Chapter 28: Snape's Worst Memory

Jun 30, 2005 00:36

Or, The Beginning of the Worst Time Evah ( Read more... )

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schtroumph_c June 30 2005, 07:22:18 UTC
* I thought Peeves broke the Vanishing Cabinet in COS?

* A life against points? I know wizards are particularly tough, but weeks ( ok, one day, but in a toilet) without water or food, anywhere, it’s too much. And no, ‘he wanted to take points unjustly’ is not a good reason.

* I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn’t sure whether or not I had the authority.

My favourite phrase of the book. Go Flitwick!

* How stupid Draco can be? Since when lessons potion happen with a duel stance? Or did he think they were fighting during the lesson?

* like a plant kept in the dark.

…who’ll see the light one day? In the same time, he lives in dungeons, and somehow, I don’t see him lounging in the sun.

* More long answers than the others, minuscule writing, reread of the examination paper, there are descriptions used for Hermione.

* Was the full moon approaching?, 15, 16 years old.Is it the year of the Prank? After the OWLs? Severus made a long answer to the werewolf question, he know the subject, so like Hermione ( ( ... )

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trash_addict June 30 2005, 07:35:36 UTC
*The thing about lying, Harry, is that if you can't look them in the eye, then they're gonna know you're doing it without using Legimnency.

*How exciting, upon first reading OotP, was the Pensieve scene? Maybe it's that Jo had provided insuffient backstory or that something about the history of it is so dynamic. But to be able to read about it like we were in it, as opposed to through dialogue, is one of those things that make we wish Jo would write a prequel.

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house_elf_44 June 30 2005, 11:06:17 UTC
Dumbledore's office had sealed itself. I wondered if he was in there, or could come and go the same way he left.

Reading students mail is unacceptable, but having other students do it is worse. And families accept this? No way to tell them I suppose.

I loved Harry watching the fireworks with Fred and George, and telling them they were very impressive. I think putting Dr. Filibuster out of business might have a double meaning.

Cho not only defends Marietta, but thinks it's okay, because we got away. Swapping Umbridge for Dumbledore is not okay.

I suppose Wormtail grew up some more, too, but seeing him in the Pensieve, I can't imaging Sirius thinking he should be secret keeper.

Snape didn't fancy Lily, so there go some theories. He went on to become a Death Eater, so I don't think he grew out of his dislike for Mudbloods. Now I think Snape's primary motive is to defeat Voldemort - whatever it takes.

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vorrothiel June 30 2005, 14:50:47 UTC
It was a good move for Jo to show that James was a git, he did have faults, that he was arrogant and a bully at school. Why? Because is makes James human. In the first four books, we've been told and presented with tainted views of Harry's father. A wonderful Quidditch player, became an illegal Animagus to help a friend, dueled with Voldemort to give Lily time to escape... we have many views supporting that James was a good man and then Snape snarking that his hatred for James. And then we see James for what he really was - a git. It fleshed out James' character and made him more interesting - what made him change? What is because he wanted Lily or was it maturity? And we also caught a glimspe at Lily - who we know so little about.

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cadesama June 30 2005, 19:12:13 UTC
Hermione's shock over the Vanishing Cabinet incident is in reference to how much trouble the twins will be in, not how dangerous that is. So either no one really knows what would happen if you shoved a person through, or the apparent damaging effects are unusual.

Harry's paranoia is a handy thing. Snape gave Umbridge fake Veritaserum, but that honestly only matters for the other students. Seems like that happens a lot -- the professors come up with some countermeasure to protect Harry, and (if it's not utterly useless) Harry doesn't need it anyway, because he can take care of himself.

If Cho thought Harry would forgive a traitor she really doesn't know his history.

"but Harry thought of Cho's anger, of Malfoy's jeering face, and a reckless daring seized him." -- The similarity to the lights of the second room of the DoM may have been what drew Harry to the Pensieve, but Harry's motivation for actually going through with it was purely reckless retribution. Not at Snape personally, but at the world. Hermione said she felt ( ... )

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house_elf_44 June 30 2005, 19:25:43 UTC
It's pretty terrible that the only way Harry learns about his parents is through this sort of sneaking and stealing.

It's another instance of Harry having to find out things on his own - and without asking questions of the people who would know. I can see quasi reasons for not asking the adults to tell him about his parents, but not for Hagrid. What's stopping him there - well before Umbridge?

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cadesama June 30 2005, 19:56:26 UTC
Well, with Harry theer's his ingrained tendency just not to ask questions, just as the Dursleys conditoned him to do. Why he doesn't break his conditioning with people . . . well, to break conditioning it has to be shown pretty explicitly that there are no consequences for doing so. There's never been a single adult in Harry's life that told him to ask all he wanted about his parents, or automatically told him about things.

It's a vicious cycle where Harry thinks he's not allowed to ask (or that they don't know anything), and then the adults (who didn't want to talk about James and Lily anyway) think they're off the hook because Harry's not asking, and Harry thinks that them not wanting to talk is a sign that he shouldn't even bother asking . . . I see why it happens, but I still think the adults are shlubs because they'd rather sit back comfrtably and not deal with painful memories than tell an orphan who doesn't know how to ask about his parents.

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woman_ironing June 30 2005, 22:16:25 UTC
It all comes back to there being nobody responsible for Harry, I suppose. Mind you, even if Sirius and Remus had waxed long and lyrical about James and Lily, Harry would still have looked in the pensieve. He needs Snape's POV, and the pensieve is such irresistible fun.

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