldemort’s trying to use, that's why they've got guards around me everywhere I go, it's not for my protection, it's for other people's.
That would be such a wicked plotline. Why even suggest it, JKR? Cause, not to be cruel, but the one you picked doesn’t even compare, so bringing it up maybe wasn’t smart. (I’d also find Harry the Decoy interesting, btw.)
* They were all watching him.
One day I will count the number of times it’s mentioned that everyone is staring at Harry, either in wonder or because they’re So Worried about him and his huge burdens. I swear it’s come up at least ten times in this book alone.
* Perhaps Voldemort was an Animagus…yes, thought Harry, that would fit, he would turn into a snake of course…
Ooh, imaginative.
I would actually like to see some unexpected Animaguses, if we have to have them, which we no doubt will (‘It’s a rare talent that only the best wizards have, but somehow Harry/Hermione/Ginny/Neville has accomplished it!’
Although I did hear JKR promised not to make Harry one, at least.)
I’m convinced if any Slytherins somehow muster the skill to become one, they’ll ‘hilariously’ show their inner characters by turning into a pig/insect/insert ‘ugly/useless’ animal here (snakes would be too high an aim!) whereas our heroes will naturally be proud, beautiful creatures.
But I’d find it interesting if someone not in Slytherin became a snake, say. Or someone not in Gryffindor became a lion. And so on.
Harry would probably be a bird with his natural flying talent (or better, a mythical beast. Like a unicorn with purple spots and wings and a sparkly horn!) Ginny a cat (in the lion family, since she’s such an archetypal Gryffindor), Ron something comical like a monkey, Neville something clumsy but strong, Hermione - ??? I can’t think of anything special enough…A dolphin? They’re pretty smart. A wise owl?
* …but then Voldemort's about the most powerful wizard in the world, apart from Dumbledore, it's probably no problem at all to him to transport people like that.
It’s very hard to remember how powerful and intimidating Voldemort’s supposed to be, considering he couldn’t kill a baby, and had Wormtail perform his last on-screen murder.
I get that JKR is probably trying to tread water - can’t have too many deaths in the space of a short time, can’t have too much happen before the ending of the book/year, still two books left to write and it’s likely hard to write any events including Voldemort without him doing major harm, or else he looks inept(er) but then I find it difficult to emphasise with everyone’s fear of him.
It’s the whole reading too much meta, like how people expect Harry to like Snape (isn’t it obvious he’s a good guy?!) or never be bothered by the current Slytherins (isn’t it obvious they’re total wimps?) and have friends of every house and girlfriends to spare (when so far he’s in fifth year, he barely knows Luna, who’s the closest to A Good Person Not In Gryffindor; and is terrified of holding hands.) The fandom has kind of moved beyond the text, progression wise.
* …I've heard loads of stuff I shouldn't have, everything Sirius told me the first night I was here…
Heh. Starting to finally see perhaps one reason people might not wish for you to know every single last detail, other than They’re Adults and thus Evil/Overprotective/Ignorant of How Very Important I Am?
* He would spend Christmas at Hogwarts without the others, which would keep them safe over the holidays at least… but no, that wouldn't do, there were still plenty of people at Hogwarts to maim and injure…He had no alternative: he was going to have to return to Privet Drive, cut himself off from other wizards entirely.
Erk! So he’s just going to maim and injure unimportant Muggles, who are even more helpless than his dorm-mates and friends? And not just ‘deserving’ Muggles like the Dursleys apparently, since the impetus of that last sentence is that Harry can’t bear to harm not only people he likes, but all ‘other wizards’ (well… As Magpie suggested, maybe he’d be more comfortable in the Slytherin dorm, where the people are entirely worthy of maiming?) which going by the logical contrast, means he’d be endangering all other Muggles. I’m going to touch on this later, but Harry’s loyalties re: Muggles vs. Wizards are quite interesting.
However, in a bizarre way, I found it rather touching that he’s planning to go back to the Dursleys - ‘home’s the place’ and all that…
But then, I find their gifts also strangely sweet, unlike everyone else, and missed seeing what they'd send this year.
* …he glanced around automatically for Hedwig before remembering that she was still at Hogwarts - well, her cage would be one less thing to carry…
Ha! Harry and Hedwig’s relationship continues to crack me up.
Also, Hedwig is on my Death List, as far as predictions go. (Maybe Harry can get a magical phoenix in replacement?)
* …a snide voice said, 'Running away, are we?' …Phineas Nigellus was leaning…watching Harry with an amused expression…
'Not running away, no,' said Harry shortly…
'I thought…that to belong in Gryffindor…you were supposed to be brave! It looks to me as though you would have been better off in my own house. We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid.’
Surely that disqualifies Harry, then?
And why is Phineas semi-dissing his own house? ‘Being a coward, are we? You belong in Slytherin, where all negative people go!’
I get his point (and of course, that he’s trying to provoke Harry into staying) it’s just a little backhanded. Especially since Phineas has probably seen many cowardly Gryffindors (and apparently brave Slytherins ;)
* ‘For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks.'
'It's not my own neck I'm saving,' said Harry tersely.
