CHAP DISC: HBP 13, The Secret Riddle

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 150209

Jen Reese, HBP 13, The Secret Riddle:
>
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?

Ceridwen:
I thought it was a case of 'prove it'.  They've all heard Harry going 
on about Draco since SS/PS.  He's made accusations that haven't 
panned out, he says things with only his suspicions and no evidence.  
I think Ron and Hermione may be tired of being dragged down yet 
another emotional course to find no pay-off (concrete evidence) at 
the end.  Dumbledore is probably more on top of what's going on than 
Harry is.  But he isn't letting Harry in on it, and I think he may 
also believe that the lessons he's giving Harry should be paramount, 
not what Draco Malfoy's doing.

Jen Reese:
> 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?

Ceridwen:  I thought Dumbledore was on another expedition to either 
find the cave or the hiding place of another Horcrux, or he was 
seeing about more memories.  Definitely something to do with the 
lessons he's giving Harry throughout the book.

Jen Reese:
> 3. How do you think Dumbledore plans to stop Mundungus from 
> pilfering the Black family heirlooms?

Ceridwen:
Speak to him.  Impress Mundungus with DD's apparent omnipotence.  Ask 
PNB to check in occasionally and at random.  Ask other Order members 
to stop in, or check up on Mundungus.  Threaten or exact a promise 
from Mundungus.  Any combination of the above.

Jen Reese: 
> 4. Phineas continues to play a role in HBP which is more active 
than 
> the other portraits in Dumbledore's office. Presumably he overhears 
> all the vital information Dumbledore shares with Harry during the 
> course of their lessons and he is also able to visit the Black 
> house. Do you see JKR giving Phineas a more important role in Book 
7?

Ceridwen:
I am hoping PNB has some role in book 7.  I am sincerely hoping JKR 
has written enough about him that she won't be able to keep him out 
of it.  I think he's been in on most of the Deep Dark Secrets 
discussed in the headmaster's office, even if he *appears* to be 
sleeping like the other portraits.  He's given hints that he knows 
more than we or Harry do and could be a source of information.

Jen Reese: 
> 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?

Ceridwen:
I think she gave up.  Everything she has tried on her own has gone 
wrong.  Everything in her life with her father and brother was 
depressing and degrading.  When she finally did get to test out her 
powers out from under Daddy Dearest's thumb, she makes the wrong 
choice, she ruins her own and someone else's life.  At this point, 
she must think that she's nothing but bad news and her baby will be 
much better off without a screw-up like her raising him.  She doesn't 
have the will to try.  She probably couldn't do magic now if she did 
try.  Despair?  Sure.  Guilt and remorse?  Absolutely.  A tragic end 
of a tragic life.

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

Ceridwen:
Dead.  Killed by LV for what he did to Merope.  This looks like 
bragging on Burke's part, not unexpected, but not smart if he only 
knew who he was talking about!  And it looks like he wasn't coy about 
admitting the poor pay-out to anyone who asked.  Nice case of foot-in-
mouth, with fatal outcome.

Jen Reese: 
> 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?

Ceridwen:
I never expected the Gaunts.  Eww.  Poor Salazar!  And I never 
expected Downtrodden!Merope.  I did somewhat expect BadSeed!Tom.  I 
think Voldemort's not human, really, he's the avatar of Pure Evil.  I 
don't really see a direct correspondence for this on the Good Guy's 
side, unless Dumbledore started out perfect and learned how to be 
more human as he aged.  The orphanage is pretty much what I expected, 
from old Shirley Temple movies.  I didn't quite expect Dumbledore's 
suit.

Jen Reese:
> 8. Why do you think Dumbledore drew attention to the fact that 
Harry 
> was 'possibly [ ] feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?'

Ceridwen:
To make sure that Harry realized it and didn't set it aside.  I think 
that Harry's compassion will figure prominently in the end of the 
series, so he has to take it out and examine it.  He didn't follow 
through with that in Snape's Worst Memory, nor did he follow through 
thoroughly with the Sectumsempra he used on Draco.  I think 
Dumbledore is making sure he will understand that he must do this as 
a part of his training.

Jen Reese:
> 9. After learning Merope died rather than live for her son, Harry 
> expressed anger that she made a poor choice compared to Lily, 
> who 'didn't have a choice'. Dumbledore corrected him gently, saying 
> Lily *did* have a choice. Why do you think Harry didn't believe 
Lily 
> had a choice when he heard the memory in POA of Voldemort telling 
> her to 'step aside'?

Ceridwen:
Lily was given a choice, but really, she only had one choice.  Not 
too many people could live with themselves after taking 
the 'opportunity' Voldemort offered.  I think that Harry's tendency 
toward heroics informs him of this.

Jen Reese:
> 10. Dumbledore seems to have an ongoing battle with young boys not 
> using the proper etiquette of referring to teachers as 'Professor' 
> or 'Sir'.  What did you think about the way Riddle talks to 
> Dumbledore compared to how Harry talks to Snape, erm, Professor 
> Snape?

Ceridwen:
I agree with whoever posted (pippin?) that there seems to be an 
imperfect mirror here between DD/TR and SS/HP.  I also agree that 
this is a common thing that authority figures go through (steve?) 
with their charges.  It's almost a running gag through the books.

Jen Reese:
> 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? 

Ceridwen:
I actually went through all these questions just to get to this one.  
Reading the question, and the responses, it seems to me that Fire is 
a theme in HBP.  We have Dumbledore setting the wardrobe on fire, we 
have the fire in the Inferi Cave, and we have the fire at the funeral 
which seems to send a white phoenix into the sky.  I was operating on 
the assumption that HBP was the Slytherin book, characterized by 
water - the Inferi Cave, swimming in the ocean to reach it, the 
liquid potion, Trelawney's apparently intuitive (water quality) 
readings, the potions on display in Slughorn's first class, the 
riverside where Narcissa and Bellatrix Apparate to visit Snape, the 
poisoned mead, the elf-made wine.  But then, there's the other fire, 
the bonds of the UV, which are red, a Gryffindor (the Fire house) 
color.  So, what's up?

On why Dumbledore set the wardrobe on fire, this was Tom's entire 
stock, all of his belongings.  He had the things he had taken from 
the other students - his trophies - in there.  This was indeed a 
spectacular display (Moses and the Burning Bush, anybody?).  This was 
Dumbledore showing his power, and giving Tom a reality check.

Jen Reese:
> 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? :)

Ceridwen:
Harry gets the idea of the trophies.  He knows the ring is 
significant.  He also knows the mouth organ was significant to young 
Tom.  Tom's ideas of significant changed, went upscale, as he got 
older.  But the basic idea is still the same.  I wouldn't be 
surprised if Harry understood this.  Message from JKR?  Maybe.

> Jen R., thanking Petra for her editing help and the other chapter 
> discussion leaders for posts she could review before before writing 
> her own!

Ceridwen:

Thank you for your time, and for some thought-provoking questions!

Ceridwen.