Deathly Hallows reread CH 1 -3

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 186222

So after more than a year I figured I will reread the whole book (I am not counting skimming through some chapters when we did chapters discussion) and yes, I am going to subject you guys to some randomness of mine again. :)


"And you, Draco?" asked Voldemort, stroking the snake's snout with his wand-free hand. Drako shook his head jerkily. Now that woman had woken, he seemed unable to look at her anymore" - p.17

Alla:

Oh no way, just no way this Draco gives me an impression that he may want to be a torturer and murderer if he cannot even look at one of their victims. What I am trying to say that I would not say that after this description his later behavior will come as a suprise to me. 

"Those of us who were privileged to be his friends benefited from his example, not to mention his help and encouragement with which he was always generous. He confessed to me in later life that his greatest pleasure lay in teaching" - p.22

Alla:

Hm, I wonder now. Of course as we previously discussed many times dear Elphias Doge looks at Dumbledore through rose colored glasses and his account of what happened in Dumbledore's youth can be called erm... incomplete at best. However, it does not seem that he was lying, right? He just did not know lots of stuff and interpreted it in the best light to Dumbledore.

So, what I am getting at is that if Dumbledore indeed said it to him, I sort of like it. It may mean that he indeed loved to teach, not just loved to manipulate people for his own gain and called it teaching.

If kid that young dreams of teaching, he probably dreams of real teaching?

"Striping away the popular image of serene, silver-bearded wisdom, Rita Skeeter reveals the disturbed childhood, the lawless youth, the lifelong feuds and the guilty secrets that Dumbledore carried to his grave" - p.26


Alla:

I do not know about you guys, but upon reread I find this passage to be highly amusing for some reason and I also think that Rita Skeeter really really can write. She needs to write the catchy names for advertising campaign or work for some of the american tabloids, me thinks.


"I thought there was a ministry of magic?" asked Vernon Dursley abruptly.
"There is," said Harry, surprised.
"Well,then, why can't they protect us? It seems to me that, as innocent victims, guilty of nothing more than harbouring a marked man, we ought to qualify for government protection!"
Harry laughed, he could not help himself. It was so very typical of his uncle to put his hopes in the establishment, even within this world that he despised and mistrusted.
"You heard what Mr. Weasley and Kingsley said," Harry replied.
We think that Ministry had been infiltrated" - p.34


Alla:

You know, I used to think that mistrust of the establishment and burocracy is one of the main themes in the series. But after Rufus Scrimgeour dying rather than betraying Harry, I really do not think that she condemns establishments per se. Or mayb I should say that at least as much as she condemns burocracy, she shows that people should try hard to work together instead of just washing their hands, like Dumbledore did, IMO of course.