Comments | a_chapter_a_day: OotP Chapter 34 - The Department of Mysteries

jenbeauty in a_chapter_a_day

OotP Chapter 34 - The Department of Mysteries

Jul 06, 2005 20:59

OotP Chapter 34 - The Department of Mysteries

He closed his eyes and put his face down into the horse's silky mane as they burst through the topmost branches of the trees and soared out into a bloodred sunset.

And so begins the journay that will decide Sirius' fate. The six students mount the thestrals and leave the Hogwarts grounds for the ( Read more... )

Comments 17

junesrose July 7 2005, 02:10:14 UTC

One of the things that seemed remarkable to me here upon my reread, was how Harry, Luna,Ginny and Neville were all entranced by the Archway. They seemed almost hypnotised by it.Only Ron and Hermione seemed unaffected. Do ya think it somehow is connected to the "Dark Side", and only those who have been involved with the Dark Side, either willingly or not??

Also, I have'nt' got a clue what the hell that last line means, and I can't for the life of me remember any kind of discussion about it.

Any takers???

jenbeauty July 7 2005, 02:14:18 UTC

Sybil P. Trelawney to Dumbledore with all DD's names! lol I had to read it twice to remember.

annearchy July 7 2005, 02:53:56 UTC

Interesting question. I noticed that too. I think the Veil affected only those who either had seen someone die (Harry, Luna, Neville) or had been touched by Voldemort somehow (Harry and Ginny).

junesrose July 7 2005, 03:02:17 UTC

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking...

So the voices are "real"? I'm assuming they're like the Thestrals; only those who have been touched by Voldypants can hear them; so far, I think only Luna and Harry were mentioned to beable to hear them, right?

*runs to check the chapter again*

Thread 7

house_elf_44 July 7 2005, 02:57:15 UTC

I can't believe that the MoM has no security after hours. So what would have happened? Maybe a combination of attacks, and inside information to turn off alarms?

The stone pit with the veil was 20' below. That hit me because as Harry passed the great hall on his way out, celebrating students were 20' away. So what's the connection? People celebrating on the other side of the veil? When the veil fluttered the first time, did the dead come to "look out the window"?

Why were some attracted to the veil, and others not? It wasn't split by who had deceased family members, because Ginny was attracted and Ron wasn't. Why were Ron and Hermione not affected?

Why are some orbs brighter than others? I wonder if it's related to how old the prophecy is, or if it's a reflection on the seer.

cadesama July 7 2005, 03:06:13 UTC

Why are some orbs brighter than others? I wonder if it's related to how old the prophecy is, or if it's a reflection on the seer.

I was thinking it could have something to do with whether the prophecy has already been fulfilled, or if it's possible that it can be fulfilled. Like, what if there are prophecies that predict things on the basis that Voldemort will be the one to kill Harry? Trelawney's first prophecy is binary, so there may be predictions that folllow both possible outcomes. After the series ends, those that chose the wrong "branch" will be defunct.

annearchy July 7 2005, 03:20:55 UTC

Well, here's my theory.

cadesama July 7 2005, 03:28:31 UTC

If Harry had lied, would his pass reflect what his said, or his real intention? Is the phone booth actually a security entrance against wizards, or merely against muggles?

Yet another attempt to ditch his friends for a "look out".

Why is Ginny entranced too? Does it have to do with being touched by death, maybe? Luna, Neville, and Harry have all seen death. Ginny and Harry have both been near death. It can't be dark magic, since Luna hasn't ever experienced any and Ron and Hermione have (faux!Moody's Imperius lessons). Are there levels of entrancement? Harry seemed like the most affected, and we don't know if Neville and Ginny were fully entranced (hearing the voices and all) or merely somewhat. Ginny's comment in the time room may indicate that she wasn't fully affected.

Awww, I wanted to know what Luna thought was in the melty-door room.

Why aren't Dumbledore and Trelawney's names spelled out while Harry's is? Might have something to do with how the prophecies are indexed, I guess.

lemone July 7 2005, 03:49:44 UTC

Why aren't Dumbledore and Trelawney's names spelled out while Harry's is? Might have something to do with how the prophecies are indexed, I guess.

I just figured there wouldn't be enough space to write it all out.

cadesama July 7 2005, 05:03:04 UTC

Well, I suppose my question isn't so much why didn't they write out Trelawney and Dumbledore, but why didn't they initialize Harry and Voldemort? H.P. and T.M.R. save even more space. But it wouldn't have been easily identifiable to Ron, then. And, like I said, indexing. It's easier for the DoM to keep track of one prophet by initials than to keep track of all of the subjects they prophesize about.

schtroumph_c July 7 2005, 10:31:39 UTC

* I suppose Malfoy and Cie took care of the security.

* Who heard the voices and was bewitched by the veil? Harry, Luna, Neville, and Ginny.

Harry, Luna, Neville ==> they seen death.

Ginny ==> She was possessed by Riddle during one year.

Like the Thestrals, you need a certain experience to be sensible to the veil.

fizzzelicious July 7 2005, 12:28:18 UTC

I think maybe the veil attracts the people who on some level want to die/are attracted by death.

Harry has had a horrible life and it's a surprise he wasn't depressed the whole year. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd had suicidal thoughts after Cedric's death.

Luna has been the victim of ridicule because she's a bit excentric. People call her Loony, take her stuff and it doesn't seem like she has any real friends. She lost her mother at a very young age.

Neville is a bit in the same boat as Luna. His grandmother constantly reminds him what a disapointment he is and that he isn't as talented as his father was. People say he doesn't really belong in Gryffindor.

Ginny has experienced a very traumatic event at the tender age of 11. She can't possibly have gotten over that in 3 years. She was also least affected of the 4 by the veil.

Or maybe the fact that the four are entranced by the veil is foreshadowing that they will die?

Oh and another hint that Ron may die...Harry thought he heard Ron behind the veil.

cadesama July 7 2005, 19:48:48 UTC

Harry has had a horrible life and it's a surprise he wasn't depressed the whole year.

Oh, this is definitely arguable. Irritability and displaced anger are symptoms of depression in children and adolescents -- combined with Harry's fits of listlessness, I think he's definitely depressed throughout OotP. He just manifests it somewhat atypically.

Or maybe the fact that the four are entranced by the veil is foreshadowing that they will die?

Yet, those four are the ones who come off best in the fight. Luna gets knocked out, Ginny breaks her ankle and gets Stunned, Neville has his nose broken, and nothing physical at all happens to Harry. Hermione and Ron are unaffected by the veil, but both of them nearly die.

It's hard to say what the veil entrancement thing is all about, especially since all the characters are teenagers. It could be that most adults would be attracted as well, because their lives naturally would have been long enough to experience whatever factors lead to it.