[HPforGrownups] Re: PoA chapters 18-20 summary

[Monika Huebner]

No: HPFGUIDX 21871

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pigwidgeon37 at yahoo.it [mailto:pigwidgeon37 at yahoo.it]

> Nope, it didn't even seem strange to me that he had become that old, 
> being only a rat. It really was more crookshanks I suspected.

Hey, another person who suspected poor Crookshanks. I admit
that I eyed him warily during the whole book, and it never came to
my mind either that rats don't live that long.

> What I'd really like to know is whether Snape *would* have killed 
> Sirius.

I have wondered about that, too. But I had the impression that
he was really out of his mind, so he surely wouldn't have hesitated to
kill Sirius, and I don't think he would have waited for Sirius to
attack him. The blink of an eye would have sufficed. So, after all,
I think that H/R/H did the right thing when they disarmed him.
And I confess that I absolutely loved that scene.
 
> I've been wondering about that, too. He didn't know that Pettigrew 
> was still alive and so, from his point of view, he didn't have any 
> possibiltiy of being cleared of the "murder". OTOH, Azkaban doesn't 
> appeal to me as a place where you stay if you have the possibility to 
> escape.

I agree with those who have said that Sirius thought that he deserved
to be in Azkaban. No one would stay there out of free will. It was
self-loathing and self-punishment. I'm not sure he didn't know that
Peter was still alive, at least he knew that he didn't die that day in
London. But apparently he needed a really strong trigger to pull
himself together and break out.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk

> I have to add that I was in tears when I read this scene.  Sirius' 
> trepidation in asking Harry, Harry's excitement and obvious pleasure 
> in the invitation, Sirius' incredulity and happiness at being wanted, 
> and the way the smile transforms his face.  I was absolutely 
> heartbroken, and even more so when it didn't happen.  When I reread 
> it now, it still has the same effect, and I am always worried that 
> the Dementors are going to get Sirius, even though I know that they 
> won't.

I know we should avoid quoting a whole passage just with "me
too", but I couldn't resist here. I admit that this is one of my
favorite passages in the whole series, and I really thought for
a moment that Harry would actually be able to leave the Dursleys.
Apparently I had forgotten that there were four more books 
supposed to come. 8-)

Dementors:

> Perhaps they all wanted to administer the 
> kiss to Sirius, argued about it, and decided to go for all of them 
> instead.

For some reason, I can't see them arguing. I just don't think
they are intelligent enough for this. But you are right, they must
have some kind of communication, both among themselves and
to humans, as they informed the authorities that Sirius had
escaped. I am still wondering how they did this...

> BTW:  When I think of the dementors, I don't see them as individuals, 
> but as one mass entity.  I get the feeling that if one of them 
> feels/experiences something, they will all do so, perhaps a little 
> like the Midwich (sp) Cuckoos.  Does anyone else think this as well?

Interesting thought. I don't know who the Midwich Cuckoos are,
but this made me think of the Borg in Star Trek. It somehow makes
sense.

Monika

------
Book and movie reviews in English and German:
http://sites.inka.de/darwin/indexalt.html