ChapDisc: DH14, The Thief

Tue Feb 19 01:30:33 UTC 2008

No: HPFGUIDX 181629

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ChapDisc: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Chapter 14 - The Thief

  The Chapter opens with the Harry and Hermione coming to their 
senses after their narrow escape from the Ministry of Magic and the 
clutches of Yaxley. Harry realizes they are in a forest and at first 
mistakes it for the Forbidden Forest until he realizes the trees are 
too young and the forest not dense enough.

  Harry and Hermione crawl to toward a groaning, unconscious, 
bloodied Ron and discover that Ron has been Splinched. Hermione 
rips open Ron's shirt and asks Harry to retrieve Essence of Dittany 
from her bag. Harry begins to feel his way around in the bag, but 
uses magical means to retrieve the Dittany quickly.  Hermione uses 
the Dittany on Ron's wound which heals significantly. Hermione knows 
spells which could heal him completely but fears using them may 
cause more damage.

  Harry then tries to make sense of how they ended up where they 
are and questions Hermione about it. Hermione explains that Yaxley 
had caught hold of her and managed to maintain his grip until they 
arrived at Grimmauld Place where she was finally able to dislodge 
from his grip using a revulsion jinx and apparate again. Harry then 
questions Hermione about whether or not Yaxley could enter Grimmauld 
Place and Hermione tearfully explains that he could as they had 
taken him inside the Fidelius Charm's protections. Harry imagines 
Yaxley bringing other DEs to the oppressive house that had been 
become a refuge for them and with Kreacher's new found happiness 
and friendliness, a home of sorts.

  Hermione apologizes to Harry and accepts the blame, before Harry 
waves her blame away and claims the fault as his own. Harry takes 
Moody's eye out of his pocket and shows Hermione while explaining 
that Umbridge had stuck it to her door and he couldn't leave it 
there, hence their detection at the ministry.

  Ron comes to, gray from loss of blood and sweating, and asks where 
they are. Hermione says they are in the woods where the Quidditch 
World Cup was held. Harry looks around and remembers that DEs had 
once been in these woods too and how quickly the DEs had found them 
the first time they Apparated to the first place Hermione had 
thought of. He wonders if Legilimency had been used. Harry senses 
Ron is thinking the same thing.  Harry takes note of Ron's weakened 
condition and decides they should stay. Hermione begins placing 
protective enchantments on the area around them and sets Harry to 
retrieving the tent from her bag. Hermione erects the tent magically 
and places a final enchantment. Ron stops Hermione from using 
Voldemort's name as she attempts to explain her uncertainty about 
these charms being able to keep him out. Ron states that Voldemort's 
name is beginning to feel like a Jinx and asks Harry and Hermione to 
respect Voldemort. Harry and Hermione decide not to argue and get 
Ron moved into the tent.

  Once settled into the tent, which is exactly how Harry remembers 
it being, Hermione set about making tea while Ron wonders about the 
Cattermoles, expressing his concern. Harry looks towards Hermione 
to question her about wandless side along apparition and catches 
Hermione gazing at Ron tenderly. Harry interrupts by asking about 
the locket. Ron's surprised they managed to retrieve it and that no 
one had bothered to tell him.

  The Trio examine the locket and Hermione states that there'd be 
some sign of damage if it had been magically destroyed. Harry tells 
them that he thinks Kreacher was correct in his believing that the 
locket had to be opened before it could be destroyed.  Harry is 
repulsed as he considers what is actually inside the locket and 
resists the urge to fling it away from him.  All three attempt to 
open the locket to no avail.

  Ron is the first one to notice the locket seems alive, Harry feels 
it too. Harry decides they're going to keep it safe until they work 
out how to destroy it and reluctantly hangs the locket around his own 
neck.

  Hermione decides her and Harry should take turns keeping watch and 
she also goes out looking for wild mushrooms, which she ends up 
stewing in a billycan.  Ron cannot eat them, but Harry manages to 
eat his in order to spare Hermione's feelings.

  As Harry stands watch he begins to consider the magnitude of the 
endeavor they have undertaken, and how little he actually knows. He 
notices that the locket remains cold against his skin, and he 
imagines he could feel a tiny heartbeat asynchronous with his own. 
He hears Hermione and Ron talking quietly behind him and begins to 
resent that they could walk away when he could not. His scar begins 
to prickle again, he tries to think of something else and settles on 
Kreacher, how he hoped Kreacher would be loyal to him and hopes that 
the DEs wouldn't torture Kreacher. He also talks about the Trio's 
decision not to summon him in case DEs would apparate with him.

  As Harry's Scar begins to burn he realized Lupin was right and 
becomes frustrated with DD's lack of explanation. He falls into the 
vision of Voldemort torturing Gregorovitch, and practicing 
Legilimency on him. In Gregorovitch's memories we see a workshop with 
a young man with golden hair perched on the window ledge who stunned 
Gregorovitch before jumping out of the window. Voldemort tries to 
find out who stole the item to no avail and ends by killing 
Gregorovitch.

  Harry comes to and tries unsuccessfully to convince Hermione it was 
a dream. Ron stops Hermione from using the Dark Lord's name again, 
and Hermione impresses upon Harry the importance of Occlumency.  
Harry begins to tell Hermione what he saw, but she interrupts and 
insists she take over the watch so Harry can rest. 

  Once in bed, Ron questions Harry about what he saw and both wonder 
what could have been stolen, and what Voldemort could be looking for. 
Harry also notices that Voldemort doesn't question Gregorovitch about 
wandlore. Before falling to sleep Harry pictures the thief in his 
mind's-eye and realizes that he's seen him before but couldn't 
remember where.

Questions:

1. Do you think the DEs ever made it into Grimmauld Place and past 
the Hallway enchantments? Do you think the additional enchantments in 
the hallway enabled Kreacher to escape?

2. Why did Ron Splinch during Hermione's side-along apparition? From 
where does Hermione learn about Essence of Dittany? Why do you think 
she is afraid to heal Ron completely with magic?

3. We learn that Hermione obtained the tent from Arthur Weasley; do 
you think he was the one who taught Hermione all the protection 
charms too, or do you think Hermione watched/learned from the Order 
members as they placed protective enchantments at the burrow?

4. Ron insists they no long call Voldemort by his name. Is this 
because he's frightened, some of the "Ron the seer" poking through, 
or has he been thinking?

5. Are you surprised that neither Harry nor Ron thinks of using 
Parseltongue to open the locket? What about the decision to wear the 
locket to "keep it safe" after noticing it seemed alive?

6. Hermione seems so prepared and put a great deal of thought into 
what they might need on their adventures. Do you think if she had 
involved Ron (or even Harry) more in her preparations, they may have 
packed some non-perishable food items, perhaps a wizarding wireless, 
and perhaps a few more things she may have overlooked? Is there 
anything else that they could have taken with them that would have 
helped?

7. Which were you more surprised to see, Ron's concern of the plight 
of the Cattermoles or Hermione's reaction to Ron's concern?

8. We see the beginnings of how the locket may affect the emotions of 
one who wears it. Do you think Harry, being a sort of Horcrux 
himself, is more susceptible to the locket, or has his being a 
Horcrux given him more strength and practice at fighting off the 
effects of the locket?

9. Looking back are you surprised that Voldemort didn't question 
Gregorovitch about wandlore?

10. The first time you read about the merry-faced golden-haired 
youngster hopping out a window, did you remember where Harry had 
glimpsed his face before?

Doddie

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