Chapter Twenty-Seven

[merrymelody]

The Centaur and the Sneak

Ugh. I hate this chapter, and stupid Word not saving my first attempt makes me hate it more. *unfairly blames for computer problem*

Comments

[gillieweed]

* 'Professor Trelawney did astrology with us!' said Parvati excitedly, raising her hand… 'Mars causes accidents and burns and things like that, and when it makes an angle to Saturn, like now - that means people need to be extra careful when handling hot things -'
‘That,' said Firenze calmly, 'is human nonsense.' Parvati's hand fell limply to her side. ‘Trivial hurts, tiny human accidents. These are of no more significance than the scurryings of ants to the wide universe, and are unaffected by planetary movements.'

Yes, Divination is only useful when predicting events of great importance, like Harry’s coming into the room

[merrymelody]

Well, it's okay for people/creatures who've been discriminated against to be racist about others!
See, Hermione and Hagrid.
That's like, the basis of equal rights. Or something.

[jollityfarm]

If this conversation had gone on between Snape and Harry, the readership would be jumping up and down all over Fierenze and screaming Unfair! U R MEEN! Firenze is TEH EbiL!!eleventy!one

A vaguely similar conversation occured a couple of chapters back when Harry called Legillimency mind-reading, and Professor Snape insisted that only Muggles use that term because they're not subtle enough to understand. Someone on the internet is almost certainly insisting that this is proof of Professor Snape's ultimate loyalty to Voldemort (even though when Arthur says shit like this, it just proves how charming he is). Meanwhile, Firenze can do down a whole species and act an utter prick, but because he <3 Harry, he's fluffy and good :)

I'd rather take a class from a raving nut like Trelawny than from questionably creature with a bad attitude that isn't even housebroken.Oh yes. I mean to say, who wants to spend an hour or so bowing and scraping to someone who talks to you as if you're mentally retarded while learning fuck-all? At least with

[gillieweed]

her classroom has armchairs and you get a nice shiny qualification at the end of it.

Not to mention a nice, hot cup of tea.

[lilith_morgana]

As touched on previously - Dumbledore (and indeed, Gryffindors in general) is/are tall. Because they’re Manly Men.

But of course they are. Someone should definitely write the essay Masculinities in the Potterverse and I'm not only saying that because I'm brainwashed myself. The big omnipotent sword vs the limp and slithering snake. Gee, I wonder what will save the day.

I hope you guys don't mind comments from strangers, btw. I've been enjoying the snarkery here to the point where I had to re-read the books myself. *goes back to lurking*

[sistermagpie]

And Harry takes that big sword and climbs down from his phallic tower into the "chamber of secrets" to kill whatever he finds in there. Hmmmmm....

Welcome!

[lilith_morgana]

God, it's like Hamlet and the grave-womb of DOOM in a way. :)

And thanks for the welcome.

[merrymelody]

Glad you're enjoying! We like comments.
*lures out lurkerdom with treats*

Someone should definitely write the essay Masculinities in the Potterverse and I'm not only saying that because I'm brainwashed myself.

*prods into it* It'd make Freud weep.

[sistermagpie]

God, what do Gryffindors do when there’s no battles in which they can prove how macho they are? Get into bar fights at people who look at them wrong? Play chicken with lorries?

You know, I'm pretty sure we could say canon gives us a yes on this.

* 'Herd?' said Lavender in a confused voice, and Harry knew she was thinking of cows.

Forgot this before, but in a way this again makes me think better of Lavender. She's confused because she associates *animals* with herds, and instinctively sees Firenze as a person.

I don’t think that’s a particularly insulting question.

I'd be insulted by it, I think. It implies that he's some sort of weird experiment of the creepy groundskeeper instead of anything nature could have come up with.

So, in the grand tradition (Dobby, Krum) Firenze is the ‘freak’ on the ‘good’ side, who for some reason, has views completely opposing those of his communities’, for no apparent reason.

Iow, he's "one of the good ones."

Yes, Divination is only useful when predicting events of great importance, like

[merrymelody]

I do get the feeling that's one of the reasons everybody obviously considers Snape scum in the DA.

Good point. I guess for once it's a problem I have with just fandom as opposed to fandom and canon! I must be getting placid in my old age ;)

She's confused because she associates *animals* with herds, and instinctively sees Firenze as a person.

I never thought of it that way! Good point.

It implies that he's some sort of weird experiment of the creepy groundskeeper instead of anything nature could have come up with.

There's such a huge emphasis on breeding in the WW. Even with centaurs, apparently.

...He's leaving himself vulnerable for Umbridge to evilly take advantage of him. They live in an unjust world.

Poor Hagrid! He loves and trusts too much. Like an innocent child. He's the Forrest Gump of Hogwarts.

Voldemort could probably tell us. If you've never had minions of your own, it's hard to fully understand Overlord Pride.

Bwhahaha.

