PS/SS - chapters 2-5 post DH look

[Bex]

No: HPFGUIDX 180911

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214"
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
>
> Here we go again, some old lines that jumped at me in new light, but
> first couple of unrelated announcements. Zara thank you for
> reminding me that elves do have families after all and Potioncat,
> dearest, Snape twins send their love. ;)
>
> Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of boa constrictor's tank
> had vanished– p.28
>
> Alla:
>
> Well, we all know that this is foreshadows Harry's use of
> Parseltongue, but I am wondering something else right now. He seems
> to perform vanishing charm here, yes?
>
> How difficult it is? Do we know if little ones when they do
> uncontrolled magic can do basically ANY sort of magic or are they
> limited to simple magic?

Bex:
Well, Harry has turned his teacher's wig blue, leaped on top of a tall
building, shrunk a sweater, grown his hair back, and that's just what
we're told about. In CoS, McGonagall announces that exams are in one
week and Neville accidentally vanishes one leg of his desk (granted with
a wand). Fred, at the age of 5, turned Ron's teddy bear into aq spider
(again, assuming with a wand, but I doubt he knew /how/ to do it.) In
GoF, we see a toddler playing with his father's wand, engorging a slug
(and we can be pretty sure he isn't thinking Engorgio).
It seems like the kids have some pretty stout powers to begin with,
especially with a wand in hand. However, in all of Harry's cases, except
for the snake incident and possibly the teacher's wig, he is scared or
angry - I think that when emotions are running high, more powerful magic
is possible - either a more powerful version of the spell you're
attempting, or just a powerful spell. So either Harry had a major flash
of anger and JK just didn't show it to us, or a vanishing charm on an
inanimate plate of glass is not /that/ difficult. I'm going with the
latter.

Does anyone remember the first time students are instructed to try aq
Vanishing charm?

>
> Mr. H.Potter
> The Cupboard under the stairs
> 4 Privet Drive
> Little Whinging
> Surrey" – p.34
>
> Alla:
>
> I am curious if anybody thought for some time that Dumbledore did
> not know about Cupboard? I used to think so, but luckily I was not
> thinking so already before DH.

Bex:
I think that those little details are thrown in the address to make the
Dursleys sit up and pay attention. The part that gives me this
indication is that the letter is addressed in Hagrid's handwriting (in
the US version). Possibly strictly a publisher decision, and we've never
seen an addressed Hogwarts letter since, but it seems like DD had that
letter addressed specially (a charm to imitate Hagrid's writing,
perhaps?). I would expect the letters to have some kind of typeface, or
McGonagall's handwriting - not the gamekeepers. I think this is a clever
ploy by DD - he knows about the cupboard, and He wants the Dursleys to
know that he knows.

>
> But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? "Tell them we
> do not want-"– p.36
>
>
> Alla:
>
> Wait
 what? In retrospect I just want to kick myself over and over
> as to how much author seems to hint that Petunia knows about wizards
> ways. She knows how to write back to those people?

Bex:
I read this list to remind myself of how DENSE I can be sometimes. :) I
never saw that line. But those little exchanges ("Maybe we should write
back?", "I'm not sure that will work, Vernon.") show she DOES know a
little about the magical world - at least the communication parts.


> Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that –
> that school – and came home every vacation with her pockets full
of
> frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw
> her for what she was – a freak! But for my mother and father, oh
no,
> it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in
> the family – p.53
>
> Alla:
> I am sure there are people for whom Petunia after DH comes out as
> much more sympathetic. For me – not so much, but you know guys how
> much I love Dursleys and Dumbledore for leaving Harry with them
> (yes, yes if we do not look at how he dealt with Sirius' situation,
> I cannot offer another solution, does not mean that I think he dealt
> with Sirius' fairly. But I can certainly offer a solution of coming
> back periodically and checking on Harry. Oh never mind, moving on).
>
> So, to me Petunia in this quote is not only coming out as jealous,
> but also jealous hypocrite. Heee, lethal combination. Didn't you
> want to turn teacups into rats yourself and be a freak too, Petunia?

Bex:
Let's not discuss the "abandon the child with Muggles" business - people
start throwing things. ;) I saw this quote as tainted with jealousy from
the start. Definitely a case of the green-eyed monster here - glad I'm
not dense all the time.


> Never mess with Goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the
> world fer anything yeah want ter keep safe – `cept maybe Hogwarts.
–
> p.63
>
>
> Alla:
>
> Hmmm, in regards to wizards showing respect to other cultures, I
> actually see nothing but respect for goblins in this quote. NO, this
> is not to argue that everybody shows respect – but to me Hagrid
here
> does.

Bex:
You know, I had just the opposite idea. I saw this statement as very
stereotypical - "All goblins are greedy, grubby, dangerous critters."
But after reading DH, it really seems to have come as a statement of
truth if nothing else - all the goblins we meet in the entire series are
concerned with possessions and wealth, in some way or another. I can
take this statement as respectful now, but not then.

>
> They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults – p.64
>
> Alla:
>
> Do you think JKR already envisioned Trio's breaking and riding a
> dragon in DH when she wrote this sentence?
>
Bex (I'll try to make this short):
I've always wondered a bit about this - JKR planned some of the future
books when she wrote the first one. She had the Phoenix feather /brother
wands thing worked out to some degree, she knew all about Sirius and
Pettigrew and the story of Halloween '81, she had some thoughts about
the Horcruxes (like Harry being one), the Snape/James arc, and a host of
other things - it;s almost like she had some parts of the books written
already, and she filled in the bglanks. It explains why the first three
books were so tightly held together - the first one helped write the
next two (especially PoA). I always wondered how much of DH was written
before she started writing DH - know what I mean? I may go into more
detail in a separate thread.

In response to Alla - IMHO, JKR had plans to write something like that
in the books later in the series - someone would find a dragon in
Gringotts and have to deal with it. The flying escape might not have
been a detail in the original plan, though I thought it was a nice
touch.

>
> "
.. After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things –
> terrible, yes, but  great." – p.85.
>
>
> Alla:
>
> Harry remembers this statement by Ollivander in DH as we know, but I
> am still not sure what to make of it. I mean, I am not quite sure
> what to make out of Ollivander saying it. Is it basically respect of
> the wizarding power? Is it respect of the wand? Both? Something else?
>

Bex:
I'm might draw some fire here - so be prepared to duck.

When you see the impact of a natural disaster (Hurricane Katrina comes
to mind right away; The tornadoes that ripped through my area 4 summers
ago pop up next), especially when you see it up close and for real, I
know I am filled with awe. Not that I wanted it to happen; not like I
enjoy seeing a city destroyed and hundred-year-plus trees toppled every
which way, narrowly missing my great-grandmother's house (where she
doesn't have a storm cellar); but I can't help but respect the power
that went into making that happen.

I think that's what Ollivander is going at here - someone that powerful
and that talented (yes, he was talented), who could hold an entire
society in a state of constant fear is a "great" wizard - Ollivander is
in fearful awe. It's a testament to the strength of the wizard and the
connection he has with his wand that he can do so much. Voldy didn't
become the most feared Dark Wizard in decades or more by charisma alone.
He's one wicked wizard - and I mean that in every sense of the word.

~Bex, who should stop reading, but will just move on to Runescape if she
does.



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