CoS 11

[pauraque_bk]

Not from this chapter, but seviet has posted a lovely CoS illustration: Harry and Ron in the staff room (G).

*

In Chapter 10, we learned that grapes are a traditional gift for ill people in Britain. hermione_like had some cool thoughts on the Harry-as-werewolf symbolism. Also, good discussion about Harry's concepts of danger and fear.


CoS 11: The Duelling Club

[Percy:] 'Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent. Gryffindor have just taken the lead for the House Cup -- you earned fifty points!' (137)

How does that work? I thought the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup were two separate things.

'If I ever find out who threw this,' Snape whispered, 'I shall make sure that person is expelled.' (141)

This isn't really an unfair response. Potions are dangerous ('Malfoy got a faceful and his nose began to swell like a balloon; Goyle blundered about, his hands over his eyes, which had expanded to the size of dinner plates' (140) ); Harry is lucky no one was caused any permanent damage. I'm reminded of McGonagall's statement in PS/SS, along the lines of "anyone who messes about in my class will be asked not to return".

Also, does Snape ever find out why Harry did this? Because if not (and if he does know it was Harry, as Harry thinks), add that to the list of legitimate reasons Snape has to dislike him.

'Let me introduce my assistant Professor Snape,' said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. 'He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about duelling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin[...]' (142)

Any thoughts on what really happened here? Did Lockhart ask, and if so, why? And why did Snape agree? Or was it really Snape's idea? Did he want to show Lockhart up? I can see Dumbledore suggesting he participate in order to prevent the situation from degenerating into chaos... in his way of asking Snape do to things Snape doesn't want to do, yet that indicate respect that Dumbledore would ask. (That sentence is ridiculously malformed, but I hope you all know what I meant, because I can't get the words straight.)

Harry hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Malfoy while he was on the floor, but this was a mistake. Gasping for breath, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry's knees, choked, 'Tarantallegra!'[...] (144)

Despite the fact that Draco first hits Harry with a painful curse (before they're actually supposed to start), Harry retaliates with nothing more than a Tickling Charm, and is apparently too much of a gentleman to do anything to Draco while he's down. But does Harry actually *know* any harmful spells at this point?

[Lockhart:] 'Whoops -- my wand is a little over-excited.' (145)

No comment.

Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too. (145)

Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: it was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't like it. (146)

It seems likely that Snape told Draco to set a snake on Harry, to test if he was a Parselmouth. But where would he get the idea Harry was?

Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that his legs were carrying him forward as though he was on castors and that he had shouted stupidly at the snake, 'Leave him!' (145)

'But I'm in Gryffindor,' Harry thought. 'The Sorting Hat wouldn't have put me here if I had Slytherin blood...'
'Ah,' said a nasty little voice in his brain, 'But the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin, don't you remember?' (147)

I'm not fond of the theory that when Harry hears "nasty voices" in his head, they're really remnants of Voldemort. But I have to admit I see where it comes from, here... These just don't sound like Harry, though of course the sentiment behind "Leave him" is what Harry wants, not what Voldemort would want.

'So?' said Harry. 'I bet loads of people here can do it.'
'Oh no they can't,' said Ron. 'It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad.' (146)

Another thing I keep thinking I'm going to point out, and then not. It isn't some sort of fandom myth that Hermione gets all of Ron's useful lines in the movie: it's true. Ron isn't as ignorant as the films make him appear. He's reasonably knowledgable about the wizarding world, and gets a lot of expository lines.

'And in case you're getting ideas,' [Ernie] added hastily, 'I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so--' (150)

There's that word again, 'warlock'. With a high-class implication this time.

[Harry:] 'Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?'
'I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with,' said Ernie swiftly.
'It's not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them,' said Harry. 'I'd like to see you try it.' (150)

We get what Harry is saying here -- that he doesn't hate them because they're Muggles -- but the Hufflepuffs don't necessarily.


Past re-read posts are here.

Comments

Re: Part 1: Cups and Potions

[pauraque]

Goyle made the potion correctly; perhaps he's less incompetent then we're led to believe.

Thank you for pointing this out, I didn't notice!

One difference I've noted between C & G is that Draco likes Crabbe better. Wouldn't it be interesting if both were true... Draco is less fond of Goyle because he's smarter, and presents more risk to Draco's social dominance?

Re: Part 1: Cups and Potions

[arclevel.livejournal.com]

The only thing I can really think of for Draco liking Crabbe better is that he picks him as his second in the duel-that-wasn't in SS. That could suggest liking Crabbe better, or it could be that he thinks of *Crabbe* as "the smart one" or, at least, the competent one. I suppose his comment in the common room to Goyle (yes, I know it's next chapter) could also indicate liking Crabbe better. Perhaps he's trying to put Goyle down to keep Goyle from threatening his dominance, as you say. (OTOH, I read the interactions in that scene with a big grain of salt, since Draco is also clearly seeing that "Crabbe" and "Goyle" are acting oddly.)

I also tend to think of Crabbe as "the nice one" since he attmepts to rescue ferret!Draco, and Goyle tries to steal the candy on the train in SS. In any case, I really think there's much more to the pair of them than Harry sees (even if JKR decides to say otherwise).

Re: Part 1: Cups and Potions

[pauraque]

Also, in PoA Draco stands on Goyle's shoulders when he impersonates a Dementor, which I took as a dominance thing.

I'd like to go through all the references to them and note the differences.

Re: Part 1: Cups and Potions

[wolfie-thu.livejournal.com]

It's also interesting that only Crabbe's father (as far as I can tell) is in the Department of Mysteries at the end of OotP.

Re: Part 1: Cups and Potions

[slinkhard.livejournal.com]

I took that as Flint, the senior Slytherin, standing on Crabbe's shoulders because he's the tallest of the third year Slytherin trio; and Draco gets Goyle by default.

I did a post on the differences between Crabbe and Goyle. It's fairly tongue in cheek, but maybe you'd like to check it out.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/roxannelinton/25380.html

Re: Part 1: Cups and Potions

[biichan.livejournal.com]

Of course, there's the whole comment Draco made about Goyle not reading but ataniell93 pointed out that he could be dyslexic.

Goyle's my favorite, though I will freely admit this is because movie!Goyle is hot and thuggish and movie!Crabbe's just thuggish.

Re: Part 1: Cups and Potions

[arclevel.livejournal.com]

The reading comment is movie canon, though. (But Josh Herdman definitely *is* rather cute, while Jamie Waylett, nice kid though he seems, simply is not.)

Re: Part 1: Cups and Potions

[impinc.livejournal.com]

http://www.livejournal.com/community/grab_n_coil/2190.html#cutid1