Skyehawke :: PoA 8

[pauraque_bk]

Lo, I have a shiny new Skyehawke account! Thanks, switchknife.

Skyehawke is a very nice invitational multifandom archive with an excellent system of allowing authors to upload and edit their own work. It's like ff.net, if ff.net were actually good. (However, I find it impossible not to note that its name always makes me smile. Skyehawke... as opposed to all those land hawks.)

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PoA 8: Flight of the Fat Lady

Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins had anything bad to say about Professor Lupin. (107)

Draco seems to hold a grudge against Lupin for stopping him from getting into it with Harry (69), and for no other reason we're shown. I can't recall how Lupin treats the Slytherins in his class, if it's mentioned at all. I doubt he'd intentionally treat them unfairly; he's extremely interested in being the best teacher he can be.

'Look at him!' he said furiously to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. 'He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!' [...] 'That cat's got it in for Scabbers!' said Ron, ignoring the people around him, who were starting to giggle. 'And Scabbers was here first, and he's ill!' (111)

This is quite different from Ron's initial "disgust" with Scabbers when we meet them in PS/SS. It's important now that we see Ron loving and caring for him, so that we can be suitably horrified when we learn the truth.

Ron's experience of Peter parallels that of MPP. Peter is unwanted and "useless", yet somehow an emotional attachment develops. Peter clings to MPP, hangs around them like the pet he literally is to Ron. In each case, the betrayal seems impossible, and comes as a huge shock.

Lavender Brown seemed to be crying. Parvati had her arm around her, and was explaining something to Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were looking very serious. (111-112)

This isn't exactly relevant, but it reminded me: I'm really bothered by the fact that Neville seems not to have any friends. Harry & Ron and Seamus & Dean have paired off and are constantly in each other's company. Early on in PS/SS, before the troll incident, Hermione and Neville were seen together a great deal, but then Hermione attached herself to the Harry-Ron group. Neville is with them for the Fluffy episode (unlike in the movie!), and the Trio certainly don't dislike Neville, but... who does he hang out with? (Maybe the two mystery Gryffindor girls in his year...)

Also in this scene, Hermione again debunks Trelawney's predictions.

'Well,' said Lupin, frowning slightly, 'I assumed that if the Boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort.' [...] 'I imagined people would panic.' (117)

ellen_fremedon was right about this when it came up in the last chapter.

'That suggests that what you fear most of all is -- fear. Very wise, Harry.' (117)

It also suggests the theme of the book, that our internal demons have to be confronted just as external enemies do.

'Ah, Severus,' said Lupin, smiling. 'Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?'
Snape set the smoking goblet down, his eyes wandering between Harry and Lupin.
'I was just showing Harry my Grindylow,' said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank.
'Fascinating,' said Snape, without looking at it. 'You should drink that directly, Lupin.'
'Yes, yes I will,' said Lupin.
'I made an entire cauldronful,' Snape continued. 'If you need more.'
'I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus.'
'Not at all,' said Snape, but there was a look in his eye Harry didn't like. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful. (117-118)

A lot is going on here. We know the animosity hasn't abated, but has actually increased (107) -- but here, it's expressed passively. Lupin calls him "Severus", Snape replies with "Lupin" -- Snape doesn't want to be friends, as Lupin must know perfectly well. Lupin deliberately doesn't take the hint and does it again. The exchange also calls to mind Dumbledore, the only other character who calls Snape by his first name, who keeps Snape firmly under his thumb, and arguably doesn't respect him.

Snape needles back, pointedly alluding to Lupin's current dependence on Snape for his safety and livelihood -- twice reminding him to take his medicine, as if Lupin were a child. There may also be a sense of Snape consciously mocking Lupin's mild, passive-aggressive manner -- tit for tat.

Harry is, in a sense, a pawn for both sides. Seeing Lupin and James's son sitting together drinking tea must rile Snape, but Harry's presence also underlines Snape's power over the situation -- he waves the evidence of Lupin's condition right in Harry's face.


Previous re-read posts are here.

Comments

[dphearson.livejournal.com]

We did not take on faith that James was a bully- we were show this. Remus backs this up, and so does Sirius. And he does call Lily a Mudblood, after she intervenes, not before. The difference is rather key. He was alone, minding his own business, when a group of boys decides to use him as their own personal shitwipe. And for a nboy who knows alo of curse et al, it would seem thatSeverus should have been able to beat back a gang of vicious boys. How interesting that he does not. That tells me that Sirius is capable of lying as well- which is not a surpise at all.

The fact that Remus is on a real position of power there show that nothing much has change for Remus Lupin in terms of responsibility. If there is nothing at stake for him, then fine, he can be a good leader ( as shown in general with teh Dada class) But when it comes down to something outside of him, he simpy doesn't care.

Sorry- Remus Lupin is simply not a likable character. He brings his own misfortune on to himself, and blames his condition for his lot in klife. He is no better than Severus, and Severus seems to win by a mile here- he has had to put with childhood bullying and live to make sure that bully's kid is okay.

[fernwithy.livejournal.com]

We did not take on faith that James was a bully- we were show this.

Not until the fifth book, we weren't. We didn't see anything of James until then, except for Harry's memory of his death. We were meant to take on faith that Snape had some kind of legitimate grudge based on his statements.

By the same token and in the same vein, we're given plenty of information that Snape was a thoroughly unpleasant kid who liked to curse people. We have as much evidence of it as we did, pre-OotP, of James bullying him. All we're lacking is the flashback scene, and we'll probably get it in book six (JKR said in that recent chat that we'd learn quite a lot about the back story in books six and seven). As I took on faith that Snape wasn't totally off the mark about James, I'm also taking on faith that Sirius wasn't totally off the mark about Snape. With James, it turned out to be true. I expect that it will turn out to be true with Snape as well.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

We were meant to take on faith that Snape had some kind of legitimate grudge based on his statements.

Really? Because until OotP, I thought we were meant to take on faith that Snape was blowing things out of proportion and having fits over a 'schoolboy prank' to quote Lupin.

I'm not saying that Sirius is totally off the mark, just that he's biased and will exagerrate for good or ill based on his biases. You need a third party to get a reliable interpretation of Sirius' information.