Fifth book notes, chapters twenty-nine through thirty-one
I finally picked the fifth book up again. Had stopped in the middle of chapter twenty-nine, Career Advice, right when Harry decides to break into Umbridge's office to contact Sirius. Read until the middle of chapter thirty-one, O.W.L.s, as Harry falls asleep over his History of Magic exam paper to dream his fateful dream.
I know I've written before about how some parts in the fifth book, such as Harry's little episode of sulking during the Christmas hols because he thought he was being possessed, just leave me feeling confused. I'm unable to understand their importance. Maybe I'm missing something, I don't know. But there's another one that I read about today and am about to read about: the two times Harry breaks into Umbridge's office, after much angst and worry and Hermione's desperate attempts to dissuade.
Well, before his first break-in, he has Career Advice with McGonagall. Lots of excellent McGonagall vs. Umbridge humor here.
' - which means that this boy has as much chance of becoming an Auror as Dumbledore has of ever returning to this school.'
'A very good chance, then,' said Professor McGonagall.
'Potter has a criminal record,' said Umbridge loudly.
'Potter has been cleared of all charges,' said McGonagall, even more loudly.
Professor Umbridge stood up. She was so short that this did not make a great deal of difference, but her fussy, simpering demeanour had given place to a hard fury that made her broad, flabby face look oddly sinister.
'Potter has no chance whatsoever of becoming an Auror!'
Professor McGonagall got to her feet, too, and in her case this was a much more impressive move; she towered over Professor Umbridge.
'Potter,' she said in ringing tones, 'I will assist you to become an Auror if it is the last thing I do! If I have to coach you nightly, I will make sure you achieve the required results!'
The Minister for Magic will never employ Harry Potter!' said Umbridge, her voice rising furiously.
There may well be a new Minister for Magic by the time Potter is ready to join!' shouted Professor McGonagall.
'Aha!' shrieked Professor Umbridge, pointing a stubby finger at McGonagall. 'Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Of course! That's what you want, isn't it, Minerva McGonagall? You want Cornelius Fudge replaced by Albus Dumbledore! You think you'll be where I am, don't you: Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and Headmistress to boot!'
'You are raving,' said Professor McGonagall, superbly disdainful. 'Potter, that concludes our careers consultation.'
I love McGongall so much. But I wonder about how important her declaration to help Potter became an Auror is - maybe she will help prepare him in the next books.
After that scene, Harry struggled even further with the "to break in or not to break in" angst - all for naught, as he did go ahead and break in, reach Grimmauld Place to find both Remus and Sirius. They have a talk, and it makes me wonder if Harry will ever tell Ron and Hermione what he saw in the Pensieve.
Harry's interrupted by Filch, who rummages through Umbridge's desk for an Approval for Whipping, and he follows him back down to where Fred and George make their glorious departure into the sunset. Great scene, that. A point or two:
"I've got the form, Headmistress," he said hoarsely, waving the piece of parchment Harry had just seen him take from her desk. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting… oh, let me do it now…"
*wide eyes* That is so very...frightening. And for a different reason than the obvious. But fandom whispers in my ear that Filch would be getting an entirely inappropriate pleasure out of whipping Fred and George.
Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.
"Give her hell from us, Peeves."
And Peeves, who Harry had never seen take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.
Beautifully profound.
And then...there is the revelation of Grawp. Oh, my. This does Hagrid great discredit.
Sigh. It's so sad, really. Madame Maxime may very well be the only other half-giant in that side of the world, but...she and Hagrid will never work. She's just utterly out of his league, as mistful said once in her girl power meta. She's a very capable headmistress, manages an entire school with excellent discipline - and Hagrid can barely manage a class.
Grawp's hand had shot out of nowhere towards Hermione; Harry seized her and pulled her backwards behind the tree, so that Grawp's fist scraped the trunk but closed on thin air.
"BAD BOY, GRAWPY!" they heard Hagrid yelling, as Hermione clung to Harry behind the tree, shaking and whimpering.
Such huge, major points for Harry/Hermione. And even if you don't want to think of it like that - it's still a really sweet Harry scene.
A man's naked torso seemed for an instant to be floating towards them through the dappled green half-light; then they saw that his waist joined smoothly into a horse's chestnut body. This centaur had a proud, high-cheekboned face and long black hair.
Centaurs suddenly seem really, really sexy.
I really love how Ms. Rowling set up Ron's final Quidditch triumph - the different version of "Weasley is Our King" sewn so subtly into the narrative, how Harry and Hermione don't even notice the first couple of stanzas...haha, I don't think even I noticed the first time I read it.
"HARRY! HERMIONE!" yelled Ron, waving the silver Quidditch cup in the air and looking quite beside himself. "WE DID IT! WE WON!"
*is quite happy for Ron* And for all his faults, he still has some of the best lines in the book, next to his brothers':
"Yep," said Harry grimly.
"No," said Ron, as though by saying this he could make it untrue.
And:
"And Hagrid wants us to… ?"
"Teach him English, yeah," said Harry.
"He's lost his mind," said Ron in an almost awed voice.
More McGonagall love:
"Our new - Headmistress -' Professor McGonagall pronounced the word with the same look on her face that Aunt Petunia had whenever she was contemplating a particularly stubborn bit of dirt '- has asked the Heads of House to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely - because, of course, your examination results will reflect upon the Headmistress's new regime at the school -'
Professor McGonagall gave a tiny sigh; Harry saw the nostrils of her sharp nose flare.
'- however, that is no reason not to do your very best. You have your own futures to think about.'
And how the world in general is against Umbridge love:
'Now, I haven't heard from Dumbledore lately!' [Professor Marchbanks] added, peering around the Hall as though hopeful he might suddenly emerge from a broom cupboard. 'No idea where he is, I suppose?'
'None at all,' said Umbridge, shooting a malevolent look at Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were now dawdling around the foot of the stairs as Ron pretended to do up his shoelace. 'But I daresay the Ministry of Magic will track him down soon enough.'
'I doubt it,' shouted tiny Professor Marchbanks, 'not if Dumbledore doesn't want to be found! I should know… examined him personally in Transfiguration and Charms when he did NEWTs… did things with a wand I'd never seen before.'
[MSNblankface]
'Yes… well…' said Professor Umbridge as Harry, Ron and Hermione dragged their feet up the marble staircase as slowly as they dared, 'let me show you to the staff room. I daresay you'd like a cup of tea after your journey.'
...am I the only one who finds that last line terribly ominous? Considering the last time Umbridge offered someone (Harry) a cup of tea, it was laced with Veritaserum?
Harry turned over his paper, his heart thumping hard - three rows to his right and four seats ahead Hermione was already scribbling - and lowered his eyes to the first question: a) Give the incantation and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly.
Harry had a fleeting memory of a club soaring high into the air and landing loudly on the thick skull of a troll… smiling slightly, he bent over the paper and began to write….
Well, that's at least one O for Harry.
The Astronomy theory paper on Wednesday morning went well enough. Harry was not convinced he had got the names of all Jupiter's moons right, but was at least confident that none of them was inhabited by mice.
*remembers Hermione's correction way earlier in the book, about ice and mice, and loves Harry*
[Ron] had just made Harry feel rather better by telling him how he had told the examiner in detail about the ugly man with a wart on his nose in his crystal ball, only to look up and realise he had been describing his examiner's reflection.
Another great line.
Then there's the midnight attack on Hagrid's cabin, during their Astronomy exam. Poor Professor McGonagall. But honestly, that does not mean they should all stay up all night so that Harry will be tired the next day and fall asleep during the History of Magic exam...