Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Gambit
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Gambit
(#) Ithilwen 2006-04-30
Ron so often gets overlooked. He's nearly as accomplished as Harry, has seen nearly as much. When Lupin refused to let Harry face the boggart, he thought that it would spare the other students a shock. Then Ron steps up and suddenly there's a big freakin' acromantula...
"In chess, knights are usually sacrificed early and seldom last to the end of the game." And he'd said, "I'll be a knight," in their first year.
Totally. I suspect that Snape didn't know the full extent of Draco's mission when he made the Unbreakable Vow.
What mars this for me is the concept of Dumbledore as a manipulator. It's overused in this fandom and usually completely undefended. This is the only time I've seen someone even come close to a reasonable explanation. I can't see Dumbledore sneakily using Harry to accomplish an end, but I can see him thinking of the Voldemort issue as a chess game with Harry as the king.
"Harry can hate now. Avada Kedavra hate, green as his eyes." What a perfect expression.
What's not clear in here is why Ron pulls his punches with Harry, what he suspects that Hermione knows or why he thinks winning the game/playing his full deck would risk their friendship.Author's response
I'm afraid I do see AD as a big time manipulator--from PA where he makes sure Harry has that cloak, to POA where he leaves it to Hermione to fix things with the Time Turner, to OotP with the way he withholds information--I could go on--I don't think that fanon comes from no where, and before I ever read fanfic I saw him that way, and didn't much like the way he used children to fight a war.
To my mind that doesn't make Dumbledore evil--he's in a difficult position.
As for Ron pulling his punches, what I tried to imply in explaining the gap between the Ron we saw in PA and the Ron we saw since is that he doesn't really like putting himself forward, and in this particular instance he knows Harry's hate is beyond rational. With Hermione I tried to imply that she too might be making some of the same deductions.
Thanks you for the thoughtful and critical review--that kind of response is precious and all too rare.Gambit
(#) cloneserpents 2006-04-30
I find it interesting that you make Ron be the insightful one when in cannon he is fairly dense when it comes to emotions and observations.
“Even though she was always defending Snape” in Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione actually believes that Snape would poison Remus; she just didn’t think he would do it in front of Harry.Author's response
I do see Ron as insightful though at times--and he is one of the few people who can get thru to Harry--such as when Harry is convinced he's possesed by Voldemort--it's Ron and Ginny who convince him otherwise.
And Hermione has been one to defend Snape after that. POA is still fairly early--and after all in PA she believes along with Harry and Ron Snape is the one hexing Harry. But there's one remark often noted in OotP where Hermione admonishes the boys that after all Dumbledore trusts Snape--and if they don't trust Dumbledore's judgement than what then? She's also the one who's always quick to admonish them to treat them with respect and with his title. Not saying she necessarily likes him--but she is the one of the trio that in canon treats him with any respect or benefit of the doubt.
Thanks for the interesting comments.Gambit
(#) uppsydaisy 2006-05-02
I found this a truly insightful take on the 6th book and on Ron in particular. I want to believe that this version is the truth, that the 7th book will prove it. A great piece of characterization for all three of the Trio. Nicely, nicely done.Author's response
I actually wasn't a fan of Snape's going into Book 6--in fact, not a huge fan of HP. But to me the book read like the first half of a mystery, and there's just too much that suggests things are not as they seem--and I can never believe Dumbledore would plead for his life. I guess in a few years we'll know if all the suggestive elements are really clues, or just plot holes--but now I want to belive Snape isn't guilty too. I'm glad you like my characterization of the Trio--thanks for the review.
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