'Oh, I see, this is no cowardly flight - you are being noble.' Harry ignored him. His hand was on the doorknob when…
Wow. Cuts through the pretense, doesn’t he? ‘Ah, you’re being the heroic unselfish martyr again, of course!’ <3s Phineas.
I’ve never really gotten why everyone in these books cares so much if people think they’re cowardly. Big deal. You hardly know Phineas, you don’t like him, he’s a Slytherin… I’d say it was something to do with Gryffindor house and the emphasis they put on pride at all times, but even the other houses get angry if someone accuses them of it, angrier than they do to any other insults (for instance, the Gryffindors are totally unmoved by insults regarding them being privileged/favoured, which is a Slytherin-esque trait, apparently.)
Although to be fair, I was actually surprised Harry ignored the insult long enough to leave anyway, I thought just hinting he was frightened would be enough.
* Phineas Nigellus said lazily, 'I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore…I have just given it to you, dolt,' (he) said smoothly.
As Magpie pointed out, lots of Slytherin tagwords: ‘snide’, ‘lazily’, ‘smoothly’. As well as the body language (‘amused’, relaxed) And of course, casual insults ;)
* Harry's temper rose to the surface like a snake rearing from long grass.
So many clever serpent descriptions/similes! Not. (There’s also mention of Voldemort’s ‘snake-like’ face, and that Harry’s ‘insides writhe and squirm like serpents’)
* 'So that's it, is it?' he said loudly. '"Stay where you are"! That's all anyone could tell me after I got attacked by those Dementors, too! Just stay put while the grown-ups sort it out, Harry! We won't bother telling you anything, though, because your tiny little brain might not be able to cope with it!'
Aw. At least Harry is aware of his limitations. Oh, wait, that was sarcasm, wasn’t it?… ;)
I do find it hard to respect anyone who uses the phrase ‘grown-ups’, even ironically, however.
* 'You know,' said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry, 'this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the Headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done-by, to note that following Dumbledore’s orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognise danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realise what the Dark Lord may be planning -'
'He is planning something to do with me, then?' said Harry swiftly.
HAHAHA. So Phineas accuses him of being self-obsessed, and his immediate reaction is 'This is all being planned against ME?'
Although I’m a little sad that Phineas is so confident in Dumbledore, even if they have shared a job. Neither would I exactly agree with the idea that Dumbledore’s orders have never harmed Harry. And actually, I think he has a remarkable amount of faith in the man. Of course, it’s not difficult to win Harry over, you just have to tell him what he wants to hear.
Also, the ‘Harry is being a jerk because he’s a teenager, and they always think they’re right, over-react, are self-centred and angry’ spin kind of irritates me.
Partly because I feel it’s another excuse, along the lines of: he’s got a lot to be upset about; he had a troubled childhood; he’s tired and confused and scared; Neville only lacks confidence; Hermione’s deeply self-doubting at heart, blah blah and partly because it’s such a subjective reasoning. Should we excuse all characters behaviour on these grounds?
James and Sirius were only teenagers, after all. So are Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. And Marietta. Teenagers can apparently become Death Eaters.
And what if Umbridge is going through the change?! ;) OMG HORMONES!11
Not to mention, not many other characters seem to be exploding with the regularity of Harry. (Although to be fair, there seems a lot more hissyfits in general, except from Ron/the Slytherins who remain useless and spookily non-reactive.)
Sure, he’s Going Through So Much More, but then isn’t that the reason he’s being irritating, and not because of his age?
I mean, if he’s so hormonal, why doesn’t he get spots (apart from because only evil people are ugly)?
Why is he afraid of even holding a girl’s hand (yeah. Go ask 15 year old boys about that…)?
I see no signs of him, or even his friends particularly, acting at all like normal teenagers (especially Hermione, who’s 15 going on 40) - in fact, the closest ‘realistic’ adolescent in the books is Dudley, imho.
* Phineas Nigellus…idly examining his silk gloves. 'Now, if you will excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to adolescent agonising…good-day to you.'
Not much of a recommendation for the book as a whole, really, is it? Anyone else tired of reading adolescent agonising? *puts down book, finds something better to do*
I like the silk gloves, though. They remind me of the movieverse ones and their Ever So Subtle Slytherin monogram.
* 'Fine, go then!' Harry bellowed at the empty frame. 'And tell Dumbledore thanks for nothing!' The empty canvas remained silent.
Ooh, SNAP! Hahaha. OMG, Phineas, how can you let that one go?
* 'Harry,' said Ron's voice, from far, far away, 'Mum says dinner's ready, but she'll save you something if you want to stay in bed.'
Hee. The ‘far, far away’ of…the door, presumably. But it’s millions of miles in terms of suffering!
They’re all leaving, they don’t want to be alone with me! It’s all they can do to bring me dinner in bed while I loaf around feeling sorry for myself! I’m going to throw myself on my bed, eat icecream, hug my teddy bear, cry and wish for DEATH!!!1
Of course, if Ron had stayed, Harry would be angry that he wasn’t picking up on his (already admitted) desire to be alone, so it’s hard to please him, as usual.
