CHAPDISC: HBP7, The Slug Club

Tue Jan 3 01:07:02 UTC 2006

No: HPFGUIDX 145765

        CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 7, 
The 
Slug Club

  With many thanks to Penapart Elf for slogging through my first draft (it was MUCH longer!)

  Synopsis:

  Harry spends the final week of school holiday pondering the significance of Malfoy’s actions in Knockturn Alley.  He guesses that Draco may be a Death Eater, which Ron and Hermione greet with skepticism.  

  The next day the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry head off to Platform 9 ¾ in Ministry cars and are greeted at the station by two bearded Aurors in Muggle clothing.  Harry goes first through the barrier, accompanied silently by one of the Aurors.  Once the others have joined them, Harry suggests they all find a seat on the train.  Hermione reminds Harry somewhat apologetically that she and Ron have to sit in the Prefects’ car and patrol the corridors.  

  Before stepping onto the train, Harry takes the opportunity to inform Arthur Weasley of his suspicions about Draco Malfoy.  Arthur is also skeptical that Draco would be admitted as a Death Eater. Harry remains firmly convinced that Draco is plotting something dangerous.

  Harry catches up with Ginny on the train, but she tells him that she has promised to look for Dean.  Slightly annoyed, he turns to find himself surrounded by “mesmerized girls.”  He hears a voice and is relieved to greet Neville, followed closely by Luna.  The three find seats on the train together.

  Neville marvels that the three of them are being noticed on the train, presuming that it’s due to the fact Harry is with them.  Harry reminds him that all three were cited in the Daily Prophet’s report of the Ministry battle.  Neville mentions that he was worried his grandmother would disapprove, but on the contrary she said he was at last beginning to live up to his parents, and she bought him a new wand.  He remarks that it may have been the last one Ollivander ever sold, because he disappeared the next day.

  As Harry, Luna and Neville chat, several Fourth-year girls appear outside the compartment, and Romilda Vane barges in, asking Harry to join them in their compartment so he doesn’t have to sit with Neville and Luna.  He coldly replies that he is sitting with friends.  The girls leave, and when Luna points out that people expect Harry to have cooler friends than them, he defends them, saying they are cool, having fought with him at the Ministry of Magic.

  As Neville talks about his OWL results, Harry ruminates on the twist of fate that made him the Chosen One, rather than Neville.  In the midst of his reverie, Neville notices and asks Harry if he’s all right.  Luna presumes he’s been attacked by a Wrackspurt, an invisible creature that floats through one’s ear into one’s brain, making it all fuzzy.  As Luna bats off imagined Wrackspurts, Harry and Neville exchange a look and hastily change the subject.

  After some time, Hermione and Ron enter the compartment.  Ron mentions that Draco is not performing his Prefect duties, but is instead sitting in a compartment with several of his Slytherin cronies.  Just as Harry is about to expound on his theory explaining Draco’s behavior, a Third-year girl arrives with an invitation for Harry and Neville to join Professor Slughorn in his compartment for lunch.  Neville is mystified (and a little alarmed) by his invitation.  Harry suspects the reason is his famous parents, but he doesn’t mention it to Neville.  

  They arrive at Slughorn’s compartment to find they are joined by a number of other students, including Ginny.  Harry is introduced to Blaise Zabini, Cormac McLaggen and Marcus Belby.  As Slughorn chats with each student, Harry’s suspicions are confirmed: each has a famous or well-connected relative, except for Harry and Ginny. 

  When Slughorn turns to Harry, he is obviously hunting for confirmation that Harry is, indeed, the Chosen One.  Slughorn asks prying questions about the incident at the Ministry of Magic, but Ginny, Neville and Harry are not forthcoming.  Giving up for the moment, Slughorn launches into a name-dropping reminiscence.

  Finally, Slughorn notices the time and dismisses them all.  As they move back to their compartments, Harry asks Ginny how she ended up at the luncheon.  She explains that she hexed Zacharias Smith after he irritated her by badgering her with questions about the Ministry of Magic incident.  

