CHAPDISC: HBP26, The Cave

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 162333

CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 
26, The Cave

At the start of this chapter, Harry and Dumbledore have arrived on a 
rugged coastline, near the cave where Tom Riddle took two of his 
fellow orphans during an outing. Harry and Dumbledore climb down the 
cliffs into the water, and swim into a fissure in the cliffs leading 
to a tunnel which is submerged at high tide. At the end of the tunnel 
are steps leading up to a large cave.

In this cave, Dumbledore stands and looks around, before declaring 
they are in the right spot, but that this cave is just the 
antechamber. He then makes two complete circuits of the cave, 
touching as much as he can of the walls and stopping to feel more 
carefully at certain points, murmuring words in a language Harry does 
not understand. He then settles on one spot and asserts that it is 
the way in. As he points his wand at it, an outline of an archway 
appears, and then fades. After some consideration, Dumbledore 
determines that the archway must be spattered with blood to be opened 
and does so. He gets the blood by cutting his forearm open with a 
silver potions knife and heals himself by passing his wand over the 
resulting wound.

They now enter a vast underground cave containing a lake so large 
Harry cannot see the other side and a ceiling so high it is lost in 
darkness. In the lake there is an island from which a greenish glow 
emanates. Harry asks whether the Horcrux is there, and Dumbledore 
agrees that it is, but that the right way to get to it is the 
question. Harry tries to Accio the Horcrux, but this does not work, 
merely causing a dimly seen shape to breach the surface of the lake. 
Dumbledore applauds him for the idea and states that it was a good 
way to ascertain the protections they may face once the Horcrux is 
removed.

Dumbledore finds an invisible chain, which he causes to appear, and 
pulls up a small boat from the depths. Harry and he barely fit; they 
get in to the boat and it takes them to the island. During the trip, 
Harry sees dead bodies floating in the water and learns from 
Dumbledore that they are Inferi, which fear light and warmth.

The island contains nothing but a basin filled with a glowing green 
potion, which neither Dumbledore nor Harry can touch. Dumbledore 
proceeds to do some magic over the potion-waving his wand in 
complicated motions and `murmuring soundlessly.' He concludes that 
the potion can only be removed by drinking it.

Harry is horrified, pointing out that the potion could kill 
Dumbledore. Dumbledore explains that Voldemort would want a visitor 
to the Cave to remain alive long enough to be questioned about his 
intentions, and so the potion will not kill him immediately. Harry 
gives his word to feed the potion to Dumbledore, if necessary, after 
Dumbledore reminds Harry of his promise earlier in the evening to 
follow Dumbledore's orders on the mission.

Dumbledore conjures a goblet and begins to drink the potion. It seems 
to cause him considerable pain, as well as fear and emotional 
distress caused by some visions/hallucinations/memories. Dumbledore 
drinks three goblets of the potion by himself, before the effect of 
the potion causes him to fall forward and nearly spill the potion. 
Harry takes over, pouring the potion into his mouth and fetching more 
until it is all consumed. At the end, Dumbledore rolls over onto his 
face and is still, appearing to be dead. Harry rolls him over and 
performs two "Rennervate" spells, after which Dumbledore comes to and 
asks for water. He is described as very weak-sounding, and as pale as 
the Inferi.

Harry's attempts to conjure water into the goblet are unsuccessful; 
he finally succeeds only in fetching the lake water, which Dumbledore 
had warned him not to touch. He throws the water into Dumbledore's 
face as an Inferius clutches his wrist, and others begin to come out 
of the water onto the island. Harry attempts to ward them off 
with "Petrificus Totalus," and freezes several, but more are coming. 
He tries "Sectumsempra," which does not seem to affect them, when 
Dumbledore creates a lasso of fire around the island. This frightens 
the Inferi, and they release Harry and allow Dumbledore to retrieve 
the locket and return to the boat. Dumbledore maintains the ring of 
fire throughout the trip back to the shore.

Dumbledore is so exhausted that Harry must nearly carry him out of 
the cave. Harry reopens the archway with his own blood, from a 
scratch he sustained, and helps Dumbledore back into the crevice. He 
tells Dumbledore he will Apparate them both back, and the chapter 
ends with Dumbledore's words, "I am not worried, Harry, I am with 
you."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1)	Dumbledore is described a `hampered' by his injured hand 
during the climb down, and is described as swimming like a much 
younger man, shortly thereafter. Thoughts?

2)	In the antechamber as he seeks the hidden entrance, 
Dumbledore murmurs in a strange tongue Harry does not understand. Any 
ideas on this language and how Dumbledore came to know it? 

3)	Dumbledore insists on using his own blood to open the hidden 
archway, though Harry offers his own instead, because "your blood is 
worth more than mine." What does he mean by this?

4)	Dumbledore heals the cut he has made by passing his wand once 
over it, and Harry is reminded of Snape's sung/chanted spell with 
which he healed Draco. Is this the nonverbal version, or something 
else? Why does Rowling choose to mention this similarity explicitly 
by having Harry note it?

5)	"Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth
" 
Dumbledore says of Voldemort, as he explains the boat would only hold 
one adult wizard. Is there any special significance to these words?

6)	Is Dumbledore too quick to conclude the potion must be drunk? 
Why or why not?

7)	Is the potion a poison? Why or why not?

8)	What do Dumbledore's experiences drinking the potion tell us 
about him? What is the meaning of his words and actions?

9)	Dumbledore warns Harry not to touch the water both as he gets 
into the boat and as he disembarks. Why do you think he does this? 

10)	What do you think about the fact that Harry *did* use the 
water?Do you believe the lake water had any effect on Dumbledore?

11)	What did you think of Harry's attempts to fight the Inferi?

12)	Dumbledore tells Harry, once they are walking along the 
lakeshore, "The protection was
after all
well designed," and asserts 
one person could not have defeated it alone. What do you think he 
meant? How do you suppose the mysterious RAB managed to defeat the 
protection?

13)	 Dumbledore's final words in the chapter are clearly a 
passing of the torch, in retrospect, and mirror his words to Harry 
in "Horace Slughorn," when he tells Harry he need not worry about 
being attacked because "You are with me." Does Dumbledore know or 
suspect what he will find back at Hogwarts? And, is Harry prepared to 
take up the fight?

14)	Does the chapter title "The Cave" have any special 
significance? Is its setting in a cave important? (Important events 
at the ends of PS/SS, CoS, and PoA involve subterranean settings, as 
well).

A big thank you to Siriusly Snapey Susan, for her helpful corrections 
and suggestions about this post.

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