CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: DH7 - The Will of Albus Dumbledore

[Kathryn Jones]

No: HPFGUIDX 179017

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CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: DH7 - The Will of Albus Dumbledore

	I feel that I must warn you that the length, and tediousness of this
chapter is only exceeded by those describing the camping trip.  A
great deal happens in this chapter, but the author describes it in
such a way as to hide the importance of any new happenings. 
Only seven other chapters are as long as or longer than this one.

	This chapter opens in the viewpoint of  Voldemort,  walking along a
mountain road.  The scene is set at dawn.  Far below is a small town.
 He needs to talk to someone so badly that he can think of nothing
else.  Someone is in that town that can answer his question. [Q#1]

	In the next paragraph, Ron wakes Harry, who has been dreaming about
the scene above.  His scar is "prickling," but it is not painful. Ron
tells him that he has been talking in his sleep and mentioned the name
of  Gregorovitch.  Ron and Harry discuss the name.  Harry believes
that he has heard the name before, but he cannot remember where.[Q#2]

	Harry is able to tell Ron that Voldemort is looking for Gregorovitch,
and is out of the country.  He also feels that the name has something
to do with Quidditch.  Ron sympathizes with Gregorovitch.

	Ron reminds Harry that it is his birthday.  Harry had forgotten the
date.  He immediately grabs his wand and performs several spells in
rapid succession just because he can. [Q#3][Q#4] Ron gives Harry his
birthday gift, a book titled "Twelve Fail-safe Ways to Charm Witches".
 [Q#5]

	Ron and Harry go downstairs for breakfast.  They find a pile of
presents waiting for Harry on the table.  Bill and Mr. Delacour are
finishing breakfast and chatting with Molly.  Molly wishes Harry a
happy birthday from Mr. Weasley, who has already left for work and
tells him that the present from them is on top.  Harry opens it and
finds a watch that once belonged to her brother Fabian.  She seems
embarrassed that it is not new like Ron's watch.  Harry gets up, hugs
her and attempts to put all that he feels for her into his hug.  She
gets flustered and drops half a package of bacon on the floor. [Q#6]

	Hermione runs in with her present for Harry and asks what Ron gave
him.  They do not answer her.  Hermione's gift is a new sneakoscope. 
The other gifts include an enchanted razor, from Bill and Fleur,
chocolates from the Delacours, and a box of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
merchandise from the twins.  Due to the crowding, the trio leaves. 
Hermione packages up Harry's gifts and states that she is just waiting
for Ron's pants to come out of the wash.[Q#7]

	A door opens on the first floor landing and Ginny asks to see Harry
privately.  Hermione urges Ron on up the stairs to give Harry and
Ginny privacy.  Harry follows Ginny into her room, nervously.  He
notices posters of the Weird Sisters and Gwenog Jones.  Ginny wishes
him a happy birthday.  Harry admires the view.  Ginny ignores this
change of subject and continues.  She does not know what to give him,
and decides to give him something to remember her by.  She then kisses
him.  They are still well involved, as Ron barges into the room.  

	Harry feels as though his happy bubble has burst with Ron's entrance,
and they are all annoyed and embarrassed.  Ginny turns her back to
them, and they leave her room.  Once outside, Ron accuses Harry of
ditching Ginny and now "messing her around."  Hermione attempts to
stop him but Ron puts up his hand to silence her.[Q#8]  He tells Harry
that she was really cut up when Harry ended it.  Harry admits that he
was "cut up" as well but that Ron knows why he had to stop it.  Ron
argues that she is just getting her hopes up again.  Harry considers a
vivid picture in his mind of Ginny marrying some stranger and can see
nothing but Voldemort in his own future.  Harry snarls that it will
not happen again.

	Charlie's arrival provides a welcome distraction and preparations are
made for Harry's birthday dinner.  Lupin, Tonks and Hagrid also
arrive.  Fred, George and Hermione are decorating with lanterns and
streamers.  Mrs. Weasly brings out a large birthday cake in the shape
of a snitch.  By seven o'clock all the guests are present except for
Mr. Weasly.  Hagrid gives Harry a furry moleskin pouch as a gift.  The
pouch is able to hide things that only the owner can get out. [Q#9] 
Hagrid asks Charlie about Norbert.  Charlie tells him that they call
the dragon Norberta now and informs Harry that female dragons are more
vicious.

