CHAPDISC: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ch. 19: The Sil

[Jerri/Dan Chase]

No: HPFGUIDX 182717

Thanks to Debbie for her review and thoughtful questions:

>1.  Phineas Nigellus learns critical information about Harry's
>location, which Hermione carelessly provides while the beaded
>bag is open.  Has Phineas really been hanging out in that
>cramped bag all this time?  Why is he willing to do this?

There have been several good comments on why Phineas is doing this. 
He has always seemed to admire Snape, he seems also to enjoy spying, 
and he is supposed to obey the headmaster.

I wonder about the inside of the beaded bag.  We have seen lots of 
examples of items in the series which seem to be "as big as they need 
to be", starting with the Hogwarts Express, which always seems to have 
exactly the number of cars and seats in the compartments that are 
needed by the students/plot.  There is the Weasley's car, as well as 
the ministry of magic cars.  And I have wondered for some time about 
Harry's trunk.  Aside from Hedwig's cage (tear in my eye) the trunk 
always seems to be  big enough to hold all Harry's possessions, in 
spite of the fact that they have grown considerably since he was a 
first year student.  (And everything fits, without regard to if it is 
packed nicely or just tossed in.)  I assume that magical trunks are 
sold in Diagon Alley for Hogwart's students, although I don't think we 
ever hear about his buying a trunk there.  But where else would he 
have gotten it?  The Dursely's would have let him travel to Wizard 
School with his stuff in plastic carry bags!

But, the beaded bag is something special.  It seems to hold anything 
and everything.  I have no idea how big it is "inside" itself.  My 
biggest marvel is how things got inside and out, if the opening is the 
proper size for a fancy handbag.  Pretty skillful magic in that bag!

>2.  What did you think initially of the appearance of the silver
>doe?  Did you perceive clues (either on initial reading or rereading)
>pointing to the identity of the doe?  Was it intended, in your view,
>as misdirection?  Was it effective?  Does it seem odd that Harry did
>not attempt to identify the doe?

It was a very strange scene.  After the Godric's Hollow events, I kept 
thinking that this was another trap.   I kept expecting either for 
Harry to be attacked or for Herminie to be captured while he was gone. 
After all, he left her asleep, with no wand, no one on guard.  Only 
the protective spells she had put on the tent/area were left, and if 
they were enough, why did they always stand guard?

>3.  How long do you think Snape stayed behind the trees to watch?
>Did he leave when the sword was recovered, or might he have seen
>the destruction of the locket?  How might Snape have interpreted this
>action, given that he was unaware of the nature of the Trio's 
>mission?

I can't see Snape leaving until he knew that Harry was OK.  After that 
things happened quickly.  I think he might well have stayed, seen the 
locket's actions and destruction, and thought about what he had seen 
and from that figured things out pretty well.  He had been a spy for a 
long time, and a spy wants to find things out.  He would never 
show/tell anyone about what he had discovered, even portrait DD.  He 
had lots of practice keeping secrets.

>5.  Why did it have to be Ron who destroyed the Horcrux?
>Wouldn't Harry have been able to destroy it just as effectively?
>If Harry had wielded the sword, do you think the locket would
>have found a way to torment him instead?

Certainly the locket would have been able to torment Harry.  Everyone 
has their weaknesses.  Perhaps it would have shown him the deaths 
which he hadn't prevented, Cedric's, DD's, Hedwig's, future deaths, 
etc.

As for why Ron, I don't think it was accident that JKR arranged things 
that each Horcrux was destroyed by a different person.  And the irony 
that with all Harry's efforts to find and destroy horcruxes, the only 
one he destroyed was the diary, which he destroyed before he 
understood what it was.

>9.  As Harry comforts Ron after the destruction of the locket, he
>finally realizes, now that Ron is back, "how much his absence had
>cost them."  What was the cost?  How did Ron's absence affect
>their progress?  How does his return change things?

I think partly it is just the fact that Ron is his best friend.  (In 
spite of the fact that arguments can be made for Herminie being a 
"better" friend.  Logic doesn't enter into feelings in that neat way.) 
Harry enjoys having Ron around.  He might also believe that things 
could have turned out better at Godric's Hollow if Ron had been there 
also.

Jerri