CHAPDISC: HBP30, The White Tomb

[hickengruendler]

Hickengruendler:

First of all, thanks for the great sumary.

a_svirn:

> Questions:
>  
> 1.	Do you find the Patil Twins' and Seamus' parents' attitude 
> reasonable or overprotective? Although the school has been 
penetrated 
> by death eaters there is no mention of extra security measures 
taken 
> or Aurors posted. Do you suppose there weren't any? 

Hickengruendler:

I find the parents' reaction understandable. I do think Hogwarts is 
still one of the safest, if not the safest, place in Britain, but it 
has proven not to be safe from the Death Eaters. and in this case, I 
can understand the parents, who want to have their children around. I 
have, however, a nasty feeling that for some of them it will mean 
doom, when the families get attacked. Mrs Finnigan has married a 
Muggle. I wouldn't be surprised if the Death Eaters will attack the 
Finnigans just to set an example. I don't think extra safety measures 
are necessary right now, because the Aurors are there anyway for the 
funeral. But I assume there will be some in the new schoolyear. 

a_svirn:
 
> 4.	It has been discussed extensively, but still. Is Harry right 
> in thinking that Snape followed the same pattern as Voldemort? Does 
> proclaiming oneself a Half-Blood Prince mean renouncing one's 
muggle 
> heritage? 

Hickengruendler:

IMO, no, Harry isn't right. Snape didn't call himself the "Pure-Blood 
Prince" and not even "The Wizard Prince", but he chose a nickname 
which instead of denouncing the fact, that he is a Halfblood, 
emphasizes it. The nickname is just as contradictory as the man 
himself.

a_svirn:
 
> 6.	Why does Hermione object to the word "evil"? Incidentally, 
> the words she actually uses can be at best described as 
> understatements – "nasty sense of humour" indeed! Why is she being 
so 
> guarded? 

Hickengruendler:

I think Hermione objected to the word evil to make Harry clear, that 
he isn't responsible for what happened. The book showed clearly the 
Prince's flaws (particularly with the Sectumsempra spell), which 
Harry ignored, but there's a long way from this to downright evil. 
Besides, it wouldn't have changed anything in regards to Dumbledore's 
death anyway. Even if Harry had gone to Dumbledore because he didn't 
trust the book any longer, and even if Snape would have been 
identified as the HBP, Dumbledore still wouldn't have believed, that 
Snape is on Voldemort's side. (And of course Dumbledore would have 
been right about this ;-) ).
 
a_svirn:

> 9.	Did the funeral go as planned? Some, at least, of the 
> onlookers were genuinely shocked when Dumbledore's body combusted. 

Hickengruendler:

I think it went as Dumbledore planned. If all of the guests expected 
it, I don't know.
 
a_svirn:

> 11.	In a way the White Tomb is the true "magic brethren" 
> monument. Virtually everyone came to pay their respects to 
> Dumbledore, the entire Ministry, the denizen of Hogsmead and Diagon 
> Alley, the representatives from the WW abroad, the centaurs, the 
> merpeople, even the Castle ghosts. Yet there were few conspicuous 
> absences. Goblins did not come, and no mention has been made about 
> house-elves. Do you think that is significant? 

Hickengruendler:

It might be about the Goblins. From what we saw about the houseelves, 
they, (except Kreacher), seem to like Dumbledore. Dobby for sure 
does. So I don't think it is suspicious in regards to the houseelves. 
Maybe they just didn't want to be seen. 
 
a_svirn:

> 13.	Why is Scrimgeour so adamant about Stan Shunpike's fate? 
> Surely his release is a small price to pay for Harry's cooperation?

Hickengruendler:

I have no idea. I don't understand Scrimgeour as a character and his 
motives, unless he is secretly working for Voldmeort. (Which I won't 
rule out.) Note that Voldemort blackmailed Fudge to leave him his 
office, but once Fudge retired and Scrimgeour got the office, there 
weren't any of those blackmail attempts, that we know of. So maybe 
Scrimgeour is Voldemort's minion.

a_svirn:
  
> 14.	There is something odd about the way Ginny accepts Harry's 
> decision, while Ron and Hermione refuse to do so. Even stranger, 
> Harry does not really attempt to talk them out of sharing his 
> destiny. (And still more strange seems his surprise at Ron and 
> Hermione's reaction.) Does it mean that for Harry (and even for 
> Rowling) friendship is something infinitely more important than 
love? 
> Even so, Ginny is not just a girlfriend; she is a friend as well.

Hickengruendler:

Yes, she is *a* friend. But she is not as close to him in this 
regards as Ron or Hermione. She is about on the similar level 
friendship wise as Fred, George and Neville. She doesn't even know 
about the Horcruxes or the prophecy currently.  

I think the explanation from without the storyline would be, that 
Ginny simply doesn't belong on the Horcrux hunt. It's the Trio, who 
are the central characters, and therefore it logically have to be 
them, to go on this mission together.