Harry’s eye falls on a book about death omens that has a picture of a black dog on the cover...
Ah. Remember the days when Harry was actually curious about books? Maybe the Potions book was the last straw to turn him off reading forever.
Arthur has of course heard all about what happened to Aunt Marge.
I'm sure that the story made the rounds at the Ministry, complete with indulgent chuckling at the little dickens. They probably put moving pictures of Marge in her blowed-up state on whatever it is the wizards have that's better than the internet.
Hermione says Harry’s blowing up his aunt isn’t funny. After all, she’s amazed he wasn’t expelled. Nice foreshadowing of Hermione’s take on the Sectumsempra issue.
Hermione sure talks about Harry being expelled a lot. How come there aren't conspiracy theories about how she was secretlly trying to get him kicked out of Hogwarts?
Hermione is taking Muggle studies because she thinks it will be fascinating to see them from the wizard pov. If by “fascinating” you mean infuriating and condescending, I guess.
I would believe her if she ever once brought up how the wizard's POV affects the class. But when you think about it, it's a great way for Hermione to assimilate the wizard's contempt for muggles as well as she does. (Harry is a natural at that!) I'll bet her showing up early was a pre-class summer homework assignment.
Dear Future Student:
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Charity Burbage and I will be teaching you about the fascinating subject of muggles in the coming year! To get us all started, I would like to assign you a few tasks over the summer. Be sure to jot down your thoughts in your wizarding journal so that we can discuss them in class!
For Muggleborn students:
Lie to your parents at least once a week during the summer. If possible, try to convince them to leave you on your own in the wizarding world for the last weekend before school. It's vitally important to start training them to accept your new way of life.
For Halfblood students:
Work with your magical parent to create plausible lies should you return home with the following: 1) Three heads 2) Antlers 3) Three heads with antlers
For Pureblood students:
Schedule a field trip with your parents into a muggle community. Be sure to gawk and laugh.
Hermione’s got extra money because it’s her birthday in September. I know that note’s for us but it almost makes it sound like it’s new information for Ron and Harry. Or at least Harry, whose birthday is the only important one until Ron almost gets killed on his. (Though after that one the Weasleys probably started celebrating it as the anniversary of the time Harry saved Ron rather than Ron’s birthday.)
It's it bizarre how important Harry's birthday always is, but we never hear about any party for Hermione or Ron. I was sort of shocked when Ron got presents in HBP!
The witch asks what powers Scabbers has. So are all magical familiars supposed to have powers? I guess Hedwig’s ability to care whether or not Harry has a happy birthday doesn’t count?
Is the magical powers thing a Chekhov gun that never got fired? It doesn't seem like any pets have powers that you'd bother calling powers. It's magical the way owls can find people and deliver messages, I suppose. But what about Crookshanks? He's just very smart, right? And what about Trevor? Maybe Trevor has the power to become invisible (which is why he keeps escaping)? Or maybe Trevor has his very own teeny-tiny invisibility cloak!
Percy greets Harry as if they’ve never met, which makes Harry almost laugh instead of get angry and judgmental. Weird, isn’t it?
What's weird to me is how Percy went from being an amusingly pompous older brother to being the scourge of the wizarding world. I guess the hazing that the twins give him in this book is pre-emptive punishment for insulting their father two years later.
So the car for Arthur is “doing him a favor” because he doesn’t have a car anymore.
Actually, I think that's supposed to be an excuse. The reason for the cars is that the Ministry is worried about Sirius Black killing Harry and so they provided cars and security.
Trevor is probably really Neville's second cousin. Neville's hiding him until that incident with Griselda Marchanks and the very unfortunate Transfiguration accidents during his O.W.L.s blows over. And yes, he shrank his invisibility cloak.
What's weird to me is how Percy went from being an amusingly pompous older brother to being the scourge of the wizarding world.
I would love to see a version where, sometime during GoF, Percy snaps and decides he must take over the wizarding world for its own good. Fred and George will be first into the reeducation camp. (This is entirely compatible with Percy playing Redheaded Pimpernel in OotP, too - for his own ends. He'll just let Dumbledore think he's secretly on his side until the time is right.)
