Chapter Discussion - Chapter 6: Draco's Detour

[kiricat4001]

No: HPFGUIDX 144988

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "meriaugust" <meriaugust at y...> 
wrote:
>
> Chapter Discussion - Draco's Detour 

> Discussion Questions - 
>  
> 1. This chapter begins with the death or disappearance of familiar 
> characters. Regulus Black is mentioned being killed "a few days" 
> after he abandoned Voldemort, though Karkaroff managed to survive 
a 
> full year. How did he do this? How high of a priority does this 
make 
> Karkaroff seem compared to Regulus? From what we suspect about the 
> identity of "R.A.B." could this imply that he was killed because 
of 
> his Horcrux theft? Does this confirm for us that Karkaroff was 
> indeed the DE "too cowardly to return" mentioned in GOF? 

Marianne:

Maybe Vmort had other things to attend to than squashing Karkaroff.  
I think it makes a certain sort of evil sense to use his murder as 
part of the opening salvos of the next war.  Why bother bumping him 
off right away, ie., after GoF, when there were other things to 
attend to, like springing the faithful DEs out of Azkaban, trying to 
figure out how to get the Prophecy, etc. Karkaroff was low 
priority.  Now, however, that Voldemort and his minions are starting 
to make their moves, having the head of Durmstrang murdered creats a 
nice, additional note of terror to add to the columns in the Daily 
Prophet.

Speaking of Regulus, perhaps he was not supposed to be killed so 
quickly.  If the DEs knew or suspected that he had stolen a Horcrux, 
wouldn't they want to know what he'd done with it?  Perhaps they 
tried to torture the answer out of him, but got a little too 
enthusiastic and ended up killing him. 

> 2. Why attack Florean Fortescue? Or was the shambles his place was 
> left in just a cover for a hasty escape? And for that matter, why 
> take Mr. Olivander? Does Voldemort want a new wand with which to 
> duel Harry with? We know that a wizard using an unsuitable wand 
does 
> not practice magic as well as he could; could Voldemort having a 
> wand without Fawkes' tail feathers in it be an advantage for Harry 
> in the final duel? What good does having Olivander do the dark 
side? 


Marianne:
Maybe Olivander is in hiding and not an imprisoned wand-maker for 
the DEs. Perhaps Olivander realized through his own contacts that 
things were turning darker and took himself off. Or maybe he's 
someone the Order has hidden. Of course, Remus mentions it would be 
bad news if Olivander had been taken by the DEs. As an Order member, 
you'd think he'd know if  Olivander was being hidden by the Order.  
My answer for that would be that, either Remus is not one of the 
people who does know, or he knows, but is under orders not to say 
anything, so his comments are meant to mislead the kids.

> 3. The presence of the wanted posters and warning signs posted by 
> the Ministry has reminded some readers of WWII propaganda signs 
and 
> leaflets. In what ways are these things useful to the magical 
> community? Is it really possible to teach people to defend 
> themselves against threats with blurbs on purple poster board? Or 
is 
> this just another example of the Ministry wanting to be seen doing 
> *something* even if that something isn't that effective? Don't 
most 
> witches and wizards graduate from school with at least five years 
of 
> Defense Against the Dark Arts? How is their schooling practically 
> applied in these situations? Will the DADA curriculum be 
permanently 
> changed now that there is actual defense that needs to be done? 

Marianne:
Well, one of the things my government told citizens to do is to make 
sure we have duct tape to protect us from chemical/biological 
attacks. Blurbs posted on windows don't seem to be harmful, unless 
of course, what they're telling people to do really won't be of any 
help should a band of DEs break down the front door. I do see this 
as a way the Ministry thinks it can show itself as doing something, 
now that they've been forced to admit that Voldemort is back, and 
they ignored for a year the warnings that he had again taken form.

Another issue can also be that, even though people graduate from 
Hogwarts with 5 years of DADA, if they don't have to put this 
information to practical use for years and years, are they capable 
of defending themselves right now, or would people need to practice?



> 4. Harry insults and stands up to Narcissa Malfoy much like he did 
> to Lucius Malfoy last year at the Ministry. How does this scene 
show 
> Harry controlling his anger and emotions? Hermione doesn't seem to 
> mind being called a "mudblood". Is that because she's used to it, 
or 
> because she has no regard for Malfoy's opinion of her? Ron doesn't 
> say much here. Is he too angry to speak, or is he willingly giving 
> up the leadership role to Harry? 

Marianne:
My feeling about Hermione was that she was more concerned with the 
situation getting out of hand, since both Harry and Ron had drawn 
their wands. I suspect she doesn't really care what Draco says about 
her. She knows he's never going to be nice to her, he's not her 
frienc, she doesn't want to be friends with him, so she really 
doesn't give a hoot what sort of drivel he spouts.

Harry does keep his anger in check, even though Narcissa mentions 
Sirius. I'm sure she did it to try to rattle him, and she failed. 
Perhaps the setting also helped Harry stay in control.  Madame 
Malkin was clealy worried about people dueling in her shop.  
Contrast this to Harry's reaction with Dung later in the book when 
he realizes that Dung has stolen some of Sirius's possessions from 
12 Grimmauld Place.  Harry is much closer to beating the crap, 
magically or otherwise, out of Dung. And Dung's sin is stealing, not 
playing a part in Sirius's death. 
  
> 5. We finally get a peek at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. How does 
this 
> store compare to Zonko's, the only other establishment of its kind 
> that we know about? Why are Fred and George's products so popular 
in 
> an otherwise nearly empty shopping area? They comment that they 
were 
> able to come up with their personal protection line after Harry's 
> D.A. lessons. Does this mean that Harry does indeed have an 
aptitude 
> for teaching? The twins' comments that Ron has told them a lot 
about 
> Ginny's relationships indicates that he is close with them, 
despite 
> the fact that they live over the shop. Would you have expected the 
> three of them to be close due to all the torment they have given 
him 
> over the last sixteen years? 

