PoA Chapters 21-22 Summary (even better format)

[meboriqua at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 22154

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., naama_gat at h... wrote:

Great summary, Naama!  Chapter 21 is one of my favorite chapters in 
all the series.  I love Harry and Hermione working together as a team 
(as friends, mind you).

 [Q: Had Black really meant to 
> kill him then? It was a very dangerous prank, but was it 
> cruelty on Black's part or thoughtlessness?]

It was a horrible prank, but I don't think Sirius wanted Snape to die.  
I see his actions as those of a teenage boy who is not thinking about 
the consequences.  I think he just wanted to scare the hell out of 
Snape, hoping Snape would then leave them all alone after that.  
Teenagers can be extremely self-centered about things, and Sirius was 
thinking only of his own cleverness at playing such a prank.
> 

> Why tell it in clues? Great for the story and suspense 
> building, but was it really reasonable when so much is at 
> stake? What if they hadn't understood?]

Dumbledore, as the Headmaster, could not have just told Harry and 
Hermione to use the Time Turner illegally, steal Buckbeak illegally 
and set Sirius free illegally.  He had to let them think it through on 
their own.  BTW, I think Dumbledore is being a very typical teacher 
here.  I hate just giving the answers away to my students.
> 
[Q: What's wrong with a 
> broomstick? Why did they need Buckbeak?]

Glenda explained it best already.  The plan they had, while time 
consuming, was the best and secured success. 
> 
 [Q: "Harry looked up at the sky. 
> Clouds were obscuring the moon completely." (435) SO 
> WHAT? The question we have written ourselves hoarse on - 
> why didn't Lupin transform before? Surely the 
> transformation isn't dependent on being hit directly by the 
> beams of the moon, or else why hadn't Lupin simply stayed 
> in a closed room at the time of the full moon to prevent 
> transformation?]

Maybe Lupin had to be exposed to the full moon for a certain amount of 
time in order to transform?  Either way, the excitement of the evening 
clearly led Lupin to forget that he is a werewolf in the first place.
 
> [Q: Is there some rule as to what shape a Patronus takes? If 
> so, what is the rule? What can we conclude about it from 
> Harry's Patronus? Did anybody read this bit without tears in 
> her/his eyes?]

I don't see any rules here, as a Patronus is personal to each person 
who conjures it.  What I am thinking here is that James Potter was so 
strong in life and loved his son so much that he could protect him 
even in death.  The Patronus is not even the only example of this.  In 
GoF his smoky form is one of the figures to keep Voldemort away from 
Harry.
> 
[Q: Why, though? This point has always rather 
> confused me. A "single, very happy memory" is not the same 
> as self-confidence, is it?] 

I never thought of that.  I suppose that having confidence is a happy 
thing, and the knowledge, however sudden it came upon Harry, that he 
*could* conjure a Patronus was enough to help him do it.
> 
  
> [Q: Why?? How can he hate him so much as to want him to 
> receive the Kiss? Is it reasonable for a boy's grudge to be 
> taken to such an extreme?]

Just because Snape is on the right side does not mean that he is not 
mean and nasty.  He is also prone to fits of emotion and 
irrationality.  This was one of those times.  I'm sure that Snape is 
livid that once again, his enemy got away.  Seeing Sirius again 
probably took him right back to his own days at Hogwarts and 
overwhelmed him.

 [Q: If werewolves are 
> only dangerous at the time of the full moon, why are people 
> afraid of them all the time? I can understand the fear when 
> you don't know who the werewolf is, but when you know 
> who he is, it should be easy to take precautions against him, 
> no? Doesn't it remind you of another prejudice against a 
> different disease?]

Is it any different than the kids on the playground who decide that 
one kid "has the cooties"?  Once an idea takes hold, people are quick 
to grab on.  Sadly, I think that many people look for others to label 
as inferior.  In the wizard world, werewolves are one of many examples 
of this (Muggle-borns and giants are others).
> 
 [C: how is he feeling now, returning to a life where 
> no one is willing to hire him? Where no one will trust him? 
> Does he have a family? Friends who can help?]

Lupin has been through this before.  I trust that he is strong enough 
to handle it.  Besides, he now has the friendship of Sirius again, 
which I am sure is comforting.
> 
 [Q: In what way will this happen? Is 
> the bond that Dumbledore refers to a magical bond or a moral 
> bond?] 

I don't know how it will happen, but I believe that JKR did not bring 
this up for nothing.  Pettigrew will sacrifice himself to help Harry.


--jenny from ravenclaw***********