* He doesn't want to be on his own with me, Harry thought…He supposed none of them would want him there any more, now that they knew what was inside him. He would not go down to dinner; he would not inflict his company on them.
Again: Harry thinks people won’t want to be around him because he’s connected to Voldemort (which they must already be aware about: I didn’t notice any of his friends recoiling from him when they found out he was a Parseltongue, or you know, TBWL in the first place!11) - an ongoing theme (still hasn’t even told them about his Sorting, yet) and yet never wonders whether perhaps people might not want to be subjected to ‘Wah, you’re all slagging me off behind my back and are useless tag-alongs while I suffer alone! Your problems are all petty and boring next to mine; never question me!’ presumably expecting them to tolerate it or get out, as he told Seamus. Geez, maybe that’s inflicting them with bad company, and the reason why they’re edging around you (in fact, I would say if anything, Harry’s friends are not concerned enough with their own safety, as those closest to him.)
* ...The cold drawing room where he was sitting alone, all the time feeling a savage pleasure that he was giving the others the opportunity to keep talking about him, as they were bound to be doing.
...When he heard Mrs Weasley calling his name softly up the stairs around lunchtime, he retreated further upstairs and ignored her.
...Harry merely settled himself more comfortably against the wall where he was hiding, trying to ignore how hungry he felt.
Oh, for pity's sake. Get off the cross, we need the wood!
* 'Well, to tell the truth, skiing's not really my thing,' said Hermione. 'So, I've come here for Christmas…Mum and Dad are a bit disappointed, but I've told them that everyone who is serious about the exams is staying at Hogwarts to study. They want me to do well, they'll understand.’
Already noted in Magpie’s chapter and comments is how rough this is on the poor Grangers, and how for all Hermione’s sensitivity to Oppression and the message that being Muggleborn is nothing to be ashamed of; she doesn’t appear to want to spend much time with any Muggles, shunning them for the most prominent pureblood family around and the boy who defines the entire Wizarding World.
I really wish this would come back to bite her in the ass. I mean, so far the presentation of parents has been fairly one-sided: they over-protect, so it's best not to tell them things, even if they could accept it. (Even Molly and Arthur don't appear to know most of the stuff the Trio's been up to, plus Dean and Hermione as examples of sensible rationalisation: I don't tell my parents anything, ever.)
Bad parents like the Dursleys and the Malfoys get involved in/excuse their children's behaviour, whereas good parents are dead/absent. (Molly is the fussy, overprotective Mother who we actually see, you know, doing some parenting, whereas Arthur is the cool one everybody loves and stays out of the whole thing. However, as Good Wizards and in general, parents, they encourage self-reliance: Where are either of them when Ron breaks his leg? Or gets threatened with a knife? Or nearly gets eaten by spiders?
How much do they know - Does he tell them who Scabbers is? Because logically they must know now, however Molly refers to him as a pet in OotP, which seems a little...odd. And presumably they know about Lockhart's memory charm, since they were there after the events in CoS, but Molly still uses his books in OotP. I call flints!)
So where are the parents who are *gasp* close to their children because they love them, and wants what's best for them?
And more importantly, is it ever a mistake to continually deceive your family (blood is blood, after all)?
I mean, Draco apparently tells Lucius every last detail about his schooling, which is emphatically Bad not just because it's him, but because Lucius couldn't care less (silly Lucius, wouldn't you encourage your son to talk about the boy you want dead?)
The Dursleys deceive themselves over who their son is, and he has grown to fool them himself.
Even The Order trick the Dursleys to get Harry.
I think what I'd like to see is someone tricking their family, perhaps for their own good, and it backfiring.
I mean, Hermione's family's awfully unprotected, and as came up in the recent chapter, she makes a great target to get to Harry.
If her parents literally don't know where she is and can't physically find her, what happens if there's an emergency?
I've convinced myself, writing this ;) that they're gonna die.
After all, they're Muggles, which steps up the 'The Bad Guys are an actual threat, and really do want to harm people' as opposed to 'Hermione's Oppressed, except never suffers any Oppression, and the Bad Guys are helpless against her girl power'.
They're helpless, even more so than the Dursleys.
And it does place Hermione and Harry in an interesting position. Not only would someone else have Suffered, but where are Harry's loyalties? We know he's obviously pro-Muggle, but he also self-identifies completely as a wizard, and loathes the only Muggles he knows.
We know what way he's pointing now, but what if Muggles actually are dangerous to the wizards/vice versa? (General wizards, I mean, rather than Evil ones. Because it appears even to the ever-so-liberal Dumbledores and Weasleys, Muggles are not a priority. Cf: Mr. Roberts, The Dursleys, the fact that the Muggle parents weren’t told about Cedric’s death.) Who would he pick?
There are already wedges beteen him and Ron, what could be one between him and Hermione
Pogrebin wrote two very interesting fics exploring this issue.
* ’Anyway,' she said briskly…
Magpie wondered if the use of the word “briskly” indicates Hermione feels bad over leaving her family.