Marianne:
I've always felt that Fred and George's "torment" of Ron fell into 
the catagory of what older brothers do to younger siblings.  I never 
felt they disliked Ron, or wanted to show him up or put him down. 
Unlike their interactions with Percy.  

I think that Fred and George are very good wizards in the sense that 
they seem to be able to take what they know and apply it or 
improvise with it to create new things. They seem to be outside-the-
box thinkers.  Remember the little bit of swamp that Flitwick 
preserved in OoP because he said it showed very good charm work.  
Maybe their line of products indicates Harry was a good teacher, or 
maybe his style fit their thought processes.
 
> 6. The scene at Borgin and Burkes is full of foreshadowing, 
> especially seeing as the very Vanishing Cabinet Draco is obliquely 
> referring to is the item that blocks Harry's view into the store. 
In 
> fact, both that and the opal necklace come in to play later in the 
> story. What other items of value might the store be hiding? How 
> loyal is Mr. Borgin to LV's cause? Why does he assume his oily, 
> deferential manner when speaking to Draco, when he is older than 
the 
> boy? Is it a mark of respect for the Malfoy family name, or is he 
> really frightened?

Marianne:
What ever happened to that Hand of Glory? We now have 4 places where 
some old relics might be lurking, whether they are horcruxes or 
clues to the mysteries of where to find them: the remains of the 
stuff at 12 Grimmauld Place, Borgin and Burkes, the storage room at 
Hogwarts where Trelawny hid her sherry, and whatever hidden room 
exists at the Malfoys.  I used to think that there might be 
something hidden in Sirius's vault, as the UK edition made it clear 
that his vault was near the Hogwarts vault. But, you'd think that DD 
would have known if something was being transfered from that vault 
to Harry's, along with whatever money was there. 

Borgin, is, I think, used to being deferential to the point of 
obsequiousness to his customers, especially if they come from 
powerful families. However, he is described as looking worried once 
Draco leaves.    
  
> 7. Harry has cried "Wolf!" on Malfoy too many times. Now that he 
is 
> right that Draco is planning something, no one believes him. How 
> could he have presented the evidence he discovered in this chapter 
> in order to be more persuasive? Or could he have? Who was in the 
> know enough to help Harry undermine Malfoy's plans? 

Marianne:

I don't know that Harry could have done more.  He doesn't know what 
items Draco is discussing with Borgin. Simply saying that a Malfoy 
is at Borgin's doesn't cause anyone to get their knickers in a 
twist.  But, perhaps that's part of the problem.  Everyone suspects 
that the Malfoys are not to be trusted, that they may have secreted 
dark objects in their house, that they rely on connections and money 
to buy influence, so why should anyone be surprised if the Malfoy 
son acts just like a Malfoy?

Later on it is certainly implied that DD and Snape know what Draco 
is up to, but they do not let Harry in on this knowledge.  As to why 
Harry's friends seem uninterested in his suspicions, I guess I'd put 
it down to their not finding any of Harry's arguments persuasive, 
since he is unable to provide any concrete proof of what Draco is up 
to. It's easy to downplay someone's worries, especially when you 
know he has history with the person in question, and also when you 
have other things to worry about, like O.W.L.s and that Lavender 
growth attached to your face.

> 8. In this chapter we are presented with a very different Narcissa 
> Malfoy than appeared in "Spinner's End". Why has she changed so 
> drastically? Is this just her calm, public face? Or is she that 
> confident in the Unbreakable Vow now protecting her son? 

Marianne: Or was her weepy, begging performance at Spinner's End 
really a performance? OTOH, she probably considers herself much 
higher, better and more powerful than a mudblood, a poor Weasley and 
that boy that Snape describes as mediocre. She's got centuries of 
attitude bred into her - she's not going to let that slip in front 
of a bunch of teenagers.
  
> 9. This chapter also presents some minor shipping moments: the 
> beginnings of Harry's attraction to Ginny (him laughing at her 
jokes 
> at breakfast), Ron and Hermione's continual bickering, and our 
first 
> sights of Fleur and Bill together. How do Bill and Fleur match up 
in 
> your estimation? Too sugary? What about the subtle hints about 
Harry 
> and Ginny? Were these too subtle or just right? 


Marianne:

Fleur has always been a bit over the top for me. I suppose if we are 
to assume from this brief moment that she's always cooing these 
compliments and hanging all over him, then, I'd find them tedious.  
However, Bill is presented as getting things done, and being an 
active member of the Order, so I think of him as someone who's not 
going to dally around playing games with Fleur if there is something 
that needs to be done.

I've never cared one way or the other about the kids' ships.  I 
always felt that R/Hr was obvious from the start, from the continual 
bickering to the way Ron's nose got out of joint when Viktor Krum 
started paying attention to Hermione.  That was enough for me and I 
haven't given it a whole lot of thought.  Which left Ginny for 
Harry, although personally I would have preferred he went for 
someone like Luna, just because it seemed less obvious.
  
> 10. And just for fun, which products would you be picking up at 
> Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes? Why do Fred and George still have to 
test 
> on themselves? Surely they can hire subjects now? Or are their 
items 
> too dangerous? 

Marianne:
Maybe they did hire subjects, but the subjects quit because testing 
products did too much damage or caused too much discomfort for the 
wages the Weasleys were paying. I can't say I'm interested in any of 
their products. Now, if they had some sort of magic vaccuum cleaner 
or automated toilet brush, I'd be very interested.