CHAPTER DISCUSSION PS/SS 17, The Man with Two Faces

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 188648

 1. The first time you read the chapter, were you surprised that it had been Quirrell trying to knock Harry off his broom back at the Quidditch match?

Potioncat::
Completely. Even though I had been told Snape wasn't the villain, I hadn't figured out who was. I don't think I ever suspected poor Quirrell.

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> 2. What kind of spell do you think Quirrell used to get the rope to tie Harry up?, 

Potioncat:
I don't know but maybe it's the same one Snape used on Lupin in PoA. I don't have it with me, but I think he snaps his figures like Quirrell did. Hmmm I wonder if this is a Dark Curse?

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> 3. I can't recall exactly where I read the following argument (searching previous discussions on here turned up far too many results to be sure), so I apologize if this is redundant, and if you know who brought this up, please give them credit - but it has been suggested (somewhere) that Quirrell should have been able to get the stone from the mirror, since he wanted it not for himself, but for Voldemort. What do you think?

Potioncat:
Nope, because he wanted to use it to bring Voldemort back. So he couldn't get it. Harry only wanted to keep it from LV, not to use it, or to have it used.

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> 4. Do you think that Voldemort was able to read Harry's thoughts at all during this chapter?

Potioncat:
He knew Harry was lying. After LV looked at Harry, LV knew where the stone was. So it appears he could at least legilimens Harry.

  
> 5. What do you think would have happened if Voldemort had gotten the stone?
 Potioncat:
Just what he said, he would have been able to get a body and be alive again.

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> 6. In an alternate universe, if this book hadn't sold well, there might not have been any more published. If this had been a stand-alone book, with no sequels, would you have found it to be satisfying? 

Potioncat:
The book as it stands is a satisfying book.  But it`s difficult now to imagine that a second book wouldn`t follow. For me the real hook to the series was the hints from one book to the next--a rare treat from the other "children`s lit" I had been reading. You know, the kind that have a sequel every year which has nothing to do with what came before. 

Thanks for the interesting questions!