CHAP DISC: HBP 22, After the Burial

[allies426]

No: HPFGUIDX 159314

CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 
22, After the Burial

     Summer is coming, and Harry is frustrated that he hasn't been 
able to retrieve the memory from Slughorn or to figure out what 
Malfoy is doing in the Room of Requirement.  The trio is sitting in 
the courtyard, and Ron and Hermione are preparing for the apparition 
test, which is scheduled for later that day.  Ron hides behind 
Hermione at the approach of every girl, fearing it will be Lavender.
	A girl arrives and hands Harry a note from Hagrid.  Aragog 
has died, and Hagrid wants the trio to come down to his hut at 
sunset for the burial.  They all agree that it's crazy of him to 
even ask, although Harry seems regretful.
     Hermione suggests that Harry try to talk to Slughorn during 
Potions, which should be almost empty due to the apparition 
test.  "57th time lucky, you think?" Harry asks, and this inspires 
Ron to suggest using Felix Felicis to get the memory.  Though he 
doesn't tell Ron and Hermione about it, Harry had had vague plans of 
using the potion to help split up Ginny and Dean.  Harry decides 
that if he's not successful during Potions, he'll use the Felix that 
evening.  
     Two unhappy-looking girls, the Montgomery sisters, walk by, and 
Hermione tells the boys that their little brother was attacked by a 
werewolf and died in St. Mungo's.  Harry is shocked to hear that 
werewolves sometimes kill rather than turning the victim into a 
werewolf.  Rumor has it that the attacker was Fenrir Greyback.
	Harry heads off to Potions while Hermione and Ron go for 
their apparition exam.  Slughorn has the students mix up any potion 
they'd like, something "amusing."  Harry notes that Malfoy looks 
thin, pale, and gray, leading him to believe that Malfoy's mission 
(still unknown) is going badly.  Harry mixes "An Elixir to Induce 
Euphoria," which turns out perfectly thanks to the Half-Blood 
Prince's corrections.  Slughorn speeds out of the class before Harry 
can talk to him.
	Back in the common room, Hermione and Ron return from their 
test.  Hermione passed; Ron failed because he left half an eyebrow 
behind.  Harry decides to take some of the Felix, but remarks that 
he won't need all 24 hours' worth.  Ron reminisces about the great 
feeling he got when he took it.  Hermione points out that he never 
took any, but Ron says that since he thought he did, it amounts to 
the same thing.
	Later that evening, Harry takes a "measured" gulp of the 
Felix and immediately feels exhilarated and like anything is 
possible.  Fully confident, he announces that he's going to Hagrid's 
hut.  As he's talking, Ron and Hermione became progressively more 
alarmed.  Hermione wonders if maybe he had a little bottle of 
something else that he might have taken by mistake.  Harry assures 
them that he – or rather, Felix – knows what he's doing.  He puts on 
the invisibility cloak and leaves the boys' dorm, followed by the 
other two.  Lavender shrieks at Ron, thinking he and Hermione were 
alone in the boys' dorm.  Harry accidentally brushes Ginny on the 
way out the portrait hole, and she reprimands Dean, thinking he was 
trying to help her through.
	Felix lights the way for Harry, and he decides to detour 
past the vegetable patch, where he finds Professor Sprout giving 
Professor Slughorn some plants.  Harry pulls off his invisibility 
cloak and reveals himself in a flourish to Slughorn.  Felix tells 
Harry to tell the truth, so he tells Slughorn where he's going.  
Slughorn immediately sees the profit that could be gained if he can 
get some of the venom from the dead Acromantula.  He heads up to the 
castle to change his clothing and get some wine.
	Harry arrives at Hagrid's hut.  Hagrid tells Harry that he 
can't go near the spider webs anymore, and that it was only Aragog's 
orders that kept the other spiders from eating him in the past.  
Slughorn arrives, and the three of them go outside to the pumpkin 
patch to bury Aragog.  Slughorn sneaks some venom from Aragog's 
pincers under the premise of examining the spider more closely.  He 
then gives a lovely eulogy.
	Back in the hut, Slughorn mentions that he had a house-elf 
taste all the wine bottles to make sure none were poisoned.  They 
all toast Aragog, although thanks to Felix, Harry knows he must not 
drink   As Slughorn and Hagrid get drunk, Harry manages a wordless 
refilling charm on the emptying wine bottles.  Hagrid gives Slughorn 
a whole unicorn tail, and then they start singing about a dying 
wizard.  Hagrid comments how his father and Harry's parents were too 
young to die, then falls asleep.
	Harry and Slughorn are the only ones awake.  Harry 
launches "remorselessly" into the story of his parents' murder, 
describing in detail for Slughorn how Voldemort murdered James, then 
stepped over his body to get to Lily and Harry.  His storytelling is 
dramatic and effective.  Slughorn begs him to stop.  Harry pretends 
he forgot how much Slughorn liked Lily.  He pours on the guilt, 
finally saying, "I am the Chosen One.  I have to kill him.  I need 
that memory."  
Slughorn admits to being afraid of what will happen to him if he 
helps Harry.  Harry says, "Be brave like my mother."  Slughorn tells 
Harry that he's not proud of what he did, that he thinks he did 
great damage the day in question.
	Slughorn finally gives Harry the memory he wants, 
saying, "You're a good boy.  And you've got her eyes
  Just don't 
think too badly of me once you've seen it
"  Then Slughorn falls 
asleep.