But what about Crookshanks? He's just very smart, right?
So smart the goblins let him access Sirius' gold. Maybe he is a reverse-Animagus. Or is that an Anthropus? Or whatever - an animal that can impersonate a human?
(Anyone wrote HP/Discworld crossovers with Crookshanks and Greebo? Too bad they're both male.)
---"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Charity Burbage and I will be teaching you about the fascinating subject of muggles in the coming year!"
If only she *had* been introduced in PoA! I was always impressed by the way JKR seemed so in control of her story when she introduced Cedric long before he became important. And Cho. Even Sirius and his motorbike got an early soundbite. Either she stopped bothering, or Burbage's death was a last minute thing. Some people think it should have been Trelawney, some think it was meant to be - but she hardly had a vital role in DH, so why change? I can understand why Voldemort would want to kill a teacher trying to teach young wizards about Muggles, but this woman was a Star Trek redshirt - something 20th century JKR didn't resort to. All it needed in PoA was Hermione mentioning ONE LESSON and the teacher's name, either saying she was a Muggle-born who understood the difficulties in entering a new world, or a half-blood who understood both sides of the coin. Then in DH, Voldemort could be resentful of a 'Mud-blood' spreading Muggle propaganda, or a half-blood being a traitor. Two or three sentences would have been enough, but nothing;which makes me think it was a late addition to the story.
---"What's weird to me is how Percy went from being an amusingly pompous older brother to being the scourge of the wizarding world."
Actually he was the scourge of Harry and the Weasleys and no-one else - but that's enough in this series. He obviously didn't genefluct appropiately when entering The Presence and therefore deserved to be CAST OUT.
---"For Muggleborn students:...If possible, try to convince them to leave you on your own in the wizarding world for the last weekend before school. It's vitally important to start training them to accept your new way of life."
I'm suprised there wasn't a school of thought that believed that all Muggleborns should be removed from their muggle parents permanently. If Hermione can wipe her parents' memory at first attempt, I'm sure Arthur's dept and many others could manange it with ease. Stick all the children in a special orphange - 'St Cuthberts School for muddy blooded inferiors'. Tell them their parents were Wizards who died in a war, wipe their memorys, brand them with an 'Unclean' tatoo, but tell them they had a hereditary 'illness'(it would also warn the pure-bloods). That would remove the need for any Muggles to know about the Wizarding World. I'm sure Commandant Hermione is working on it as we speak.
If only she *had* been introduced in PoA! I was always impressed by the way JKR seemed so in control of her story when she introduced Cedric long before he became important. And Cho. Even Sirius and his motorbike got an early soundbite. Either she stopped bothering -
I really do think it was something like that. I think Rowling had the first few books neatly mapped out in her mind either before she even got PS sold or certainly before she became a mega-blockbuster commercial success. But then the 'bloat factor' crept in, the books got bigger and bigger ... and the paucity of the second half of her overall story arc became more and more clear. In HBP there was only really one thing of importance that happened - the death of Dumbeldore. So 90% of the novel is just boring or juvenile filler material. And then in the last book we have the Trio's stay at the Kreacher Bed & Breakfast, followed by the infinite camping trip, while Rowling tried to download the infodump necessary for the readers to understand the onslaught of deus ex machina devices she brought in to clumsily and artificially thrust Harry over the finish line.
I do think she *did* plan those first 3-5 books with some attention and detail, but then flailed once she realised she hadn't thought out a good ending. And even if she *tried* to 'bother' ... I think Rowling demonstrated that she just didn't have the talent or ability to tie things together, to draw the various plot threads in for the big finish. Writing an end game is a quite significantly different beast from creating and expanding an early literary universe, and I think Rowling proved she was hopeless at the former.
Maybe Hermione doesn't get the expellation theories because Snape so openly seems to want him expelled? Clever Hermione. Remember, she totally starts all the trouble in Umbridge's class that Harry gets blamed for.