I can only see one other interpretation, which is that she's pretty damn cold. ‘On with actual important business, like you, Harry, and less chitter-chatter about my Muggles.’
* Hermione airily…pulling off her jacket before Harry had time to speak. 'So…" She sat down next to Ginny, and the two girls and Ron all looked up at Harry. 'How're you feeling?' asked Hermione.
The Oh So Important Matter of exactly how Harry’s feeling and why, which naturally Hermione knows better than he does, must of course be dealt with instantly.
Without Hermione, the whole mess would have never been resolved! No-one else can communicate to other human beings without her wise guidance.
And the Everyone’s Staring At Harry Count (please, someone suggest a better name! Perhaps it should be part of Jabootu Bingo?): Two so far this chapter.
* ‘Fine,' said Harry stiffly.
'Oh, don't lie, Harry,' she said impatiently. 'Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back.'
‘They do, do they?' said Harry, glaring at Ron and Ginny.
Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed. 'Well, you have!' she said. 'And you won't look at any of us!'
Ugh. This is such an obvious attempt of JKR’s to make the audience warm to Suddenly Gutsy Brave Ginny, the Truth Teller who Says What Needs to be Said, and it’s working.
Sadly only because I find Harry so vile that literally anyone standing up to him at all is welcome.
Although I’m not sure who’s worse, Harry for trying to intimidate/guilt his friends into feeling guilty for speaking to their other friends (how dare Ron and Ginny even communicate with Hermione separately, anyway? Everyone’s relationship should be centred around Harry! Thank goodness their conversation was, or I don’t know what I’d do!) or Ron for just nervously indulging him. (It is hard for Ron to win, of course, since both characters and audience have far stricter standards of friendship for him to maintain than either Harry’s own in that dynamic, or Hermione’s in her own friendships.)
* 'Maybe you're taking it in turns to look, and keep missing each other,' suggested Hermione, the corners of her mouth twitching.
'Very funny,' snapped Harry, turning away.
Oh, I don’t know. Nice to see Hermione making a joke, albeit a weak one. Similiarly to the tactic used for Ginny, against my will I find myself liking her a little more. How can I resist: 'Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood,' said Hermione sharply.?
* 'Yeah?' growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets. 'All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it.'
'We wanted to talk to you, Harry,' said Ginny, 'but as you've been hiding ever since we got back -'
And of course, everyone's talking about him 24/7! You wish. Except as always with Harry, his self-centredness is always proved right: 'We were talking about you, nicely, because we all love you so much, and think of nothing but you!'
Also, why is Ginny doing the conciliatory flattering bit when she’s so Brazen and Sassy? Because she also has equal amounts of Kindness and Sympathy, I suppose.
Although, if she’s so unintimidated by Harry’s moods, why does she only raise the subject when Hermione’s there to begin the discussion and back her up?
* 'I didn't want anyone to talk to me,' said Harry, who was feeling more and more nettled.
Jeez. He’s nettled by being talked to (OMG, HARASSMENT!11 Hermione and Ginny are just like those bullies in high school!); he’s irritated when avoided; he doesn’t want people talking about him; but when they don’t, they’re concentrating too much on ‘rubbish’.
* 'Well, that was a bit stupid of you,' said Ginny angrily, 'seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels.'
Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled round. 'I forgot,' he said.
'Lucky you,' said Ginny coolly.
'I'm sorry', Harry said, and he meant it.
I love that Harry’s forgotten that, but he still remembers his own part crystal clear (‘WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE?’ in Chapter Four, for example). It’s like literally no-one else is affected by anything except him. I wonder if he recalls Ron getting his leg broken in PoA or Hermione getting petrified in CoS; or just a vague feeling that they’d lucked out of having to assist him with his Immense Burdens?
Also, I have to add I’m fairly unimpressed by his genuine contrition here - both that he can be jogged into sympathy for Ginny Weasley of all people (because they’re BFF suddenly? Or rather: ‘Look how feistily she reprimands him! Why, they’re a modern-day James and Lily!’) and because I don’t think anyone, even here, doubted that while in the depths of self-pity, Harry couldn’t/wouldn’t feel pity for others.
This isn’t some ‘Ooh, look, Harry feels bad for others, he can emphasise and even regret his own actions, look at his healthy acknowledgement of mistakes’ reassessment of how nice Harry is, to reassure anyone who thought he was perhaps behaving like a prick here, since a fundamental part of his character is that of course he feels sorry for other people!
Other people he already knows and likes.
It's a bit of a theme in this book (even coming up again in this chapter with 'Harry could not remember ever feeling sorrier for anyone') that Harry is helped by his new friends: Neville, Ginny and Luna, all of whom he initially wrote off as not cool enough, haven't we all learnt a lesson about judging people? *'The More You Know' plays*
Woop-de-doo. That Harry can sympathise with people who he identifies with is unquestionable: ie. I am a victim of absent parents/influence of Voldemort/death. So is N/G/L. Hence they, like me, are good people.
Likewise, his emphathy with Snape later seems based around 'Snape was a victim of bullies. So am I. I thought my father was good, since everyone says how alike we are, but I'm also oppressed and harrassed cruelly so I must emphasise with the closest approximation of me in this scene: the poor little underdog.'
