CHAPDISC: HBP24, Sectumsempra

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 161140

Oh, I was so looking forward to this chapter discussion! Thank you, 
Carol, for the wonderful (snipped) summary and interesting discussion 
questions!

> justcarol's Discussion Questions:
> 3.  Why does Harry feel that going out with Ginny would be disloyal 
to
> Ron and that he must choose between the two? What do you think Ron's
> reaction would have been if Harry had leveled with him?

Zgirnius:
Answering the second question first, I think Ron would have been 
delighted and supportive. It is my opinion that he has disliked all 
of Ginny's previous boyfriends as somehow unworthy of his baby 
sister. I do not think he views Harry, his best friend, in this 
light. Harry, however, has only observed the hostility to Ginny's 
boyfriends, and assumes it is more a general opposition to Ginny 
dating.

> 5. What was your initial reaction to Draco crying in the "bathroom"
> (restroom) and to Moaning Myrtle comforting him? Did that reaction
> change on a second reading after you understood what Draco was 
trying
> to do? Why or why not? 

Zgirnius: 
I was clueless as to Draco's mission, but my reaction did not change. 
I figured whatever the mission was, it was something Snape, Narcissa, 
and Bellatrix could all agree was difficult, so I felt sorry for 
Draco.

> 6.  Were you shocked that Harry would try out Sectumsempra under 
these
> circumstances, especially given the label "For Enemies"? Why or why
> not? What other options, if any, did he have in response to Draco's
> attempted Crucio?

Zgirnius:
I don't blame Harry for trying the spell, he was in a bad position 
(he had slipped, and he has good reason to fear the Cruciatus Curse). 
He must have figured it would be `something good', because of his 
respect and trust for the Prince. In fact, it was, but not in a way 
Harry appreciated.

He did have better options. I think either Expelliarmus or Protego 
would have worked for him here. He's making a mistake of going for 
something fancy where something tried and true (Expelliarmus had been 
helping him out of trouble for four years now!) would work at least 
as well.

> 7. Why did Snape and only Snape show up when Myrtle cried bloody
> murder? Could anyone else have saved Draco, or does Snape alone know
> the countercurse? What does the songlike or chantlike nature of the
> countercurse suggest to you about it or about Snape? 

Zgirnius;
I assume Snape was there because he is keeping an eye on Draco. Once 
he showed up, Myrtle stopped with the noise.

I'm not sure of the countercurse. I think it could be an invention of 
Snape's (we have at least one other set of spells he invented in a 
pair, `Levicorpus' and `Libercorpus'.) The songlike chant for a 
healing spell makes some sense because of the association of 
phoenixes with healing. Also, the `muttering' reminds me of what 
Dumbledore does in the Cave in the next chapter, where he seems to be 
muttering in a language Harry does not know. Some sort of advanced 
magic, perhaps?

> 8. Why do you think JKR included the reference to dittany in the 
scene
> rather than merely having Snape take Draco up to the hospital wing 
to
> be examined by Madam Pomfrey? What does it tell us about Snape 
and/or
> Draco? 

Zgirnius:
Snape is being reassuring, letting Draco know that if he follows an 
appropriate course of treatment, he will recover fully from his 
injury. I suppose it shows Snape has a decent bedside manner, and 
also is another illustration of the good relationship he and Draco 
have probably enjoyed out of our sight in the first five books. Like 
the conversation they had in "The Unbreakable Vow" we again see Snape 
showing concern for Draco and understanding of his worries/fears.

> 9. Why does Harry wait for Snape to return, as if he thinks that he
> deserves to be punished, and yet lie when Snape asks him where he
> learned such a Dark spell? What do you think would have happened if
> Harry had told the truth? 

Zgirnius:
I think Harry is shocked by what happened and does feel he deserves 
to be punished, but when Snape returns, his dislike of Snape wins 
out. I think if Dumbledore had shown up, he would have reacted 
differently.

I'm not sure exactly what Snape would have done. I think he would 
probably have punished Harry in some way regardless. (We see a 
similar dynamic at the end of OotP, when Snape catches Harry about to 
hex Draco, asks Harry what he is doing, and Harry states he is trying 
to decide what hex to use on Draco. Snape takes House points.)

As far as the question of whether he would confiscate the book, or 
bring it to Slughorn's attention in any way, I really could not say.

 > 10. Harry uses, or tries to use, three of the HBP's spells in this
> chapter (Muffliato, Levicorpus, and Sectumsempra), and he hides his
> book rather than risk having it confiscated. Afterwards, he defends
> the Prince against Hermione's accusations. What does this behavior
> tell us about Harry and about his relationship with the boy he knows
> only as the Half-Blood Prince?

Zgirnius:
Harry likes the spells and finds them both amusing and useful. He 
describes the Prince, at various points as helping him, and being a 
friend, and being funny.
 
> 11. Professor McGonagall tells Harry that he could have been 
expelled.
> Why does Snape tell the staff "precisely what happened" yet punish
> Harry only for being "a liar and a cheat"? Why didn't he so much as
> threaten to expel Harry when he could have done so? Are the Saturday
> detentions primarily intended to punish Harry by tormenting him with
> his father's indiscretions or does this tactic disguise Snape's real
> purpose for keeping Harry in his custody every Saturday until the 
end
> of term?

Zgirnius:
Snape clearly wants Harry to see the records of his father's 
detentions. He could find some other task for the Saturdays, if just 
having Harry around was the point (like preparing nasty Potions 
ingredients, for example). I don't think his purpose with the old 
detention cards is to torment Harry, though. We know what that looks 
like (read any scene of Dreadful Dolores with Harry in detention) and 
Snape's detentions look nothing like that. He is not described as 
even watching Harry's reactions, let alone smiling obscenely, etc.

I don't think Snape ever wanted to expel Harry, so the fact that he 
does not push for it when he may finally have cause does not surprise 
me. 

As far as the different reasons the staff and Harry are given for 
Harry's punishment-I will wait and see what others say. My stabs at 
this are WAY too long


> 12. Harry apparently feels only anger and resentment as he undergoes
> his detention, with no thought of the reasons why Snape assigned it.
> What has happened to Harry's horror and remorse? Has he forgotten 
his
> own wrongdoing? What, if anything, might Snape have done to make 
this
> detention (and its sequels) more effective?

Zgirnius:
I think the only thing that could have made the detentions more 
effective is if they were not assigned by or supervised by Snape. 
Harry has simply reached a point where he has not respect for Snape's 
authority as a teacher, at all, even when he knows himself to be in 
the wrong.
 
> 13. Why do you think Snape continues to use his old office in the
> dungeon, complete with dead creatures floating in colorful potions,
> now that he's the DADA teacher and his classroom is on another 
floor?

Zgirnius:
Habit? Sentiment? Proximity to the Slytherin Common Room?