CHAPDISC: DH36, THE FLAW IN THE PLAN

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 185222

SSSusan:
<SNIPS great summary>
QUESTIONS
1. I still don't get this "like a lover" stuff between Bellatrix &
Voldemort. What *was* their relationship, in your opinion? What
about Rodolphus, her husband? Was theirs a marriage of convenience?
Did he not care, or did he know that if he did show he cared,
Voldemort would kill him?

Alla:

Oh well, I do think that she loved him. I mean, does it make sense to 
me? No, not really, but since I do not consider Bella's mental state 
to be even remotely normal, makes sense to me that she would go for 
somebody as crazy as Voldie is.

Her husband, well, I have no clue, however, maybe in the beginning 
she did love him and then she met that erm irresistible Tommy. Oh 
maybe they did threesome ;)

2. Harry is surprised to not hear DE cheers, and is surprised that
Voldemort has fallen down. Why? After encountering the Baby-Voldy-
Thing at King's Cross, wasn't he expecting Voldemort hadn't yet won?.

Alla:

Very interesting question. I wonder if Harry could even remember what 
happened in the last chapter so soon after he regained consciousness, 
you know? Maybe all that he remembers in the first minute or so is 
that he came to sacrifice himself and that's it and only after few 
minutes events in the last chapter come back to his mind.


3. With Narcissa's lie, we have come full circle to a mother's love
again. How do you feel about its being this mother? What do you
think might have happened if Harry hadn't lucked out this way -- with
a desperate Narcissa chosen as the one to announce whether he were
dead or not?

Alla:

I agree that we came full circle, but I am not sure that if Narcissa 
did not lie that Voldie would have been able to kill Harry, I think 
the power of sacrificial protection would have somehow kicked in. 
Just speculating.


4. Hagrid, in his grief, accuses the centaurs of cowardice and of
being happy that Harry has died. Yet they do arrive, in the nick of
time, and fight the DEs. Did they know Harry wasn't dead, or if they
did not, why did they fight?

Alla:

Eh well, I always thought that centaurs' powers of seeing the future 
in the stars are true. So yes I think they knew that Harry is not 
dead and I think they just got tired of Voldemort.

5. Why is it that Harry does not feel the pain of the Crucio? Is it
the same reason the Dementors don't affect him?

Alla:

But he felt it before, no? Power of Crucio I mean before that 
chapter? So I think this is the ancient magic of his sacrifice 
working.


6. Do you believe Voldemort made his offer of forgiveness
sincerely? Would those who surrendered have been forgiven and
allowed to live?

Alla:

No.

7. Okay, Voldy knows the untruth of Harry letting others sacrifice
themselves for him. What is he trying to do in telling everyone at
Hogwarts that he was killed while running away and that he was never
anything but someone who let others sacrifice themselves for him?
Does Voldy believe what he's saying, or is he trying to convince the
others?

Alla:

IMO he is definitely trying to convince others, I mean, maybe he is 
trying to convince himself too, but first and foremost I think he is 
trying to convince others. I am thinking of his performance in front 
of his DE in GoF here. I think it is speech of the same variety.

11. There has been quite a varied response to Molly Weasley in this
scene. What is yours?

Alla:

You go Molly. Mind you I am not Molly's biggest fan, but I neither 
found any problems with her using the word, nor did I find 
problematic that Molly was a powerful witch. I think it was 
foreshadowed very nicely by showing how very powerful her kids are 
and by showing what charms are being used to run the household when 
Harry comes to visit. 

12. If you had (or have) no vested interest in Harry Potter, what
would you think of Voldemort's remarks here? Has he missed the point
entirely, or does he have a point about accidents and Dumbledore?
Does it make sense that he would see things this way?

Alla:

This is the rare occasion where he does have a point IMO, however he 
misses the very important part of the equation IMO. I think he 
completely failed to recognize that Harry's character played a very 
important part in all of this too. 

Susan, thank you so so much! I will come back to other questions a 
bit later.