Chapter Two: Spinner’s End
In chapter two of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Narcissa Malfoy begs Snape to do something sketchy, Wormtail is getting spat on by a new group of people, and Bellatrix is the WORST at nicknames.
(Please be advised that this is a reread and I will be discussing book and movie spoilers.)
In case you didn’t get enough exposition in a shiny package last chapter, we’re back with more, this time…Death Eater edition!
Narcissa and Bellatrix are wandering around a slum killing foxes while I ponder what’s wrong with their parents, who essentially named their daughters constellations, yes, but also names that are essentially “beautiful trick” and “narcissist.” Whatever was wrong with them, they passed it along to Bellatrix, who cubes it and sends it into orbit by nicknaming her sister, a grown ass women who walks around looking like she’s smelling shit all the time,”Cissy.”
The sisters show up at Snape’s hovel, and we get a chapter that was one million percent JKR’s answer to fan’s questions on how Snape got away with spying for Voldemort and not killing Harry all of these years, with Bellatrix filling in for us, the fans, while she interrogates Snape.
Wormtail’s there for some reason, and I am curious why Snape doesn’t seem to show him the searing hot hatred he’s shown Remus, James, and Sirius when Wormtail is to blame for Lily’s death more then any of them. But let’s not assume Snape is logical at this late date!
Bellatrix asks a number of really pertinent questions and she, and I, were skeptical at Snape’s answers upon first hearing them. I guess now is a good time to say that I never really bought that Snape was evil, even when he kills Dumbledore. He could’ve killed Harry so many times, and I find his explanations as unconvincing as Bellatrix. On this reread is when I first realized why Bellatrix, the person most enamored with Voldemort and his abilities, doubts his read on Snape. And it’s because Bellatrix must fool him with Occlumency as well. I’m not sure what she’s lying to him about, but it makes sense why she is doubtful of Voldemort’s ability to sense when Snape is lying.
Narcissa annoys me by defending Lucius
and crying over the idea of Draco dying
and begging Snape in a frankly kind of gross and pathetic way
and I can’t help it, I LOL at crazy ass Bellatrix saying she’d gleefully sacrifice her own son to Voldemort as Narcissa is hysterically crying about Bellatrix’s nephew maybe dying.
Snape shocks both sisters when he agrees to an Unbreakable Vow to help Draco do something nefarious, and I grind my teeth in anticipation of a book where we know from chapter 2 that Malfoy is up to shit and Ron and Hermione refuse to believe Harry for no good reason.
<—Previous Chapter Next Chapter —>
Join in with your thoughts below, on twitter, or instagram with #ReadHarryPotterWithMe. Follow me on my twitter @HSecretLibrary, pinterest, and my instagram @hermionessecretlibrary
Worse name: Narcissa or Cissy?
Which Marauder does Snape hate most?
Do you think Bellatrix is hiding something from Voldemort?
Picture taken in Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland. Send me/tag me in your pics of you reading Harry Potter!