Re: CHAPDISC3: HBP 3, WILL AND WON’T

[meriaugust]

No: HPFGUIDX 142591

Meri here, snipping rbookworm46's summary and attempting to answer 
some of the questions, which were v. thorough: 

> Q2:  How does knowing that Scrimgeour was the Head Auror change 
your 
> interpretation of earlier events as they had unfolded in OotP?

Meri - It makes me wonder how much of Fudge's line (following the 
events of GoF) that Scrimegour bought. As the head of the Auror 
department, he was in a positon to see some of the inconsistencies 
of the events of Order and previous books, and hopefully as skilled 
an Auror as he seems to be he picked up on them. I at least hope he 
had suspicions about the dementors attacking Harry, but due to the 
fact that he still had a job at the ministry shows that he didn't 
make too much noise about anything. He seems like a strong guy, and 
as Bill Clinton says, "When people feel uncertain they would rather 
have someone who is stong and wrong than someone who is weak and 
right." I wonder if he picked up on Kingsley's misdirection of the 
search for Sirius, and whether or not he had anything to say about 
Harry's treatment by the wizengamot. 
 
> Q3:  Events later in the book show us that Scrimgeour tries to use 
> Harry to get some positive publicity for the Ministry.  Do you 
think 
> this is what caused the rift between Scrimgeour and Dumbledore – 
> that Scrimgeour wanted to set up a meeting with Harry and 
Dumbledore 
> refused?  Or do you think there are some long-standing issues 
> between them?

Meri - This has been mentioned before, but I think that there is 
good evidence to Scrimegour being a different kind of incompetent 
than Fudge is. Where Fudge was an indecisive bumbler, Scrimegour is 
a decisive one. He has clear ideas and is keen to be seen doing 
something about the LV problem, but anything is better than nothing 
and it doesn't matter if what he's doing is actually helping.  
Instead of doing the "right things", like sending more envoys to the 
giants, werewolves and other magical beings, he is doing "wrong 
things", like arresting and holding innocent people without trial 
(like Stan Shunpike). He actually reminds me a little bit of Sirius' 
description of Barty Crouch Senior, when he was in charge of Magical 
Law Enforcement: tough, harsh and unfair, using any means to achieve 
his ends, throwing people to Azkaban without trial, etc. I can see 
why DD and Scrimegour wouldn't get along, they have an almost 
inevitable personality clash. I'm just very impressed that Harry saw 
through it. He's pretty perceptive at times. 
  
> Q6:  We later see the inferi that Voldemort left in the cave.  In 
> what way do you think the DEs might *currently* be using inferi?

Meri - I don't know about y'all, but I would be scared to death if I 
saw one of those things coming at me on a dark winter's night. Mass 
Muggle killings perhaps? 

> Q7:  Is Harry's pessimism justified?  Do you think he has reason 
to 
> believe that Dumbledore will not do as he says he will? 

Meri - Absolutely. This is the first time he and DD have been 
together since that awful night when DD told him about the prophecy. 
Harry probably still hasn't gotten used to having Reliable!
Dumbledore back yet. 

> Q8:  What do you think of Dumbledore's behavior here? 

Meri - Some of his finest moments. It is a testament to DD's 
character that he can be plesant (if not entirely kind) and civil 
(if also outright sarcastic) to the Dursleys, people who have abused 
and neglected Harry, who he has come to love so much. The glasses 
clinking their heads? Genius, and a subtle way to show how rude the 
Dursleys can be. Simple politeness is not in their vocabularies. I 
mean, come on, the man offered you a drink! 

> Q9:  Do you believe that the Order will ever move back to 12 
> Grimmauld Place?  Why not move someplace friendlier?  Do they 
> secretly enjoy irritating Mrs. Black?  <g>  Is it because 
Phineas's 
> portrait, or something else that is significant, is in the house?

Meri - All the Anti-Muggle charms and spells will probably make it 
(ahem) attractive to use, as does Phineus's portrait, though with DD 
dead now, who knows if the Order will even need that line of 
communication anymore. What if Hogwarts' new head is hostile to the 
Order? That could become a significant liability. And also even with 
Kreacher safely ensconced in Hogwarts, the other Black relatives 
could very well have a way in, so it might be safer to get a new HQ. 

> Q10:  Do you think *anything* will bring Harry back to the house?  
> Do you think pleasant memories could ever change the atmosphere of 
> the house?

Meri - Anything? Yes. The search for the Horcruxes. I fall firmly 
into the RAB = Regulus Black, locket that no one can open = LV's 
missing horcrux camp. Plus he might want to pick up some of Sirius' 
things to remember him by. And quite frankly, who knows what's in 
that dreary old house? I would guess any number of useful items that 
could aid in the Horcrux hunt. 
 
> Q11:  Is this just Vernon's normal reaction, or is it something 
more 
> significant?

Meri - I think all Vernon heard was "godfather dead" which means 
pain and misery for Harry, which he would rejoice in, and "house" 
which means Harry has someplace other than Privet Drive to live in, 
which would make him happy as well. 
 
> Q13: Why does Dumbledore say this now?  Why not 5 years ago?  At 
> this point, why say it at all?  
> 
> Q14:  Will there be consequences for either Harry or Dudley in 
> Dumbledore's having done this?  

Meri, taking the last two together - Because we've been waiting to 
hear it for so long? I suppose it is better late than never, but 
harsh as this sounds, Harry's treatment by the Dursleys helped to 
develop his strength of character, his compassion, his ability to 
recognize distress in others and his desire to help people. It was 
literally the school of hard knocks for Harry, and though he 
deserved to be living with his loving mother and father, his 
treatment by the Dursleys has actually helped him to appreciate the 
love he has now: Ron and the Weasleys, Hermione, Lupin, Ginny, etc. 
Besides, DD may very well have felt, and rightly so, a responsiblity 
for Harry's painful early years and wanted to make ammends such as 
he can. Besides, the Dursleys are so rarely called on their bad 
behavoir that it had to happen sometime. As for Dudley, it's almost 
impossible to teach an old dog new tricks, but they did manage to 
get the weight off of him, it might just be possible to beat the 
spoiled brat out of him, too. Metaphorically speaking, of course. 
 
> Q15:  What is significant about Harry turning 17 or "coming of 
age" 
> that would cause the protection to end?  

Meri - Just like turning 18 in the RW (which is when your parents 
can no longer make legal, medical or other official decisions for 
you) in the WW it seems to mean that you are no longer under your 
parents' protection. You can defend yourself with a wand, no longer 
have to attend schoo and don't have to rely on anyone else for 
magic. The protection probably ends for these reasons, Harry can now 
protect himself. 

> Q16: Why was Petunia "oddly flushed"?

Meri - Because no one has ever called her on Harry's treatment 
before. She was probably embarrassed to have lost face in front of 
anybody, including a wizard like DD, and Lily (and anything to do 
with Lily) is a touchy subject to her. 

> Q17: Do you think Harry will be allowed to return to Privet Drive?

Meri - Yes, and I can't wait to see that last confrontation with 
them and Harry. We've been promised by JKR: What's the deal with 
Petunia and her relationship with Lily? What did Dudley see when he 
got demented almost two years ago? Who gets to do magic late in 
life? And what was in that letter that DD left with baby Harry? 
We've been promised and I expect her to make good! 

Meri