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

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 188651


 
> CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone
> Chapter Seventeen, The Man with Two Faces
> 
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> Harry has made it into the final chamber, where he discovers that Professor Quirrell had been the one trying to get the stone all along, not Snape, and that Quirrell is being directed by Voldemort. Quirrell is unable to get the stone out of the Mirror of Erised, so Voldemort tells him to use Harry to do it. When Quirrell tries to take the stone from Harry, he realizes that he is burned when Harry touches him, so Harry is able to hold him off by grabbing his face - but Harry blacks out from the pain in his scar.
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> Harry wakes up in the hospital wing, where Dumbledore updates him that he (Dumbledore) arrived in time to save Harry and the stone, and the stone will now be destroyed. At the end-of-term feast, some last-minute points to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville give Gryffindor the house cup, and everyone heads home for the summer. 

> 
> Megan Real
>

Potioncat
I have a couple of thoughts about this last chapter of SS/PS. As I've said before, it's been nice to have the time to read through the book slowly, discussing it as we go along. 

DD says something along the line that everything that happened was secret, so of course everyone knew all about it. An odd thought for someone known for keeping secrets. Yet, Hermione and Ron had questions for Harry and we learn the truth is more fantastic than the rumors. After a little thought, I decided that the parts "everyone knew about" must have come from Hermione and Ron. (Percy knows that Ron beat McGonagall's chess set.) It was only the last bit of Harry's adventure that was really secret. I don't think anyone has any idea of LV being there. What do the rest of you think?

Over the years, many of us have said DD's speech giving extra points to Gryffindor was an affront to Slytherin; something he shouldn't have done in that way. But at this reading, it seemed to flow better and did seem to be more appropriate.  I think I get a different point of view reading the book again, and seeing the different events in their context. DD was rewarding the 3 Gryffindors for saving the stone from Quirrell!Mort, and rewarding Neville for his bravery. This was Harry's first public appearance since the events--so it didn't seem so much a dig at Slytherin as a notice of Gryffindor.

Also, a bit of foreshadowing--was it Alla who commented on that in the earlier chapter? DD explains that LV left Quirrell to die; he says LV shows as little mercy to his followers as to his enemies---what a foreshadowing of Snape's death that is!

Here's a question of my own. The narrator describes Snape's fixed smile as he shakes McGonagall's hand. How do you think McGonagall looked when she congratulated Snape in the past for winning the House Cup?