Re: CHAPDISC: HBP20, Lord Voldemort’s Request

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 158148

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, AnitaKH <anita_hillin at ...> 
wrote:
>
> CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 
Chapter 20, Lord Voldemort's Request

<SNIP of the excellent summary>
>    
>   Questions:
>    
>   1) Later, we discover the "small girl" was Crabbe or Goyle, and 
he was serving as lookout for Draco.   Who suspected this was more 
than it seemed at the time?  (I didn't at all suspect polyjuice, but 
I did think this wasn't just a throwaway scene.)

Alla:

Same here, I found this scene to be wierd for some reason but did 
not suspected polijuice either.


>   4) What does the scene with Trelawney do at this point?  It 
keeps her on the reader's radar, but is there a larger purpose for 
seeing her at this point?  Do we need reinforcement that she is 
antagonistic to Firenze?  Is its purpose to remind us that she is in 
danger from the prophecy, of which she is oblivious? 

Alla:

I think it is in some way hints again that Trelawney has a true 
gift, that her ways of Seeing can also be correct ( don't know how 
often, hehe, but certainly sometimes), that we should listen to her 
predictions sometimes :)

  
>   5) In this scene, we see one of the few times that Dumbledore 
really calls Harry to task for his failings.  Does this scene fit 
the Dumbledore of Book 6?  Does it fit the Dumbledore of Books 1 – 
5?  How did you feel about DD in this scene?

Alla:

I soooo loved Dumbledore here and found him to be perfectly in 
character in all the books :) I think he was being a great teacher 
too. He knew exactly how to shame Harry and it worked so wonderful.

It reminded me of Remus lecturing Harry after Hogsmeade, which also 
worked well. Bravo, Dumbledore :)

    
>   6) Do you find Dumbledore being manipulative here, playing on 
Harry's healthy sense of guilt?  Or is he genuinely seeking Harry's 
opinion for some reason?

Alla:

Depends on what you mean by **manipulative**. I refuse to 
entertain "manipulative" Dumbledore as in **Using people for his 
purposes only**, but if you mean manipulative as in teacher and 
resistance leader who loves Harry and wants him to survive and wants 
WW to survive too and wants to teach Harry how to do so, then sure, 
he probably was.

I mean, IMO he was genuinely preparing Harry to take the lead and 
wanted his opinion because he values his opinions and Harry needs to 
be able to express them.


    
>   7) Dumbledore talks about how disappointed certain staff members 
are that Tom went to work at Borgin and Burkes.  Is it because they 
see him as a "cashier," rather than an influential rising star, or 
is it because he's working for Borgin and Burkes, purveyors of Dark 
Arts paraphernalia? 

Alla:

Dark Arts, I think.

    
>   12) This scene encapsulated for me the whole dynamic of 
Voldemort's behavior in the past that led to his downfall during his 
first reign.  Are we to presume these are the seeds of his 
destruction?   How do you think Ollivander's use of the word `great' 
to describe Voldemort in PS fits in with this exchange between DD & 
Voldemort on the issue of `greatness'?"

Alla:

yeah, I think those are Voldemort's seeds of destruction - his 
inability to understand genuine love ( ancient magic, etc).

As to how Olivander words fits in - no idea, but I always found 
them - to be  wierd I should say. I don't find evil to be great, I 
am puzzled that Olivander chose this word, always was, even if he 
added **terrible**.

    
>   13) Are we to presume that the twitch Harry saw in the Pensieve 
memory is Voldemort casting the DADA teacher curse?  What else might 
he have been doing? 

Alla:

I think so, yes, I think he was casting that curse :)

    
>   Respectfully submitted,
>    
>   akh, who thinks either KJ or Shorty Elf (or both) is a genius 
for adding the question numbers into the synopsis of the Chapter 19 
discussion. 
>    
>
Alla:

Thank you SO much Akh for excellent questions.