	A streak of light came flying into the yard and became a silvery
weasel.  It is the patronus of Arthur Weasley,[Q#10] who is warning
his family that he is arriving with Rufus Scrimgeour.  Lupin and Tonks
immediately climb over the fence and leave the scene.  Lupin promises
to explain later. [Q#11]

	Moments later,  the Minister and Arthur apparate to the Weasley gate.
 Scrimgour apologizes for disturbing the party, wishes Harry many
happy returns, and asks to speak privately with Harry, Ron, and
Hermione.  He requests a more private place to speak and Arthur
directs him to the sitting room.  Scrimgeour tells Arthur that he need
not accompany them. Arthur and Molly look worried.

	Harry believes that Scrimgeour is there because he has heard that the
three are not returning to Hogwarts.  As they enter the sitting room,
Harry flicks his wand at the lights to turn them on.  Scrimgeour sits
in Arthur's chair leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione to share the sofa.
 The Minister has questions for the three of them and requests Harry
and Hermione to wait upstairs while he talks to Ron. [Q#12]

	Harry refuses and insists that he speak to them together. Finally, 
Scrimgeour agrees and advises them that he is here because of
Dumbledore's will.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione are greatly surprised by
this.  Harry interrupts to ask why it has taken so long to give them
what Dumbledore left.  Hermione answers that they obviously wanted to
examine the bequests.  Hermione tells Scrimgeour that he had no right
to do so. [Q#13]  Scrimgeour advises that he has the right under the
Decree of Justifiable Confiscation, which gives the Ministry the power
to confiscate the contents of a will.  Hermione states that the law
was created to prevent the passing on of dark artifacts, and that the
Ministry needs powerful evidence that that the deceased's possessions
are illegal prior to seizure.[Q#14]

	Harry asks why Scrimgeour has decided to let them have their things
now.  Hermione answers again that he must give them up because he is
only able to hold them for thirty-one days and the time is up.

	Scrimgeour ignores Harry and Hermione and asks Ron if  he considered
himself close to Dumbledore.  Ron is taken by surprise and states that
he had never been close to Dumbledore.  Scrimgeour looks as if he has
received the expected answer and demands that Ron explain why
Dumbledore would have left him a bequest in his will.  There were very
few bequests as Dumbledore had left nearly everything to Hogwarts. 
Ron attempts to explain, when Hermione interrupts to remind Ron that
Dumbledore had been very fond of him.  Harry feels that this is
stretching the truth as Ron and Dumbledore had never even been alone
together.

	Scrimgeour again ignores Harry and Hermione and draws a parchment,
the Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
from a pouch in his cloak.  From this scroll he reads,"To Ronald
Bilius Weasley, I leave my deluminator in the hope that he will
remember me when he uses it".  He then took an object from the pouch,
which resembled a silver cigarette lighter and leaned forward to hand
it to Ron.  Scrimgeour then states that the deluminator is a valuable
and rare item, of Dumbledore's own design and asks Ron why he was left
such an item.  He asks what Dumbledore expected him to do with it. 
Lost for an explanation, Ron says that he expects it was to put out
lights.

	Scrimgeour then pulls a book from the bag.  It is old, its' binding
peeling and stained.  The title is written in runes. Harry notices a
tear fall on the book.  Hermione is crying.  Scrimgeour asks Hermione
why Dumbledore left her the book.  She answers that he knew how much
she liked books.  Scrimgeour asks her if she and Dumbledore had ever
discussed codes or means of passing hidden messages.  Hermione states
that if the Ministry has not found any in thirty-one days, she is
unlikely to do so.

	Scrimgeour then reads from the will again to Harry.  He reads: "To
Harry James Potter I leave the snitch he caught in his first Quidditch
match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and
skill".  He pulls out of the bag a walnut sized golden ball. 
Scrimgeour asks Harry why Dumbledore left him the snitch.  Harry
responds that he does not know other than for the reasons given. 
Scrimgeour observes that Harry's birthday cake is in the shape of a
snitch and asks why that would be.  Hermione laughs and answers that
it has nothing to do with Harry being a seeker, it must mean that
there is a secret message in the icing.  Scrimgeour advises them that
the snitch would be a better hiding place than the cake and asks them
if they know why that might be.  Hermione again answers.  Harry thinks
that the habit of answering questions is so ingrained in Hermione that
she cannot help herself.  She states that snitches have flesh memories.

