Chapter 34 Summary

[msl at fc.net]

No: HPFGUIDX 14154

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., voicelady at m... wrote:

> Questions
> 
> 1.	Harry has beaten Voldemort on several occasions by now.  Why 
> then did Voldemort untie him and give him back his wand?  Is he on 
> drugs or just stupid?

It seems that Voldemort's modus operandi is to play cat and mouse with
his victims, so in releasing Harry he's returning to type now that he
has the opportunity (yes, this contradicts some of my Dr. Evil stuff I
posted a while back).  Like all bullies, it's not enough for Voldemort
(or Death Eaters in general) merely to kill their enemies. He must
humiliate them first and induce fear, which is the real point.  It's
not just Voldemort being stupid as such; rather, Tom Riddle has no
reason to exist as Voldemort unless it provides the opportunity for
him to toy with his prey.  To extend the gustatory metaphor...as
Voldemort is not really human he no longer needs to consume in the
normal fashion--to win/to eat *is* to play with his food.

> 2.	Were the apparitions emerging from Voldie?s wand ghosts?  If 
> not, what were they and why were they able to speak to Harry?

I'm reminded of a magical photograph that reflects the subjects
character without really capturing it.

 
> 3.	We know that the Avada Kedavra curse is associated with green 
> light.  But what was the symbolism, if any, of the red light 
> streaming from Harry?s wand?

Green seems in general to be associated with icky stuff, including the
deadly curses.  Harry's red magic is interesting...kind of like giving
Luke Skywalker a red lightsaber.  It's a conqueror's color.

> 4.	Do you wish that, even though the original wand order was a 
> mistake, Jo had worked with it and come up with a reason for James? 
> emerging first?

I'm glad I got an "uncorrected" copy of GoF, since I think the
rewritten scene reads poorly.  I'm not very much worried about the
wand order issue because the lack of LIFO consistency serves a good
dramatic purpose.  It's important that Harry's mom be the last person
to die in his defense as an infant (at least it is now, having read
the books).  And it's important that she follow James out of the wand
because it is at this point in the plot that Harry is to receive his
next Big Revelation.  James's emergence from the wand is simply
buildup because the appearance of Lily is the proper climax of the
scene.  To reverse the order dimishes Lily's importance and harms the
scene.

So here's my explanation:  well aware of the rules of drama, James and
Lily's echoes discussed with one another how best to appear from V's
wand for Harry's benefit.  Since Harry had by now become familiar with
the "feel" of James, it was necessary to give him extra incentive to
fight on by allowing a communion between Harry and his mother to take
center stage.
 
I really, really wish that JKR, instead of conceding to fannish
nitpicking, has simply said, "Would you rather that scene happen
differently in and of itself?  Of course not!"  and let it go.

> 5.	Do you think we?ll see Cedric?s ghost at Hogwart?s now?

No, but imagine if we did.....would that #&@! with students' heads or
what?  (Now, he might haunt Harry just a bit....)

Marvin Long
Austin, TX

Please don't be afraid.  Adrenaline will only make your blood taste
funny.