PoA 5/6/7 discussion qu's

[Hillman, Lee]

No: HPFGUIDX 18777

> QUESTIONS
> 
> 1.  Why was Remus on the train?
> 
This has been answered pretty well, I think. It is the night after a full
moon (JKR shifted this back one night from the real calendar) and he's weak,
and there's the question of whether he knows how to Apparate (or is allowed
to), since he also leaves by carriage at the end of the book, and of course
providing protection from either Sirius or the Dementors should they turn
up. 

But does anyone wonder whether he's really asleep the _whole_ time? I'm not
sure but I think he could possibly have woken up at points, enough to
realize there were children in the compartment, and if he realized Harry was
there... Wouldn't it be great to think he took advantage of being "asleep"
to observe Harry without the kids knowing he's aware of them? He doesn't
want Harry to know his connection to James--he's startled when Harry brings
it up in Lupin's office. So it's not like he could "wake up" and ask Harry
all kinds of questions about how he's getting on. I think he sleeps for a
major portion of the journey, but he's aware that there are kids in the
compartment with him--and especially Harry.


> 2.  What do you think Ginny experiences when the Dementors get near?  

Her experience with Tom is easily the worst thing I could imagine for Ginny.
Others have concluded this too. I think the things she might focus on are
the things she did through the diary's influence, like killing the roosters,
etc. I think it affected her a great deal, in ways we will see later.

> 3.  What do you think Neville experiences when the Dementors get near?
> 
This is a difficult question. I disagree with others who've said that
Neville relives his parents' torture. I don't think he was aware/present,
even though he could have been as old as 3 or 4 when it happened. I think
Neville's family tries to make his life as "normal" as it can be, given the
circumstances, so I don't think he feels any particular trauma about his
parents from the dementors specifically. However, certainly the _thought_
that his parents are insane and unable to recognize him is depressing, so
I'm sure it factors in. Also thoughts about particularly bad Potions lessons
(Snape again), getting scared by well-meaning but aged relatives, and his
constant trouble remembering things, are also all depressing experiences.
Depressing, but not traumatic like Harry's, if you understand what I mean.

> 4.  Just how badly was Malfoy hurt?
> 
I agree with Margaret, who said the initial injury was probably a bad flesh
wound, not life-threatening, certainly, but one that required medical
attention and was probably pretty painful. [Personally I believe Draco has a
low treshold of pain, never having had a hand laid on him in his life. Not
withstanding, when I think about how much cat scratches can hurt, Buckbeak's
bite should have been an order of magnitude or more worse.] Had the bleeding
not been stopped and the wound cleaned well, it might have had the potential
for infection or a host of other complications, but since Madame Pomfrey was
consulted immediately, it's clear that the injury was healed properly.
Though I still say the little snot deserved it for not listening, it can't
be denied that hippogriffs are not cuddly teddy bears. I mean, he's
crunching bones up in GoF--this is not a tame creature.

> 5.  Why wasn't Remus applauded by everyone when he was introduced as 
>     the new DADA teacher?
> 
Others have mentioned his shabby and ill appearance, but I'm going to add
something here: by now, most of the students have seen this drill before.
Every year, a new DADA teacher. Though we can't be sure about how long
Quirrell was there (presumably more than Harry's first year, from Percy's
and the twins' comments), it seems the stuff of legend by this point that
Hogwarts can't seem to keep hold of a DADA teacher for more than a year.
Especially following Lockhart's performance the previous term, the students
are bound to be getting a bit skeptical. I perceive the reaction as one of
caution: "Let's reserve judgment until we see whether this one lasts." The
same motivation guides the reaction to Mad-Eye Moody in GoF, though there is
also a much more marked repulsion factor given Moody's dubious and scary
appearance (uglier than Snape!).

