[HPforGrownups] CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 13 (Detention with Dolores)

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 91884

In honor of Ron's birthday, I will answer all the questions relating to him <g> plus one each about Harry and Hermione.

<<1.  This is one of the first signs of how Ron will handle his
responsibilities as prefect.  Do you think it was merely his family
relationship with the Twins that kept him from being a rules-enforcer with
Hermione or would he have shirked his responsibilities if it had been Seamus
and Dean doing something questionable or something that clearly broke a
school rule?  Do you think Harry might have taken his prefect duties any
more seriously than Ron did?>>

As I see it, Ron was reluctant to take on any of his duties; for example, Hermione had to remind him after the Welcome Feast that it was their job to escort the first years to Gryffindor Tower.  To be truly honest, I think one reason for Ron's stunned reaction to being named a prefect (in addition to the obvious shock that he was chosen over Harry) was that he might actually have to *do* something.  While there's no evidence that he doesn't perform adequately once he gets used to his duties, I think his attitude toward being a prefect is colored by his fear of screwing up his big opportunity.  Fortunately, with a bit of nudging and nagging from Hermione, this didn't become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

<<2.  What do you think about Hermione's attempt to trick the house elves into
picking up clothing that will set them free?  Do you agree with Ron that
"they should at least see what they're picking up?">>

I'll just echo other comments that this is an example of Manipulative!Hermione, who appears frequently in OOP, doing what she thinks is good for others instead of asking them first.  And while I agree with Ron that tricking house elves into freedom unfairly deprives them of their security, Hermione knows that Dumbledore would allow the Hogwarts house elves to continue their lives without change, except that he might offer to pay them if he became aware that they were free.  Thus, Hermione's thinking might be that she is giving them the best of both worlds, though it still doesn't excuse her cavalier assumption that she knows what's best for the house elves even if they won't see it for themselves.

<<4.  On first read, did you guess what Ron was up to (practicing for the
Keeper tryouts)?>>

Perhaps it was because Scholastic told us in advance that "Ron as Keeper" was one of the things on Harry's mind, or perhaps it's because in the same situation I would have done the same thing, but, yeah, I knew exactly what he was doing.

<<6.  Was Harry wrong to fail to alert even one Hogwarts professor about what
was going on with Umbridge's detentions?  He probably didn't know the extent
of her power at that exact point in time, so it was more likely Harry's
distrust of adults and authority figures (and dislike of "showing weakness")
that prompted his decision to stoically bear his ordeal and stay silent.
Even Ron thinks Harry's desire to avoid having Umbridge know that she "got
to him" is ridiculous, as he urges him to report the incidents to McGonagall
or Dumbledore.>>

Harry's been abused before, and he knows how much he can take.  Knowing that Umbridge's boss wants him expelled from Hogwarts, I'm not surprised that Harry doesn't want to do anything that might make waves.  He can be stoic to the point of foolhardiness, but I can't say it's "wrong."  Harry's willingness to endure seven hours of torture only serves to paint an even blacker picture of Umbridge.

<<7.  Does Ron have reason to think Harry would laugh at the idea of him
trying out for Keeper (i.e., is he a bad Quidditch player in general), or is
this just Ron's lack of confidence manifesting itself rather plainly?  Do
you think the Twins play an especially strong role in Ron's self-esteem
issues?  He seems to be particularly sensitive to their jibes and avoids
giving them reason to bother him.>>

I think this comment is very much a reflection of his self-esteem issues.  By saying "don't laugh" Ron is just using a common expression.  I doubt he thought his best friend would laugh at him, but he doubts his own talent, leading to genuine concern that Harry might not think Ron has enough talent to make the team.

Practicing in secret rather than announcing his intention to try out for the Quidditch team gives Ron an opportunity to convince himself that he can do it, and if he doesn't convince himself, he can simply not show up to the tryouts and no one will ever know.  Once he tells Harry, though, he can no longer opt out even though he's far from convinced that he can be successful.  I see Ron's honesty here as very important, because I believe Ron's fear of the Twins' ridicule might have been enough to dissuade him from showing up for tryouts at all.  Note that at first, Ron uses the very tentative "I -- I thought I'd try out" and only after seeing Harry's enthusiastic reaction does he state affirmatively what will happen "*when* I turn up for the tryouts".

<<8.  Were you convinced by Hermione's explanation that maybe it was
coincidence that Harry's scar hurt when Umbridge touched him?  Is Hermione
right so often in OoP that it might be a red herring in later books?>>

I have a feeling JKR has been stringing us along for several books now.  Hermione is so often right that we forget the elements that were wrong.  For example, in PoA she was right about the Firebolt (Sirius gave it to Harry, but he wasn't evil).   She was right about Crouch Sr., but of course there was a lot more to it than his treatment of house elves.  However, I think in OOP it seemed that *all* of Hermione's choices were right, as if she had a sort of Midas touch, to the point where it strained credibility.  Which is a very long way of saying that I absolutely believe that, having lulled readers into a sense of Hermione's near-invincibility, JKR has a reversal of fortune in mind for her where she will be spectacularly wrong, and Grawp, that deus ex machina, won't be around to rescue her.

<<9.  Shipping question (of course!): what do you make of the fact that
Hermione seems anxious to get off to bed on a night when Ron will clearly
wanting to be celebrating and might even have confidence enough to make a
romantic gesture towards her?  If she knows he likes her and she likes him
back, why would she not take the chance to be alone with him when he's in
the best spirits ever before (and instead asks Harry to join her in knitting
the next day, looking "disappointed" at his answer)?  <g>>>

I guess if I promised to answer all the *Ron* questions I can't just let this one go. <g>  

I think it would be very odd for Hermione to anticipate a romantic overture of any kind.  The Trio are friends, first and foremost, and that to the extent any of them has romantic feelings for one of their best friends, those feelings are largely suppressed, consciously or unconsciously.  I think the Yule Ball accordingly created a very awkward situation because they felt compelled to find partners and consciously avoided looking among themselves.

Moreover, for every sentence that can be read H/H, or R/H there's an opposite reading, or at least a neutral one.  In light of what Harry has just related to Hermione, maybe she thinks knitting will be the sort of thing to take Harry's mind off his scar. So I think this is one area where it's virtually impossible to pick up on the clues, because they seem to lead in every direction. 

Debbie

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