CHAPDISC: DH1, The Dark Lord Ascending

[lizcrosssmith]

No: HPFGUIDX 175977

My thoughts on some of the questions:

6. Voldemort gives Snape the seat of honor at his right hand. Is
this because Snape is his "right-hand man"? Or is Voldemort "keeping
his friends close, and his enemies closer"?

Liz:  Traditionally, seating arrangements are not done by chance.  
The people immediately on the host's right and left are the honored 
guests.  And I think that when LV directs his followers to their 
seats it is all very calculated and tells the story of who is in 
favor and who isn't.  LV is arrogant -- we see that over and over.  
He simply does not believe that anyone could stand up to his 
occlumency -- he has been successfully using it since he was a 
child.  Snape looks him in the eye and allows himself to be read.  
For LV to doubt Snape's allegiance he would first have to doubt his 
own abilities.  Not likely.


18. When Charity Burbage's body falls to the table, several Death
Eaters jump back in their chairs. Draco falls off his chair to the
floor. Is this symbolic of some Death Eaters not being fully behind
Voldemort's agenda? Or was it simply surprise?

Liz:  LV maintains control over his DEs thru a mixture of fear and 
promise.  He makes it clear that he has and continues to cross 
boundaries that others will not.  He wants to horrify his followers.  
And by how much shock they display when the body drops (question 23)
JKR shows us how far LV is from their own personal boundaries.  Draco 
is the most shocked by the action, so he is therefore the least along 
the dark path (the closest to redemption).


20. Voldemort has no issues with "pruning" the family tree of
undesirables, even though they may be pure-blood or half-bloods.
Yet, he is displeased with Burbage's article and her assertion that
the dwindling of Pureblood families is a good thing. Voldemort
says, of Charity Burbage, "She would have us all mate with Muggles...
or, no doubt, werewolves..." He includes himself with the Purebloods
here. Does he think his Muggle father's family doesn't count? Or is
he actively enforcing the idea that he, too, is a Pureblood?

Liz:  Think animal husbandry here.  Just because the dog is a 
pureblood Golden Retriever, if it is short and doesn't like to hunt, 
you aren't going to breed it.  We're talking master race here, folks 
and this is a guy who thinks of people as cattle.

Liz C-S