Help
Add this page to your book
Show collection (0 pages)
Suggest pagesMuggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Deathly Hallows/Chapter 23
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
Chapter 23 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Malfoy Manor
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
With Snatchers surrounding the camp, Hermione only has time to jinx Harry's face to hide his identity. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are bound with other prisoners, who turn out to be Dean Thomas and Griphook. The Snatchers assume the Trio are students on the run and question their identities so they can check their names against those on a wanted list. Hermione claims she is Penelope Clearwater, a half-blood. Ron identifies himself first as Stan Shunpike, then, when the Snatchers recognize that name as being fictitious, as a fictional member of the Weasley family. Harry identifies himself as a Slytherin student named Vernon Dudley. The Snatchers think this is also a lie until he correctly describes the Slytherin Common room: he and Ron (using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Crabbe and Goyle) were inside it during their second year at Hogwarts. However, the Snatchers recognize Hermione's picture in the Daily Prophet and find Harry's glasses. The scar beneath his puffy, jinxed forehead is barely discernible, which leaves them unsure. They also find Gryffindor's Sword.
Harry, meanwhile, is once again seeing through Voldemort's eyes. He is gazing upon a black fortress with a tall tower; a single light shows at the top. It is time to fly . . . and through a window too narrow for a human to pass. Within, an ancient man, saying that he was expecting Voldemort to come, but says that he never had it.
Believing he has captured "Undesirable Number One", the Snatchers' leader, Fenrir Greyback leads the other Snatchers and their captives to the Dark Lord's headquarters, Malfoy Manor. They are met there by Narcissa Malfoy, who says her son, Draco, can positively identify Harry Potter. Lucius believes Voldemort will forgive him when he turns over Harry Potter, but before summoning the Dark Lord, orders Draco to verify that it is actually Harry. Draco, fearful, claims he is unsure it is him. Narcissa, noticing that Harry's wand does not match Ollivander's description, wants Lucius to be absolutely positive before summoning Voldemort with his Dark Mark. Greyback suggests identifying the Mudblood (Hermione), and Narcissa says she recognizes her from Madam Malkin's robe shop and saw her picture in the Daily Prophet. Lucius prods Draco to identify Ron and Hermione, and he reluctantly says it could be them.
Bellatrix enters; although she is also uncertain that it is Harry, she wants to inform Voldemort immediately. Lucius forcibly stops her from touching her Dark Mark, claiming it is his right to inform Voldemort that Harry Potter has been caught. Greyback interjects, saying he captured Potter and demands the reward. He also wants Hermione. As Lucius is about to touch his Dark Mark, Bellatrix shrieks; she has spotted a Snatcher holding Gryffindor's Sword. When he is reluctant to hand it over, she Stuns all the Snatchers except Greyback, who is now on his knees. Bellatrix screams that they are all in peril if her Gringotts vault has been breached.
Hermione is cut loose from the others so she can be interrogated about the sword, while Greyback imprisons Harry, Ron, Dean Thomas, and Griphook in the cellar. Luna and Ollivander are there. From below, they hear Hermione's screams as Bellatix tortures her with the Cruciatus Curse to learn if the sword was stolen from the Lestrange's Gringotts vault; Ron is reduced to tears listening. With Luna's help and light from the Deluminator, Harry, Ron, Dean, and Griphook are soon free, though Griphook is too badly injured to stand.
Emptying his pouch looking for something that will help, Harry sees a flash of sky blue in Sirius' mirror shard, and frantically begs for help. Hermione, despite being tortured, tells Bellatrix the sword is a fake. Harry hears Lucius Malfoy saying they can check that, and as he sends Draco down to fetch the goblin, Harry tells Griphook that he must say the sword is fake. Draco collects Griphook, and as the door closes behind him, Dobby apparates into the cellar. Dobby confirms that he can disapparate with humans.
Again, Harry peers through Voldemort's eyes, seeing the old man telling Voldemort that killing him will bring him no nearer to what he seeks.
