CHAPDISC: HBP 2, Spinner's End

[colebiancardi]

No: HPFGUIDX 142035

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" <willsonkmom at m...>
wrote:
>
> CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,
Chapter
> 2, Spinner's End.
> > 1. Bellatrix kills a fox, thinking it could be an Auror. Does she
> suspect Snape's home is being watched, or is she always looking
over
> her shoulder for an Auror? Do you think all DEs would be this
trigger
> happy, or is it just Bella?

I think Bella has a heightened sense of awarement, due to her
imprisonment at Azkaban, her escape and now the mistrust of Voldy
towards her. However, I do think all of the DE's look over their
shoulders - I would hate to be at a DE convention - I would imagine
it would get very jumpy :) I did feel bad for the fox :(

>
> 2. The neighborhood sounds deserted, except for some streetlights
> that are still lit and the presence of food wrappers at the river's
> edge. What can our RW sociologists tell us about this neighborhood
in
> the late 90's?

I am not a sociologist, but I imagined this to be in a poorer part
of a town that was descimated by job layoffs and the economic woes
from the 1980's. If this had been an industrial town, most likely
all of its work was being shipped overseas within the last 15 - 20
years. And the people in the town don't seem to care about garbage -
they litter and they don't have folks working in the town to clean up
the mess.


>
> 3. Bella knows Narcissa is going to visit Snape, but she is caught
by
> surprise (equaling that of many from this list) at the location.
She
> calls it a Muggle dunghill and doubts that any of "our kind" has
ever
> set foot there. In fact, Snape, Pettigrew and Narcissa all seem
> familiar with the area. Yet it was Bella who was supposed to be
part
> of young Severus's gang. What do you think is going on here? How
long
> do you think Snape has been using this location?

Well, Bella has been locked up for a while. I don't believe this is
Snape's childhood home(if he has had an abusive father, why would he
wish to stay in that home, with those memories) - I do believe this
is a home he has bought during his time at Hogwarts and is a cover
for him. I don't know if Pettigrew is familiar with the area - I am
not sure what you mean by this statement. Pettigrew has been living
there with Snape for a little while, so he would be familiar with the
layout of the home by now. Narcissa knew where Snape lived - after
all, Snape is her husband's friend. I do not think she is a frequent
vistor to Snape's home - I think this is the first time she visited
him there. She isn't suprised at where he lives, because I feel her
husband has already told her about it. She knows how to get there -
again, because of her hubby.

>
> 4. Snape's tiny sitting room is lined with leather bound books and
> contains a threadbare sofa, an old armchair and a rickety table. It
> had the "feeling of a dark, padded cell." A padded cell is used for
> someone who needs protection from himself. What does this room, or
> the house and neighborhood, tell us about Snape? Do you think this
is
> his usual home away from Hogwarts?

Snape doesn't "live" there. I think it is a front - I don't think he
comes there that often - but since Peter has been assigned to him, he
is forced to stay there. I wonder if the rest of the house is just
as dreary - if this is the receiving room for guests - YIKES!

Snape's home needs a makeover - perhaps one of the Home Improvement 
shows can take over his home.

>
> 6. Snape, Narcissa and Bella drank a toast with blood-red wine. I'm
> not sure which image came sooner to my mind at that point: Vampire!
> Snape or Sir Patrick Spens and his wrecked ship. In English
ballads,
> nothing good comes after drinking "bluid-red" wine. Elf-made wine
> doesn't sound too safe either. How many stories involve some danger
> at drinking something made by elves or fairies? These are magical
> folk, so perhaps it's not so dangerous. Do you think this was just
> setting the magical mood, or was JKR waving a flag?
>
setting the magical mood and forshadowing the importance of *blood* -
blood is very important in the book - the dragon's blood in the next
chapter, the blood offering to open the cave by DD, the blood in the
corner of DD's mouth...

Oh, and the whole half-blood prince bit as well.  Blood ties - 
pureblood, half blood...


> 7. This is a serious chapter, with lots of dark images. It's
> informative too, but it's difficult to decide which information is
> truth and which is deception. What images or feelings made an
> impression on you? How do they affect your interpretation of the
> story?

When I started reading this chapter and Snape started in with his
explainations - I never once thought - OH NO - he IS evil. Not once.
He is a double-agent and he will lie and misdirect and mislead. I
did feel he did not know of Draco's deed . I felt that PP was there
to spy on Snape, as Voldemort does not truly trust Snape (or anyone
for that matter). I didn't know what Draco's deed was, but after the
3rd condition on the vow, when Snape's hand twitched, I knew it wasn't
good - that it would result in an important someone's death - I was
thinking DD after I read about his hand in the next chapter - I
didn't think it was ever Harry. Images - Snape still being cool and
disliking Narcissa's tears - Narcissa clutching at Snape's robes -
Bella's disbelief at Snape - the slithering away comment(which leads
me to believe that Snape, up to this point, has never killed anyone)


> 8. Narcissa asks Snape to make an Unbreakable Vow and Bella
> is "astonished" that he agrees. It looks like a wedding ceremony,
and
> is obviously very serious. We've seen that magical contracts have
> serious consequences--the Goblet of Fire in GoF, and the SNEAK hex
in
> OoP. None of us can really understand why Snape agreed, but is this
> just Business as Usual in the Wizarding World? How does this vow
> compare to magical deals in fairy tales and myths?
>
Oh, I think this is a BIG deal. As Ron will later explain, a break
in the UV will result in death. Also, Bella seems shocked that Snape
will take an UV - so, I thought that it was a very big deal and Snape
had to do it to cement the loyality of the Malfoys.  As most other 
magical deals in other myths/tales have an *out*, I was suprised that 
there was no out - up until the 3rd condition of the vow, Snape has 
an out, but Cissy sealed the deal.  I may not like Narcissa, but I 
have to hand it to her - she is a smart cookie.  No flies on her :)


thanks to Potioncat for some great questions - I will have to think
about the last 2 - as they require more thought :)

colebiancardi