Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Ch 20-22

Episode Summary

‘When we come face to face with one down a dark alley we’re going to be having a shufti to see if it’s solid, aren’t we, we’re not going to be asking, “Excuse me, are you the imprint of a departed soul?” So join Jon, Jenn, Danny, and Kristen as they talk over chapters 20-22 of Half Blood Prince. They talk over some theories about what will happen, their impressions of the characters, and what they think of Harry gettin lucky!

Episode Notes

Chapter 20 - Lord Voldemort’s Request

• Hermione even escorted them down to breakfast, bringing with her the news that Ginny had argued with Dean. The drowsing creature in Harry’s chest suddenly raised its head, sniffing the air hopefully. ‘What did they row about?’ he asked, trying to sound casual as they turned into a seventh-floor corridor which was deserted but for a very small girl who had been examining a tapestry of trolls in tutus. She looked terrified at the sight of the approaching sixth-years and dropped the heavy brass scales she was carrying.

Q1 - What does Secumsempra do?

Q2 - Why do people stay together if they are miserable?

• ‘I see,’ said Dumbledore eventually, peering at Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles and giving Harry the usual sensation that he was being X-rayed.

Q3 - Do you think Dumbledore is ever using Legilimency on Harry?

Q4 - Do you think that the pensieve itself holds ancient magic? Like does it sift through thoughts and give you a better analysis of them?

• ‘But now, Harry,’ said Dumbledore, ‘now things become murkier and stranger. If it was difficult to find evidence about the boy Riddle, it has been almost impossible to find anyone prepared to reminisce about the man Voldemort. In fact, I doubt whether there is a soul alive, apart from himself, who could give us a full account of his life since he left Hogwarts. 
• ‘I wonder whether you know what it is, Tom? Pick it up, have a good look!’ whispered Hepzibah, and Voldemort stretched out a long-fingered hand and lifted the cup by one handle out of its snug silken wrappings. Harry thought he saw a red gleam in his dark eyes. His greedy expression was curiously mirrored on Hepzibah’s face, except that her tiny eyes were fixed upon Voldemort’s handsome features. ‘A badger,’ murmured Voldemort, examining the engraving upon the cup. ‘Then this was …?’ ‘Helga Hufflepuff’s, as you very well know, you clever boy!’ said Hepzibah, leaning forwards with a loud creaking of corsets and actually pinching his hollow cheek. ‘Didn’t I tell you I was distantly des- cended? This has been handed down in the family for years and years. Lovely, isn’t it? And all sorts of powers it’s supposed to possess, too, but I haven’t tested them thoroughly, I just keep it nice and safe in here …’

Q5 - What power do magical objects possess?

• ‘That’s right!’ said Hepzibah, delighted, apparently, at the sight of Voldemort gazing at her locket, transfixed. ‘I had to pay an arm and a leg for it, but I couldn’t let it pass, not a real treasure like that, had to have it for my collection. Burke bought it, apparently, from a ragged-looking woman who seemed to have stolen it, but had no idea of its true value –’ There was no mistaking it this time: Voldemort’s eyes flashed scarlet at her words and Harry saw his knuckles whiten on the locket’s chain.
• ‘Time to leave, Harry,’ said Dumbledore quietly, and as the little elf bobbed away bearing the boxes, Dumbledore grasped Harry once again above the elbow and together they rose up through oblivion and back to Dumbledore’s office. ‘Hepzibah Smith died two days after that little scene,’ said Dumbledore, resuming his seat and indicating that Harry should do the same. ‘Hokey the house-elf was convicted by the Ministry of poisoning her mistress’s evening cocoa by accident.’

Q6 - Why is he collecting these objects?

Q7 - Is there anything else in the Hepzibah memory that seems odd to you?