I imagine Muggle studies being like those awful texts about race from not so long ago, where Hermione would be learning all sorts of nonsense that proves that Muggles are unintelligent, closer to animals and more suited to being ordered around by Wizards.
Good call on the car. I love how Sirius makes the WW makes sense in the first part of this book. (Unfortunately for all the fuss about him nobody seems to really have a plan for catching him...)
Ah. Remember the days when Harry was actually curious about books? Maybe the Potions book was the last straw to turn him off reading forever.
Arthur has of course heard all about what happened to Aunt Marge.
I'm sure that the story made the rounds at the Ministry, complete with indulgent chuckling at the little dickens. They probably put moving pictures of Marge in her blowed-up state on whatever it is the wizards have that's better than the internet.
Hermione says Harry’s blowing up his aunt isn’t funny. After all, she’s amazed he wasn’t expelled. Nice foreshadowing of Hermione’s take on the Sectumsempra issue.
Hermione sure talks about Harry being expelled a lot. How come there aren't conspiracy theories about how she was secretlly trying to get him kicked out of Hogwarts?
Hermione is taking Muggle studies because she thinks it will be fascinating to see them from the wizard pov. If by “fascinating” you mean infuriating and condescending, I guess.
I would believe her if she ever once brought up how the wizard's POV affects the class. But when you think about it, it's a great way for Hermione to assimilate the wizard's contempt for muggles as well as she does. (Harry is a natural at that!) I'll bet her showing up early was a pre-class summer homework assignment.
Dear Future Student:
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Charity Burbage and I will be teaching you about the fascinating subject of muggles in the coming year! To get us all started, I would like to assign you a few tasks over the summer. Be sure to jot down your thoughts in your wizarding journal so that we can discuss them in class!
For Muggleborn students:
Lie to your parents at least once a week during the summer. If possible, try to convince them to leave you on your own in the wizarding world for the last weekend before school. It's vitally important to start training them to accept your new way of life.
For Halfblood students:
Work with your magical parent to create plausible lies should you return home with the following:
1) Three heads
2) Antlers
3) Three heads with antlers
For Pureblood students:
Schedule a field trip with your parents into a muggle community. Be sure to gawk and laugh.
Hermione’s got extra money because it’s her birthday in September. I know that note’s for us but it almost makes it sound like it’s new information for Ron and Harry. Or at least Harry, whose birthday is the only important one until Ron almost gets killed on his. (Though after that one the Weasleys probably started celebrating it as the anniversary of the time Harry saved Ron rather than Ron’s birthday.)
It's it bizarre how important Harry's birthday always is, but we never hear about any party for Hermione or Ron. I was sort of shocked when Ron got presents in HBP!
The witch asks what powers Scabbers has. So are all magical familiars supposed to have powers? I guess Hedwig’s ability to care whether or not Harry has a happy birthday doesn’t count?
Is the magical powers thing a Chekhov gun that never got fired? It doesn't seem like any pets have powers that you'd bother calling powers. It's magical the way owls can find people and deliver messages, I suppose. But what about Crookshanks? He's just very smart, right? And what about Trevor? Maybe Trevor has the power to become invisible (which is why he keeps escaping)? Or maybe Trevor has his very own teeny-tiny invisibility cloak!
Percy greets Harry as if they’ve never met, which makes Harry almost laugh instead of get angry and judgmental. Weird, isn’t it?
What's weird to me is how Percy went from being an amusingly pompous older brother to being the scourge of the wizarding world. I guess the hazing that the twins give him in this book is pre-emptive punishment for insulting their father two years later.
So the car for Arthur is “doing him a favor” because he doesn’t have a car anymore.
Actually, I think that's supposed to be an excuse. The reason for the cars is that the Ministry is worried about Sirius Black killing Harry and so they provided cars and security.
Reply
What's weird to me is how Percy went from being an amusingly pompous older brother to being the scourge of the wizarding world.