	Harry and Ron are extremely surprised at this answer.  They both
believed that Hermione's knowledge of Quidditch was negligible.[Q#15]

	Scrimgeour goes on to explain that no one including the maker touches
the snitch prior to its release at a match.  It can then identify the
first human to lay hands on it in the event of a disputed
capture.[Q#16]  Scrimgeour suspects that Dumbledore has left something
in the snitch, which, can only be accessed by Harry's touch.  Harry is
now worried.  He is not able to think of any way of avoiding touching
the snitch.  Scrimgeour insists that Harry take it.  Scrimgeour places
the snitch slowly and carefully into Harry's hand.  Harry closes his
hand on the snitch and it became still.  Scrimgeour is disappointed. 
He advises Harry that Dumbledore also left Harry the sword of
Gryffindor, but that it is not his to give as it is considered an
important historical artifact. Scrimgeour asks Harry if Dumbledore
believed that Harry was the one to defeat Voldemort using the sword. 
Harry replies that Dumbledore thought that it would look nice on
Harry's wall. 

	Harry suggests that the Minister is wasting his time trying to open
snitches instead of doing his job.  Scrimgeour becomes angry and
advances on Harry, poking him in the chest with his wand and burning a
hole in his shirt.[Q#17]  Scrimgeour advises Harry that it is time he
learned some respect.  Harry advises Scrimgeour that it is time that
he earned it.  Mr. and Mrs Weasley, hearing raised voices enter the
room.  The Minister regrets Harry's attitude and says that they should
be working together.  Harry reminds him that he does not care for
Scrimgeour's tactics.  Scrimgeour then leaves

	Mr. Weasley asks what Scrimgeour wanted.  They tell him that he was
giving them the items bequeathed to them by Dumbledore.  When they
return to the yard, the guests pass the items around, and admire them.
 Following the belated birthday dinner, Harry asks Hermione to meet
him and Ron upstairs after everyone else goes to bed.

	In the attic room, Harry fills the moleskin pouch with all of his
prized items: the Marauder's Map, the shard of broken mirror, and
RAB's locket.  He tied the strings around his neck and then holds the
snitch until Hermione arrives.  Ron examines his deluminator.  When
Hermione arrives, she casts "Muffliato", one of the Prince's spells to
silence the room.  She replies "Times change," in response to Ron's
query regarding her  use of the spell.  She asks to see the
deluminator work. Ron flicks the deluminator and turns the lights off
and then on again.

	The trio are puzzled and discuss why they were given the items. 
Hermione does not believe that Dumbledore remembered Ron in his will
so that he can turn out lights. Harry asks if  Dumbledore knew that
the Ministry would confiscate the items in his will.  Hermione states
that he definitely knew and was unable to leave any information in his
will.  Ron asks why Dumbledore did not give them a hint before he
died.  Hermione riffles the pages of Beedle the Bard and wonders if
Dumbledore thought it obvious what they were to do with the gifts. 
Ron suggests that Dumbledore was brilliant, but cracked.

	Hermione mentions to Harry that she was certain that something would
happen when he touched the snitch.  Harry states that he was not about
to try very hard in front of Scrimgeour.  Harry reminds Hermione that
it was the snitch from his very first match.  Ron catches on and
points frantically from Harry to the snitch.  He remembers that  
Harry nearly swallowed it.  Harry presses his lips to the snitch. 
Writing appears on the snitch, which says "I open at the close."  
None of them is able to form any ideas or conclusions as to the
meaning of this message.[Q#18]

	Ron asks why Dumbledore wanted Harry to have the sword.  Harry
wonders why Dumbledore did not simply give it to him.  Harry is
worried that he is missing something important that he should have
learned.

	Hermione questions the meaning of the book.  She has never heard of
it before.  Ron is surprised as this book is read by all Wizarding
children in much the same manner that fairy tales are read by Muggles.
 Beadle the Bard is a book of children's stories.  Hermione wonders
why Dumbledore thought that she should read them.

