CHAP DISC: HBP 13, The Secret Riddle

[meriaugust]

No: HPFGUIDX 150194

>Jen's 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?

Meri: It didn't really surprise me that much. DD after all knew 
pretty much all along what was going on with Draco and after the 
whole Polyjucie Potion incident in COS I can't really blame Ron and 
Hermione for disregarding any suspiscions about Malfoy. Besides, 
Harry played the "Blame Malfoy" game for five years; wouldn't you be 
sick of hearing "Draco did it!" by now, too? 
 
> 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?

Meri: I always thought that Draco had no idea where DD was so he 
probably didn't mean to attack when the Headmaster was away from the 
castle. 
 
> 3. How do you think Dumbledore plans to stop Mundungus from 
> pilfering the Black family heirlooms?

Meri: Well, he's Dumbledore, isn't he...erm, wasn't he? There must 
be spells of some sort that can prevent items from being removed 
from a house. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if old Mr. Black had 
placed some of those spells on his super protected home. If RAB is 
who I think he is maybe that's why he chose to keep the locket 
there. 
snip
  
> 5. Dumbledore offers Harry his interpretation of why Merope did 
not 
> use magic to get the things she needed to survive. Do you think 
> Merope chose not to perform magic after Riddle, Sr. left her, or 
> that she was incapable of doing so?

Meri: I felt really bad for Merope when I finished this book; here 
was an abused young girl who was hated by those who should have 
loved her and was basically denied any chance at a normal life. But 
I still can't really picture her as completely helpless, and I don't 
know why. Maybe it is because of the fact that she was able to cast 
that love spell over Tom Riddle. That is, by any definition, an 
underhanded thing to do (even to a berk like Riddle) but she was 
strong enough to do it. I think that even if, as DD says, Merope was 
not as strong as Lily, she might have been strong in her own way. I 
can almost picture her hanging on through the pain of childbirth 
just long enough to cast some sort of spell on her son, though I 
don't really want to imagine this (because that would be a far too 
simplistic reason for LV's evilness; his mom made him do it). But I 
think she had a strength that we don't really get to see. After all, 
she too in a sense died for her son like Lily did for Harry. 
  
snip

> 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?

Meri: Creepy, creepy, creepy. I knew how much Tom Riddle hated the 
orphanage but I thought that that was just because he was different 
out there and the other students tortured him. Come to find out he 
hated them and tormented them. When I read that scene about the 
rabbit being hanged I literally shuddered; cruelty to anmials is 
usually a sign of a serious disturbance in the RW. Even as a kid he 
was scary and the fact that that disturbed little boy could grow up 
into the manipulative and slick young man that we met in COS just 
shows how he could change himself and fool people, which is 
frightening. 
  
> 8. Why do you think Dumbledore drew attention to the fact that 
Harry 
> was 'possibly [ ] feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?' 

Meri: For the same reason, I think, that we were shown Snape's Worst 
Memory; not even the worst of us is all bad nor are they beyond 
understanding. Tom Riddle is (despite his magical transformations 
and delvings into the blackest of magic) a human being not some 
monster that sprung fully formed from the depths of hell. This was 
almost like seeing snapshots of a young Hitler. As much as you 
loathe what he became, you can't help but see a person in front of 
you. 

snip 
> 11. Harry is surprised to see Dumbledore set the wardrobe on fire. 
> Why did Dumbledore choose to show a boy whose 'magic had run away 
> with him' such a spectacular and destructive-looking 
demonstration? 

Meri: Perhaps to impress upon him the seriousness of magic and the 
depth of DD's own powers. A flock of doves or a flash bang of sparks 
would not have made the same impression on a little boy who can hurt 
students to the point of changing them and speak to snakes. 
 
Sorry for the ramblings, just needed to put my two cents in. 

Meri