I would love to see a version where, sometime during GoF, Percy snaps and decides he must take over the wizarding world for its own good. Fred and George will be first into the reeducation camp. (This is entirely compatible with Percy playing Redheaded Pimpernel in OotP, too - for his own ends. He'll just let Dumbledore think he's secretly on his side until the time is right.)
Reply
So smart the goblins let him access Sirius' gold. Maybe he is a reverse-Animagus. Or is that an Anthropus? Or whatever - an animal that can impersonate a human?
(Anyone wrote HP/Discworld crossovers with Crookshanks and Greebo? Too bad they're both male.)
Reply
If only she *had* been introduced in PoA! I was always impressed by the way JKR seemed so in control of her story when she introduced Cedric long before he became important. And Cho. Even Sirius and his motorbike got an early soundbite. Either she stopped bothering, or Burbage's death was a last minute thing. Some people think it should have been Trelawney, some think it was meant to be - but she hardly had a vital role in DH, so why change? I can understand why Voldemort would want to kill a teacher trying to teach young wizards about Muggles, but this woman was a Star Trek redshirt - something 20th century JKR didn't resort to. All it needed in PoA was Hermione mentioning ONE LESSON and the teacher's name, either saying she was a Muggle-born who understood the difficulties in entering a new world, or a half-blood who understood both sides of the coin. Then in DH, Voldemort could be resentful of a 'Mud-blood' spreading Muggle propaganda, or a half-blood being a traitor. Two or three sentences would have been enough, but nothing;which makes me think it was a late addition to the story.
---"What's weird to me is how Percy went from being an amusingly pompous older brother to being the scourge of the wizarding world."
Actually he was the scourge of Harry and the Weasleys and no-one else - but that's enough in this series. He obviously didn't genefluct appropiately when entering The Presence and therefore deserved to be CAST OUT.
---"For Muggleborn students:...If possible, try to convince them to leave you on your own in the wizarding world for the last weekend before school. It's vitally important to start training them to accept your new way of life."
I'm suprised there wasn't a school of thought that believed that all Muggleborns should be removed from their muggle parents permanently. If Hermione can wipe her parents' memory at first attempt, I'm sure Arthur's dept and many others could manange it with ease. Stick all the children in a special orphange - 'St Cuthberts School for muddy blooded inferiors'. Tell them their parents were Wizards who died in a war, wipe their memorys, brand them with an 'Unclean' tatoo, but tell them they had a hereditary 'illness'(it would also warn the pure-bloods). That would remove the need for any Muggles to know about the Wizarding World. I'm sure Commandant Hermione is working on it as we speak.
Reply
I really do think it was something like that. I think Rowling had the first few books neatly mapped out in her mind either before she even got PS sold or certainly before she became a mega-blockbuster commercial success. But then the 'bloat factor' crept in, the books got bigger and bigger ... and the paucity of the second half of her overall story arc became more and more clear. In HBP there was only really one thing of importance that happened - the death of Dumbeldore. So 90% of the novel is just boring or juvenile filler material. And then in the last book we have the Trio's stay at the Kreacher Bed & Breakfast, followed by the infinite camping trip, while Rowling tried to download the infodump necessary for the readers to understand the onslaught of deus ex machina devices she brought in to clumsily and artificially thrust Harry over the finish line.
I do think she *did* plan those first 3-5 books with some attention and detail, but then flailed once she realised she hadn't thought out a good ending. And even if she *tried* to 'bother' ... I think Rowling demonstrated that she just didn't have the talent or ability to tie things together, to draw the various plot threads in for the big finish. Writing an end game is a quite significantly different beast from creating and expanding an early literary universe, and I think Rowling proved she was hopeless at the former.
Reply
I imagine Muggle studies being like those awful texts about race from not so long ago, where Hermione would be learning all sorts of nonsense that proves that Muggles are unintelligent, closer to animals and more suited to being ordered around by Wizards.
Good call on the car. I love how Sirius makes the WW makes sense in the first part of this book. (Unfortunately for all the fuss about him nobody seems to really have a plan for catching him...)
Reply
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Charity Burbage...
Oh! This is perfect! (It's funny because it's true!)
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