CHAP DISC: HBP 13, The Secret Riddle

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 150137

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jen Reese" <stevejjen at ...> 
wrote:

<a summary which I snipped> 

Hickengruendler:

Great summary, Jen.

Jen:
 
> Questions:
>  
> 1. What reaction did you have to Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore 
> refusing to talk to Harry about his theory that Draco was behind 
the 
> incident with Katie?

Hickengruendler:

I found it odd. Particularly Ron's reaction seems a bit OOC for me. 
He always was willing to believe the worst of Malfoy (and Snape, for 
that matter), and yet here he doesn't believe Harry's theory. 
Hermione's and Dumble's reactions were in character for them and I 
didn't have a problem with them. Dumbledore probably knew anyway that 
Draco was behind it.

Jen:
   
> 2. Where do you think Dumbledore was over the weekend of Katie's 
> attack and why did Draco plan the attack when Dumbledore was away?

Hickengruendler:

I guess Dumbledore searched for more Horcruxes. And I guess that it 
was probably a coincidence that Draco chose that weekend. It was the 
Hogsmeade weekend, where there was the biggest chance to get anything 
smuggld into Hogwarts.
  
Jen:

> 6. Just out of curiosity, we never learned what happened to 
> Caractacus Burke. Any speculation?

Hickengruendler:

Yes. I think Voldemort killed him and made another Horcrux after the 
murder. After all, he just learned from Hepzibah Smith that Burke 
hoodwinked Merope and probably had a small responsibility in her 
death. He must have "loved" this revelation. It would be totally odd 
if Voldemort had not used the first opportunity to get rid of Burke. 
In fact, one has to wonder otherwise why JKR put this scene with 
Burke in. Couldn't Mrs Smith have bought the amulet from Merope 
directly? Also, a Horcrux at Borgin and Burkes would offer great 
possibilities. If Borgin maybe accidentilly found it and sold it, it 
could be anywhere and give the Trio a reason to visit more distant 
places. But while writing this I just realised that Burke had to be 
alive at least some time later to give Dumbledore his evidence. But 
nonetheless, he could still have been killed by Voldemort later. 

Jen:
  
> 7. JKR made a statement prior to HBP that we would know more about 
> the 'circumstances of Riddle's birth'. Was there anything about his 
> birth or life in the orphanage that surprised you or was it pretty 
> much the story you were expecting?

Hickengruendler:

The biggest surprise for me were his parents. I imagined Tom's mother 
very differently (rather how the Black family turned out to be) and 
Tom Sr. came off better than I expected. I guess I was a bit 
surprised that Voldemort already was that mean as a little git, but 
I'm rather positively surprised, to be fair. I was a bit afraid that 
JKR might go the way in him having a decent beginning and then 
falling, and I'm glad she didn't, because it would take away from him 
being the embodiment of evil, which he was from the very beginning.  
 
Jen:
 
> 8. Why do you think Dumbledore drew attention to the fact that 
Harry 
> was 'possibly [ ] feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?'

Hickengruendler:

Because Dumbledore suspects that it will be Harry's heart that will 
lead him to victory, and compassion for Voldemort is another sihn of 
this heart.
   
Jen:

> 12. As Harry leaves the office he notices the ring is gone and 
> wonders whether the mouth organ Riddle had stowed in the cardboard 
> box might be of importance. Dumbledore beams at him and says, "very 
> astute Harry, but the mouth organ was only ever a mouth organ." Was 
> there any reason Dumbledore answered Harry's question so 
> cryptically? And why was he pleased to hear Harry say that? On a 
> side note, do you think that was a JKR message to fans? :)

Hickengruendler:

I'm not sure if it was a side note to the fan's. Might be. ;-) But 
IMO Dumbledore was glad, because he knew that several things shown in 
the Pensieve scenes might very well be more than simple objects 
(namely Horcruxes) and he was glad that Harry already paid attention 
to the objects generally.