CHAPDISC: HBP28, Flight of the Prince

[colebiancardi]

No: HPFGUIDX 163641

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "colebiancardi" <muellem at ...> wrote:
<snipping out the summary>
Thanks for all the responses!!  I really liked all of your answers -
some of the questions I asked because I had no real answer to them and
now I do!!  So, I don't know if this bad form or not, but I would like
to add my own answers now :)  But keep 'em coming!  
> 
> DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
> 
> 1.	Why so much blood? The blood in the corridor by the tower, bloody
> footprints, blood on the flagstones. Who was wounded? Malfoy? Snape?
> The blond DE? The brother & sister act was behind Harry, so it could
> not have been them.  
> 
colebiancardi:
I thought it might be Bill's blood; but I was struck on how much blood
tracked from the tower (many flights up) all the way to the front
door.  I agree with Ceridwen
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/163603)  – it is
too much fresh blood and I think that someone else got wounded.


> 2.	Harry's state of mind is understandably chaotic and confused Yet,
> Harry seems to be holding his own with the Death Eaters and he is able
> to jinx them successfully. However, against Snape, he was unable to
> get one jinx or curse off fully. Why is that? 
> 
and
> 3.	Since Snape is able to deflect every one of Harry's spells, do you
> think that Snape is an extremely powerful wizard or do you think it is
> due to Harry's lack of experience in comparison with Snape? If the
> latter, explain why Harry didn't have this problem in the battle from
> Order of the Phoenix? If the former, who trained Snape to be so
powerful?
> 
colebiancardi:
I agree with those who stated that Snape has the upper hand in this
battle.  IMHO, Snape is an extremely powerful wizard and has
experience way beyond Harry's and he uses it to his advantage.  Also,
the fact that someone very beloved to Harry has just been "murdered"
by the man he loathes also blinds Harry's ability to fight properly. 
Harry is seeing red and if it was a lesser wizard, he might have
defeated him.  But Snape is not a lesser wizard.  Snape is using
Legilimency in this battle and is a master at non-Verbals.


> 4.	Much discussion has already been had on whether Snape was imparting
> his last lesson to Harry with his advice of no Unforgivable Curses,
> his reference to Harry's lack of nerve and ability, and his
> instruction to shut his mouth and close his mind. Explain why you
> think Snape did this if it was not in order to help Harry in the
long run.

colebiancardi:
Well I think he was helping Harry – giving his last lesson in his
usual Snape-like way, so I have no reason to answer this question :)

>  > 5.	Snape has the same expression of hatred on his face as he did
right
> before he killed Dumbledore. This is right before he tells Harry that
> he is the Half-Blood Prince. A lot of discussion has been generated
> around this expression when we've talked about Dumbledore's death and
> the parallel of Harry's feelings in the cave. We've never talked about
> this particular chapter and this same expression on Snape's face. Do
> you think it really is the same expression? The same feelings behind
> it? Those who believe that Harry's feelings of hatred and revulsion
> are the same as Snape's look of hatred and revulsion (self-loathing,
> perhaps?), explain this same expression that it is this chapter. I
> hope question made sense!! 

colebiancardi:
I agree with those who stated that we are seeing this thru Harry's
eyes and the expressions are not the same.  I really liked Carol's
explanation (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/163600)
 
> 6.	Snape loses his sardonic cool when Harry calls him a coward and
> refers to Dumbledore's death. This is the only time during the battle
> that Snape actually hits Harry with a curse. Why did Snape show his
> weakness to Harry? What was it about that statement that pushed Snape
> over the edge?  Harry called Snape a coward earlier, yet Snape just
> jeered at him then. Was it really about being called a coward or that
> Harry accuses Snape of killing Dumbledore?  This is my favorite
> question, BTW.  I can't wait to read the responses.

colebiancardi:
I believe that it was Harry's accusation of Snape killing Dumbledore
that pushed Snape over the edge.  To be called a coward is one thing,
but then to follow up with that with Harry's declaration of "kill me
like you killed him" was the last straw.  I agree with Julie in post
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/163607

