CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chamber of Secrets Chapter 15: Aragog

[Joey Smiley]

No: HPFGUIDX 189181

> 4.  Ginny is subdued when she occupies Hermione's chair.  Did anyone wonder about the difference between this quiet Ginny and the noisy, outgoing Ginny Ron described?  Do you remember what you thought if you did notice the discrepancy?

Joey:

I was wondering what's wrong with her - shee seemed lonely. I thought she that she might have been over-awed by the grandeur of Hogwarts. I also wondered why she never seemed to have friends from her own year. That's surprising given Ron's description that she is outgoing. Was Colin Creevy, who worked with her during Charms, a friend at all? What about others? 

Also, I'm not sure if it was just her tryst with the Horcrux which rendered her friendless during her first year. Even later (in GoF, OoTP, HBP and DH), we get to know about her love life and her popularity amongst boys but nothing about her friends. Even in case of Neville and Luna, it seems a bit unnatural. How did she befriend Neville even during GoF days? She certainly called Luna "loony" during the initial stages of OoTP - only OoTP climax (and maybe the DA lessons) seemed to change things between them. 

> 5.  Harry first notices the spiders during Herbology.  After midnight there are still spiders heading toward the Forbidden Forest.  Do spiders walk that slowly or are there that many spiders?

Joey:

LOL. There are that many spiders, I guess. :-)

> 6.  The Anglia has been trundling around the forest on its own all school year.  What is its fuel?
> 7.  The car is described as looking like it is greeting its master when it sees Ron.  It appears when Harry and Ron are surrounded by Aragog's children.  How sentient is the car?  Did it come to protect Ron and Harry?
> 9.  The Anglia stops at the edge of the forest but does not come out.  Is it hiding, do you think, or is it territorial?

Joey:

I found the car as intrguing as you seem to have done. 

It seems to be quasi-sentient.

Maybe it did not need much fuel when it was on ground? Or it developed an affinity towards the forest which gave it shelter and gained energy there to trundle around?

I think Arthur put a charm on it to recognize its "master" or "owner" or "last user" - somewhat similar to the charm on snitches to recognize the first touch, I guess - and I do think it came to protect Ron (and Harry) for that reason. It seemed to have "sensed" their danger!

I think it is hiding because it certainly seemed to "choose" to go to the forest after having been hit hard by the Whomping Willow.

Wonder what others have to say about the Anglia. :-)

Cheers,
~Joey, who found Ceridwen's questions very interesting :-)