CHAPDISC: HBP24, Sectumsempra

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 161236

Excellent chapter discussion, Carol! Snipping it all to get to the 
questions. I have to answer in 2 parts.

And my response is formatted oddly---I cut and paste to word and word 
pad but something strange happened.

Discussion Questions: (Part 1)

1. How in the world could Ron "make it snow"? What might be the
significance, if any, of this particular piece of accidental magic?

Potioncat:

Because you asked, I started thinking about it. Reminds me of Wizard 
of Oz when the snow woke everyone up. Are Ron and Harry waking up to 
their feelings?

But the snow doesn't fit, does it? If they are turning vinegar into 
wine, why is his wand pointing into the air?

 Hey
is there something Freudian going on here? What I did notice is 
that Ron brushes the snow off Hernione's shoulders and that's when 
Lavender begins to cry. Picking lint off a companion's coat, or 
brushing something off, is generally a sign of intimacy. Seems that 
played into the plot of some book I read. Because the snow is 
otherwise out of place, I think it was to give that little insight 
into the relationship between Ron and Hermione.

At the same time, Ginny breaks up with Dean because she thought he 
was trying to help her. Actually it was Harry bumping into her, not 
Dean helping her. Does Harry even realize this?  I know, it's just an 
excuse on Ginny's part, but it seems like one of those TT things that 
happens.

Back to charms class,. JKR's made good use of Flitwick for a sort of 
double meaning. Flitwick comes over and says, "Less talk boys and 
more action
" Made me laugh this time.


2. Lavender and Dean are both jilted in this chapter. What is your
reaction, if any, to their jealousy and/or suffering? Which one do you
feel is more deserving of sympathy, and why?

Potioncat:
To be honest, I read through the romance parts pretty quickly. JKR 
has shown teen love here.  I feel sorry for both kids.

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?

Potioncat:
I could never figure this one out. Why did Harry feel this way? But, 
given that he did, he was doing a very good job of being a loyal 
friend. Ron wanted the two of them to get together all
along--from year two I think.

4. Harry undergoes a number of temptations in this chapter, among them
to try out Sectumsempra on McLaggen and to use Felix Felicis either to
strengthen his chances with Ginny or to help him get into the Room of
Requirement so he can find out what Draco is up to. What do these
temptations reveal about Harry and about his ability to deal with
temptation in general? Might they foreshadow a more serious temptation
in Book 7?

Potioncat:
Odd isn't it, that Harry thinks he needs a stroke of good luck for 
Ron to suddenly decide that Harry and Ginny would be perfect for each 
other
when all along that is what Ron wants. Harry thinks he needs 
luck for something that he already has. (Oz never did give nothing to
the tin-man, that he didn't already have
)

He feels tempted, but he resists
up to a point. I've forgotten, is 
this the book in which the hero is due to be tempted or is it next 
book---according to some theory of literature.

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?

Potioncat:
I don't remember what I thought at the time. Was I reading so fast 
that I moved right into the duel? My whole opinion of Draco changed 
after DD's speech. If DD thinks Draco is worth redeeming, then I 
needed to re-think my views. I feel for him now when I read this. 
Even though he says, "it won't work" he really sounds frightened. 
It's hard to tell if Draco is saying he can't kill DD, or saying he 
can't kill because the cabinet/plan wont' work.We find out later that 
Draco's family was threatened too. Had they already been at this 
point?


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?

Potioncat:
Very shocked. Then and now.  Not from a judgmental way, but he had 
other more certain spells to use.  He was the DA leader after all! 
Reading this section now, it seems like Draco was using Nonverbals up 
to the point he cried out "Cruc
" Does anyone else think so?


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?

Potioncat:
Why does Snape and only Snape show up so many times during Harry's 
adventures? It's the poor man's destiny.  I'm betting only Snape 
knows Sectumsempra and only he knows the 
Cure. 


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?

Potioncat:
This scene leaves me weak at the knees one minute the boy is almost 
dead and the next he's walking to the hospital wing. Snape's comments 
seem very comforting. Hard to tell if they sound more like something 
a RL doctor would say or more like a RL family member. But Snape is 
showing more consideration than he usually does. 

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? 

Potioncat:
Harry had no choice, but to wait.  He lies because he's in enough 
trouble as it is. He doesn't want to add the book into the mix and he 
certainly doesn't want to lose the book.