On Harry's orders, Dobby first rescues Luna, Dean, and Mr. Ollivander, apparating them to Shell Cottage, Bill and Fleur's home. The cracking noise of Dobby disapparating is heard upstairs, and Lucius Malfoy orders Wormtail to investigate. Harry and Ron attack as he enters. Wormtail grabs Harry, choking him with his silver hand. Harry reminds him that he is owed a life debt. Wormtail hesitates and momentarily relaxes his grip, releasing Harry, but the silver hand turns and fatally strangles Wormtail.
Ron is desperate, and he and Harry run upstairs to save Hermione, armed only with Wormtail's wand. They hear Griphook declare the Gryffindor Sword is a fake. Bellatrix, satisfied that Hermione has not been inside her vault, summons Voldemort, and offers Hermione to Greyback as a reward to satisfy his desire. Harry feels his scar explode, and sees Voldemort, angry at being summoned, killing the old man. Ron disarms Bellatrix with Wormtail's wand. Harry catches Bellatrix' wand and Stuns Lucius Malfoy, then dodges curses cast by Draco, Narcissa, and Greyback. Bellatrix, holding a silver knife to Hermione's neck and threatening to kill her, orders them to drop the wands; Draco collects them. Dobby reappears, dropping the crystal chandelier on Bellatrix, Hermione, and Griphook, and disarming Narcissa. Draco clutches his face, injured by flying crystal, as Harry grabs all three wands from him and Stuns Greyback. When Bellatrix addresses Dobby as an enslaved House-elf, Dobby declares he is a free elf and has come to save Harry Potter and his friends. Harry tosses a wand to Ron, who has extracted Hermione from the chandelier wreckage, and tells him to go. Harry disapparates with Griphook and Dobby. As they apparate to safety, Harry realizes that Dobby has been mortally wounded by Bellatrix's silver knife. Dobby gazes at Harry, who is holding him, and dies, his last words being "Harry . . . Potter . . ."
[edit] Analysis
Several characters show personality traits that have only been glimpsed previously. Ron's feelings for Hermione are further developed when he sobs her name as she is being tortured by Bellatrix, and when he fiercely tries to prevent her falling prey to Fenrir Greyback's perverted desires. This marks yet another turning point in Ron's maturity as he is faced with possibly losing someone he cares deeply about and must act to save her, regardless of his own safety.
Although Voldemort demands absolute fidelity and obedience from his servants, it appears most support him only out of fear or for personal gain, although there is certainly no guarantee that loyalty will be rewarded or lives spared. This has led to inner conflicts among his followers that are starting to undermine Voldemort's rule. Bellatrix and Lucius vie with one another for power and favor, forcing Narcissa Malfoy to choose between her sister and her husband. Although we don't see it here, we suspect that her devotion is likely to her husband and son. Fenrir Greyback, meanwhile, desires material compensation, while the weak-willed Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew) sought the Dark Lord's protection only to evade the Order of the Phoenix, who would likely have executed him for betraying the Potters and Sirius Black. Wormtail was also burdened by his life debt to Harry, an obligation he had no choice but to fulfill, and which Voldemort fatally punished him for when he did. Voldemort likely was unaware of the life debt when he crafted the silver hand, as it is almost certain that Wormtail would never willingly have confessed this to him; however, knowing how meek and cowardly Wormtail was, it is likely that Voldemort crafted the silver hand to retaliate against any disloyalty.
Draco Malfoy, meanwhile, clearly shows that he is not his father's son; when Draco is again forced into a difficult situation, he is torn between intrinsic compassion, family loyalty, and fearing Voldemort. Although he obviously recognizes Harry and the others imprisoned at Malfoy Manor, as with Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower (in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), and the Death Eater that Voldemort forced him to torture, he resists taking any action that will endanger them. Only pressure from his family and being unable to lie convincingly does he admit that Harry's two companions could be Ron and Hermione. Although Draco unlikely has any fonder feelings for Harry and the others than he ever did and is still an obnoxious bully, he is neither vicious nor a killer. Like Harry's cousin, Dudley, there is an invisible line his innate humanity prevents him from ever crossing. Despite being raised with "pure-blood" rhetoric and elitist conditioning, he was mostly a half-hearted Voldemort follower, likely trailing along out of duty, for adventure, and the prestige he believed it bestowed. Like Regulus Black, he lacks the inherent evil to be a true Death Eater, and his refusal to harm Harry and Dumbledore goes against everything he was taught and thought he believed in. By now, Draco probably realizes that Voldemort is only using him to punish his family and will likely kill him and his parents. Ultimately, Draco shows strength and morality by protecting the Trio, even though betraying them could help win back Voldemort's favor for his family. Consequently, Draco fails to realize that his compassion makes him a far better person than his flawed, reprehensible father; instead, he believes himself a cowardly failure.
