CHAP DISC, HBP 25, The Seer Overheard

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 161731

> QUESTIONS
> 
> 
> 1.	"'How can I have hung round with you for five years and not 
> think girls are clever?' said Harry, stung by this." What does 
this 
> remark tell you about Harry?

Magpie:
I think it says more about his friend than about him. What it says 
about him should have already been obvious--he knows girls can be 
really clever. Hermione's accusation is silly and self-serving. It's 
*she* who has her own agenda for the prince and wants to be right 
about something, so unfairly accuses Harry of being sexist and 
dismisses his own correct instincts about the gender of 
his "friend." To do that she accuses her own friend of something 
pretty big that he's never done. She might as well have said Harry 
didn't think a Muggleborn could be clever enough.
> 
> 2.	The narrator tells us that the reason why Harry disliked 
> Snape's detentions was because they were taking away from his time 
> with Ginny. Would have Harry liked them otherwise? 

Magpie:
No. He's never liked them for any reason. He doesn't think he's a 
cheat, doesn't like reading about the Marauders, hates spending time 
with Snape, has got the Quidditch team angry with him. But the 
narrator's got a shot here to remind us that Ginny makes Harry 
happy, and so much the better to do it through Snape ruining it.

> 3.	Why does Dumbledore want fewer visits from professor 
> Trelawney?

Magpie:
She's become more unstable and needy throughout the year. He 
probably tried to be patient at first and now sees no point, 
especially since he's getting busier.
 
> 4.	The card that Trelawney pulls and reads to Harry correctly 
> predicts what will happen soon. Did that cause you to change your 
> opinion of Trelawney's prediction powers, card reading and other 
> Seer abilities for the better? If not, why not?

Magpie:
Trelawney's always been a true seer about the most important things, 
and in this book it seemed clear that because she had hit such a low 
point and no one was listening she'd have to be telling the future 
right. She wasn't putting on a show, and she didn't think the cards 
could be right--so of course they would be.
 
> 5.	We have discussed many times Trelawney's version of the 
> prophecy, Dumbledore's version of the prophecy, whether they are 
> compatible or not, etc., so I am not going there, but there is a 
> small detail which I am not sure I remember an answer to 
> (speculative answer of course). How did Trelawney know that Snape 
> was looking for a job at the time? Alla imagines Snape and 
> Trelawney's evening tea conversations.

Magpie:
I guess whatever Trelawney remembers of Snape included him saying he 
was looking for a job. Either Snape said it (if she remembers seeing 
him) or Dumbledore maybe explains an interruption that way.  What's 
probably more important is just that we know he said he was looking 
for a job or was looking for a job (on Voldemort's orders?).


> 6.	"Snape and Peter Pettigrew together had sent Voldemort 
> hunting after Lily and James and their son ..." Do you agree or 
> disagree with this quote? Why? 

Magpie:
Snape sent Voldemort hunting, but then took action to prevent the 
prey being found. Peter came in when they were already being hunted, 
and pointed out their hiding place.
 
> 7.	"Dumbledore did not speak for a moment; he looked as though 
> he was trying to make up his mind about something. At last he 
> said, 'I am sure. I trust Severus Snape completely.'" What was 
> Dumbledore trying to make up his mind about?

Magpie:
I think he was making up his mind about whether to tell Harry why he 
trusted Snape, and decided to just tell him his conclusion instead 
of revealing things or trying to explain why he thinks the way he 
does. Perhaps that's a combination of not revealing Snape's private 
business, not saying something he's sure Harry should hear and 
thinking that just hearing about it won't be convincing enough.
 
> 8.	"'He hated my dad like he hated Sirius! Haven't you noticed, 
> Professor, how the people Snape hates tend to end up dead?'" We 
also 
> know so far that people whom Harry loves tend to end up dead and 
> some of the names on the list of people whom Snape hates and Harry 
> loves tend to be the same. If you were to predict the next person 
to 
> die by that criteria, whom would you pick?

Magpie:
I would have said Hagrid, but Snape doesn't seem to hate him. I 
can't actually think of too many people left that Harry actually 
loves and Snape actually hates. Despite how nasty he can be to kids, 
he only really seems to hate Harry. Lupin's the only person left 
from the last generation and despite the wishes of a lot of fans, 
Harry just really doesn't seem that close to him.

> 9.	"Breathing hard as though he were fighting, Harry turned 
> away from Dumbledore, who still had not moved a muscle, and paced 
up 
> and down the study, rubbing his knuckles in his hand and 
exercising 
> every last bit of restraint to prevent himself knocking things 
over. 
> He wanted to rage and storm at Dumbledore, but he also wanted to 
go 
> with him to try and destroy the Horcrux; he wanted to tell him 
that 
> he was a foolish old man for trusting Snape, but he was terrified 
> that Dumbledore would not take him along unless he mastered his 
> anger ..."
> 
> Harry is trying to restrain himself from knocking things over. Is 
it 
> because he has undergone some character development and is trying 
to 
> control his temper, or is he simply afraid that Dumbledore will 
not 
> let him come? Any other ideas?

Magpie:
I think Harry's shown this type of restraint before. With his 
upbringing especially he'd know what not to say to get what he 
wanted taken away.
 
> 10.	"'You're leaving the school tonight and I'll bet you haven't 
> even considered that Snape and Malfoy might decide to -' To what?' 
> asked Dumbledore, his eyebrows raised. 'What is it that you 
suspect 
> them of doing, precisely?'"  Why is Dumbledore asking Harry this 
> question?

Magpie:
I like to think Dumbledore's being a little arrogant here. He knows 
Harry can't actually answer the question, but is also referencing 
the powerlessness of Malfoy (since he knows-thinks he knows-that 
Snape won't be helping Draco at all).  Dumbledore knows the task is 
to kill him, which can't be done if he's left the castle, and he 
really doesn't see anything Malfoy could do that would be a danger. 
He uses Harry's ignorance about the big picture to shut him up and 
it works.

> 
> 11.	 `Thanks,' said Ron. 'Er - why do I need socks?'  Here we 
> meet socks again. In fact, we have attempted to figure out 
possible 
> socks symbolism in the books for quite some time now. So, is there 
> any possible symbolic reason why Harry gives Felix felicis to Ron 
> wrapped in sock?

Magpie:
I didn't think there was any, myself.

-m