	Something creaked downstairs, startling them.  Hermione returns to
her room as Ron clicks the deluminator once more to turn out the lights.


Questions:

1.	Why does Voldemort seem relatively reasonable in this viewing?  Is
this a way for the author to tell us that Harry and Voldemort are
becoming more indistinguishable from each other?  We have often seen
Harry unable to think of anything else other than his obsession of the
moment.

2.	Have we heard the name of  Gregorovitch before in previous books? 
Is this another way to add confusion to the separation/connection
between the minds and memories of Harry and Voldemort?  Are the
details of the name, the place abroad, and the Quidditch connection
enough of a hint to let us know who Voldemort is looking for?

3.	We see Harry hit himself in the eye with his glasses and tie his
shoelaces in a knot.  Ron suggests that he continues to do up his fly
by hand. We have seen Harry perform other minor or unsuccessful
spells.  Is this repetition of ineptitude a way for the author to
increase our concern for Harry.  Is this a way for the author to
encourage less talented readers that they can be heroes?  
 
4.	There appears to be no sensation in either the placing or removal
of the Trace.  If the Ministry of Magic, for any reason, can apply a
trace, what does this say about privacy issues in the Wizarding World?
 Considering the fact that Harry performed under-aged magic on several
occasions, inadvertently, without causing any repercussion from the
MOM, does this plot point make consistent sense?

5.	This seems odd to me, as Harry has split with Ginny for her
protection.  Why would Ron encourage Harry to seek other female
company when he knows how upset Ginny is and how Harry feels about
Ginny?  Does Ron actually understand that Harry is not likely to
survive?  

6.	We have seen Dumbledore's watch, Ron's watch, Molly's clock, and
now Fabian's watch.  We have also seen time-turners.  What is the
fascination with time?

7.	We have seen Hermione as the boys' conscience, their researcher,
their tutor.  Why are we seeing this "Suzie homemaker" side of
Hermione?  Is this in character?  Is JKR correct in assuming that all
young girls want to impress their boyfriends with their homemaking
abilities?

8.	Have we seen Hermione obey Ron like this before?  Why does JKR make
Ron look like an idiot most of the time and then demonstrate this
masterful side?

9.	How does the pouch know that ownership was transferred?

10.	Is this patronus appropriate for Arthur Weasley from what we know
about his character?  Is it a foregone conclusion that some Weasley
will have a weasel for a patronus?  Wouldn't Percy make a better weasel?

11.	Does Lupin explain later?  Why are they afraid for Scrimgeour to
see them?


12.	Does Scrimgeour see Ron as the weak link?  Do we see Ron as the
weak link?  Ron was portrayed as equally skilled in the first book and
was more knowledgeable about Wizarding things than Harry or Hermione.
 Has this change in position added to the books? 

13.	Does this seem more like our Hermione?  Which Hermione do we like
better?  Is there consistency with this character?

14	Many of the laws in the Wizarding World seem intrusive. Is this to
maintain some kind of control over magical and powerful citizenry, or
is it misuse of power by magical legislators?  Hermione shows that the
laws in the Wizarding World have the expected checks and balances, but
do we see them used?

15.	Didn't we all think that Hermione's knowledge of Quidditch was
negligible?  Is she studying Quidditch to become more the kind of
person most suited to Ron?  

16.	Is there any mention about the flesh memory in any prior books or
was this just tossed in as a belated plot point?  Was Wood wearing
gloves when he first taught the rules to Harry?  

17.	Does anyone feel that the antagonism between Scrimgeour and Harry
is too contrived? Is it necessary to the plot?

18.	Could anyone please explain to me why a flesh memory in a snitch
would be likely to tell the difference between flesh and lips?  

Extra questions:

19.    What is the most important "happening" in this chapter:
Voldemort's search for Gregorovitch, Harry's birthday, the loss of the
trace, the flight of the Lupins, the bequests from Dumbledore or the
antagonism of the Minister?

20.	What parts of this chapter would you have left out as unnecessary
to either plot or characterization?  

KJ


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Next Chapter Discussion, Chapter 8, The The Wedding:  November 26