Pondering the details of Goblet (contents vary)
mcandrew at bigpond.com
mcandrew at bigpond.com
Thu Aug 2 04:44:19 UTC 2001
No: HPFGUIDX 23427
A few queries about the events in GoF have bubbled to the surface of
my pensieve. None of these impact on the future of the plot or
characters much, some are pretty trivial actually, but I'd be
interested in your views on any or all of them just the same. Humble
apologies if any of these have been dealt with before... I can't
remember seeing them, have just examined the brand new & wonderful
FAQs without finding mention, [Ebony AKA, please see note below] and
also find that the search engine on our site doesn't handle the huge
volume of archived queries too well. (Longing for such searching
conveniences as boolean logic and date fields..)
1) Chap 30, The Pensieve. (p. 524 UK ed) Harry, discussing the
trials he has just been visiting, asks Dumbledore whether Crouch Jr
was really involved in torturing the Longbottoms. Dumble says 'As to
that, I have no idea.' Why? Dumbledore sat as a member of the
Council of Magical Law which passed a guilty verdict on Crouch Jr for
exactly that crime. Is Dumbledore saying he didn't agree with his
own verdict as a member of that panel of judges? If he wasn't sure
of Crouch's guilt, why didn't he cast a dissenting vote? Or has he
changed his mind since?
2) Chap 36, Parting of the Ways. (p. 617-8 UK) At Harry's hospital
bedside after the third task, Sirius and Snape are introduced to each
other by Dumbledore - but not until Madam Pomfrey has left the room
and is out of hearing. Obviously he doesn't trust her as he does
Snape or Molly Weasley, who is still present. Yet Pomfrey is a
highly respected member of Dumbledore's handpicked staff. So why is
she regarded as so much less trustworthy than some of the others?
3) Chap 33, The Death Eaters. The graveyard scene, Voldemort has just
emerged from cauldron. On first addressing Harry, he calls
him 'Potter', but almost straight away switches to 'Harry', which is
how he addresses Harry for the rest of the evening. Why does he use
Harry's first name? Normally this would be a mark of affection or
familiarity - e.g. it's used by Dumbledore as well as Harry's
friends, whereas the more distant teachers (e.g. McGonagall), enemies
like Malfoy, and notably Snape, call him 'Potter'. Actually, given
the relationship between Harry and Voldemort, I would expect V.
perhaps to be very formal and pronounce Harry's full name 'Harry
Potter' in addressing him. So why the familiar 'Harry'? Not that I
don't like the effect - I love it. The fatherly affection for Harry
which it implies, contrasts with his actual treatment of Harry in
this scene so beautifully.
4) (Trivia alert 'on') Voldemort presumably emerges from the
cauldron naked - and thankfully cloaked in steam! Wormtail then puts
a robe on him. But what does he do about footwear? It must be
uncomfortable chasing Harry around a stony graveyard in bare feet...
or is he weightless and therefore able to get by without shoes? Or,
perhaps, unable to feel pain or discomfort in his new reincarnation?
(Must be chilly without undergarments either.)
5) Pronunciation: I don't find this much of a problem generally, but
the name 'Nagini' usually causes a hiccup when reading aloud to my
son. I've settled on pronouncing it with an elongated 'a', a
soft 'g' and the accent on the second syllable. Would you agree?
I could go on, but maybe that's enough disjointed topics for one
message.
- Lama -
Note to Ebony AKA: Please keep on writing to the list. I, like
many others I'm sure, really enjoy your thoughtful posts, whether in
agreement or not. OK, the rules, while understandable, can be
intimidating and some of us have to muster our courage to hit
that 'send' button... (I have made Harry my role model in that
regard)
- Lama
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