> 6.  Why is Neville so terrified of Snape?
> 
Ah. Well, we've had a lot of discussions about Snape and Neville, haven't
we? Okay, I think Neville's used to a more indulgent homelife. As I said
above, I don't think his family means to traumatize him with bouncing him
down the garden path and all. Actually, I think all his elderly relatives
try to create as "normal" and "happy" a homelife as they can, though being
out of touch with today's generation and having a somewhat odd sense of
humour (Algie, anyway), it's unclear that they succeed. Neville's a very
lonely and reserved kid, but I don't think it's because he lives in fear or
because he can't get past the reality of what happened to his parents. I
think someone like Snape, who is snarky and mean and takes himself way too
seriously, is not someone Neville's ever had experience dealing with. I get
the impression he's very sheltered, somehow, and Snape represents an aspect
of people that Neville just has no capacity to deal with. He does all right,
considering, and for the most part seems to ignore Snape's jeers and just
keeps plugging away. He obviously passes somehow, though clearly not with
stellar marks. So I think he's terrified of Snape because Snape's brand of
authority is anethema to Neville's picture of what an authority figure is.
By extension, Lupin's suggestion to dress Snape in Neville's grandmother's
vulture hat and red handbag is perfect. It not only presents an inherently
comical picture, but it reminds Neville that there are things about Snape
which are laughable.

> 7.  Why do you think Hermione feels she must take all those classes?
> 
Well, the overachiever angle has been covered, as has the "getting the most
out of one's education," and I think these are both important aspects of
Hermione's character. It's actually in CoS that she signs up for all the
classes. Remember, this is the same girl who "memorized" all her textbooks
before even setting foot inside Hogwarts. JKR mentioned somewhere that
Hermione uses book learning to compensate for some self-esteem problems,
feelings of inadequacy, etc., and I think it's nowhere as clear as in
Hermione's compulsion to learn everything. To her credit, she realizes by
the end of the year that she simply can't overload that way, and doesn't
need to, and drops back down to a heavy schedule, but one that compromises
in a few areas.


> 8.  Why does JKR refer to Remus as Lupin?  (She does this with Snape 
>     and Dumbledore as well)
> 

I think it's twofold: where characters call him "Lupin" or "Professor
Lupin," it's both plot and character motivated--that is, plot-wise she
doesn't want "Remus" revealed too soon to keep the werewolf connotation
hidden, and character-wise there are lovely theories about Snape using
"Lupin" to maintain distance between them, while Lupin uses "Severus" to
communicate that he's both not afraid of Snape and willing to forgive and
forget. However, where JKR uses "Lupin" in the narration, as with
"Dumbledore," "Fudge," "Snape," etc., I think it's simply narrative
shorthand. It's simply easier to write using only the last name. As an
author of fanfic, it becomes cumbersome to try to remember to add the
honorifics all the time.

> 9.  Is there more to Remus than meets the eye (other than being a 
>     werewolf)? 
> 

Emphatically, yes. Remus is one of the strongest, most positive role models
we've met so far. He faces constant threats in his life, not the least of
which is the prejudice of being a werewolf and with it the threat that he
will not be able to provide for himself. In addition, I believe his very
kindness and self-control are a by-product of the iron grip he keeps on the
inner wolf at all times. There is the constant pain of feeling the beast ebb
and flow within him as the moon wanes and waxes, and yet he perseveres
despite all these obstacles, and does so with good grace. The most emotional
reaction he has (IMO) is in the Shrieking Shack, when Hermione reveals his
condition and Ron wards him off brusquely afterward. Ron's cry stops Lupin
dead and it takes "obvious effort" for him to turn away and talk to
Hermione. I interpret this to mean that, not only does it pain him to have
to admit what he is, he is both angered and ashamed by Ron's outburst. Only
through that firm sense of self-control is he able to let it go for the
moment and try to deal rationally with the situation, through Hermione.
Lupin has enormous strength of character.

In addition, we shouldn't discount Pomfrey's opinion of him. "So we've
finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"
(Ch. 5) All Lupin's lessons give the students the practical exposure that
Lockhart's lessons didn't (except the pixies), and Lupin's teaching style
seems to extend from his own direct experience. I'd say he definitely made
his way by ridding homes of boggarts and such in the past. And I wouldn't
put it past him to have encountered a vampire or two along the way, either!

Gwendolyn Grace,
Who despite having said some disparaging things about Draco, Neville, and
Snape in this post, still thinks they're all great characters.