I mean, I don't get the feeling he's sorry for being self-centred here, I get the feeling that remembering Ginny has experienced circumstances similiar to his own makes him pity her as an extension of his own self-pity.
Ginny still calls him You-Know-Who? And no ‘Oh, honestly, Ginny!’, I see.
* 'Harry you've had these dreams before,' Hermione said. 'You had flashes of what Voldemort was up to last year.'
I don’t know what I hate more, that Hermione is of course, better at remembering Harry’s past than Harry himself, or that Harry is so stupid he needs to be told his own history.
* 'One day,' said Hermione, sounding thoroughly exasperated, 'you'll read Hogwarts: A History, and perhaps it will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry.'
I keep thinking that with this being asserted OVER and OVER, that sooner or later, someone will Apparate/Disapparate into Hogwarts (and Hermione’s head will explode.)
* Sirius's delight at having the house full again, and especially at having Harry back, was infectious.
It would be nice if the others’ moods weren’t quite so dependent on Sirius/Harry’s mood swing of the moment.
I get that it’s hard to cheer up when your host/the centre of the universe is down, and likewise it’s difficult to be miserable when it’s Christmas and everyone’s cheerful; but once more it feels as if no-one else is quite ‘real’ - their feelings and values are all focussed on What Our Titular Character Thinks.
* He worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with their help.
Gryffindor men clean? I don’t mean to literally pick apart every detail, but this totally surprised me. I presumed that was ‘women’s work’, for Molly or the elves to do.
* A…tree…decorated with live fairies, blocked Sirius's family tree from view…
Nice bit of symbolism there.
* ...and even the stuffed elf-heads on the hall wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.
Heh. Bit macabre. Why didn't they just take down the heads when they purged the house?
* Harry awoke to find a stack of presents…and Ron already halfway through opening his own, rather larger, pile. 'Good haul this year,' he informed Harry… ‘Thanks for the Broom Compass, it's excellent; beats Hermione’s - she got me a homework planner -’
I like that Ron’s pile is larger. Nice, realistic touch.
‘Good haul’? He sounds like Dudley.
And both Ron and Harry seemed a little...ungrateful, considering they've apparently never had much in the way of gifts/attention - Harry throws Hermione’s present across the room and makes a note to burn it, his other gifts are described as ‘dreadful’ and ‘the usual’; Ron openly compares his and assesses whether he’s got enough.
* She had given him, too, a book it said aloud things like: 'Do it today or later you'll pay!'
I thought you’re supposed to ‘Never trust anything if you can’t see where it keeps it’s brain’ (of course, that never made much sense to me, since you can’t see the ‘brain’ of much that’s magical.) Is there any significance to Hermione giving a Voldemort-esque gift? (I would think this would be rather tactless, with Ginny in the house, but since the entire event occurred to Old!Ginny, and the only effect this version seems to have retained from the experience is the ability to help Harry, I doubt she’d be bothered.)
As bitpixie pointed out, Hermione's presents in previous years were much more thoughtful.
Calanthe_b, despite a defensive beginning, explored what she thought the possible intent behind the gifts were.
I must admit, I like the fact they're matching, myself. Very balanced and fair.
Ajhalluk meanwhile, touched on the significance of gifts in the Potterverse generally.
* Sirius and Lupin had given Harry a set of excellent books entitled Practical Defensive Magic and its Use Against the Dark Arts, which had superb, moving colour illustrations of all the counterjinxes and hexes it described. Harry flicked through the first volume eagerly; he could see it was going to be highly useful in his plans for the DA.
As I'm sure Lupin and Sirius were well aware of, and indeed, appeared to be their intention in selecting the gift.
I bet they know lots about the need for 'defensive' magic and 'counterjinxes'...
* Hagrid had sent a furry brown wallet that had fangs, which were presumably supposed to be an anti-theft device, but unfortunately prevented Harry putting any money in without getting his fingers ripped off.
Maybe fingers 'annoy' it?
Anyway, for once I disagree with Magpie, and was horrified to see she called Hagrid’s present ‘dangerous’.
As if Hagrid would ever endanger Harry!
She’s got it in for interesting wallets. It's not a bad present and there doesn't appear any particular harm in it.
On the contrary, it sounds positively cute.
* Tonks’ present was a small, working model of a Firebolt, which Harry watched fly, wishing he still had his full-size version; Ron had given him an enormous box of Every-Flavour Beans, Mr and Mrs Weasley...(a) jumper and some mince pies, and Dobby a painting by the elf himself.
So Tonks gives a present, but not the Twins? Or Ginny? I suppose because they're so 'cool'. (Of course, any present from Ginny would bring up comparisons of her old behaviour and tokens of affection, and since those were the actions of an entirely different character...) Or maybe it's the money issue.
I’d start a count of how many mournful references we get to the tragic fact that Harry’s not currently playing/Gryffindor’s not currently winning, but I may end up shredding my book, and I'm still not finished on my chapters.
* 'Mum's crying again,' said Fred heavily. 'Percy sent back his Christmas jumper.'