Dobby's role is also examined here. In his last act, Dobby dies a martyr and a true hero. He defies the humans who enslaved him for so long and breaks the promise he made to Harry during his second year never to try and save his life again. Breaking this promise comes exactly when Harry is in mortal danger and when only an elf's unique magical abilities can save him. Dobby's life has revolved around the hope that Harry would improve other House-elves' situations by defeating Voldemort, and his admiration is clearly reflected by his dying words. Dobby is far from the fearful, cowering enslaved elf Harry first met in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. His noble, grand courage is climaxed by his daring rescue, but perhaps most importantly, he dies a free elf, which Harry will note on his tombstone.
Although the unfortunate experience at Malfoy Manor has resulted in Dobby's tragic death, Dean, Griphook, Luna, and Ollivander are rescued from an uncertain, but likely deadly, fate. Also, Bellatrix Lestrange's frantic behavior may signal something that the Trio will need to know.
One point perhaps worth mentioning is that once again the difference between House-Elf Apparation and human Apparation is seen. In the first chapter, Death Eaters Apparate just outside Malfoy Manor's gates and then proceed on foot; similarly, the Snatchers Apparate to just outside the same gates and proceed on foot once admitted. This is a clear indication that Apparation has been barred inside the Manor grounds. Yet Dobby Apparates in and out. It is curious, perhaps, that Harry and Ron, once they have defeated Bellatrix, are able to Apparate out of the manor; though the spells around the Burrow apparently prevented Apparation in either direction, perhaps Voldemort or Lucius worked a more advanced version of that spell, so it is only Apparation into the manor which is prohibited.
[edit] Questions
[edit] Review
- How could Dobby Apparate into the supposedly impenetrable cellar? What other impenetrable area has been seen where an elf Apparated into?
- Why does Draco claim not to recognize any Trio member? Why does he finally admit that it could be Ron and Hermione?
- How does Draco's character compare to his family's, particularly his father, Lucius Malfoy? What accounts for this?
- How does Hermione being tortured affect Ron?
- Why does Wormtail's silver hand strangle him now?
[edit] Extra Study
- How did Dobby know where to find Harry and the others?
- Why do Lucius and Bellatrix argue over who will summon Voldemort that Harry has been captured?
- What might be the after-effects of Hermione's torture?
- Whose eye might Harry be glimpsing in the mirror fragment? If it is not Dumbledore, why would Harry trust that this person will help?
[edit] Greater Picture
In discussing Draco Malfoy's humanity, it should be noted that Dumbledore had also recognized this trait in him. As we will find out shortly, by the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore knew that Voldemort had assigned Draco the task of murdering him. This was why Dumbledore extracted Snape's promise, that, if necessary, Snape would kill Dumbledore: primarily to save Draco's soul from that first, destructive act that would cost him that humanity and irretrievably push him to the Dark side. Dumbledore was also aware that Draco would likely be unable to fulfill his mission, and suspected that another Death Eater would complete the job; Snape would allow Dumbledore to die with dignity and by his own design, whereas other Death Eaters probably would not. Draco is not entirely redeemed however, and in a later chapter, he will attempt to capture Harry for Voldemort, although he may be motivated by trying to reprieve his family from the Dark Lord's wrath.
Harry, witnessing Bellatrix's near-panic when the Sword of Gryffindor is discovered, and remembering Griphook's earlier words that the replica Sword of Gryffindor from the Headmaster's office had been moved to Gringott's vault, will correctly guess that the sword is being stored in the Lestrange vault, and that there is another object there that Voldemort highly values. Harry will correctly surmise that this is another Horcrux, and that it is Hufflepuff's Cup, that being the only Founders' artifact he has seen.
