CHAPDISC: DH27, The Final Hiding Place

potioncat willsonkmom at msn.com
Wed Aug 20 12:09:27 UTC 2008


No: HPFGUIDX 184122

  
> 1)  What did you think would be the 'final hiding place' when 
reading 
> the chapter title?  Were you expecting a Horcrux at Hogwarts all 
> along?

Potioncat:
Yes, I knew it would be the diadem, in the RoR with the Potions Book. 
I did expect the Potions book to be recovered. 

But I also wondered if Harry was a hidden horcrux. Final Hiding Place 
isn't exactly the same as the last hiding place. I wondered if the 
title had anything to do with death.
>  
> 2)  This is likely the shortest chapter in all of the HP books, yet 
> descriptions of the dragon take up quite a few paragraphs at the 
> beginning:  how the dragon feels, what it's doing while the Trio 
rest 
> by the lake, where it might go next, etc.  Then right before 
leaving 
> the lakes, they watch the dragon take flight until it vanishes, 
even 
> though Harry insisted they must leave at once.  Do you think the 
> dragon plays a symbolic role?  Is it a significant part of this 
> chapter for another reason?  Or did you find the mentions of the 
> dragon more filler?

Potioncat:
I may answer more on this one later, but for a start, I thought it 
was an act of preparation. They were savoring that very good moment, 
watching a dragon fly off to freedom. It would be like watching the 
sun set or the stars before a battle.

>  
> 3)  Harry's vision of Voldemort killing everyone within reach at 
> Malfoy Manor is a first-hand view of Voldemort using the Elder 
wand.  
> Do you believe Voldemort exhibits extraordinary magical power in 
this 
> scene or were his powers about what you expected he was capable of 
> regardless of the wand?   Any thoughts on Bellatrix and 
> Lucius '[throwing] others behind them in their race for the door'?  

Potioncat:
I think LV could have caused havoc with any wand. While it isn't 
clear to us, perhaps he thought the wand should have worked better.

It was a very scary scene. What kind of leader just kills his own 
ramdom people in a rage? In a way it prepares us for LV's murder of 
Snape. No it doesn't, but it shows how very little LV values life.

While Malfoy and Bellatrix seem cowardly for the way they escaped, 
I'm not sure anyone would have lined up calmly at the door. At first, 
I didn't realise they had escaped. I thought everyone had died. I'm a 
little surprised that JKR didn't name the other DEs. I'm curious 
about who was there.

Great summary and questions! I'm away from my books now. I hope to 
have time to review the chapter and post more later this week.  







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