I liked Percy handing back the gift. I took that as similiar to the discussion had re: Snape not eating at Grimmauld Place - you don't accept stuff from people you're angry at/you dislike.
Taking the gift would mean a tacit mending of the relationship, and I think both Percy and the other Weasleys (apart from Molly) are waiting for the other side to come crawling with an apology first.
* 'Without a note,' added George. 'Hasn't asked how Dad is or visited him or anything.'
Blah blah, he-doesn’t-sound-sorry-at-all cakes. I do get incredibly tired of how everyone in these books has such a massive victim complex about the proper amount of sympathy that should be shown their various misfortunes, when they never exhibit any to anyone outside their own circle, and in fact actively revel in suffering if it’s happening to someone they dislike.
* 'So Lupin took over. Best let him cheer her up before we go down for breakfast.'
Lupin's continuing the Peacemaker role.
* 'Looks like a gibbon with two black eyes.' …'Good likeness,' said Fred, grinning.
Oh, all right. Hee!
* ‘Thanks for the book, Harry' she said happily. 'I've been wanting that New Theory of Numerology for ages! And that perfume's really unusual, Ron.'
There is something insensitive about Ron’s gift, I think - you’re a girl, you get a girly present, which you appear to have no interest in (because you’re cool, and cool girls hate other girls and shun feminity) but then, Hermione made all that todo about him noticing her, so...
And on the other hand, it’s fairly tactless to make it obvious how much you prefer one friends’ gift to another (which all the Trio do) and not thank all your friends.
Of course, Harry's presents are all perfectly selected - witness Arthur's thrill at his sensitively chosen gift.
Harry does seem to vary wildly from being almost psychic in the extent to which he can analyse others' (which, I must say, is wildly OOC in itself for a child with his background and upbringing) to appearing almost autistic with others. (Cho...is...crying?...Is...she...sad? as jollity put it.)
* Hermione's gift is well-meant, but...jesus. She really does appear to think of herself as the Wise White Man, come to save the savages and teach them what they want. (Or as Magpie said, she apparently 'aspires to be the Witch in the Ministry statue'.)
I find it interesting that when Ron tells her not to give clothes, because Sirius has warned them against this; she says 'He'd be wearing (nicer ones) if I had my way' as if Kreacher's wishes are a moot issue: it's a power play between her and the WW's 'horrible thing...of thinking they're superior to other creatures'.
* 'Apparently he sleeps under the boiler in that cupboard off the kitchen.'
Heh. Like PS!Harry.
A bit of foreshadowing for the end 'Kreacher is evil, yet somewhat sympathetic' revelation: his 'nest' is rather pathetic.
I really don't know why Sirius can't/won't just give him the mementoes he wants - they apparently have no magical power of their own, and they're going to be discarded otherwise. Except that it would involve being the bigger man in a situation, which is patently beyond him (and indeed, any character at this point.)
* Their glass might be shattered, but still the little people inside them peered up at him haughtily...
Again, more symbolism about Sirius' family not being as easily destroyed as appearances first suggest.
* ...he felt a little jolt in his stomach - the dark, heavy-lidded woman Bellatrix Lestrange.
Harry/Bellatrix, OTP!!!111
* 'Come to think of it,' said Sirius, 'has anyone actually seen Kreacher lately?'
…'He couldn't have left, could he?' said Harry.
Liiiiiisten to Harry, Sirius, he Knows All.
* 'Of course, he might have crawled into the airing cupboard and died…but I mustn't get my hopes up.'
Fred, George and Ron laughed; Hermione, however, looked reproachful.
No reaction from Ginny or Harry?
* ...The car, which Harry doubted very much had been taken with the consent of its owner.
Mrs Weasley hesitated before getting in - Harry knew her disapproval was battling with her dislike of travelling without magic - but, finally, the cold and her children's pleading triumphed, and she settled in with good grace.
* Wizarding society appears to be non-practicing Christian, as I think has been confirmed in previous books. There’s even a star on the trees.
* I like the witch with an orange up her nose after a family row. Nice touch.
* Patients get fed turkey? I wonder if the health care in the WW is private or paid for by the MoM?
* 'What?' said Mr Weasley, looking rather frightened and pulling the bed covers higher up his chest. 'No, no - it's nothing - it's -I’...
He seemed to deflate under Mrs Weasley's piercing gaze. ‘Well - now don't get upset, Molly -'
Mrs Weasley let out an ominous noise somewhere between a shriek and a snarl. 'Do you mean to tell me,' said Mrs Weasley, her voice growing louder with every word, 'that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?'
'Not messing about, Molly, dear,' said Mr Weasley imploringly, 'it was just -Well…well, I don't know whether you know what - what stitches are?'
'It sounds as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together,' said Mrs Weasley with a snort of mirthless laughter, 'but even you, Arthur, wouldn't be that stupid -'
The Weasleys marriage really isn’t as cutesy as I think it’s intended to be.
Apart from the whole Muggle prejudice, which is somehow much worse morally when exactly reversed with the Dursleys; if Arthur were the wife, for example, I think the neighbours would be calling Social Services (if there is a wizarding equivalent) over this person who appears constantly on edge around and frightened by their spouse, who publicly demeans them.
