[HPforGrownups] CHAP DISC: HBP 13, The Secret Riddle

Wed Mar 29 03:33:47 UTC 2006

No: HPFGUIDX 150222

CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter
13, The Secret Riddle

[snipped]

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?

Snow:

Really not sure about Ron but Hermione likes to have clear evidence and
Draco was back at the castle when the incident occurred so even though Harry
has verbal evidence of Draco being in cahoots with the Dark Lord, Draco's
physical presence at Hogsmeade during the alleged crime was a big deterrent
to his ironclad guilt over this instance. Hermione and probably Ron
underestimated Draco's ability to either Imperious someone to do what he
required or was capable of enticing someone else to do the deed for him.

Dumbledore on the hand had a totally different motive for his reaction to
Harry's suspicions, which was to protect Draco from the Dark Lord. Allowing
Harry any clue to his suspicions would not only put Draco in harms way but
also Harry (a little knowledge is a dangerous thing you know and Dumbledore
can't or won't tell him everything).

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?

Snow:

Dumbledore was out hunting for memories from persons who knew Riddle info.
It seems Draco didn't realize his target was missing at the time the attack
was planned because it would have been futile to engage the plan and not
have the recipient of the necklace in position. Or Draco did know and was
using the opportunity of Dumbledore's absence to smuggle the necklace past
Filch for later use when he would be better positioned to bare the necklace
(with hole-less gloves of course) in a most vulnerable place to attack an
unsuspected Dumbledore. (Which by the way would be quite impossible seeing
as Dumbledore can detect hidden magic, like in the cave…but then again Draco
doesn't know that about Dumbledore anymore than Harry did when he saw this
awesome display of Dumbledore's abilities in the cave).

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

Snow:

Change the address of the Order!

No one from the Order can go to 12 Grimmald now because of the protection
that Sirius' Dad placed on the property. The reason The Order could see 12
Grimmald was that Dumbledore was Secret Keeper for the Order's hiding place,
which was Sirius' house, when the Order's hiding place changed so did the
availability to the house for Order members.

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?

Snow:

I really thought he would have been more significant in this book given the
many conversations that Phineas has overheard in the past, primarily the one
with Kreacher's treachery. He's been on that wall a long time and heard many
other conversations with many other headmasters. I quite expect him to be of
significance.

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?

Snow:

'Incapable' is a very good guess given Merope's lack of magical performance
under stress from her Dad. Merope had to have been extremely depressed as
well, in fact most of her life, so losing the illusion of a life with Tom
Sr. had to have been crushing; makes me wonder why she chose to hang on to
life just long enough to ensure Tom Sr.'s son would live and give him a name
that would represent him perfectly; Tom Sr. on the outside but Marvalo on
the inside.

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

Snow:

No, but it is interesting where Dumbledore obtained this memory. We hear the
memory as though Burke is speaking to someone asking him a question about
the necklace but I don't think he told Dumbledore directly…because…The very
next pencieve scene Dumbledore tells Harry that this one is from his own
memory, so where did Dumbledore get Burke's memory?

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?

Snow:

I would have to say that I was not expecting lil' Tom to be so advanced at
magic given his age. Tom was already using a raw form of Legilimency on his
victims by saying, "tell me the truth" with a glare. This is most advanced
magic (for any wizard) even though young Tom clearly had not been capable of
commanding his victims nonverbally…yet. I thought this was the most stunning
of the revelations at the orphanage.

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

Snow:

This is Harry's greatest combative; Harry's greatest strength; the reason
Harry saved Pettigrew; the reason Harry responded the way he did when he
unintentionally could have killed Draco with a spell he didn't know. Harry
cares; "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the
pain of it." OOP 824

But even more than that…for the least deserving of such compassion.

It's easy to love the lovable but you are truly tested when you can love the
undeserved.

 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'?

Snow:

For Harry and the type of Love he has whether or not he recognizes he has
it, is incapable of fathoming a mother who would not do as Lily had done for
him. I think Harry sees it as human nature for a mother to protect their
child. If anything Harry learned from the Dursley's (even if it was not in
Dudley's best overall interest) was to protect their child. All mothers at
least protect their 'own' children. So to Harry, Lily didn't really have a
choice.

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?

Snow:

To me, Dumbledore seems to demand respect from the boys who are having a
problem giving respect. With young Tom it was a case of respect for
Dumbledore himself and his position. With Harry, it is a case of earnest
disrespect towards Snape that promotes Dumbledore's reminding Harry
continuously that Professor Snape deserves respect.

Tom learned immediately to address authority with respect even if he didn't
respect Dumbledore's authority but Harry wants to know why he has to respect
Snape; give Harry a reason to give the man respect. The problem appears to
be that Tom can appear to play by the rules and address even his most
contemptible teachers with a title of respect without distress to himself.
Harry on the other hand refuses to give title to someone he deems to be
little deserving of respect without adequate reasoning for doing so.

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?

Snow:

I saw this as Dumbledore looking for a reaction from Riddle, which he
certainly obtained. Plus Dumbledore needed a way in which to approach the
subject of the hidden treasures that little Tom procured; Dumbledore is a
master at detecting hidden magic.

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?

Snow:

Yes, Dumbledore needed to find out whether Harry was paying attention
without directly approaching the subject.

>And why was he pleased to hear Harry say that?

Snow:

Dumbledore pleasingly recognized Harry was attempting to connect the dots
and steered Harry away from any further thought in the future (once he found
out about the Horcruxes) that any of these objects held any true value to
Voldemort's mission.

>On a side note, do you think that was a JKR message to fans? :)

Snow:

If there was one other than what I observed, I guess I missed it

Great summary, Jen, loved the questions!

Snow

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