Time to speak of the Pensieve. A wordplay on
pen:- the instrument used normally for putting down one's thoughts
sieve:- a pan like vessel with holes through which things can fall --one literally 'falls' into the memories and can 'see' them happening
pensive:- contemplative, reflective, thoughtful. When a person's mind is brimming over with thoughts and memories, and it all becomes too much for them, one can literally 'siphon off' the troublesome thoughts, calm down, and examine them at leisure.
The Pensieve, which has featured in HP 4 & 5, is put to maximum use here, and is significant even in the last book. A way of giving a flashback, or avoiding having a direct narrative in the story.
All the Voldemort related memories are shown by Dumbledore to Harry, building up a comprehensive, more three-dimensional picture of Voldemort's persona, rather than the linear persona of a terrifying monster that we have till now. We see the lonesome, strange child that he had been, the quick-witted and manipulative teen and the sinister, ambitious, smooth-talking adult with his quest for immortality.
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The Horcruxes.
The Ring, the Diary, the Cup, the Locket, the Diadem, Nagini, Voldemort himself and Harry. That's 8, isn't it? So what was all that about 7 Horcruxes?
The first 5 were objects of consequence that Voldemort knowingly made into Horcruxes. Harry was made into a Horcrux by accident when Voldemort killed his parents, and Voldemort was completely unaware of that fact. The bit that remained in Voldemort was the 7th.
Since he was unaware of Harry becoming a Horcrux, and he had wanted to make 7, which is believed to be a magical number, Voldemort makes Nagini into one, after his resurrection. By that time, however, Harry had destroyed the diary unbeknownst of the existence of any such thing. So, at any one time till the beginning of HP 6, there had been 7 Horcruxes.
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Dumbledore's death was a shock to me. I was quite upset, and somehow worried for the trio, as he is the one person who seems omnipotent. It is as if Harry had been orphaned once more after Sirius' death.
Snape's actions are the ultimate betrayal, and half-blood prince or not, he has never seemed blacker to us than at the end of HP 6.
6 comments:
You are on a roll dude. Just wanted to let you know that I am thoroughly enjoying these posts. Thanks!
Show it to the kiddo and let me know what she thinks!
I toh cried cried and cried more when Dumbledore died..RD has sent me the book from Bombay (we werent married then!) I called him up at 12 in the night and was sobbing away..he got so scared that something terrible had happened...my parents came running down thinking I was sick and they saw me crying...finally Appa understood and told RD to chill on the phone....Gosh I was so upset :(
The part in Harry was pretty unexpected eh...actually not, because there were indications of the connection via the scar...and yet when I read it in the 7th book, I was kind of upset :) I mean, WHY a part of Voldemort in Harry :(
Dumbledore's death was just unimaginable. Yes I felt exactly as you did. Harry was Orphaned with Dumbledore's death. Wasn't he and the trio so dependent on the advise of the man with half moon spectacles? Weren't the readers ourselves comfy till that point that "Hah Dumbledore is there!" But with his demise the entire responsibility was on the trio's shoulders and on how they take it forward.
And it comes right at the time they are considered Adults in the wizarding world.
@RM: LOL at crying in the middle of the night. Poor RD must have been terrified.
That Harry was a probable Horcrux was something A too guessed before HP 7. What was a shocker was Dumbledore's expectations that Harry go to meet his death. He certainly knew Harry would do it, regardless, not wanting more people killed in his defence. Also was amazed by the astute guess by Dumbledore about Harry's possible survival.
Rowling has handled these tricky bits quite masterfully.
Dumbledore's death was probably what led the trio to decide to chuck school. The decision was then certainly taken out of their hands and they were forced to flee when the ministry falls into the Death Eaters' hands.
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