(Of course, Arthur isn't exactly a saint, either.
And his pathetic attempts at concealing secrets reminds me of Hagrid. Which is never a good thing.)
* Lupin strolled away from the bed and over to the werewolf, who had no visitors and was looking rather wistfully at the crowd around Mr Weasley...
Hee. Clever Lupin. And poor werewolf.
This is probably one of the few times in which I think it's intended we see a character as doing a nice thing, and I actually agree.
* As it swung closed behind them, they heard Mrs Weasley shriek, 'WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA?'
Gosh, the Weasleys are almost as much fun to have around as Sirius and Harry. Hello, you’re in a frigging hospital, why not save the histrionics for the privacy of your own home? Bite them, anonymous werewolf!
* ‘Typical Dad,' said Ginny, shaking her head...'Stitches…I ask you…'
'Well, you know, they do work well on non-magical wounds,' said Hermione fairly.
Oh, way to defend Muggles there. Effusive! Especially since she gets more offended at elves being insulted. I guess she'd prefer the general view of Muggles to be fairly low - it makes her look even more amazing in comparison.
But then, everytime JKR uses the word 'fairly', it seems to be so the character can flatter someone (iirc, Sirius says 'fairly' how Remus was much better than the others, and the Twins how Ginny's brilliant at Quidditch) and yet in this case, I didn't think Hermione made much effort at all to share any insights she may have into Muggles (perhaps because Hermione restricts any sharing of knowledge until it brings personal benefits to her and her friends) or vindicate them. (And neither did Harry, but then, he never does.)
* …portraits of brutal-looking Healers.
I'm guessing this fits into the 'rough and tumble' warrior culture of their society? That they're tough, and have little time for sympathy or coddling and have to give you nasty medicines and painful remedies to fix any problems you have. No time for cowards! etc.
* 'But the unsightly blemishes upon your visage, young master -'
‘They're freckles!' said Ron furiously. 'Now get back in your own picture and leave me alone!'
He rounded on the others, who were all keeping determinedly straight faces.
As everyone else noted - huh? Doesn't Ginny also, by definition of being a Weasley, have freckly skin?
Of course, this might tie into the whole treatment of physical beauty and it's reflection on moral character. Ron recieves the most ambigous treatment of this small group (and Molly of the Weasleys, another who's overweight and thus apparently fairly unattractive to the narrator's eye) being the person with whom Harry gets irritated the most, and is also apparently the ugliest.
* 'Well, hello there!' he said. 'I expect you'd like my autograph, would you?'
'Hasn't changed much, has he?' Harry muttered to Ginny, who grinned.
I'm never sure whether we're supposed to be revelling in Lockhart's 'downfall' like Skeeter's (I don't know who saw the end of the CoS film, after the credits - heh, I used to work in a cinema at that time, I saw it (and that damn LOTR2 song! ;) hundreds of times. But there's an end shot of Lockhart in a straightjacket, which always gave me the willies. The audience loved it, though.) or whether we can/should feel any compassion.
I guess not if you take the Harry's outlook (or for that matter, his use as comic relief in the last line of this chapter):
* 'Er - how are you, Professor?' said Ron, sounding slightly guilty.
It had been Ron's malfunctioning wand that had damaged Professor Lockhart's memory so badly that he had landed in St Mungo's in the first place, though as Lockhart had been attempting to permanently wipe Harry and Ron's memories at the time, Harry’s sympathy was limited.
Heh. Of course! There's only so much sympathy to go around, and so much of it has to be lavished upon Harry himself.
This part made me warm to Ron, fractionally, though. His immediate instinct appears to be to blame himself for events, whereas Harry's is apparently to project onto others. Which is an arguably slightly more 'masculine' way of dealing with things, which may explain the occasional almost contemptous tone directed towards anyone who's inwardly focused and depressed (Winky, Myrtle, Trelawney.)
* The smile faded slowly from Lockhart's face. For a few moments he gazed intently at Harry, then he said, 'Haven't we met?'
Oh, he would remember Harry above anyone else.
* ‘Teach?' repeated Lockhart, looking faintly unsettled. 'Me? Did I?' And then the smile reappeared upon his face so suddenly it was rather alarming.
Why does this bother him? Is he embarrassed he can’t remember? Or does the word remind him vaguely of how his memory was damaged?
Iirc, his immediate reaction in CoS when told he teaches is to doubt his competence at the job (which is interesting in itself.)
* Once again there appears to be no middle ground between patronising and taking advantage of/detesting the weakness of the vulnerable, as illustrated by the slightly spooky 'motherly...Healer' who infantilises her patients (and incidentally, reveals private medical information about them. Which is odd, because the whole premise of the gang getting on the ward is the Healer assuming they know Lockhart, in which case, why would she then go on to inform them of his past?)
* 'Do you know, he never gets visitors, poor lamb, and I can't think why, he's such a sweetie, aren't you?'
No family? Or adoring fans, even? I'd guess a long-term ward for the mentally ill would have high-security, except that kind of destroys the whole basis for this chapter.