  Watching Zabini return to his compartment, Harry realizes Blaise is sitting with Draco and decides to follow him into the compartment using the Invisibility Cloak and eavesdrop on the conversation with Malfoy and his gang.  Harry manages to get in and position himself in the luggage rack, although not without revealing his trainers.  However, he assures himself that the compartment was in too much disarray for anyone to notice.

  Blaise reports on the lunch with Slughorn, mentioning the attendees.  We discover that Ginny is generally popular with Hogwarts boys, even passing Zabini’s standards.  As they discuss Slughorn, Malfoy casually mentions that he might not even be at Hogwarts the following year.  Draco hints that he may be on to “bigger and better” things, and he allows the others to suggest he will be working for LV.  When Zabini expresses his doubts that LV would be interested in an unqualified 16 year old, Malfoy says perhaps LV has a job for him that doesn’t require him to be qualified.  

  Trying to assimilate what he has just heard, Harry fails to notice that Goyle is reaching up for his trunk until it is too late.  Goyle hits Harry in the head, and he gasps in pain.  This catches Malfoy’s attention, but he then resumes getting ready to leave, much to Harry’s relief.  As they are all leaving, Draco tells Pansy to go ahead while he checks on something.  Seemingly alone in the compartment, Malfoy draws the blinds.  Harry watches, curious to see if Malfoy is about to reveal his broken object.  Without warning, Harry is hit with petrificus totalus and plummets from the luggage rack.  Malfoy gleefully tells Harry he suspected Harry was there when Goyle’s trunk hit him.  He assures Harry he didn’t hear anything important, but still takes the opportunity to stomp in Harry’s face and cover him again with the cloak, thus making Harry both immobile and invisible. 

  Questions:

  1.                  This is the beginning of what will be a year-long obsession with Draco for Harry.  In hindsight, what does this reveal about Harry’s powers of discernment?

  2.                  The Aurors in the scene are men we have never seen before.  Is this done to highlight the changes at the Ministry of Magic, or is there some more sinister reason?                  

  3.                    Compare this train scene with the early train scene in OOP.  How do his feelings toward Neville and Luna compare in the two scenes?  What does this scene do for our understanding of the Harry in HBP?

  4.                  In this chapter, Harry spends time with people of two very different rungs on the social ladder: the Slug Club -v- Neville and Luna (whose lack of popularity is touched upon several times in this chapter: Romilda's comments, DA being a source of Luna's only friends, Neville's own grandmother's wish for Harry as a grandson etc.).  Discuss Harry's very different opinions of the two social circles.  What about Draco's perception of where he is on the social ladder? (the attempt to impress that seemingly was trigger by being snubbed by Slughorn, his relationship with Pansy who seems determined to form some kind of attachment to him, etc.)

  5.                  Neville mentions that his wand may have been the last Ollivander sold before he vanished.  Do you think this is one of those throwaway lines that will be significant later?  How?    

  6.                  What is the composition of Neville’s wand, and will it be important?

  7.                  Luna comes up with yet another – er – quirky creature.  What are the chances that Luna’s wacky creatures will be proven real?  And if so, which ones?

  8.                  As we learn about each student’s connections during Slughorn’s luncheon party, whose story, if any, do you suppose will prove to be important in book 7?

  9.                  The luncheon scene with Slughorn highlights the personality traits that we glimpsed in “Horace Slughorn.”    Did this scene cement your opinion of Slughorn, did it change your first impression from the earlier chapter, or did your opinion undergo a transformation later, say, after seeing the full horcrux memory? 

  10.              We see that Pansy and Draco seem to be a couple, based on this scene.  Will this have any significance in the future?  (oh, like, say, Pansy’s is Draco’s hideout or something
)

  11.              I find the end of this chapter difficult to read, wishing at an emotional level that Harry would use more caution. Harry’s impulsiveness has gotten him into scrapes before, and he once again takes a chance and loses.  How do you think this tendency will play out?  (Curiosity killed the cat or caution makes cowards of us all?)

  12.              Please add any questions/comments of your own for discussion

  Respectfully submitted by akh, who was reminded today why she only drives from Chicago to Wichita twice a year

  NOTE: For more information on HPfGU's chapter discussions, please see
"HPfGU HBP Chapter Discussions" at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/database

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