CHAPDISC: HBP4, Horace Slughorn

[meriaugust]

No: HPFGUIDX 143538

Just a few quick answers to Alla's excellent questions.
 
> QUESTIONS.
> 
snip 
> 2. When Albus says, "Lord Voldemort has finally realized the 
> dangerous access to his thoughts and feelings you have been 
> enjoying," does he mean that in OOP Voldemort had no idea that 
Harry 
> had access to his thoughts and feelings? Wasn't it necessary for 
> Voldemort to know that Harry would receive the vision of Sirius in 
> order for his plan to lure Harry to MoM to be successful? In other 
> words, I thought that Voldemort was aware of the connection during 
> OOP. Are we supposed to think that he was not? How does Dumbledore 
> know that Voldemort is now employing Occlumency against Harry?

Meri - I think the implication is that LV was unaware of the 
connection until the snake incident in Order, and then he exploited 
it to get Harry to the MoM. But now that LV knows how painful it can 
be for him to possess Harry he probably doesn't care to do it 
anymore. And I would assume that Snape told DD about the Occlumency. 

snip
> 4. If Horace had been "out of touch with everybody for a year," 
how 
> does Dumbledore know that he is now hiding in charming village of 
> Budleigh Babberton?  

Meri - Because he's DD and he knows everything. I would imagine that 
with DD and Slughorn's long history that it would be pretty easy to 
make a logical guess at to where he would be hiding and what 
circumstances would suit him. Also, we know from Order that witches 
and wizards have to be registered to live in a Muggle neighborhood; 
perhaps there are not other magical folk in the area and that 
attracted DD's notice when Slughorn went missing. 

snip 
> 8. Would you agree that Slughorn seems to be *too* unconcerned 
about 
> Dumbledore's injury? If you disagree, why?
 
Meri - Too unconcerned for a normal person, maybe. But Slughorn is 
the definition of a Slytherin: if it doesn't have any affect on me, 
I don't care. 
snip 

> 10. We know that Harry does not ask questions about his parents 
even 
> in those rare situations when he has the chance to do so. Here 
Harry 
> meets the man who taught his mother, who seems to like his mother 
> very much and Harry is still not asking him any questions about 
> Lily. What do you think about it?

Meri - I think Harry is disinclined to like Slughorn, especially 
with the Muggleborn but still talented sentiments he seems to hold 
for Lily. Harry is as suspiscious of Slughorn as he is to the MoM's 
overtures which means he is beginning to pick up when people are 
going to try and exploit him for his fame and he will, gladly, have 
none of that. 

Meri