[HPforGrownups] CHPDISC: HBP14, Felix Felicis

[elfundeb]

No: HPFGUIDX 151866

On 5/3/06, potioncat <willsonkmom at msn.com> wrote:

>
> 4. The Slytherin team members are Urquhart, Harper and Vaisey. Any
> thoughts on those names and what they might mean, or what images they
> conjure? How do they compare to the names of the Gryffindor beaters
> Peakes and Coote?


Coots are birds which are notable for being quite awkward when attempting to
walk on the ground but they are better fliers.  Though Coote is described as
"weedy" which doesn't exactly conjure up a coot's physique.

5. Many Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had taken sides. Does this give
> the impression that Slytherin House is not universally disliked? It
> sounds as if the individuals within the two houses had taken sides,
> not that one house was pulling for one team. What does this mean?


To me, it means that the Gryffindors can cop an attitude just as well as the
Slytherins can.  Since we see everything from Harry's POV, we are naturally
inclined to favor the Gryffs, but that's no reason fora Hufflepuff to do
so.  For example, considering Harry's relationship with Zacharias Smith, I
can't see him supporting a team of which Harry is captain.

6. Do you think Malfoy had to "bribe" Harper to play? Does Harper
> know Malfoy is up to something?


Harper's reaction to Harry's comment is meant to imply, I think, that Harry
is pretty close to the mark.  At a minimum, I believe Draco told Harper to
keep quiet about the whole issue.  If Harper is not an idiot, he probably
suspects Draco of something.

8. What do you think of Ginny's retaliation? If McGonagall was there,
> why wasn't she giving Smith what for?


It was unnecessary and completely un-funny.  While F&G might have made such
an act seem like just an ordinary day's work, it doesn't work with Ginny.
Her rejoinder was really lame in comparison to what F&G might have done.  As
a replacement for the Twins' twin role as agent of destruction and comic
relief, Ginny doesn't cut it.

9. We don't hear anything about the Snape-McGonagall Quidditch
> rivalry anymore. JKR has said she's glad to have written the last
> Quidditch game. Did JKR tire of the rivalry too? Do the two
> professors have more important things on their minds? Do you miss the
> rivalry?


My view is that the Quidditch is in the books as a metaphor for the struggle
against Voldemort, and that the Quidditch episodes in each book foreshadow
the book's denouemot in some way.  The Snape-McGonagall rivalry was
friendly, reminding us that they are on the same side ( i.e., Harry's
side).  Given what happens at the end of HBP, portraying a friendly rivalry
would be misleading.

Personally, I'm as relieved as JKR is that there's no more Quidditch to
write, because the descriptions of the games themselves do become quite
boring and repetitive.  That's why we have so many sports cliches; there are
only so many ways to describe a Quidditch goal.

10. How can Ron really be mad at Hermione for something that happened
> two years ago? Is he using Lavender, or does he need/want someone who
> admires him?


The revelation about Krum is not the issue; it is only a reminder of Ron's
problem, which is a perception of inadequacy.  Hermione's actions have
already undermined his confidence in himself, and the revelation that
everyone else but himself seems to have gotten some, er, face time, is just
one more reminder that he is not considered up to par. The straw that broke
the camel's back, though, was Hermione's assumption that Ron must have used
the potion because he was successful.

I think at this point, Ron *needs* Lavender, or rather he needs someone who
finds him attractive as he is, to shore up his crumbling self-esteem.  I do
not think he consciously decides to snog Lavender in order to gain
experience (it is Ginny who suggests this as his motive), or to avenge
Hermione's lack of confidence.  However, he soon discovers that Lavender
(who I sense would bear the label "airhead" rather well) is not long-term
relationship material.

11. We see Hermione with a flock of yellow birds around her head.
> That image is often used to represent innocence or love. Next thing
> we see, those birds are attacking Ron, and apparently do some damage.
> What does this tell us about Hermione? Or does it tell us more about
> love?


I think these images tell us less about love than about teenage romance.
It's all about the loss of the innocence of one's dreams, and how teens hurt
one another because they bring such raw emotions to the table without the
maturity to convey their feelings -- good or bad -- in a rational manner.
And no on in the series exemplifies these realities of teen life more
vividly than Ron and Hermione.  In spite of -- or perhaps because -- of
their friendship, they can't communicate constructively about their feelings
at all.

This is the second appearance of the birds in the chapter -- Hermione is the
only person in Transfiguration class able to conjure them.  Hermione may be
intellectually mature, but innocent in love (whether or not she has kissed
Krum, which is never confirmed in the text).

12. JKR set us up. The title of the chapter, the description at
> breakfast and the description of the game all made it look as if
> Harry had spiked Ron's drink. Did you think Harry put Felix Felicis
> in Ron's juice? What did you expect the outcome to be?


I was completely taken in.  But see below.

13. "Felix Felicis" is the title of the chapter. What part did the
> potion really play? Does this tell us anything about the potion or
> was it just part of the set up?


By the end of the chapter I was beginning to wonder if Felix Felicis is
nothing more than a placebo.  We make our own luck, and there are studies
indicating that performance is very substantially influenced by how we are
*expected* to perform.  Ron illustrates this phenomenon beautifully.  But I
think Harry's ability to extract Slughorn's Horcrux memory could fit this
theory just as well.  There, Harry *did* take some of the potion, but it was
his confidence that allowed him to devise a successful action plan.  The
Wizard of Oz didn't hand out anything useful to Dorothy's companions
either.

Ok, I've looked at the relevant chapters, and I think a good case can be
made for Placebo!Felix.  But I'll have to put it in a separate post.
Tomorrow, I hope.  Along with an analysis of the Quidditch.  And . . . and .
. . .

14. Felix Felicis wasn't really in the chapter "Felix Felicis." Was
> Snape's worst memory really in the chapter with that name? Can you
> think of other chapters that may have been written like this?


The chapter that comes to mind is the one in GoF entitled "Mad-Eye Moody,"
who of course was locked in his own trunk.  It was all about my favorite
villain, Barty Crouch, Jr.

Potioncat, who would like to thank Penapart_Elf and Carol for
> suggestions and encouragement.


Debbie, who would like to thank Potioncat for her intriguing questions


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