CHAPDISC: HBP9, The Half-Blood Prince

[krista7]

No: HPFGUIDX 147685


>>-It seemed to me that when McGonagall was giving out the NEWT class
>>schedules... It almost seems like JKR is, in
>>essence, sticking a neon sign around certain skill areas of
>>particular individuals...Are these really specific skill sets that are at
>>>least some of the exact elements with which to defeat Voldemort?


I think the scheduling process accomplishes more than just linking characters 
with skills. We get: basic character development, information about the subjects
in general, plot advancement, *and* linkage between characters/subjects.

For example:

Parvati is "crestfallen" because she's not going to be taught Divination 
by the "handsome Centaur" this year--in other words, JKR is beating
the hormone drum;

Neville: We hear (again) he's good in Herbology. We are reassured that
he's made it to the highest levels in DADA. Then we get the Tran-
figuration/Charms discussion, which I think really isn't much about Neville
at all. It establishes that Neville's self-esteem is in the gutter,
thanks to his grandmother, and that McGonagall is building him up.
That's not terribly new. What IS new is the explicit information that 
Charms as a subject is difficult, not soft, and "not necessarily worthless." I 
take that as a giant Lilly Potter flag. (I also think this info about
Charms is setting Neville on a path to think about memory charms.)

Harry: No major new information here, but for the explanation
about why he wasn't previously signed up for Potions--and why
he's going to need to borrow supplies/book from Slughorn. Plot motion.


>>In the DADA class, of particular interest is the exact quote by
>>Snape on page 177 (US HB), " `The Dark Arts,' said Snape, `are many,
>>varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a
>>many-headed monster.... Could the quote tie
>>into the theory that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville (And Luna? And
>>maybe Ginny?) all have something really, really specific to use
>>against Voldemort? 

I had more a vision of Harry, Ron, and Hermione going up against the three-
headed dog as first-years--you can't go it alone, you need your friends.

I do think there's something special in his words,
though, since he deliberately lowers his voice to give that part of the
speech.

>>Just for fun: This has nothing to do with anything, but it is
>>mentioned that the Trio are doing some really complicated DADA
>>homework. This begs the question, what exactly do you give for
>>homework in magic class if it is not practice, but theoretical?

I think the homework probably had something to do with nonverbal
spells, since none of the kids could produce them (either a jinx or a 
silent shield) before.

Otherwise, for Transfiguration--uhhh, maybe Physics problems??

>>I still am not entirely convinced that Harry got the HBP book by
>>accident. I have to wonder if someone (a professor) knew what was in
>>the book. That then leaves me with the question of:  If someone
>>wanted Harry to have the book, who was it?

No idea about that one!

>>Slughorn lists two times that he took Felix Felicis: Once when he
>>was twenty-four years old and once when he was fifty-seven. I wonder
>>if these times are significant?

I think the 57 has to be significant. Slughorn is younger than Dumbledore, 
but well into retirement age now. I was looking to see if we had 
any info on Slug's age now, to guess who-all would be his student
when he was 57, but I haven't found anything specific.

(BTW, given that Harry's due for a date with a crazed homicidal 
overlord, why isn't he keeping it for that? Or brewing batches of it for 
the big day? :P)

>>Slughorn talks about the dangers of taking too much Felix Felicis.
>>He says that it causes giddiness, over-confidence, and recklessness.
>>How long do these effects last? Is this significant? My first thought
>>was that Voldemort is giddy, over-confident, and reckless. I do not
>>know what to make of this.

I think Felix is a combination of 1.) the experience of the spoilt person,
so you know afterward as great as it was, daily life with all its ugly 
struggle is better; and 2.) the experience of alcohol/being drunk.

I have a feeling FF is going to come back (along with the love potion)
in discussion of the Marauders-era kids.

>>Slughorn talks about Amortentia and he talks about the power
>>of "obsessive love." Does this mean anything? Will it come into play?
>>It too seems important. (there is always the Harry/Ginny/Amortentia
>>theory
I do wonder)

I'm thinking it is huge, huge, huge, and there's a reason we haven't 
gone deeply into it yet. The Draught will pop up in book 7, I bet, but
Amorentia may be the "big" potion of the book. 

>>The Draught of Living Death pops up again. What is the significance
>>of this? We keep seeing this particular potion over and over again,
>>but we never see it used for anything!

I think it is a set-up for Book 7, nothing more than that. It also
backs up Dumbledore's claim that he can hide people in danger, 
and Snape's first year speech about "stoppering death."

>>Slughorn mentions Lily was good at potions. Did Lily write in the
>>book at all? I doubt it since everything that is in the book, so far,
>>is in the same handwriting. But maybe something will come up later
>>about Lily and her connection to potions. All we hear about is
>>charms.

I think this is the groundwork for a Snape-Lily connection of some kind.

>>What is the point in calling the chapter HBP? Just to introduce the
>>potions book and tell us it is important? It seems kind of
>>unnecessary and I keep thinking that there must be something else in
>>this chapter that I am missing.

The chapter covers a range of threads and themes: the quest to find yourself,
teenage hormones, thinking for yourself, ego/ambition. I would not be
surprised if all of the above did not play a big part in Snape's backstory. 

>>Finally, I wonder if the NEWT scene tells us what skills will be
>>used to defeat Voldemort. If so, does that mean that the DADA scene
>>tells us HOW the HRH and company will defeat Voldemort

I think it affirms thinking outside the box, so to speak. As angry as Hermione
is about Harry's "win" in the FF contest, if you compare her work in 
Snape's class and in Slughorn's, there's a negative message being sent
about Hermione's use of sheer book knowledge to dominate her classes. She 
is REALLY over-the-top in Slughorn's class; I love Hermione, but if I were 
in that class, I'd be annoyed! 

(I note also that on p. 177, Snape tells the students to shut their books
and pay attention to him, again suggesting that book learning isn't
everything.) 

Two last things:

1.) Despite Harry's claim that Snape was going to jinx him,
thus meriting the excessive Shield response, what actually
happens is that both Ron and Harry are getting nowhere
in their practice of nonverbal skills. Snape is going
to take Ron's place as a demonstration,
and Harry fires back with a verbal Shield. After
Snape corrects Harry about the assignment (nonverbal
vs. verbal spells), Harry snarks back at Snape, 
and therefore earns the detention. There's no 
excessive evil on Snape's part here, just Harry venting
his Snape hate.


and 2.) What struck me also in this chapter
 is something on p. 176--Katie's advice to Harry
about being a leader: "Good teams have been ruined before now because
Captains just kept playing the old faces, or letting in their friends..."

It's taken at the time as a comment about letting Ron on the team, but
I think it is an overall statement about leaders and being too exclusive
about from where you'll get help.

Krista