CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 12, "Professor Umbridge"

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 91233

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jen Reese" <stevejjen at e...> wrote:
> 
> ...edited... 
> 
> 
> QUESTIONS:
> 
> 1) In COS when many students avoided Harry because he was the 
> presumed Heir of Slytherin, Harry turned to Ron and Hermione for 
> support and encouragement. In OOTP when the same situation arises, 
> Harry is pushing everyone away including his best friends. Is this a 
> temporary crack in the relationship of the Trio, or is it the 
> beginning of a more permanent break in the relationships?
> 

bboy_mn:

Well, I've weighed in on this before. I think Harry's sense of
isolation near the end of OotP foreshadows things to come. Harry, with
his realization that he is truly a Marked Man, is now a stranger in a
strange land. An alien in a world that is oddly familiar to him.

This complete separateness and uniqueness that Harry believes is
impossible for other people to understand, combined with the knowledge
that his ultimate fate is to murder or be murdered (his own words),
will create a stronge sense isolation. 

Harry will be polite and friendly to all, but while friendly to all,
friends to no one. In addition, it has been made amply clear to Harry,
and to it's greatest unavoidable extent in the most recent book, that
to be Harry's friend is to, in all likelihood, be dead or at least,
damaged. Harry will not want to risk the lives of his friends. He will
never again want to make the mistake that put his dearest friends and
innocent people at risk the way he did near the end of OoP. 

So, it's always nice to be nice, it's always nice to be friendly and
polite, but for some one with such a dark and dangerous destiny, it's
not nice to put the lives of others at risk.

So, friendly, but not friends, there but not really there, amoung
people but never part of them, represent how I see Harry at the
beginning of the next book. Of course, Harry's friends are never going
to let him get away with that crap. 


> Jen questions continue:
>
> 2) Fred and George rarely talk about the hot political climate in 
> the WW once they leave Grimmauld Place. Should we take at face-value 
> that their part in the War will be to provide humor for the over-
> stressed WW? Could they also be doing other research that might 
> assist the Order at a later date?
> 

bboy_mn:

I don't think you can take anything the Twins do at face value. The
impression they give the world as devil-may-care mischief makers, goes
against what seems to be obviously happening in the background. In the
background they are very brilliant, knowledgable, and capable wizards
who are working hard to produce what I would consider brilliant
innovative products. To the outer world, their persona is party,
party, party, but behind the scene it must be work, work, work.
However, given the line of work they intent to be in, the PARTY
persona is an ideal image for their business.

In addition, I am firmly convinced they will apply their unique
talents to the fight against Voldemort. The invisible head hats seem
to have a lot of potential.

These are very smart, and very shrewd boys, who I perdict will
eventually run one of the largest and most successful wizard
businesses in the wizard world. And, in the process of making
themselves rich, they will make Harry very very rich by default, since
he is the largest and original investor in their business. 

I predict, by the end of the story, Weasley business enterprises will
generate sufficient wealth, that a tired miserable weathered and worn
Harry will not have to struggle to get by in the wizard world. For
once, he can finally live a quiet and comfortable life.


> Jen questions continue:
>
> 3) When the Trio discuss future career options over breakfast, what 
> is Hermione proposing when she suggests taking S.P.E.W further?
> 


bboy_mn:

Hermione clearly thinks helping the house-elves is an important
calling. Unfortunately, she has yet to figure out that it is not the
elves that need fixing, it's the wizards.

To 'take S.P.E.W. further' I think means that Hermione would act as a
lobbiest for the elves making sure they had proper representation in
the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures,
and to lobby the Ministry to get laws passed the give legal power and
protection to the elves, and that acknowledge their rights to fair
treatment.

> Jen questions continue:
>
> 4) The Draught of Peace can cause an irreversible sleep, but 
> apparently not death. The use of this potion is opposite of the 
> effects of the Befuddlement Draught mentioned in a later chapter. 
> Coincidence? Red Herring? 
> 

bboy_mn:

I'm not putting too much weight into the various potions that are
mentioned in the book. True one or more of them could come back into
the story, but they are so vague and isolated that I think taking them
beyond the face value of the part of the story where they occur is a
case of making a montain out of a mole hill.

Take the Befuddlement Charm in OoP (Am Ed HB pg 384), key words in the
books description of ingredients are triggering key words in Harry's
thoughts. I think this is the only connection.

"/...desirous of producing hot-headedness and recklessness.../"

"...Hermione said Sirius was becoming reckless..."

"/...moste effficacious in the inflaming of the braine.../"

"...the Daily Prophet would think his brain was inflamed..."

"/...used in Confusing and Befuddlemet Draughts.../"

"...confusing was the word, all right; why did he know what Voldemort
was feeling?..."

"/...where the wizard is desirous.../"

"...how he would like (desire*) to sleep..."

"/...of producing hot-headedness.../"

"...it was warm (hot*) and comfortable in his armchair before the fire..."

(*) I added the words in parenthesis.

You can see that as Harry gradually falls asleep the connection
between the words on the page and his thoughts becomes more disjointed.


> Jen questions continue:
>
> 5) Snape singles out Harry once again in Potions, making much of 
> Harry's mistake. It crossed my mind that Snape, while bullying 
> Harry, might also be trying to make certain Harry knows how to make 
> this particular potion. Any thoughts? 
>

bboy_mn:

I'm not a strong believer in Snape acting with a hidden agenda with
regard to teaching Harry. If you annoy the hell out of someone while
making a subtle indirect point, they will inevitably remember the
annoyance and forget the point. Stress is not a good teacher.


> Jen questions continue:
> 
> 6) Umbridge makes much of the `lies' told to the students, but never 
> confronts Harry that he started the rumor. Why? 
> 

bboy_mn:

Umbridge is perpetrating propaganda. It is not her job, to deal
directly with Harry and his story, but to actively and vigorously
promote the 'party line'. People like this don't debate or discuss
because that puts them in the position of having to prove and defend
their belief system, instead, they set down their view as absolute
fact, and don't let the truth get in their way. 

I get into this same thing in discussion with religious fanatics, they
will do anything to avoid a direct discussion of the issues. They will
use redirection, misdirection, feint deafness, and generally avoid the
truth and the facts like the plague. They tirelessly fall back on the
same of trite phrases and party-line positions, and never seem to
general an original thought. 

It is very much to Umbridges disadvantage to discuss and debate, so
she lays down the law with absolute authority and hold to the party
line, no matter how irrational it may be.



> Jen questions continue:
>
> 7) Why does McGonagall warn Harry that misbehavior is Umbridge's 
> class will cost more than a few detentions? What does she think he 
> will lose?
> 

bboy_mn:

As a reader, we know that Umbridge is capable of extreme acts of
violence. Sending the Dementors after Harry would have done a lot more
damage than Cutting-Quill detention; it would have destroyed him. 

McGonnall is smart enough to know that Umbridge is dangerous, and as
her authority grows, her danger grows. There is nothing more dangerous
than a rabid and slightly sadistic fanatic with too much power. If
Harry doesn't watch his step, he could be expelled and/or sent to
prison and/or sustain great bodily harm, and/or much much more. 

No matter how sweet the music, it's always best not to dance with the
devil.

Just a few thoughts.

bboy_mn