Chapter Discussion: Chamber of Secrets Chapter 11, The Duelling Club

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 189045

CoS Chapter Eleven: The Duelling Club
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<snip summary>
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> 1. How convincing did you find the evidence presented by the Trio of Draco's possibly being the "Heir of Slytherin"? (Colin was victimized because Draco was angry about losing, Lucius must have opened the Chamber in the past, Draco planned to stay for the holidays, etc.)

Carol responds:
Not convincing at all, considering that if staying at Hogwarts for Christmas makes you a suspect, Harry and Ron are also suspects, and Lucius "must have" opened the chamber is not evidence at all but speculation. Moreover, Dumbledore has already said in their hearing, "No second-year could have done this." I can't remember my initial reaction, but now it seems obvious that they're looking for anything they can find, however flimsy, to justify their speculation, which is based solely on Draco's obnoxious reaction to the writing on the wall and his prediction that "Mudbloods" will be next. (If they had guessed that he knew something about the situation, they'd be more justified in their suspicions.)
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> 2. Goyle's Swelling Solution, when splashed about the class, caused various students to experience swelling. Does Goyle possess hitherto unsuspected talents for Potionmaking?

Carol:
Possibly, they're working with partners and his partner (possibly Draco) has some talent, or Draco is helping him as Hermione helps Ron. Also, of course, potions for second-years would not be particularly difficult. Snape has an antidote with him (as usual, I think) anticipating accidents. Primarily, of course, JKR is more concerned with her plot than with logic. It would have made more sense for Harry to aim at Draco's cauldron.
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> 3. What is your opinion of Snape's handling of the incident Harry caused in his class?

Carol:
I don't blame him at all for being angry considering that it was not only a disruption but dangerous as well. He doesn't carry out his threat to expel the person who threw it even though he suspects Harry (with good reason), nor does he do "something foul" as Harry anticipates.
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> 4. Why do you think Draco and "some Slytherins" cheered Snape's success in disarming Lockhart?

Carol:
Why not? He's their Head of House, they have cause to be proud of his dueling skills, and he's making a fool of an inept professor who's a disgrace to his subject. (Snape also demonstrates his DADA skills by simultaneously reversing every hex or jinx that the kids have cast on each other, in contrast to Lockhart's feeble bleating.)
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> 5. With the entire series in hand – why do you think Snape arranged to pair Harry and Draco to practice in the Duelling Club? Has your opinion changed since the first time you read the scene? What do you think Snape whispered in Draco's ear?

Carol:
I think he took advantage of the opportunity to pair them, possibly to test Harry's skill against that of his own best student (knowing that they couldn't really hurt each other). I do think that Snape whispered Serpensortia in Draco's ear, knowing that he, Snape, could easily Vanish the conjured snake if the spell succeeds. At first, he seems satisfied that Harry is no more a Parseltongue than Draco is and calmly tells him to stand aside so that he can Vanish it, but when the snake goes after Justin Finch-Fletchley (which cannot be part of the plan) and Harry starts speaking Parseltongue to it, Snape's expression turns shrewd rather than surprised, suggesting that the incident was planned. Almost certainly, if that's the case, DD (wondering whether the soul bit in the scar gives Harry some of LV's powers) would have suggested that Snape find a way to test Harry and see whether he can speak Parseltongue. (Snape may even have suggested the Dueling Club idea to Lockhart and offered his services as "assistant," which must have required superb acting skills.) 
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> 6. What did you make of the COS revelations (its association with Slytherin and Dark Wizards) about this talent, before we learned of the soul bit in DH?

Carol:
Do you mean with regard to Harry or Parselmouths in general? I certainly didn't think that he was a Dark Wizard, and I accepted DD's (later) explanation that he had acquired some of LV's powers through his scar (or rather, as DD should have said, through the cut that became the scar). I didn't think that it was a piece of LV's soul. It was already clear that the scar gave Harry some sort of link with LV even though at that point it was only pain when LV was near. (I expected to see some other powers, a hope that only partially materialized.)
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> 7. In this chapter various characters react to this revelation. Harry fears he is a descendant of Slytherin. Ernie and other Hufflepuffs discuss this as Harry eavesdrops. What do you make of these opinions? What does it show us about Wizard society? Is it trying to tell us anything in particular about people/life?

Carol:
Harry's fear is natural since he knows of no other way that he could have acquired an unusual ability associated with Slytherin and Dark magic. The Hufflepuffs' suspicions are also natural since they don't understand Parseltongue and it looked as if Harry was egging on the snake. What HRH don't see is that the Hufflepuffs' suspicions mirror their own suspicions of Draco (and their own suspicion of Snape in the previous book). It's a motif that we'll see throughout the books--appearances can be deceiving whether it's a wrongful suspicion of guilt or "help" received from a secret enemy as with Crouch/Moody in GoF. I don't think it's just Wizarding society; JKR is depicting an all too human trait, especially the willingness to believe the worst about people we dislike. (Look at the success of propaganda throughout the ages, whether it's the Crusades (both sides), the anti-Richard III campaign waged by Henry VII, the Cold War, or North Korea today.)
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> 8. The Duelling Club meeting is one of my very favorite scenes in the movies, primarily because I adore the performances of Rickman as Snape and Branagh as Lockhart in this scene and how they bring the characters to life in it just as I had imagined them. Is there any point to Rowling's juxtaposition of these characters in this scene aside from (undeniable) comic effect?

Carol:
Absolutely. She's not only displaying Lockhart's ineptitude and displaying it to great comic effect, she's revealing Snape's DADA skills (showing, in part, that he's actually qualified for the job he seems to want) and showing him in action (IMO) as Dumbledore's man. (Certainly, he reported the incident to DD even if he didn't plan it at DD's instigation; how else could DD know that Harry speaks Parseltongue?) It's interesting to me that Snape takes control at several key points and, unpleasant personality notwithstanding, is calmly competent throughout the scene (in marked contrast to Lockhart), yet not one of the characters seems to notice or remark on it (though the Slytherins notice and cheer his dueling skill). As usual, the narrator reflects Harry's perspective, seeing Snape's actions but drawing no favorable conclusions (though the suspicion that Snape will do "something foul" if he finds out who threw the firecracker perhaps suggests that they already had a high estimate of his magical abilities).

Carol, who enjoyed this chapter because it contains so much Snape