The Death Chamber

[susanbones2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 81853

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr" <annemehr at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> > > Annemehr:
> > > But Ginny was entranced yet could not see the thestrals.
> > 
> 
> Susanbones2003 replied:
> > Now I interject:
> > I believe the Death Chamber affected the four people it did 
because 
> > of the things that have happened to them in their lives. No, 
Ginny 
> > has not "seen death" but her possession by Lord Voldemort 
qualifies 
> > her as a player. Someone who's been to the dark side and back, 
> > someone who's physically be very close to death.
> 
> Annemehr:
> I think your post must have been what I was thinking of when I 
replied
> to Iggy's post that came after this one.  That's what gave me the 
idea
> that actually nearly dying may be what draws one to the veil; 
although
> what the difference is for Luna, that she could hear the voices and
> not be mesmerised by them is uncertain.  And although we know about
> Harry and Ginny, we can have no idea whether Luna and Neville both
> came close to death.
> 
> But I wonder if that's what what you are thinking when you say the
> Chamber affected them "because of the things that have happened to
> them in their lives?"  Maybe you mean something not so specific as
> what I said above?  A more general cause could just be a severe 
enough
> trauma: the same as above for Ginny, a *lot* of things for Harry,
> Luna's loss of her mother, and Neville's loss of his parents and the
> pain of having to see their state in his visits.  If we look at it
> this way, can we say that niether Ron nor Hermione have had a bad
> enough experience for them to hear the voices?  Do you have any 
other
> thoughts?
> 

Jennifer again:
Logically, I think Luna may not have been mesmerized because she may 
have been the one who was furtherest away from the death she saw. She 
was only a girl of nine, I believe, when she saw her mother's death. 
I do not know exactly when Neville saw his death -- it was not his 
parents but a grandfather, I believe. Don't have my book at the 
ready. Also, in a very peculiar and delightful way, Luna is the one 
most grounded in these matters. The one who's thought about them and 
faced them. She is accustomed, perhaps because of her father's line 
of work (which requires belief in so many improbable and fantastical 
things) to confronting the difficult and hard-to-accept things. And 
happily enough, she's quite comfortable with these ideas. I think the 
some of the fun (hopefully there will be fun) in the next two books 
will be in seeing how many of the nutty things Luna mentioned will 
have a basis in WW fact.

And again logically, it seems that Ron and Hermione were spared 
because they don't have any direct experience with death. I know that 
JKR isn't usually this straightforward so I wouldn't be surprised if 
this explanation is too pat.
> Susanbones2003:

> > I just listened to that section yesterday afternoon and was 
> > yet again knocked off my feet by the multi-layered subtleties of 
the 
> > MOM events. I know so many moaned that it was just a sell-out 
action-
> > packed movie-style bit of writing but no. It goes beyond that. 
All 
> > kinds of things are going on but so quickly that your first 
> > impression may come out a bit askew.
> > Jennifer
> 
> Annemehr:
> Absolutely -- and the first two times I read it, it *was* all an
> action scene for me, except the veil and the locked door. I am 
having enough trouble with the Death Chamber, let alone analysing all 
the> other rooms! And it almost seems that Harry is going to have to 
visit the DoM again, and probably not without his companions.  I 
wonder how that will be brought about?  Will it have to wait until 
later in book
> seven?  
> 
>SNIP
> 
> Annemehr

Jennifer again:
I would like to see Harry get a shot at understanding more about the 
Death Chamber. So many people believe we will hear from or see Sirius 
again in some form. I wonder if it will be at the edge of the 
curtain, now that it's clear he won't be a ghost. Priori Incantatum 
would be handy if we knew for sure just who's wand had done the job 
and if it had a brother....
J