CHAPTER DISCUSSION: PS/SS 15, The Forbidden Forest

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 188633


> Questions:
> 
> 1) McGonagall is very angry. Is her anger justified? Do you think she recalls a similar situation between James and Severus?

Pippin (a bit late to the party):
I think the "four students out at night" bit is some of JKR's irony. McGonagall doesn't know about the Marauders' nocturnal activities. But she does know that the rivalry between James and Snape escalated to a near-fatal episode, and I think she wants to nip something like that in the bud if she can. 
> 
> 2) How much time passes after Harry and Hermione are caught before the detention in the forest is served? Why the delay?

Pippin:
It seems that if the teacher assigning the detention hasn't got a punishment in mind, the students get put on a list  that teachers with chores to do can chose from. Lockhart specifically asked for Harry in CoS. So my guess is Hagrid asked for Harry, Ron, Neville and Draco, and then took his time about thinking up something for them to do. 

> 
> 3) What do you think of Hagrid's attitude about the punishment?
Pippin:
HIs remark about doing wrong and now Draco will have to pay for it is more of JKR's irony. Hagrid isn't being made to pay for his part in the Norbert episode (although he may feel that losing Norbert is punishment enough.) 

> 
> 4) What do you think of this punishment? How does it compare to the punishment Headmaster Snape will give in DH?

Pippin:
I think Hagrid doesn't know that Voldemort is in the forest, while Dumbledore and Snape, who do seem to suspect that there's some connection between Quirrell's activities and the forest, have no idea that Hagrid plans to take Harry in there. I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to use Harry as bait, but if he was bait, where's the trap? There wasn't any effort to expose Quirrell or try to capture him.

Hagrid knows there's something in the forest that doesn't belong there, but it's a bit slow dawning on him that anything that could harm a unicorn might not be intimidated by him or Fang. On the other hand, if he's been hunting it and it's been eluding him, he might think it was shy of humans and dogs. 

> 
> 5) Who is the cloaked figure drinking unicorn blood? Is it Quirrell!Mort or only Voldemort?

Pippin:
Voldemort says it's Quirrell. I think that possession weakens the body of the possessed creature with Nagini being an exception because of Voldemort's close emotional connection with her. If Quirrell hadn't been drinking unicorn blood, IMO, he'd have died much sooner. 

> 
> 6) Firenze seems to know who the cloaked figure is. Do you think Dumbledore knows that Voldemort is in the forest? Does Dumbledore know Voldemort is in the castle?

Pippin:
Snape asks Quirrell to meet him in the forest, which is why I think they're aware that he's up to something in there. I don't think they know that Quirrell is possessed. They might think that Voldemort has made a rudimentary body, as he does in GoF, and is using it to drink unicorn blood. He would need a body to drink the elixir if he managed to steal the stone.

 
> 7) Gryffindor House was very angry with Harry, Hermione and Neville for losing so many points. Just a bit of speculation in your opinion--what was Slytherin House's response to Draco's losing 50 points?

Pippin:
As long as Slytherin kept the lead, they'd probably think it was worth it. 


> 
> 8) Why did Dumbledore return the Invisibility Cloak to Harry? Did the events in the forest play a part?

Pippin:
I think Dumbledore balanced the danger of Harry having the cloak and being tempted into dangerous situations, against the danger of not having its protection. But he knows what happened at Godric's Hollow and wouldn't want that to happen again. He knows that if Voldemort dares to enter the school there is probably nothing that would keep him out.

> 
> 9) What questions do you have?

Pippin:
Why didn't Harry tell Hagrid that Voldemort was in the forest and killing the unicorns? How did Hagrid react when he realized Fang and Draco were missing?

Pippin