PoA 21

[pauraque_bk]

PoA 21: Hermione's Secret

Okay, that just sounds like a dirty mail-order catalog.

'Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behaviour. [...] They weren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape [...] They've got away with a great deal before now ... I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves [...]' (283)

As neotoma has pointed out, if Snape really thinks they were Confunded, he's being very charitable. However, given that he goes right on to blame them after saying they aren't to blame, I doubt that what he says here is entirely sincere. He's making himself appear charitable to the Minister.

'And yet -- is it good for [Harry] to be given so much special treatment? Personally I try to treat him like any other student[...]' (283)

Of course, this isn't entirely sincere either (or if it is, Snape is very unaware of his own behavior). However, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a kernel of truth in it: Failing to teach Harry self-control could prove extremely dangerous, not just to Harry, but to the world in general.

'[...]I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers and brought them all straight back to the castle.' (284)

While our heroes had no problem dragging Snape along with his head knocking against the ceiling (277), he gave them the consideration of stretchers. Admittedly, he wants to make a good impression on the authorities, but still.

I was puzzled at first why he gagged Sirius, but it makes sense: He didn't want him to be capable of an incantation.

'You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?' Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.
'I wish to speak to Harry and Hermione alone,' Dumbledore repeated.
Snape took a step towards Dumbledore.
'Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen,' he breathed. 'You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?'
'My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus,' said Dumbledore quietly. (286-287)

Ouch. Snape's desire for Dumbledore's support and approval is very much palpable here -- Snape is asking Dumbledore to choose between him and prodigal-son Sirius, and Dumbledore's choice is very clear.

Harry moved his head a few inches to get a clear view of the distant front doors. Dumbledore, Fudge, the old Committee member and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps. (292)

'It was tied here!' said the executioner furiously. 'I saw it! Just here!'
'How extraordinary,' said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.
[...]
'Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?' said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. 'Search the skies, if you will ... Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy.' (294)

We're pretty evidently supposed to think that this Dumbledore, Chapter16!Dumbledore, knows that it's Harry and Hermione who have made off with Buckbeak. If he doesn't, his reaction is very strange.

There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs. (294)

This is around where I start to get a tachyon headache. It seems that even in Chapter 16, Buckbeak was never really executed, which is consistent with the way the time travel device is presented throughout the chapter.

'Here comes Lupin!' said Harry, as they saw another figure sprinting down the stone steps and haring towards the Willow. Harry looked up at the sky. Clouds were obscuring the moon completely. (296)

Again, this is nonsense. JKR's editor should have gotten this one.

'What happened to the other boy? Ron?' said Sirius urgently. (303)

As soon as Sirius is set to escape, his mind clears enough to think of Ron's safety. However, I suspect he's wondering if Peter's curse killed him, not whether he's all right after being dragged off and having his leg broken by Padfoot.


The time travel device is troublesome for a couple of reasons. One is that it's a deus ex machina -- groundwork is laid for it, in Hermione's exhaustion and odd class schedule, but... what does it have to do with the rest of the book?

Another is that it calls into question one of the primary themes of the series, that our choices make us who we are. Dumbledore warns them seriously that they must not be seen, they must not change anything but what he tells them, etc., but once they actually go back, there's no indication that they can change anything -- they're merely fulfilling the course that's already set for them. If they'd made any small accidental change -- any at all -- I'd have less of a problem with the whole thing.

Narratively, it's a stumbling block. The emotional climax is clearly the Shrieking Shack, and on first reading, I thought the book took a bit too long to end after that. After that catharsis, introducing a major plot point was somewhat exhausting.

My assumption is that the time travel element will be very important later on in the series -- the Knight2King theory, or something equally huge -- or else JKR wouldn't have bothered introducing it at all. But considering PoA as a stand-alone novel, this chapter just doesn't feel as tightly woven-in as the rest of the book.


Past re-read posts are here.

Comments

[mimine.livejournal.com]

But there are ways, and tehre are ways,

Precisely. I'm not mad at Dumbledore for not handing Sirius to the Dementors just to make Snape feel better. But observe this:

Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you
are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at
once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly
shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses.

Not only does Dumbledore lie right in Snape's face, he gives Harry a nice little twinkle while at it. I'm sure Snape saw that and Snape knew perfectly well that Dumbledore was behind what happened in facilitating Harry to do what he did.