I keep picturing Lucius suspicious: "Draco caught him? Uh-oh. Where's Draco now. Hospital

[sistermagpie]

And interestingly, it never seems to be enough.

That's like the main lesson of these books for me, and it surprises me when people just run the other direction. Of course it's never enough. Marietta's barely a character in the book; she may not even have any lines, yet she has to be punished *more.* And the Slytherins still haven't "gotten theirs" even when they're humiliated and beaten in some way in every book. James Potter is *dead* and Snape's still furious about him. Perhaps the book will end with Harry becoming a best-selling author writing about a fictional muggle school where the Muggle!Hero gets to beat him a fictional version of Draco (who was horribly killed IRL and so sadly can not be killed again in even more awful ways) in every book. And that still won't be enough.

Hmm. You know, this is described as a memory charm, but why would someone with no memory assert that there have been no meetings for six months? How would she remember?Even better, isn't it great how everybody wants Marietta further punished for

[merrymelody]

Perhaps the book will end with Harry becoming a best-selling author writing about a fictional muggle school where the Muggle!Hero gets to beat him a fictional version of Draco (who was horribly killed IRL and so sadly can not be killed again in even more awful ways) in every book. And that still won't be enough.

Ha! Have you read the meta-ish Abaddon story along those lines? ;)

I've been wondering if what seems like treading water for the Slyths isn't just setting them up for their role in the climactic final books.

I hope that they appear to be treading water because JKR doesn't wish to confirm them one way or another yet, yeah.
(Skimming the next chapter in prep for your next post - hee, it's like homework. Fun homework! ;) There's a lot of ambigious, perhaps more optimistic stuff...

"they help Umbridge cause they're evil and ugly and like attracts like!"I thought perhaps that would also come up with Filch, who's a 'valuable' asset to Umbridge, and someone who's fairly hated and ignored by the majority of the school (and WW

[sistermagpie]

She gets hexed with antlers (in that incredibly creepy passage where 'strange things keep happening to the IS.' Bleurgh. Like 'Haha, my wife just falls down stairs and walks into doorknobs a lot! Funny, that?')

Not to mention, wasn't this supposed to be dreadful when Angelina "just happened" to Angelina? Is this just supposed to be payback for the time when there were all those witnesses who saw a Slytherin jinx someone and nobody did anything? So now everybody's acting like Snape and pretending they don't know what happened?

[merrymelody]

Where's Snape anyway? I guess he can't watch all of them at once.

I'm dreading that chapter - Grawp, hilarious hexing (and added commentary from the Trio on Montague, ie. haha and that'll learn him to mess with the macho lions), and this rather amusing bit from Harry: 'There was no good to be gained in keeping silent if it meant anyone suspected that Fred and George were criminals.' Heh. Oh, surely not!)
Anyway. *puts pillow over head and pretends said chapter doesn't exist*

[glorfindelghost]

Hi there, stumbled across this place from...somewhere...and have been enjoying these so much I felt I had to comment:
- Surely making anybody "horribly disfigured" is a spectacularly nasty thing to do, I mean really, some might say EVIL - but then I have my own theory about how book 7 ends with a battle fought entirely by Harry and Voldemort's enormous ego's - until Voldemort realises he's been a bit silly, apologises to everyone for the terrible inconvenience and finds himself a tasty muggleborn wife. Harry of course refuses to accept this, yell, shouts, sulks and kills him - along with the rest of Chipping Sodbury, where Voldemort has taken up residence...

*Sigh* Is it wrong (and rather Slytherin) of me to think that the side of evil in these books is rather more rational than the supposed of good? Is it me? I mean really?

Oh, and "ugly snake shaped vase" - a metaphor there about as subtle as being sat on by Grawp...

[merrymelody]

Oh, I'm so glad you're enjoying!

Surely making anybody "horribly disfigured" is a spectacularly nasty thing to do, I mean really, some might say EVIL

Especially since it was for no gain at all.

...Book 7 ends with a battle fought entirely by Harry and Voldemort's enormous ego's

Hee! *runs screaming away from the horror* It'd be like The Blob or something - the self-obsessions that GIRDLED THE GLOBE!11

Voldemort realises he's been a bit silly, apologises to everyone for the terrible inconvenience and finds himself a tasty muggleborn wife.

How about Hermione? They appear to have similiar backgrounds and goals.

Harry of course refuses to accept this, yell, shouts, sulks and kills him...

Hee. We were discussing the other day what would happen if Voldie were defeated/Harry wasn't TBWL. What would he have to complain about and guilt other people over? Could his tragic tale of orphanhood do it anymore?

Oh, and "ugly snake shaped vase" - a metaphor there about as subtle as being sat on by Grawp...Bwhaha! But it works on so many

[sistermagpie]

Oh, and "ugly snake shaped vase" - a metaphor there about as subtle as being sat on by Grawp...

He's an empty dragon-shaped vessel for EEEEEE-vil.