Chapter 24: Occlumency

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 108781


>> Sirius, upset that Dumbledore made Snape the instructor, warns 
Snape not to use these lessons to make life difficult for Harry. 
[snip] The two man stand with ready to duel. [snip]
The fight would have continued to go on for quite sometime, however, 
Mr. Weasley returned from the hospital.<<

HunterGreen (squinting through a headache):
This is one of my favorite funny moments in the series. Its almost as 
absurdly funny as the "Egg and the Eye" chapter of GoF (which, oddly 
enough, is being discussed in another thread at the moment). I was so 
shocked by the sudden immaturity of both Sirius and Snape that I 
didn't notice the humor in this scene until my second read of OotP.

"He and all the other Weasleys froze on the threshold, gazing at the 
scene in front of them, which was also suspended in mid-action, both 
Sirius and Snape looking towards the door with their wands pointing 
into each other's faces and Harry immobile between them, a hand 
stretched out to each, trying to force them apart."

Visually this is just hilarious. Snape and Sirius standing there with 
their wands in each other's faces and a *fifteen-year-old* trying to 
pry them apart. (if this is cut out of the movie version I will be 
quite angry). Does anyone else see this as funny, or is it just me?


>> 1) Once again we see the moody Sirius Black, what is the true 
source of his moodiness? And what on Earth does he do locked up in 
the room with Buckbeak all day? <<

As much as the 'Kreacher-poisoning-Sirius' theory seems to fit, I 
think Sirius truly is quite lonely, and afflicted with some serious 
cabin fever. His personality really is very much like a dog. He needs 
to be around others and he needs fresh air and exercise.

>>2) Harry questions whether or not working with Snape is really 
helping to close off his mind. Harry believes that it may be making 
it more open. Is there any truth to Harry's thinking? Would his 
lessons have gone differently had someone else been in charge of  
them?<<

I think the lessons are making his mind more open, but I don't think 
that was Snape's intention. The lessons seem to just be exhausting 
him, which might be what's letting in more of Voldemort. Personally, 
I don't think another teacher would have had much more luck than 
Snape unless they were able to convince Harry that he *needed* the 
skill (which, after the Arthur/snake incident, I don't blame Harry 
for having misgivings about blocking his mind).

>>3) Sirius tells Snape that he still believes that he is very much a 
part of the Death Eaters..is there any evidence to back that up? What 
evidence do we have that he is just working for the order?<<

I think the only hard evidence we have that he's on the order's side 
is Dumbledore's word. Now, Dumbledore has been wrong in the past, but 
this is not something he appears to have ANY doubt about. That makes 
me think there was a very strong (and very personal) reason that 
Snape left the Death Eaters. Something that perhaps only Dumbledore, 
Snape and Voldemort know.


>>5) Snape asked several questions about the images that were scene 
in his visions. For example, he asked about Aunt Marge's dog. What 
purpose did he have in asking those questions? Do they lead to 
something, stand out in his mind, or is he just merely curious about 
them?<<

His reaction seemed like suppressed surprise to me. I don't think he 
expected to see things like that in Harry's mind. As for the question 
about the dog, I think he was simply curious who's dog was chasing 
Harry up a tree. Its interesting that Snape does not mock Harry in 
any way about these memories, nor does he appear amused by them (as 
he usually does when he sees Harry in any sort of discomfort). This 
is what makes me think that they might be closer to having a non-
completely-antagonistic relationship in book 6 or 7. Despite how 
things may appear at the end of the book, I think the Harry/Snape 
relationship took a step in the right direction for the first time in 
OotP.

>>6) Snape tells Harry many times in this chapter not to say the 
name "Voldemort." Why is it that even Voldemort's own followers 
cannot say his name? Is their significance in calling him the Dark 
Lord? (this is just something that I have always been curious 
about..love to know what you guys think about it).<<

Perhaps its sort of like the followers of a king not calling him by 
his name but by "Sire" or "Your Highness" out of respect. Other 
people in the Wizarding World don't say the name out of fear (I like 
the theory that someone once said that its out of a superstition that 
if you say his name that he'll appear), but his followers don't say 
it out of respect (which is why Bellatrix was so offended when Harry 
said it). Although it does seem strange that Tom would go to the 
trouble of making a new 'cool' name for himself and then not allow 
anyone to say it.


-Rebecca/HunterGreen (who wrote a response to this last night that 
was swallowed by her computer, and nearly didn't reply again because 
she's getting ill)