Spoiler in book 1?

[davrusilla <davlr8@earthlink.net>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49220

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Enchanted" 
<enchanted at p...> wrote:

>snip
> 
> On Harry's first night at Hogwarts he has a dream that he's 
wearing
> Quirrell's turban and it's telling him that he "should transfer to 
Slytherin
> at once, because it is your destiny to be in Slytherin."
> When Harry tells the turban that he doesn't want to be in 
Slytherin, it gets
> heavier and heavier. He sees Malfoy and Snape in his dream 
and they are both
> laughing at him as the turban gets tighter and heavier and very 
painful.
> This made me pause and wonder exactly what does this 
mean? 

I think all of Harry's dreams are very significant, and this first one 
tells us about Harry's reaction to the sorting ceremony, and 
some of what's to come in the first book.

The dream replaces the Sorting Hat, which Harry had worn 
earlier that evening, with Prof. Quirrel's turban. The dream turban 
is more adamant about Harry belonging in Sytherin, while in the 
actual ceremony, the Sorting Hat only suggests that "Slytherin 
will help you on your way to greatness." Though he has been 
placed in Gryffindor, Harry is greatly troubled. 

The dream echoes and accentuates his inner conflict about 
belonging in Gryffindor or Slytherin, a theme that is introduced 
during the sorting ceremony, later addressed in COS (Harry is 
rumored to be the Heir of Slytherin among other examples), and 
one that I believe will become significant again somewhere in 
books 5-7.  

"...and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with 
it-then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose 
laugh became high and cold-there was a burst of green light and 
Harry woke, sweating and shaking."

Though he has just encountered both Malfoy and Professor 
Snape of Slytherin House, he has found them both to be 
unpleasant and threatening. At this point in PS/SS, Harry thinks 
that his scar hurt when Snape looked at him during the 
welcoming feast. In the dream when Snape's laugh turns "high 
and cold," and there's a flash of green light, he's remembering 
the night LV killed his parents, and somehow connecting Snape 
with LV. Here is the beginning of his deep mistrust of Snape, 
which will prove to be unfounded. (Though as Quirrel said, "Yes, 
Severus does seem the type, doesn't he?")

It may also show that while Harry's conscious mind does not 
register anything threatening about Quirrel or his turban his 
dreaming mind does. I have the sense that Harry's other dreams 
are often prophetic but I don't have any examples handy. The 
book then tells us: 

"He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next 
day, he didn't remember the dream at all."

So in this instance, the prophecy was ineffectual. It does give the 
reader a clue about the revelation of the Harry/QuirrelMort 
confrontation scene if we were wise enough to catch it. *grins* I 
certainly didn't on the first reading. 

Davrusilla