Reading OotP Aloud -- Chapter 2

[rj_anderson]

Not too many deep thoughts tonight, as I'm tired and my arm aches and I'd really like to go to bed, but --

CHAPTER TWO: A PECK OF OWLS

"I heard -- that awful boy -- telling her about [Dementors] -- years ago," says Aunt Petunia. And Harry assumes, as seems natural, that since the "her" is Lily, the "awful boy" must be James. He's probably right in that assumption; but then again, he might not be. And maybe I'm just twisted, but I would be greatly amused if the boy Petunia thought so "awful" wasn't James at all, but Snape.

Argh! I'm coming up with Snape/Lily ideas again! Please, I'm begging you, save me from myself. Form an Intervention. Something.

Harry's emotions are all over the place in this chapter, and he keeps having surges of anger that ebb away leaving him "drained, exhausted". More fodder for the working theory I settled upon in Chapter One, that Harry spends the whole book fighting against Voldemort's influence. Especially combined with the bit only a few paragraphs earlier, in which he once more lapses into the craving for adulation and recognition:

And now his temper was rising again. Wasn't anybody going to say 'well done' for fighting off two Dementors single-handed?

Um, somehow I think that the Order of the Phoenix has other things on its mind right now than complimenting you on your mad Patronus skillz, Harry...

All in all an enjoyable chapter to read, with lots of emotion and a wide variety of voices. I had particular fun with Mrs. Figg. Unfortunately doing Uncle Vernon's lower register, especially when it involves bellowing, is extremely hard on the throat... *cough*

Comments

Hang on! Help is on its way....

[meril.livejournal.com]

[/Little River Band]

What saved me from OotP-related bunnies was rereading Flag in Exile, but that just gave me LaFollet-related bunnies that I can't do anything with. XD (That and the urge to finish the Thomas Theisman page.)

Since you're not a Harrington initiate, in your case rereading one of the Vorkosigan books may help. XD

'Sides, we know from reading the rest of the book that James has a bit o' problems of his own...Petunia probably did mean him.

[theatresm.livejournal.com]

And maybe I'm just twisted, but I would be greatly amused if the boy Petunia thought so "awful" wasn't James at all, but Snape.

My evil thoughts exactly. (Sorry, that's not helping much, is it?)

This really set the Inner Conspiracy Theorist crazy.

1. "awful boy" seems a very strange way for Patunia to refer to James -- after all, she must have known him after Lily married, and "boy" doesn't seem appropriate. "Awful man," sure, but boy?

2. How would Petunia have contact with any of Lily's friends from Hogwarts (because, if you accept premise #1, "boy" implies there was contact with Lily's family while Lily was at Hogwarts)?

3. James might have been a prat at school, but would he, in front of the family of a girl he wants to impress, behave badly enough to deserve "awful"?

4. To go totally out on a limb, we have the mysterious Mark Evans and the infamous Snape anagram Perseus Evans. Bear with the ICT for a moment: what do we know of Lily's parents? Both Muggle, or one wizard? (Yes, Snivellus calls her Mudblood, which we tend to think indicates both parents are Muggles, but what if not? To the racist pureblood is there much difference between Muggle-borns and mixed-bloods, like Seamus?) Even if both Harry's maternal grandparents were Muggle, that doesn't rule out a wizard further back in the family -- one or both of them could have been Squibs, for all we know; so Harry could have distant wizarding cousins on Lily's side. Evans/Snape cousins, to be precise -- who Petunia might have had some contact with if the families stayed in contact. (I know, there's the Dumbledore blood relation thing -- I'm still working on that.)

There are days when I hate JKR.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Bear with the ICT for a moment

Sure, but -- what's an ICT?

I like your first three points -- and I agree. It really does sound as though JKR is pulling another fast one on us, and the "awful boy" is someone other than James (Snape being, I agree, the best candidate).

And I am still puzzling over Mark Evans, too.

[theatresm.livejournal.com]

Sure, but -- what's an ICT?

Sorry -- Inner Conspiracy Theorist. Which lives in surprising harmony with Inner Snape.

[theatresm.livejournal.com]

And I'm not even going to try to excuse ICT's Mulder-class idea about Snape actually having a family living in hiding in the vicinity of Privet Drive. (Though I'd love to see Dudders show up to try to boss "Marcus" Evans around if Daddy Perseus happened to open the door.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

A pig's tail would be the *least* of Dudley's problems.

It is quite a Muldereqsue idea though, and borders on Greek drama, what with the interconnected family and the internecine warfare and all...

[jessanndi.livejournal.com]

for the working theory I settled upon in Chapter One, that Harry spends the whole book fighting against Voldemort's influence.

This idea does tie up with book one/two if we assume that the sorting hat saw the Voldemort within Harry's head which at that point was only the residue of the curse, but as Voldemort gets closer and stronger it is possible that this influence can increase.

But is Harry fighting it, a conscious or unconscious act? Does he have natural Occumency skills or is it just he fights the little voice in his head that we call our conscience?

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I agree that Harry was marked by Voldemort via the curse that backfired, but I think it was Voldemort taking Harry's blood to reconstitute himself at the end of GoF that really heightened the bond to the level that we see in OotP. Also, of course, that Voldemort is now back at full power, whereas in the first four books he was still in a weakened and bodiless state.

As for Harry fighting it, I don't think that he does fight it, or even knows how to fight it. All that happens is that Voldemort's influence over Harry waxes and wanes with the intensity of Voldemort's own feelings. If V. is preoccupied, or feeling neutral, Harry is more like his old self and less prone to violent outbursts, paranoia, nastiness and megalomania. But when V. is deliberately bending his thoughts on Harry in an effort to see what he sees (remember, this is why Dumbledore refused to meet Harry's gaze all year, or otherwise let on that his relationship to Harry was anything special), or when V.'s emotions are strong, then Harry's mental state reflects that.

Harry's near-complete failure at Occlumency shows that he has power, but very little discipline -- his unwillingness to do the practice Snape demands of him, just for the petty reason that it *is* Snape and because Harry himself is in a snit, prevents him from ever being able to successfully resist Voldemort as he ought to. It's only by accident that he manages to drive Voldemort out of his mind at the end of the book -- his grief over Sirius's death, the fact that he loved Sirius enough to grieve for him, was what broke V's hold -- it wasn't a conscious resistance at all.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

::feeds plot bunnies::

I've thought the same thing for ages. "Awful boy" is an odd way for Petunia to refer to James, especially since she's always referred to him by name before. Why would she change now, except to go along with JKR's games? And "awful boy" just somehow fits Snape better than James anyway...

A bit late, but...

[ase.livejournal.com]

The night after Harry's Sorted in the first book, he dreams he's wearing Quirrell's turban, which is pressuring him to switch to Slytherin (the very end of chapter 7, "The Sorting Hat"). He doesn't remember the dream the next morning, but it's very suggestive in light of your theory about Voldemort's influence on Harry.

Harry desperately needs those Occlumency lessons, but unless his relationship with Snape changes dramatically, it's unlikely he'll get them. I suspect the entire matter will probably be readdressed in book six, possibly in conjuntion with Snape's relationships with Harry's parents (and no, I won't help kill your Snape/Lily bunnies; they'll probably make excellent fics once you've shot, stuffed and mounted them yourself).

Have fun on your family vacation!