Friday, 13 July 2007

Chapter 17: A Sluggish Memory
In this chapter... Harry and Ron return to Hogwarts after the Christmas Holidays. Percy’s stay at the Burrow was very short and unsuccessful. Hermione is still not speaking to Ron. Hermione gives Harry a letter from Professor Dumbledore about his next private lesson. Apparition lessons will soon be taught to all the sixth years. When Harry goes to his private lesson, he tells Professor Dumbledore what he overheard between Professor Snape and Harry. Dumbledore says he trusts Snape, and the conversation comes to an abrupt end. Professor Dumbledore shows Harry two very important memories. The first shows a teenaged Riddle, going to Little Hangleton – where his mother, father and grandparents lived. Only Morfin Gaunt was left alive, out of the Gaunt’s. Lord Voldemort murdered his Muggle father and his Muggle grandparents, and then modified Morfin’s memory, to make him believe he did the crime. Morfin was sent to Azkaban, and nobody ever knew – except for Professor Dumbledore – that Morfin was in Little Hangleton.
The second memory that Harry is shown, Dumbledore says may be the most important of all. It is a memory of a younger Professor Slughorn, holding one of his special parties for selected students – one of which is Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle has the Gaunt ring – the one that Professor Dumbledore has now, and the same one that Marvolo Riddle showed Bob Ogden. This proves that Tom has already murdered his father and grandparents. Harry sees Tom wait behind, after all the students leave, to ask Professor Slughorn what Horcruxes are. The memory gets foggy suddenly, and Slughorn shouts that he doesn't know anything about Horcruxes. Dumbledore explains that Slughorn has modified his own memory, and he sets Harry the most important task of retrieving the true memory from Professor Slughorn.

“I’ve got something for you, Harry,” said Hermione, neither looking at Ron nor giving any sign that she had heard him.
“Oh, hang on – password.Abstinence”
“Precisely,” said the Fat Lady in a feeble voice, and swung upwards to reveal the portrait hole.


How many Galleons will Apparition lessons cost? 12.


Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises
In this chapter... To Harry’s disappointment, Hermione does not know what Horcruxes are – and there is nothing about them in the library either. When Harry tries to question Professor Slughorn, he has the same reaction as Tom Riddle – Slughorn declares that he doesn’t know what they are. The sixth years attend their first Apparition lessons in the Great Hall – the weather is too wild to be taken outside. A Ministry wizard, Wilkie Twycross, takes the lessons. Nobody enjoys the lessons much. However, Harry does overhear Malfoy yelling at his friend, Crabbe, and Harry realizes that Malfoy is using his friends as lookouts for something.
Ron celebrates his seventeenth birthday on the first of March. Harry has been constantly checking the Marauders Map, seeing where Draco Malfoy is, and what he is doing. Ron accidently eats some Cauldron Cakes, which Romilda Vane gave to Harry at Christmas. They are spiked with Love Potion, from Fred and George’s shop, which makes Ron think he is in loves with Romilda. Harry takes Ron to Professor Slughorn to ask him to make an antidote for the Love Potion. Ron is soon himself again. Professor Slughorn gives Harry and Ron a drink in celebration of Ron's birthday. The matured mead was supposed to be a Christmas present for Professor Dumbledore. Ron is the first to drink the mead and he collapses immediately, foaming horrifically at the mouth and twitching violently. Harry remembers that a tiny bezoar stone will cure most poisons. He shoves it down Ron's throat, praying that it works.

“Splinching, or the separation of random body parts,” said Wilkie Twycross dispassionately, “occurs when the mind is insufficiently determained. You must concentrate continually upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation…thus”
Twycross stepped forwards, turned gracefully on the spot with his arms outstretched and vanished in a swirl of robes, reappearing at the back of the hall.


What does Harry buy Ron for his seventeenth birthday? Keeper gloves

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