Chapter 12 Summary

[catherine at cator-manor.demon.co.uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 20108

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Trina" <lj2d30 at g...> wrote:
> Chapter 12  The Patronus
> 
> <snip v. good summary. (apart from Friends - this made me think - 
do all the Muggleborn children have withdrawals from TV when they go 
to Hogwarts?> 

Questions:
> 
> 1.  It is in this chapter that we first see Hermione exhibiting 
signs 
> of burnout.  Why hasn't anyone (namely teachers) noticed before 
now?  
> Why was she even allowed to take such a ghastly load anyway?  

I think they have noticed.  However, I think that Professor 
McGonagall has allowed Hermione to take on too much, so that she can 
learn herself that she can't do everything.  The teaching methods 
seem to be very much based on letting students experience things for 
themselves, learning from their mistakes, which is what Hermione has 
done here.  If things had got too drastic and she showed signs of 
breakdown, I think they would have stepped in.  What I am surprised 
about, however, is that Professor McGonagall didn't manage to 
persuade Hermione not to do Divination.  Prof M does seem to have a 
mentoring relationship with Hermione - it is McGonagall Hermione 
quotes when she says that Divination is a very imprecise form of 
magic.  So why did Hermione insist on taking it?
> 
> 2.  Were Ron and Harry right to behave so abominably to Hermione in 
> the affair of the Firebolt?

Absolutely not.  Hermione's heart was definitely in the right place - 
she was trying to protect Harry.  Hermione displays great strength of 
character here - she knows that what she does is going to be deeply 
unpopular with Ron and Harry - but she also knows that making sure 
the Firebolt is OK is more important than a temporary bad patch with 
the boys.  I think that Ron, in particular, behaves in an appallingly 
spiteful and insensitive way.  Harry takes a very passive role, and 
doesn't actively show his anger with Hermione - but he also admits to 
himself that she is probably right, and that being angry with her is 
pointless, yet he doesn't try to overcome it.  Black marks for both 
of them.

> 3.  How did Lupin find the boggart in Filch's filing cabinet in the 
> first place?

No idea.  I just assumed that boggarts were quite easy to find in the 
castle - all those rooms with cabinets, chests, wardrobes etc.  
Perhaps Filch told Lupin it was there (or perhaps Lupin was doing a 
bit of sneaking around - why?  Could he be looking for other items 
that Filch or his predecessor had once confiscated?)

> 4. *Is* it obvious what is making Lupin ill?  (yeah, yeah, yeah, I 
> know.  Pretend this is the first time you've read PoA)

I honestly can't remember whether I spotted this on my first reading 
or not (such a long time ago now).  We know that Hermione always 
researches everything very thoroughly, and it is therefore entirely 
probable that she did put two and two together.   With hindsight, 
it's not that difficult to work out.  Just because Harry doesn't 
recognise Lupin's boggart as the moon, doesn't mean Hermione didn't 
realise what it was.  This, coupled with Lupin's name ( a giveaway), 
the monthly absences  etc. are pretty compelling when put together.  


> 5.  Wood has the Gyffindor team practising 5 nights a week.  Do you 
> think this is allowed by school rules?  Is Wood a little *too* 
> obssessed?  

This is another instance of laissez-faire on the part of the school 
authorities.  I think it is excessive - and I think that there should 
have been more balance for Harry this year.  Of course Wood is too 
obsessed.  JKR writes this in a humorous way, but I have always been 
struck by the fact that Wood always wants to win at any cost and 
doesn't put his team's safety first.  However, it was his final shot 
at winning the cup, and he has had to put up with Marcus Flint all 
this time, so it is also understandable.  (Does anyone else see Flint 
and Wood as having a relationship similar to Harry and Malfoy's ?)


> 6. Put on your thinking caps now.  Which is a worse fate: death, or 
> the dementor's kiss? Why?  

I don't know about this one.  Losing one's soul.  No memories, no 
sense of self, unable to think, feel.  Seems similar to being in a 
coma, but awake.  I know that doesn't make sense, perhaps zombies 
make for a better analogy.   I suppose that if one is kissed by the 
dementor, there is at least a possibility that it may one day be 
reversible.  Unlike death.  In the meantime, I am more interested in 
what happens to people who have received a kiss from the dementors.  
What happened to Barty Crouch?

> 7.  Ron is apparantly more easily angered at Hermione than is 
Harry, 
> even in the Firebolt Fuss.  Why is this?

Ron was already harbouring bad feelings towards Hermione due to the 
Crookshanks/Scabbers situation.  He is just given yet another reason 
to give her a hard time and grabs it.  I do not like Ron very much 
during this part of the book.  I think he is mean and spiteful - 
doesn't even let up when Hagrid has words with them about it - not 
even when Harry tries to get him to let up.   What makes things worse 
is that he knows that Hermione is looking out for Harry.  I think 
that if it hadn't been for the fact that he was already annoyed with 
her, he would have been more reasonable about it.  As it is, he makes 
things worse by persuading Harry to go into Hogsmeade etc. 

Catherine