CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 22 - St. Mungo's Hospital

[Arya]

No: HPFGUIDX 104486


> Wendy wrote the chapter summary :
<< What is the overall function of the silver instrument? And what, 
> in this instance, did Dumbledore learn from it? What is the meaning 
> of his question, "in essence divided?" >>
 
 "Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)" wrote: 
> This is probably the main question of the whole volume, 

Arya now: Totally, totally agrees.   *This* is the biggest, maddening, lingering and 
heart-of-it-all question in the book.  

<< What caused Harry to have that urge to kill Dumbledore? Was it
> connected to the visions? Was he being possessed by Voldemort? >>

 "Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)" wrote:
> I thought there was no doubt that it was connected to the visions: 
> due to the scar link, when Harry looked at DD, DD drifted into LV's
> thoughts, stirring up violent hatred in LV's mind, which Harry felt
> through the scar link. The visions are Harry seeing what LV sees, and
> this is LV seeing what Harry sees, and this is not the only example of
> Harry feeling what LV feels. However, this is not *possession* because
> LV was not *controlling* Harry or Harry's body .

Arya now:  Hmm, but Voldemort's "seeing" and subsequent felt hatred did make 
Harry feel like he wanted to strike out at Dumbledore.  It *did* ellicit a desire for 
action within Harry.  I think it's clear it was Voldemort's hatred that did this.  So, 
can we also assume that when Harry was seeing Arthur Weasley being injured by 
Voldegini, that Voldemort might have "felt" a bit of Harry's desire for mercy by way 
of his "love" of Mr. Weasley?  

Might, someday in the future, Harry see through Voldemort's eyes again as 
someone else whom he cares about is being hurt, feel love so strongly that the 
emotion does effect a moments pause by Voldemort?  Or more?  

Will it come down to seeing if Harry can withstand the projected hate from 
Voldemort more than Voldemort can withstand Harry's projected heart?  

Actually, if we look at the times when Harry is looking at Dumbledore and the inner 
snake uncoils in Harry's stomach, might it also be that Harry, so starved for any 
attention from Dumbledore, had to feel a surge of affection for the headmaster in 
some way to "open" the portal that allowed Voldemort in?  Just like, as Dumbledore 
says in GoF, Harry got glimpses into Voldemort's life when he'd felt particulary 
angry.  

But it's not anger, is it?  Harry also feels happiness in OotP through his Vold-o-
meter.  So what is that emotion from Voldemort that opens it all up?  Well, we 
laready knwo Harry is supposedly "Love" in this game, so that must mean that 
Voldemort is "Hate".  Through hate, Voldemort can be fuelled to feel anger and 
rage at his minions failures and also joy at his enemies failures and news of 
successful schemes (releasing of prisoners from Azkaban).  
 
<< How might Fred's comment to Sirius ("I don't see you risking your
> neck!") have affected Sirius? Might this have contributed to Sirius'
> attitude and actions later in the book? >>
 
Arya now:  Sirius doesn't react at all like we might think he would if this fact (Sirius 
not getting out and doing anything) was bothering him as much as we're all saying 
we think it was.  (Confusing sentence, sorry.)  Sirius is actually quite mature in 
response here.  

This fact makes me wonder what changes between now and a week or two later 
when Snape comes in to bait Sirius in the kitchen.  Besides the fact it's Snape, of 
course, which is so obvious, it's almost screaming look at what it might be hiding.  I 
keep coming back to those herbs that can induce hotheadedness, brashness, etc.  I 
keep coming back to Molly and her abominable--hell-bitchy-- treatment of Sirius 
throughout the entire book.   Something niggles in my mind that Molly, whether of 
her own volition, through ignorance, or through someone else's prodding,is the 
one to blame to Sirius's recklessness.  Molly hadn't been at Grimmauld Place before 
xmas holiday--Sirius hadn't been eating her cooking.  He might not have been 
under the influence of anything at that time.  Maybe that's what changed by the 
time snape shows up.   Maybe that's what makes Sirius increasingly more irritable 
through the month of August in the beginning of the book.  Maybe Molly keep 
sending pies or such to Sirius after the holiday or even just before the time OWLs 
were given.  

There's something so offensive to me in Molly's behavior in this book. It starts with 
her tactless and scathing remarks to and about Sirius and then continues with her 
smothering attitude towards not only her own children by Harry.  To me, Molly 
came out looking awful in this book.  I wonder if Harry will realize that if Molly 
hadn't been trying to be an overbearing, smothering witch, that Sirius then wouldn't 
have had to sneak the mirrir gift to Harry.  I wonder if Harry will realise that if Molly 
hadn't been trying to hurry him away from Sirius as they left #12 and shoo him out 
the door that Sirius might then have told Harry more about the mirror.  I wonder if 
Harry will realise that by shooing him along and away from Sirius when Harry had 
been distracted from his desire to tell Sirius to be careful or, maybe, even to 
somehow express something more that a "see you later".    

Okay, yeah, i'm a bit off and hijacking this question but, well, when I see how Sirius 
acted with Fred's possibly-provoking comment, it makes me think maybe Sirius' 
problems and recklessness were not entirely his fault or his own.  

Arya