• ‘So, Tom … to what do I owe the pleasure?’ Voldemort did not answer at once, but merely sipped his wine. ‘They do not call me “Tom” any more,’ he said. ‘These days, I am known as –’ ‘I know what you are known as,’ said Dumbledore, smiling pleasantly. ‘But to me, I’m afraid, you will always be Tom Riddle. It is one of the irritating things about old teachers, I am afraid, that they never quite forget their charges’ youthful beginnings.’

Q8 - Why is calling him Tom such a flex?

• I have come to you to ask that you permit me to return to this castle, to teach. I think you must know that I have seen and done much since I left this place. I could show and tell your students things they can gain from no other wizard.’ Dumbledore considered Voldemort over the top of his own goblet for a while before speaking. ‘Yes, I certainly do know that you have seen and done much since leaving us,’ he said quietly. ‘Rumors of your doings have reached your old school, Tom. I should be sorry to believe half of them.’ Voldemort’s expression remained impassive as he said, ‘Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies. You must know this, Dumbledore.’ ‘You call it “greatness”, what you have been doing, do you?’ asked Dumbledore delicately. ‘Certainly,’ said Voldemort, and his eyes seemed to burn red. ‘I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed –’ ‘Of some kinds of magic,’ Dumbledore corrected him quietly. ‘Of some. Of others, you remain … forgive me … woefully ignorant.’

Q9 - What is he talking about here?

Q10 - What is the magical power of love?

• ‘I am surprised you have remained here so long,’ said Voldemort after a short pause. ‘I always wondered why a wizard such as yourself never wished to leave school.’

Q11 - Does Tom have a point…why would Dumbledore stay on as headmaster and not anything greater?

• Dumbledore set down his empty glass and drew himself up in his seat, the tips of his fingers together in a very characteristic gesture. ‘… let us speak openly. Why have you come here tonight, surrounded by henchmen, to request a job we both know you do not want?’ Voldemort looked coldly surprised. ‘A job I do not want? On the contrary, Dumbledore, I want it very much.’ ‘Oh, you want to come back to Hogwarts, but you do not want to teach any more than you wanted to when you were eighteen. What is it you’re after, Tom? Why not try an open request for once?’

Q12 - What is he coming back to the school for?

• ‘The time is long gone when I could frighten you with a burning wardrobe and force you to make repayment for your crimes. But I wish I could, Tom … I wish I could …’

Q13 - What do you think of this memory?

Chapter 21 - The Unknowable Room

• Harry fully expected to receive low marks on his, because he had disagreed with Snape on the best way to tackle Dementors, but he did not care: Slughorn’s memory was the most important thing to him now.

Q1 - How do you think Snape takes on dementors? And is it better than Harry’s?

• ‘It’s one of Fred and George’s Spell-Checking ones … but I think the charm must be wearing off …’ ‘Yes, it must,’ said Hermione, pointing at the title of his essay, ‘because we were asked how we’d deal with Dementors, not “Dugbogs”, and I don’t remember you changing your name to “Roonil Wazlib”, either.’ ‘Ah, no!’ said Ron, staring horror-struck at the parchment. ‘Don’t say I’ll have to write the whole thing out again!’ ‘It’s OK, we can fix it,’ said Hermione, pulling the essay towards her and taking out her wand. ‘I love you, Hermione,’ said Ron, sinking back in his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily.

Q2 - Is this the first time Ron has said “I love you” to Hermione?

Q3 - What is Malfoy doing in the Room of Requirement?

• ‘God, I’ve been stupid,’ he said quietly. ‘It’s obvious, isn’t it? There was a great vat of it down in the dungeon … he could’ve nicked some any time during that lesson …’ ‘Nicked what?’ said Ron. ‘Polyjuice Potion. He stole some of the Polyjuice Potion Slughorn showed us in our first Potions lesson … there aren’t a whole variety of students standing guard for Malfoy … it’s just Crabbe and Goyle as usual … yeah, it all fits!’ 

Q4 - Is Harry (therefore Danny) right?

Q5 - Do you ever remember when a teacher embarrassed you?