[asphodeline.livejournal.com]

Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless youare suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."
I'm probably going to sound very dense here but it's only just occurred to me that of course this is Dumbledore warning Snape off; I had seen it before as just a 'there, there, calm down and shut up' thing. I realised that Snape knew Dumbledore had been up to something but not that he was so specific. At this point Snape will realise that the children have indeed been in two places at once, it all slots into place for him.
I can't decide if that makes me more annoyed for Snape or slightly pleased that at least Dumbledore has the goodness to let him know what's gone on. It's too late, I think I need to lie down!

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

I'm probably going to sound very dense here but it's only just occurred to me that of course this is Dumbledore warning Snape off

My reading is that when you combine that passage with this one:

'Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen,' he breathed. 'You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?'
'My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus,' said Dumbledore quietly. (286-287)

You have Dumbledore pulling Snape's choke chain up short -- and since Snape thinks he's doing the *right thing* at the time, he's bewildered by Dumbledore's actions and very frustrated.

I think he spilled Lupin's werewolfism in the morning out of spite and frustration as well an actual concern for the students. From his perspective, Dumbledore had just proved that he wouldn't *do* anything about the dangerous criminal Black, so Snape thinks he HAS to act alone to protect the students from Lupin's reckless endangerment of their lives. The fact that by spilling the secret Snape destroys the career of someone he loathes is just more reason to do it, not less.

I can't decide if that makes me more annoyed for Snape or slightly pleased that at least Dumbledore has the goodness to let him know what's gone on.

I think this is where Snape's faith in Dumbledore starts to break down. This is the first major incident we see where Snape is acting absolutely correctly (with no mercy, but smack on the side of the law) yet Dumbledore cuts his feet out from under him.

Snape is very inflexible, and he wouldn't be able to understand why he is apparently being punished for acting *right*; that apparent rejection of his value seems to have spawned even more intrangiency in the following books. I'm not sure that he was ever told that Sirius was innocent (or would have believed it if he was told), but Snape probably thought by GoF that Dumbledore would chose Sirius over him, no matter what. I'm not surprised that Snape refused to persue teaching Harry Occlumency after the Pensieve incident in OotP -- from his perspective, no one was valuing his efforts, and without Dumbledore there to pressure him, he put his foot down.

[serriadh.livejournal.com]

Not only does he cut Snape's feet out from under him, he does so in front of Harry and Hermione. That's gotta hurt.

[mimine.livejournal.com]

So, you are suggesting that Snape was able to put two and two together and realise just how it was that Dumbledore helped the kids save Sirius. How is that a good thing? At least until then Snape might have held on to an illusion that Potter had done it alone, he doesn't blame Dumbledore (though of course it would have been unthinkable in front of Fudge). I believe that by the time Dumbledore has Snape and Sirius shake hands Snape knows that Sirius was innocent of the crime he was imprisoned for at least, or simply knows that Dumbledore believes him to be innocent and that has to be enough for him. So there was an explanation later on but in the scene in question, with Dumbledore clearly enjoying Snape's humiliation and pain I don't see Dumbledore as coming too well out of this.

[asphodeline.livejournal.com]

How is that a good thing? At least until then Snape might have held on to an illusion that Potter had done it alone
I just got the feeling that in his own (and, admittedly, very misguided) way, Dumbledore was letting Snape know that Harry had indeed managed to be in two places at a time and that he knew and Snape shouldn't need to go on any further because it was in hand and it was time he (Snape) let go of the argument. Does that make sense? I don't think Dumbledore meant to humiliate Snape deliberately, I think he was trying to help the situation but he seems to have quite a talent for riding rough-shod over the feelings of others and manages to insult and humiliate Snape all at once.

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

don't think Dumbledore meant to humiliate Snape deliberately,

This is Dumbledore's problem- his incredible lack of empathy. He is a person who is easily dazzled, and he does believe that he is do the right thing. But in this scene, he is clearly enjoying Snape's discomfortire, thinking that Severus "will get over it" to paraphrase what he says to Harry. Working backgwards from OOTP,you can see the structural strain ebgin right there. And by the way he says "You!" in GoF, Severus has not been told one damn thing.