CHAPDISC:HBP19,Elf Tails

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 157507

Kathryn Jones:

> Chapter Discussions: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood 
> Prince, Chapter 19, Elf Tails

houyhnhnm:

Thanks for stepping up.

1. This comparison is very interesting in that Hermione 
appears to have gone from hate to love in a very short time.

The love was there all the time.  It was just overshadowed 
by jealosy.  I think Hermione's anger was directed so 
much more at Ron than at Lavender because Lavender was 
an *unworthy* rival.
 
2. Have we been given any previous information on Essence of Rue?

I don't recall any previous mention of rue.  One of its 
traditional uses by RL herbalists was as an antidote to 
poison.  It was also thought to bestow second sight. I 
remember reading some speculation once upon a time that 
Ron might be a Seer, so the mention of rue really jumped 
out at me for that reason.

4. Do you think that Hermione's statements convince the 
others that Slughorn is the intended victim?

Ron roused momentarily upon hearing Hermione's voice, so 
everyone's attention was diverted.  I don't think her 
comments had a chance to register with the others for 
that reason.

5. and 6. Considering the information that we have been 
given on Life Debts,

If Ginny does not owe Harry a life debt for saving her 
from TR, I would guess that Hermione and the Weasleys 
do not owe Harry life debts either.  The consensus seems 
to have been that a life debt is only owed to someone who 
saves your life against their own inclinations or their 
own interest.

10. Do you think that the promise Dumbledore wanted 
from Snape, in their conversation near the Forbidden 
Forest, was unrelated to these prior promises?

Ah, another partially overheard conversation in the 
forest.  Yes, I think it was unrelated. The promise 
Dumbledore wanted from Snape will turn out to be something 
we don't know about yet.

11. Hagrid called Filch "a sneaking Squib." Have we ever 
heard Hagrid talk to another co-worker like this before 
and what does it say about their relationship? Do you 
think that Hagrid has some personal conflict with Filch? 
Does this seem out of character for Hagrid? Does Hagrid 
share the WW dislike of Squibs?

For all of Hagrid's self-proclaimed loyalty to the Hogwarts 
staff, he seems to have some pretty choice words for those 
he really dislikes--Lockhart and Umbridge, IIRC.  I think 
it is Filch's personality that Hagrid dislikes rather than 
the fact that he is a Squib.  And Hagrid is obviously very 
upset over Ron's poisoning.  He speaks of the possibility 
of closing the school. No doubt it is reviving all the bad
 memories of his own experience fifty some years before.

14. Ron is clearly exasperated by Harry's obsession with 
Draco. Why has this changed from the first books, where Ron and 
Hermione bought into everything Harry believed?

I thought Ron and Hermione's refusal to take Harry's 
suspicions of Draco seriously was a little bit stagey.  
But I suppose it could be argued that Ron, especially, 
was still smarting over how hard he pushed the idea of 
Draco as Heir of Slytherin in CoS, and the fact that he 
turned out to be wrong.  He's not about to be caught 
making the same mistake twice.