• ‘Well, what Harry said is the most useful if we’re trying to tell them apart!’ said Ron. ‘When we come face to face with one down a dark alley we’re going to be having a shufti to see if it’s solid, aren’t we, we’re not going to be asking, “Excuse me, are you the imprint of a departed soul?”
• ‘When you say you had lots in common,’ said Ron, sounding rather amused now, ‘d’you mean he lives in an S-bend, too?’ ‘No,’ said Myrtle defiantly, her voice echoing loudly around the old tiled bathroom. ‘I mean he’s sensitive, people bully him, too, and he feels lonely and hasn’t got anybody to talk to, and he’s not afraid to show his feelings and cry!’

Q6 - Who is Myrtle talking about here?

Q7 - Why was Tonks going to see Dumbledore?

Q8 - Was she in love with Sirius?

Chapter 22 - After the Burial

Q1 - What do you think of Hagrid asking the trio to come out after dusk to the burial?

• ‘Look, Potions will be almost empty this afternoon, with us all off doing our tests … try and soften Slughorn up a bit then!’ ‘Fifty-seventh time lucky, you think?’ said Harry bitterly. ‘Lucky,’ said Ron suddenly. ‘Harry, that’s it – get lucky!’ ‘What d’you mean?’ ‘Use your lucky potion!’ ‘Ron, that’s – that’s it!’ said Hermione, sounding stunned. ‘Of course! Why didn’t I think of it?’

Q2 - Is this the best way to get the memory?

Q3 - What do you think of Harry’s Euphoria potion?

• Harry took out the rolled-up socks at the bottom of his trunk and extracted the tiny, gleaming bottle. ‘Well, here goes,’ said Harry, and he raised the little bottle and took a carefully measured gulp. ‘What does it feel like?’ whispered Hermione. Harry did not answer for a moment. Then, slowly but surely, an exhilarating sense of infinite opportunity stole through him; he felt as though he could have done anything, anything at all … and getting the memory from Slughorn seemed suddenly not only possible, but positively easy …

Q4 - What would you use Liquid Luck on?

• Getting through the portrait hole was simple; as he approached it, Ginny and Dean came through it and Harry was able to slip between them. As he did so, he brushed accidentally against Ginny. ‘Don’t push me, please, Dean,’ she said, sounding annoyed. ‘You’re always doing that, I can get through perfectly well on my own …’

Q5 - Was Dean being chivalrous or annoying?

• After an hour or so, Hagrid and Slughorn began making extravagant toasts: to Hogwarts, to Dumbledore, to elf-made wine and to – ‘Harry Potter!’ bellowed Hagrid, slopping some of his fourteenth bucket of wine down his chin as he drained it. ‘Yes, indeed,’ cried Slughorn a little thickly, ‘Parry Otter, the Chosen Boy Who – well – something of that sort,’ he mumbled, and drained his mug, too.
• ‘But she didn’t move. Dad was already dead, but she didn’t want me to go too. She tried to plead with Voldemort … but he just laughed …’ ‘That’s enough!’ said Slughorn suddenly, raising a shaking hand. ‘Really, my dear boy, enough … I’m an old man … I don’t need to hear … I don’t want to hear …’ ‘I forgot,’ lied Harry, Felix Felicis leading him on. ‘You liked her, didn’t you?’ ‘Liked her?’ said Slughorn, his eyes brimming with tears once more. ‘I don’t imagine anyone who met her wouldn’t have liked her … very brave … very funny … it was the most horrible thing …’ ‘But you won’t help her son,’ said Harry. ‘She gave me her life, but you won’t give me a memory.’

Q6 - Is there any new info you gained from the Lily story?

• ‘Be brave like my mother, Professor …’
• ‘You’re a good boy,’ said Professor Slughorn, tears trickling down his fat cheeks into his walrus moustache. ‘And you’ve got her eyes … just don’t think too badly of me once you’ve seen it …’

Q7 - What will this memory tell them?