Chapter Twenty-Six -- Gringotts

[gehayi]

Today's spork is by minkhollow.

***

In which Gringotts appears to have taken advantage of security testing, the Trio did not plan for a bank full of nuns what would happen if they were suspected/caught, and a few of the plot points were cooler the first time people used them.

Chapter Twenty-Six -- Gringotts

Comments

[cacopheny]

I totally don't have the energy or brainpower to read this tonight, but I have to say you win for the obscure Bare Naked Ladies reference.

Will actually read the post in the morning. Just wanted to cheer on the BNL ref.

[minkhollow]

::bows:: Once I saw how little planning the Trio got up to, the comparison was obvious.

[smurasaki]

What was the point of having Griphook's help if they weren't going to ask him about the bank's defenses? Of course, I also have this suspicion that if they hadn't planned to betray Griphook, he might have been more helpful and not betrayed them. We might not have a good idea of what wizards are capable of, but what other magical creatures are capable of is a complete mystery. He might well have known their deal was a fraud from the start.

And you're so right about the stupidity of stealing something you're just going to destroy...with the item that could be used to destroy it. *headdesk*

(Mmm...must go watch Sneakers now. ^_^)

[minkhollow]

Well, we've already established there's no method to their madness - only madness. You make a good point about the chance that Griphook knew what they were up to the whole time. I find it quite likely that whether he knew or not, he didn't trust them as far as he could throw them, and planned accordingly.
My mental image of the cup, never mind the book's claims to the contrary, never includes handles. It tends to come across as one of those... I think they're called pilsner glasses? The tall ones for beer that're wider near the top? (Don't mind me, it's Late.) In any case, Harry's grand plan would've been that much grander if he would've taken the action then, rather than just make off with the thing and let Ron and Hermione take the action later.
(I need to re-watch it myself... if only to fuel the damn Highly Improbable Crossover this thing started. gehayi and I should not be allowed to plot. XD)

[loopyloonyluna]

Well, aside from destroying the Horcrux on-site being too good an idea, it would save Ron from having his bizarre and previously impossible moment of glory in later chapters. Can't have that, can we?

[minkhollow]

He got one of those on the Nature Trail to Hell, though. (I'll grant that the other's without the benefit of Harry being Incredibly Dumb first, but still.)

[nixitall]

Anybody else sorta feel bad for that dragon? All old and faded, chained up in a dungeon... I guess the Wizarding World doesn't have an SPCA.

Good Sporkage, Harry and all the Imperio-ing drove me nuts. I think there were probably some other options he could have tried first. Also, being as it is an Unforgivable and difficult to perform, he might have had to try a few times to get it right? This is the same boy who took for-flippin-ever to get Accio!

[gehayi]

I felt VERY sorry for the dragon. Goblins are sick puppies when it comes to training dragons. Look at this line:

"The dragon let out another hoarse roar, then retreated. Harry could see it trembling, and as they drew nearer he saw the scars made by vicious slashes across its face, and guessed it had been taught to fear hot swords when it heard the sound of the Clankers."

Hot swords. They torture dragons with HOT. SWORDS.

Is it quite all right if I got be sick now?

[nixitall]

Okay, I knew there was another example of worse things they did to him, but I couldn't think of it last night.

The thing of it is, if she's trying to make a point at how much meaner goblins are than wizards, she failed. Harry doesn't react to seeing the dragon's scars other than to describe it. He has no sympathy for it at all. Nice.

[gehayi]

Harry has no affect, period. The only thing keeping him from being the next Dark Lord is his own incompetence.

I have a friend who's recently bestowed a ton of Pern novels on me. You have no clue how much worse this chapter sounds after learning about Pernese dragons and the reverence with which they're treated.

[erastes]

What always amazed me is why the Unforgiveables weren't "taboo" but that's the trouble with JKR's world, there are no limits which makes for silliness everywhere. And there's no punishment for Harry for this either, but of course its all for the Greater Good, so it's all right if it's being done for that, or to BAD PEOPLE. *headdesk*

I'd never heard of Sneakers before this sporking, so I'll have to check it out.

Excellent spork!

[minkhollow]

Thanks!
I strongly suspect anyone who's seen Hot Fuzz, at least, took the 'Greater Good' business with a grain of salt (if not the whole shaker). Other people played with the concept before that, true, but that film's a pretty recent take on the matter.

[loopyloonyluna]

Taboo Unforgivables would be a good idea, but I expect too many DEs use them and snatchers would have to be popping all over Great Britain. More fundamentally it would require too much consistency and might have a chance at actually working, both of which are big no-nos for JKR.

All this for the Greater Good nonsense made me sick to my stomach. Either stick to your silly premise that the Unforgivables or other dark spells are bad all the way around, or make all the spells good or bad versed on intent which makes a lot more sense anyway.

I saw Sneakers ages ago and it was a blast. Enjoy!

[minkhollow]

Well, before the Death Eater administration, even. Or after, only word probably got out that Harry had used Unforgivables in the name of the Greater Good... But either way, one would think someone would have tried to track use of the things.
But thinking is where we make our first mistake in this equation.