Discussion Questions:

1.  Why does a girl deliver Harry's note from Hagrid, rather than an 
owl?  Why isn't that girl named?  

2.  The Montgomery boy was attacked because his mother refused to 
help the Death Eaters.  The books make it seem like the Death Eaters 
are constantly threatening random and numerous wizards who refuse to 
help them.  Are there enough Death Eaters for this to be realistic?  
How many Death Eaters do we think there are?  What did they want 
from the Montgomery witch?  Will we hear more about her?  

3.  Harry was surprised to hear that werewolves sometimes kill their 
victim.  Were you?  In PoA, didn't Snape seem to imply that Lupin 
could have killed him during the Prank?  Why doesn't Harry remember 
that?  

4.  Do you think there's any possibility that Harry took something 
other than Felix Felicis?

5.  Harry didn't actually have 24 hours' worth of Felix Felicis, he 
only had a 12-hour dose.  Is it possible that his "measured" gulp 
didn't last as long as he thought it would?  Might he have been on 
his own at the end of the conversation in Hagrid's hut?  Or was that 
just a flint?

6.  How much of the effect of Felix Felicis do you think is placebo?

7.  Do you think Harry acted recklessly under the influence of 
Felix?  We know that when taken in excess, the potion can be 
harmful.  Is there any possibility that something bad could have 
happened to Harry even with this limited use?   

8.  Harry thinks how upset Hermione would be by Slughorn making a 
house-elf taste wine that could be poisoned.  Are we EVER going to 
see something come of Hermione's obsession with house-elves?

9.  What do you think would have happened if Harry had drank the 
wine at Hagrid's?  Would it just have interfered with retrieving the 
memory, or could there be some type of bad interaction between the 
two drinks?  

10.  Slughorn acquires unicorn hair and Acromantula venom at 
Hagrid's hut.  Are we going to see those items again, and how?

11.  Felix tells Harry that Slughorn won't remember their 
conversation in the morning.  Do you think that's true?  Even if it 
is, a Legilimens like Voldemort could probably see the truth.  Is 
Slughorn in great danger now that he has given Harry the memory?

12.  What was your reaction to the "remorseless" way Harry described 
his parents' murder in this scene?  Do you think he only did that 
because he had to, or is he less sensitive about the subject now?  
Is this a different side to Harry than what we usually see?  What 
does this tell us about Harry's growth since we met him as an eleven-
year-old?


Many thanks to Ari Elf, aka Jen, for her help & suggestions!  

Allie


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