CHAPDISC: HBP21, The Unknowable Room

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 158753

> Marianne:
> CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 
Chapter 
> 21, The Unknowable Room

zgirnius:
Thanks for your hard work putting together this fine summary and 
interesting questions for us!
> 4. Do you think SPEW will be back in Book 7?

Zgirnius:
I hope not


> 6. Do you think it's likely that MWPP did not know of the Room of 
> Requirement, or is Hermione right in assuming that the room is 
> Unplottable?

Zgirnius:
I very much doubt they knew about the ROR. Nobody suggested it to 
Harry as a good place to hold the DA meetings-didn't Sirius suggest 
the Shrieking Shack, which would require getting out of the castle at 
night?

> 7. In the exchange about the ROR, Hermione shows her logical 
> thinking in determining that Harry won't be able to get inside.  
> Harry displays some intuitive thinking in figuring out who 
> the "variety of students are." Ron is amused about transfigured 
> Crabbe and Goyle.  Does this tell us anything about the relative 
> strengths and weaknesses of the Trio?

Zgirnius:
Nice point. The Trio in a nutshell. Harry is intuitive, Hermione is 
logical, and Ron is a lot of fun!

> 8. After 5-plus years at Hogwarts, is Ron really clueless on how to 
> use a wand to clean up spilled ink? 

Zgirnius:
No, Ron just doesn't think about boring practical matters like the 
best way to salvage his essay.

 > 9. What do you suppose Hermione was thinking when Ron compared 
> Lavender to the Giant Squid?

Zgirnius:
Calamari recipes?
 
> 9. It's understandable that Harry dreams of Draco and Slughorn, as 
> he is spending so much time thinking about them.  But, why does 
> Snape appear in the dreams, too? Is Harry making a subconscious 
link 
> between the three, or is Snape simply the stuff of nightmares for 
> Harry?

Zgirnius:
I don't think the link is all that subconscious. Harry is following 
Draco around and worrying about his plans, but he hasn't dropped 
Snape. He suspects him as well, as he keeps reminding Dumbledore. 
Snape fits right in to a dream about all the problems Harry is 
thinking about that year.

> 12. How much of Myrtle's description of sensitive, bullied, lonely 
> Draco is her own imagination?

Zgirnius:
It is hard to judge, since we do not see them interact. One presumes 
Draco is nicer to her than Ron

 
> 13. Is Hermione's puzzlement regarding Tonks' activities a clue 
that 
> something sinister is going on, or is this a red herring that is 
> later explained away by Tonks' love for Remus?

Zgirnius:
I tend to think it is just a red herring.

> 16. Hermione insists on at least four different occasions in this 
> chapter that Harry is wrong to try to think of a magically-induced 
> way to pry Slughorn's memory from him. Yet, Harry does end up using 
> a potion on himself. Is Hermione wrong in her opinion that the key 
> to unlocking Slughorn is something innate in Harry?

Zgirnius:
No, she is right. The methods the potion inspires Harry to use could 
not be duplicated by anyone else. He uses Slughorn's findness for 
Lily, and his own position as the One to convince Slughorn to give 
him the memory.