Chapter 12 Summary

[Indigo]

No: HPFGUIDX 20126

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Trina" <lj2d30 at g...> wrote:
> Chapter 12  The Patronus

A very good summary! 
> 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'm inclined to go with the crowd here.  Hermione's academic 
knowledge is her pride and joy, though she tends to lord it over 
others, and that's a habit that is not going to serve her well.  
Perhaps McGonnagall wanted Hermione to realize there's more to life 
than book learning and that no Wizard or Witch is a success who is 
too exhausted to lift his/her wand. 

> 2.  Were Ron and Harry right to behave so abominably to Hermione in 
> the affair of the Firebolt?

Double edged sword.

Yes, Hermione was looking out for Harry's best interests, and making 
sure he'd be safe.  But she could have asked first rather than going 
behind their backs. That she did so was a breach of trust twice over: 
once because she didn't give the boys the benefit of the doubt [yes, 
I believe they more than likely would've said NO WAY! given their 
reaction to even her merest suggestion along those lines], and that 
she was doing the Know-It-All thing again, considering her thoughts 
and feelings wiser than theirs.  

At their age, that's a tough pill to swallow.  

On the other hand, Harry's greated love in the Wizarding world is 
Quidditch. She knows, having dumped the bag of splinters at his feet, 
how he was crushed at the loss of his first broom.  She knows that 
when stress gets to him, flying is what Harry goes to do.  She had to 
expect a harsh negative reaction from Harry about this, especially 
since she was going against his wishes and knew it. 
> 
> 3.  How did Lupin find the boggart in Filch's filing cabinet in the 
> first place?

He was a Marauder.  'Nuff said?  Or maybe the boggart he used in 
class told him it had relatives nesting elsewhere in the castle. 
> 
> 4. *Is* it obvious what is making Lupin ill?  (yeah, yeah, yeah, I 
> know.  Pretend this is the first time you've read PoA)

At this point in the book,  not entirely obvious, no. The name was 
tweaking my mind, but I wasn't sure I wasn't following a red herring 
by following the tweakings.
> 
> 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?  
> 
Oh, he surely is.  But I think if school rules were against it, 
McGonagall and Pomfrey would've stepped in.  Plus, there is no way 
that Oliver could've forced the entire Quidditch team to practice 
every night if they weren't as gung-ho about winning and beating 
Slytherin as he was [or a close facsimile thereof.]

I was in marching band in high school; we practiced a *lot* before we 
went to competition.  Came in third, too. And nobody minded the long 
hours of field practice...especially when it paid off.

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

The Kiss. 

The kissed probably doesn't realize they're walking around a lifeless 
husk, but how terrible must it be for that person's family and loved 
ones to see the once lively and vital person completely bereft of 
anything that made them ... *them*? 


> 
> 7.  Ron is apparantly more easily angered at Hermione than is 
Harry, 
> even in the Firebolt Fuss.  Why is this?
> 
At the risk of stirring up the Wrath of the Weasley Worshippers: 
Don't kill me! I like the Weasleys too!  I cheered when they rescued 
Harry in the flying car!  I felt bad for Percy in Book 4! But...back 
to the matter at hand:

The Weasley Temper.   It's not just stereotypical redheaded temper, 
though there's partly that too. But Molly has a temper. Fred, George, 
and  Percy have all showed fierce temper.  Ron is the most 
hotheaded.  Arthur, Ginny, Bill and Charlie's tempers seem less ... 
you should pardon the expression -- fiery. 

He's also hotheaded atop this though because he's the youngest 
Weasley boy and has to live with the ignominy of being the baby 
brother of some of Hogwarts' best and brightest. He also has to 
endure the shame and difficulty of never having anything new.  

Add to that that his best friend is rich, famous, and amazing at 
Quidditch, Ron's favourite sport.

Add to that that his other best friend is a know-it-all who takes 
*every* opportunity to prove she's smart and the boys are dumb and 
couldn't possibly form a coherent thought without her. 

Add to *that* that Hermione has treated Ron's feelings 
disrespectfully when it comes to Crookshanks and Scabbers -- refusing 
to acknowledge her 'cat' is out for Scabbers in particular.  

Add to *that* that not only has Hermione showed zero respect for 
Ron's feelings, she has now showed zero respect for Harry's feelings, 
and worse still, potentially ruined the ENTIRE HOUSE'S chance at 
winning Quidditch and/or the House Cup. 

Ron is a boy with some major pent-up resentment and anger 
issues...considering how much pride he swallows and how much anger he 
suppresses,  we're lucky he wasn't much angrier.

Indigo