* '...his memory might be starting to come back.'
Wonder if he'll make any more appearances? I hope so, I like Lockhart.
* '...he's a bit of a danger to himself, bless him…doesn't know who he is, you see, wanders off and can't remember how to get back…'
So the closest Muggle approximation to Lockhart is...an Alzheimer's patient?
Huh. There does appear to be some similiarities between wizarding illnesses and actual RL ones - I recall a mention of 'Shock Spells' in the next chapter, which sounds like a reference to est.
Still not seeing the more common 'Werewolves = HIV/AIDS patients'.
* Gilderoy's headboard, for instance, was papered with pictures of himself, all beaming toothily and waving.
He had autographed many of them to himself in disjointed, childish writing.
The moment he had been deposited in his chair, Gilderoy...seized a quill and started signing all (the photographs) feverishly.
Aw. That's so sad.
* …a formidable looking old witch, a moth-eaten fox fur…
I wonder if the Longbottoms, like the Weasleys are ‘fine people’ down on their luck. Because iirc, later it’s established how well-known both Frank and Alice were, and how Mrs. Longbottom still has powerful friends (Griselda Marchbanks) and yet they don’t appear particularly wealthy like some of the other purebloods, and if Grandma’s clothes are ‘moth-eaten’…
Also, it builds yet more sympathy for them.
I do find myself rather liking ole Grandma, for some reason.
* '...I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you...And you two are clearly Weasleys,' Mrs Longbottom continued, proffering her hand regally to Ron and Ginny in turn. 'Yes, I know your parents - not well, of course - but fine people...and you must be Hermione Granger?'
Why not well? Because then they'd already have met, or what?
* Hermione looked rather startled that Mrs Longbottom knew her name...
Ouch. A little embarrassing there.
And confirmation that Neville apparently values the small attention he recieves through pity from the Trio, rather than resenting or being ambivalent about it. Of course. Because everyone wants to be the Trio's BFF, or should and is thrilled by any bones they might condescend to throw.
* 'Yes, Neville's told me all about you. Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven't you? He's a good boy,' she said, casting a sternly appraising look down her rather bony nose at Neville, 'but he hasn't got his father's talent, I'm afraid to say.'
Like the rest of the Wizarding World, Mrs. Longbottom appears to value traditional areas in which to succeed - primarily DADA, presumably, since this was a subject Frank Longbottom must have succeeded in; as tora_chan astutely pointed out.
Magpie's post also had some interesting points about why Grandmother might denigrate Neville in favour of his father.
* 'My son and his wife,' she said, turning haughtily, 'were tortured into insanity by You-Know-Who's followers.'
Ron stopped craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Neville's parents and looked mortified.
Way to go with finally remembering yourself there, Ron, but I might have stopped looking when I heard they’d lost both health and sanity.
* ‘They were Aurors, you know, and very well respected within the wizarding community'...'Highly gifted, the pair of them.'
Funny, because in the last book, they were described as an ‘Auror and his wife’ implying that only Frank was employed in that field. Is this more ‘girlpower’ along with Luna/Tonks/first female DADA teacher, or was Alice always an Auror, and JKR just didn’t make it clear before?
* Neville's mother had come edging in her nightdress. She no longer had the plump, happy-looking face. Her face was thin and worn now, her eyes seemed overlarge and her hair, which had turned white, was wispy and dead-looking. She did not seem to want to speak, or perhaps she was not able to, but she made timid motions towards Neville, holding something in her outstretched hand.
...Neville said quietly, ‘Thanks, Mum.'
His mother tottered away, back up the ward, humming to herself.
...As they left, Harry was sure he saw Neville slip the sweet wrapper into his pocket.
Nicely done.
* But Neville had already stretched out his hand, into which his mother dropped an empty Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper.
Where has she gotten this, anyway? Surely patients that ill wouldn’t be allowed gum. Nothing stopping them choking on it.
* Neville looked around at the others, his expression defiant, as though daring them to laugh, but Harry did not think he'd ever found anything less funny in his life.
Nobody has much faith in anyone, do they?
Neville’s given his grandmother the puff act on how great the Trio are, but thinks they’ll laugh at his parents; Ron’s convinced Harry will laugh at him trying out for the Quidditch team; Harry thinks everyone’s out to get him.
* …Mrs Longbottom, drawing on long green gloves.
The colour of doom ;) Which also matches her dress.
* 'I never knew,' said Hermione, who looked tearful.
I don't want to be cruel, but *gasp* Something Hermione doesn't know!
* They all looked at Harry.
Three for this chapter.
* Hermione...horrified. 'That woman Kreacher's got a photo of in his den?'
I love this reaction. Like, I had no idea Kreacher would admire a vicious Death Eater, because it's not as if EVERYTHING HE SAYS doesn't indicate that he's disgusted by Muggleborns! Maybe she thought he was secretly grateful to her, and rescinded all his principles at once, so the photographs were all of happy fluffy family members she'd approve of, like...uh...the Malfoys?
(Does Hermione even know that Bellatrix is related to Sirius/Narcissa?)