CoS 13

[pauraque_bk]

Chapter 12 featured much discussion of the stupidity and immorality of the Polyjuice plan. Crazy kids never learn.


CoS 13: The Very Secret Diary

'I was so sure it was Malfoy,' said Ron, for about the hundredth time. (170)

But it doesn't appear to occur to him that maybe next time he should think a bit harder before going off half-cocked. Naturally.

'Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me...' (172)

I wonder if Ginny ditched the book at this point because, like the rest of the school, she thought Hermione had indeed been attacked (170), but thought she herself was so far gone that she simply had no recollection of any 'missing time'.

Harry stepped forward to pick [the diary] up, but Ron suddenly flung out an arm to hold him back.
'What?' said Harry.
'Are you mad?' said Ron. 'It could be dangerous.'
'Dangerous?' said Harry, laughing. 'Come off it, how could it be dangerous?'
'You'd be surprised,' said Ron, who was looking apprehensively at the book. 'Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated -- Dad's told me -- there was one that burned your eyes out. [...] And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed[...]' (172)

Heh, reminds me of the summer of '03.

Again, Ron exhibits what could be a premonition. He isn't normally wary of magical objects, and there isn't anything evidently mysterious about the book.

[Harry:] 'I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an award for special services to Hogwarts, either.'
[Ron:] '[...]Maybe he murdered Myrtle, that would've done everyone a favour...' (173)

And again.

And while Harry was sure he'd never heard the name T.M.Riddle before, it still seemed to mean something to him, almost as though Riddle was a friend he'd had when he was very small, and half-forgotten. (174)

It seems unlikely that Harry actually heard Riddle's name when he was a baby; I don't think anyone knew Tom Riddle and Voldemort were the same person, except Dumbledore, did they? So, this looks like more on the theme of V leaving some trace of himself on Harry's psyche.

Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the Entrance Hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. (176)

And there's a bit more about the dwarfs carrying valentines, but nothing very specific. Do we ever hear about dwarfs anywhere else? Strange.

'His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
His hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord.' (178)

Despite Draco's accusation, I find myself doubting that Ginny actually sent this valentine. She's got a hell of a lot on her mind other than Harry at this point. I don't really see her writing goofy love poems in between strangling roosters and petrifying her classmates.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I wonder if it isn't Draco's handiwork. The exaggerated, mocking tone sounds like him, not far off 'Weasley is our king'. Whether you want to read Harry/Draco subtext into that, I leave to you.

'Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?' (179)

One interesting thing about this is that diary!Tom knows who Harry is, though he pretends he doesn't at this point. I'm not sure what he hopes to gain by showing all this to Harry, though... how does it get him any closer to killing him (assuming that's the goal)?


Past re-read posts are here.


[ETA: I skipped a day intentionally so that I wouldn't have to post on Halloween and Election Day (Tuesday November 2nd, don't forget to vote!).]

Comments

[eponis.livejournal.com]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I wonder if it isn't Draco's handiwork.

Oooh, nice idea. Makes sense, too. One side observation: I vaguely recall that "Dark Lord" was a title generally only given to Voldemort by those sympathetic to him. Which is not to say that Draco's a full-blown DE at this point, of course, but rather that he might be more comfortable with that title than Ginny Weasley would be.

I'm not sure what he hopes to gain by showing all this to Harry, though.

I don't have the books handy, but IIRC, Tom says at some point that he'd become intrigued by someone with the power to defeat him. Ginny had provided all the basic facts by then, of course, but my impression was always that he was genuinely fascinated by the puzzle of Harry. (There's also the possibility that he feared that Harry might have gotten the diary because he suspected Ginny, and therefore that Tom had to provide an alternate suspect.)

[slinkhard.livejournal.com]

I vaguely recall that "Dark Lord" was a title generally only given to Voldemort by those sympathetic to him. Which is not to say that Draco's a full-blown DE at this point, of course, but rather that he might be more comfortable with that title than Ginny Weasley would be.

Draco uses the term 'Dark Lord' at the end of GoF.
And yes, pauraque, I'm afraid I'm going to read H/D subtext into it. ;)

[thatfangirl]

I am anal-retentive, so anal-retentive that once upon a time I decided to chart how different characters refer to Voldemort. The phrase "dark lord" doesn't appear until CoS and it is used twice to describe—

"That's probably why You-Know-Who wanted to kill [Harry] in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him."—Ernie Macmillan, p. 199, Scholastic paperback

—and six times to refer to Voldemort. Aside from the valentine's mystery author, who else refers to Voldemort as the Dark Lord? Lucius Malfoy and Dobby. Coincidence...or conspiracy? Which is to say, I too have my suspicions about Draco.

[t0ra-chan.livejournal.com]

So, the H/D subtext is actually Harry/Dobby? Their love is so creepy poetic.

[pauraque]

Haha! I never thought of that, but it's not implausible, is it? It fits with Dobby's worshipful attitude... and maybe he was trying to embarrass Harry into going home. ;)