> 
> 7.	When a DE curses Harry, Snape states that "Potter belongs to the
> Dark Lord" and the curse is lifted.  However, that doesn't explain why
> Snape only deflects Harry's spells during the battle. Snape could have
> issued a "Petrificus Totalus" curse on Harry, which would not have
> harmed him. Why didn't Snape do such a spell?  And who lifted the
> curse from Harry?

colebiancardi:
I don't know if the DE who cast the curse lifted it or if Snape forced
the DE to stop the curse.  But I was very curious on seeing the
answers to why Snape didn't do a curse like "Petrificus" on Harry. 
Carol & Julie gave me the answer I was seeking, as I was at a loss for
why he didn't.   Carol and Julie explain it better than I could, but I
will just summarize that Snape was still protecting Harry by not
leaving him defenseless and at the mercy at the other DE's.  Very well
thought out answers and I agree!!
> 
> 8.	Hagrid has always defended Snape's trustworthiness. Why is that? Is
> it just because of Dumbledore's steadfastness or something else? After
> all, Hagrid was around at Hogwart's when Snape was a student - does he
> know something more about Snape than the rest of the Order?
colebiancardi:
The reason why I asked this question is because I noticed the same
thing that Julie did – we never hear Hagrid's opinion of Snape at the
end, like we do with the other adults.  And Hagrid is never without an
opinion on those he dislikes or hates.  So, I think there is more and
hopefully, we will hear about it in DH.
 

> 9.	Do you think Harry got rid of important clues when he rearranged
> Dumbledore's glasses and wiped the blood away?
> 
colebiancardi:
Ahhh, I just threw this one in for Pippen <bg> but I do wonder about
the "fresh" blood on DD's mouth.  It was a trickle, so it should have
died by the time Harry got to the body. 

> 10.	<snip on the background info>  
> So, the question is about R.A.B.- if RAB is not Regulus Black, who is
> it?  If you believe it is Regulus, do you think he is really dead or
> in hiding (RE: Dumbledore's conversation with Draco). If in hiding,
> why didn't Dumbledore already know that this locket was not the real
> Horcrux? Why would he put himself through the whole experience in the
> cave? Was it a setup? 
colebiancardi:
Well, I am a HUGE Regulus fan and I wrote a very detailed theory back
in July 2005 about Regulus and Snape & why Snape turned, etc, blah,
blah.  You can read it
here(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/135011 and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/13511).  I  still
stand by it<bg> I think RAB is Regulus, he is alive & in hiding.  DD
didn't know about the fake locket, because Regulus went mad after
drinking the potion.  Okay, that's my story and I am sticking by it. 
Unless, DD wanted this to be an exercise for Harry, to see the dangers
first hand, to see if Harry could give someone up for the greater
good(the force-feeding of the potion to DD), to hone him for what may
lie ahead.  I don't really like that theory, but there is a WAR going
on and people take drastic actions to win.

> 
> 11.	Did you feel that Dumbledore's death at Snape's hands was subtle?
> Or too obvious and expected? Was this in keeping with Rowling's normal
> style of ending her books?
colebiancardi:
Sorry for the confusion with the word subtle – I could not find the
word I was looking for – Snape's betrayal was clearly outlined within
the second chapter and there was foreshadowing that something was very
wrong with DD.  Snape's "killing" of DD had no subtlety at all – the
blast, the throwing of DD off the tower – not really Snape's style –
I've always thought of Snape being more secretive and would not be so
"showy".  As I believe Rowling when she states that book 6 & 7 are
really one book, we are in the middle of this huge masterpiece and as
with all of HP books, the one that Harry feels is the villain is not
the villain at the end, and instead is really one of the good guys.


> 
> 12.	Finally, what do you think of this chapter thematically?  Do you
> feel this is the best chapter Rowling has written?
> 
colebiancardi:
I love this chapter – I thought it was fantastic – Snape & Harry
yelling at each other defiantly, all the lies and duplicity that was
in their relationship – right out in the open finally a huge, bloody
wound, instead the scab they had been picking at for the last 6 years.
 I was shocked when Snape issued the AK on DD.  But I never did think
he was anything but DDM!Snape – even with that.

colebiancardi(who really picked up those small details when writing
the summary - some of those details I never noticed before, so this
was great fun for me and I hope that I can grab a chapter in book 7 to
discuss as well)