Re: THE OLD CROWD – INTRO

[hg_skmg]

> Jen: So glad you made it, hg...Btw, I don't think we've had much 
> discussion on Slughorn at TOC yet; hopefully you'll have time to 
put something together? Reading analysis at hpfgu has me wondering 
about his role in book 7.

hg:
Oh, I will, I have plenty of thoughts about Slughorn.  I'll read 
through the list and see how to fit some of my ideas into established 
discussion.

Jen:
> Since I'm terribly predictable and love treatise on human behavior, 
> HBP was a joy to read. Finally understanding how Riddle evolved 
into Voldemort, learning where he's strong and where he's weak, 
opened up the series again for me. Probably why I've been on a 
posting binge and trying to rein myself in. :)

hg:
That was what I enjoyed best about HBP (and of course Slughorn).  Yet 
I was sad that Voldemort, Snape and Draco becoming well-rounded came 
at the expense of an almost short-hand expression (IMO) of some of 
the other characters, notably Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, even 
Ginny.

But starting the book out directing us to suspect that anyone could 
be not who they appear to be -- with the Ministry leaflet, the 
discussion of code-phrases, and Slughorn's chair impersonation -- 
drew me in entirely and gave me plenty to chew on.

> 
> hg:
> > ***Extent of Potter obsession:
> > I spent several months post-OoP compiling an obscene number of 
> > possible anagrams for "Droobles Best Blowing Gum."
> 
> Jen: Did you think when JKR shut off speculation about the sweet 
> wrappers, she was also sending a message that neither of the 
> Longbottoms, specifically Alice, will ever make a partial recovery? 
> I've been holding out hope, but when JKR compared that scene to the 
> story of a woman with Alzheimer's & noted it as a 'character 
> moment', there seemed to be a certain finality to it. Just as magic 
> can't bring someone back from the dead, there are also magical 
> afflictions the WW can't cure. Wah. 

hg:
Oh, yes, I agree.  Reading that in the interview was so 
discouraging.  All that hard work down the drain...and all that hope 
I invested in poor Alice and Frank.
But what I find more disturbing about the Longbottoms now, after HBP, 
is that it seems Dumbledore never went to see if there were any 
retrievable memories in their brains, like with Morfin and Hokey.  I 
think that if there were anything useful, it could have been related 
to knowledge of Horcruxes (the DEs had come to the Longbottoms 
looking for info about the whereabouts of Voldemort) and then would 
have been conveyed to Harry in the course of HBP.  Regardless of 
Horcruxes, if Dumbledore didn't ever try to gain any memories from 
them, why?  And why didn't he ever go interview Sirius in Azkaban, as 
he did with Morfin?  It makes me wonder...I'll have to poke around 
the list and see if anyone has been dishwashing...

hg.