CHAPDISC: HBP7, The Slug Club

[h2so3f]

No: HPFGUIDX 145786

AKH  wrote: 
"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?"

CH3ed:
I think Harry pays attention to details. He doesn't miss a lot of 
things (he errs on the side of paying too much attention). Ron 
laughs upon hearing of Harry's suspicion because he is 
underestimating Draco. Harry isn't.


AKH wrote:
"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?"

CH3ed:
No ideas. :O) I don't think there is much to make about that. 
Assuming that the MoM is a large organization (administering the 
entire Great Britain), we can't expect Harry to have seen all of its 
agents (even the local ones). Harry saw some MoM agents when he was 
with Arthur Weasley. It doesn't appear that Arthur is in the same 
circle with Scrimgeor, so I'm not seeing a lot in it.

 
AHK wrote:
"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?"

CH3ed:
I assume you meant the scene where Harry wished he wasn't sitting 
with Neville and Luna all covered in stinksap when Cho popped in on 
them in OotP. I think Harry's learned to choose those he knows would 
stick with him even in bad times as friends. His first instinct on 
people's always been quite good (in Book 1 he chose to hang with Ron 
rather than Malfoy) and he has refined it since. It seems Harry 
isn't into making fast friends, and Neville and Luna have proven 
themselves trustworthy from the DA and the ordeal with Umbridge and 
the fight at the DoM. Harry refrains from making fun of his friends 
when they goof or make loony comments and he stands up for them. The 
boy's got a good head on his shoulder.


AHK wrote:
"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.)"

CH3ed:
I think the good thing with Harry being such a marked man all these 
years is that he is wearied of it and doesn't need others to stoke 
his ego for him to be sure of his own worth. Draco is the opposite. 
Much is expected of him by his father and the social status he was 
born into, but he has been unremarkable. He might have been good in 
potion and a decent flyer, but he is eclipsed by Hermione in all the 
classes and by Harry on the Quidditch field and elsewhere. Draco, 
like Slug, hangs with the 'elites' pure blood in order to be 
associated with them because 'status' is priority to them, Harry 
goes for character instead. I don't know what the deal with Pansy 
is. It is notable that the distraught Malfoy went to Moaning Murtle 
for comfort rather than to Pansy (in Septum Sempra chapter).


AHK wrote:
"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?"

CH3ed:
It might be. It seems to me that a lot of wizards aren't aware about 
that 'the wand chooses the wizard, and a wizard doesn't do as good 
magic with other's wand' thing (that's what Ollivander told Harry in 
PS/SS). Ron used Charlie's old wand until PoA, and Neville used his 
father's until HBP. I suspect that that Neville's wand now fits him 
is a part of how his magic has improved in HBP. 


AHK wrote:
"6. What is the composition of Neville's wand, and will it be 
important?"


CH3ed:
Unicorn hair. The same type with Cedric's and Ron's. I don't know if 
there is anything to be made of that or not.  
 

AHK wrote:
"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?"

CH3ed:
Gee...Dunno... Sometimes Luna reminds me of Trelawney's day to day 
predictions... You know, seems like Trelawney does see something but 
she interprets it wrong in her tendency to over-dramatizes it. Maybe 
there are creatures similar to ones Luna describes but not exactly 
as she puts it.


AHK wrote:
"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?"

CH3ed:
My opinion of Slug didn't change until the Christmas party when he 
allowed Draco to stay after Filch had collared him (Slug let him 
stay). Slug has always struck me as a slytherin (what's in it for 
me? thing) and not a very brave person (or he wouldn't have been 
hiding from DD).


AHK wrote:
"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
)"

CH3ed:
I suspect Pansy loves Draco but maybe it isn't really returned. I 
have no idea what the significance of their relationship is. 


AHK wrote:
"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?)"

CH3ed:
I'm actually glad it happened that way. It is a good lesson for 
Harry indeed, and it could have turned out much much worse had he 
done that with someone more dangerous than Draco. As it is Harry 
escaped with just a broken nose and a bruised ego...and a good 
lesson to be more cautious with his actions in the future because he 
is not invincible. I'm actually surprised by the level of 
recklessness Harry showed. He wasn't underestimating Draco before 
when he told Ron and Hermione of his suspicion, but what Harry did 
on the train was mind-blowingly stupid. Thanks goodness for Tonks!!


AHK wrote:
"12. Please add any questions/comments of your own for discussion"

CH3ed:
I think AHK does such a good job on the chapter I haven't got much 
to add. :O) I'm just surprised that Hermione, for all her brain, 
doesn't pick up on the drastic change in Malfoy (or rather, isn't 
more alarmed by it). 

CH3ed  :O)