CHAPDISC: DH36, THE FLAW IN THE PLAN

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 185270

Zara:
Thanks, SSSusan, for an excellent summary and many (many!) discussion 
questions.

> 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? 

Zara:
I figured the ineffectiveness of the Crucio might be an effect of 
Harry being the true owner of the wand Voldemort used. I don't think 
that is why the Dementors did not affect him. Harry's description 
makes it sound like he was simply too full of positive feelings to be 
affected.

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

Zara:
Yes, I do believe he made the offer sincerely. It's not his usual 
approach to kill people indiscriminately (unless he is furious, of 
course...but in this instance he was pleased, believing himself to 
have finally killed Harry).

> 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?

Zara:
I thought he was simply lying in the hopes it would affect the morale 
of the defenders.

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

Zara:
I loved the scene. Yay Molly!
 
> 14.  When did Harry puzzle all this out about the Elder Wand?  Does 
> he believe it?  Does he just hope it's true?

Zara:
It seems to me that at the moment Voldemort seized the Elder Wand 
from Albus's tomb, Harry had not figured it out. 
 
> 17.  Now that time has passed and it's all been considered & talked 
> over (and over and over), does the "Who's master of the Elder Wand 
> and how does it happen?" work for you or not?

Zara:
I was very pleased with this particular aspect of the book. I found 
the wandlore business logical and easy to follow. I also liked what 
it did to the story. In the end, Harry found his own way to defeat 
Voldemort, and it did not involve Harry suddenly gaining several 
levels as a magical dueller. Nor was it simply carrying out Albus's 
plan.

> 19.  Many were disappointed by the part Slytherin played at the 
end, 
> having hoped for so much more from students, children of DEs, etc.  
> Thinking of the roles of the Slytherins who *did* play a part – 
> Horace and Narcissa in particular – are those parts worth 
> celebrating?  How significant to the outcome were they?

Zara:
I was not among the disappointed. That said, Slughorn's role was 
significant to the outcome. I do not believe that the unreinforced 
defenders of the castle would have been able to handle Voldemort's 
followers nearly as well. So his idea of bringing the reinforcements 
was meaningful. It certainly saved lives, and might have helped tip 
Voldemort towards making his final mistake, as watching his followers 
fall around him doubtless threw him off balance some.

I am less clear what would have happened if Voldemort had realized 
Harry was still alive in the Forest, so it is hard for me to assess 
the importance of Narcissa's action to the outcome. Regulus and 
Kreacher deserve some mention as well, I feel. For me the voluntary 
involvement of the House Elves in the battle was a satisfying outcome 
to that subplot, and contributed to the success in battle of 
Voldemort's opponents.

> 20.  Many left this book rather stunned at revelations about DD, 
not 
> altogether happy with the strings he pulled or decisions he made or 
> actions he took.  What do you make of the fact that, for Harry, 
DD's 
> pride and — let's face it — DD's approval were a balm equal to 
> phoenix song?

Zara:
Harry loves Albus. He is one of Harry's father figures. I found it 
natural Harry wanted to see him and talk things over with him.

By the time Harry left King's Cross, I think he felt Albus took the 
decisions he did regarding Harry with Harry's best interests at 
heart. Voldemort's interest in and interpretation of the Prophecy 
left Harry in a lousy set of circumstances, about which the best that 
can be said is that he was still alive. These circumstances were in 
the main not of Dumbledore's making, and Dumbledore did what he could 
to mitigate them.