mystery of the singing valentine

[caesian]

No: HPFGUIDX 96811

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "caesian" <caesian at y...> wrote:
> Perhaps you have also noticed the ambiguous authorship of Harry's singing valentine in 
> CoS?  I'm going to enter the full text, as this will be the best part of the post, no contest:
> 
> His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
> His hair is as dark as a blackboard
> I wish he was mine
> He's really divine
> The hero who conquered the DARK LORD
> 
> Draco, in a fit of spite at being disarmed of Riddle's diary, attributes authorship to Ginny 
> Weasley - who is a spectator to the scene and is looking so terrified at the time that 
even 
> Harry notices her.  She runs away crying at Draco's taunting, and we are left to assume 
> that she did, indeed send the Valentine.  (Not totally out of character, she did make him 
a 
> singing get-well card and obviously has a huge crush on Harry in CoS.)
> 
> Quibbler time:
> But did she?
> 
> Anyone else spot the DARK LORD?  
<snip>

Thanks to Carolyn (ms # 96777) and Ginger (ms # 96793) for great (and rhymed!) 
responses.  I think you guys are probably right.  I never really noticed the toad bit because 
I was simply so delighted by the image.  It's so funny (no offense to toads) and adolescent 
and perfectly Hogwarts.  *Just* after I sent the post, I found a very nice essay at the 
lexicon about who sent the Valentine: 

http://www.hp-lexicon.org/hogwarts/singing_valentine.html#Who

The essay also suggests it was Fred and George, which seems like a very popular and 
feasible posit (although to me that seems kind of mean to Ginny).   But the essay doesn't 
mention the "Dark Lord", assuming, I suppose, the difficulty of rhyming You-Know-Who.  

I guess I think Ginny sent it, and she used the word Dark Lord because she's been hanging 
out with Tom Riddle - and that it was essentially an author's clue to her connection with 
the ongoing mystery.

To me, the Valentine episode is another unsettling example of incredible authorial control 
over the reader's perception.  You could probably think of many moments of "chills", or 
palpable delight and laughter, or the moment when "she got you" hook-line-and-sinker 
(was it the address on the letter to the hut, on the rock, the sea for anyone else?).   Can 
she really, as it seems, turn on this uber-charm like a light-switch?  And then is it not 
good enough just to be so darn talented and funny - she's got to use these moments to 
distract us from important plot cues?  In one view, the Valentine is a charming episode 
that also may have held a clue.  So is the pumpkin-patch dialogue with Hagrid in CoS - 
about the slugs (super-charming, but otherwise the Ginny/rooster connection might have 
been made).    Thank heavens she's using these powers for good.