Things I don't understand

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48575

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "smiller_92407
<constancevigilance at y...>" <constancevigilance at y...> wrote:
> As I've been re-reading the books, there are always a few running 
> questions that bother me. I've been saving them up to keep from 
> sending in a dreaded one-line post. Here are a few of my questions.
> 
> 
> 1 - In GOF, during the Imperious Curse DADA training class, Harry 
> breaks both his kneecaps the first time he handles the curse.  ...
> ... ...

bboy_mn responds in part:

I don't think 'broken kneecaps' is meant to be taken literally.
Remember we are hearing this from Harry. Who doesn't like to stand out
 from the crowd to begin with. Now he is up in front of the class
after seeing all/some of his classmate made to do rediculous things,
and he's a little frustrated that he's next. Then he finds he can
resist the curse but that's not good enough for Moody. He has to do it
four times until he can throw it off easily. I think the way it is
stated as Harry leaves the room, is a reflection of Harry's frustration.
-end this part-

> 2 - GOF again, ... ... ... why didn't [Harry] just Accio Egg and 
> get the whole thing over with without the fanfare? 
> 

bboy_mn responds in part:
I think others have answered this. When we all look back on moments of
stress, we ask our selves, 'Why didn't I do this? Why didn't I do
that?' And the answer is, because it never occurred to us. Harry,
under stress, isn't searching for solution, he is obsessed with the
big big problems a hand and it disasterous possible consequences.
-end this part-


> 3 - GOF - Regarding Rita Skeeter, Hermione says "Give me 5 minutes
> in  the library .."  Presumably,  she uses those 5 minutes to find 
> out if Rita is listed as a registered animagus. Well, there is a 
> big leap between understanding that Rita is a bug and finding her. 
> ... ... ...
>

bboy_mn responds in part:
In the hospital, Hermione is standing my the window sill. She sees a
bug which could be any bug, BUT this bug has very characteristic
markings around the eye. Marking that look very much like Rita
Skeeter's unsual glasses. She slams here hand down (or possibly a
drinking glass or a cup) and captures Rita. Hermione didn't go
searching for Rita, Rita came to her.

Now the bigger and more important question. Since Rita was there in
the hospital room. She knows about Harry, Crouch/Moody, Sirius, and
Dumbledore and Fudges disagreement. She struck the biggest
journalistic jackpot of her entire career. But Hermione has made Rita
promise not to publish anything for a year. So, let me ask you, does
Rita seem like a woman who's word is her bond? Of course, Rita doesn't
have to publish anything, she can tell someone and they can publish
it. One problem... someone else get the credit for the story. A tough
ethical question, for someone with obviously limited ethics. EXPECT
BIG TROUBLE FROM RITA IN THE NEXT BOOK. Disasterous trouble.

R.I.S.E - Rita Is So Evil 
-end this part-

> 4 - In C0S, Dobby dresses in a filthy pillowcase before he is freed. 
> The pillowcase, I understand, but why is it filthy? Wouldn't the 
> Malfoy family be grossed out and demand cleanliness from their 
> servants? Winky isn't filthy until she gets too depressed to care 
> about hygiene, so what's the problem with Dobby?
> 
> ~ Constance Vigilance ~

bboy_mn ends:
Number four is a lot harder. It could be that having wore one and only
one pillowcase his entire life, that pillowcase is a little dingy and
threadbare. Again, we are not hearing reality when we hear about
Dobby's pillowcase, we are hearing Harry's opinion of Dobbies
pillowcase. Harry's clothes may be second hand, but they are only a
year or two old compare to the decades age of Dobby's pillowcase. So,
a decades old weather and worn pillowcase may seem pretty unattractive
to Harry, and even more unattractive when Dobby blows his nose on it.

The other possibility, is that Dobby is so downtrodden, so oppressed
that he is depressed. As a house-elf, he does his duty, but his heart
isn't in it. So he let's himself go, much the way Winky let herself
go. Malfoy's may not notice, first of all, because the mark of a good
house-elf is that you don't know that they are there, you never see
them. I suspect that when Malfoy's are ordering Dobby to do something,
they don't even look at him when they speak. The just bark their
orders out into the air, and expect to see results. In addition, the
Malfoy's seem like harsh taskmasters. The probably give their elves
little free time to tend to themselves. 

I suppect what little free time Dobby had, was spend in depressive
ruminations. Thoughts of how miserable and how trapped he was. Then he
remembers how bad things used to be in the days of 'he who must not be
named'. He sees that his life is better, better because 'he who must
not be named' is gone. And in his deep depressive ruminating thoughts,
he realizes why things are better. He realizes who made things better,
and he becomes obsessed with 'the boy who lived'. Thinking about 'the
boy who lived' in his late night dark depression and holding on to
that obsession as his only hope, as the only good to ever befall his
miserable life. Soon he has Harry built-up in his mind to a larger
than life hero. A savior of the poor down trodden retched huddled
masses yearning to be free. 

Then he hears a plot. Lucius speak of sending Tom Riddles diary to
Hogwarts to destory the school and everyone one in it (not literally,
but Malfoy is enjoying the melodrama). I agree with those who say that
ideally Malfoy would have liked to give the diary to Harry. What sweet
twisted irony that is. The man... er... boy who destroy Lord
Voldemort, becomes the means by which Lord Voldemort returns. An to
sweeten it even more, it is Harry Potter's own life force that gives
Riddle his new life force. Oh what sweet twisted irony. 

But how can Dobby risk any danger befalling the greatest man who ever
walked the face of the earth (he's spent way to much time obsessing
over Harry). Against his very nature and at risk of his own life, he
knows what he must do. He must save Harry Potter, even if he has to
kill him to do it. [I doubt he thought that last part, but
functionally, that's what happened. Hey, you know, this would make a
great story. ;)]

Just a few thought.

bboy_mn