PS Chapter Ten: "Hallowe'en"
* Rowling tells us that the duo soon managed to find “a way of getting back at Malfoy”, because that phrasing makes their rôle sound much better and more active than “a totally undeserved gift literally fell into Harry’s lap” would.
* I like the way McGonagall says “I don’t want everybody knowing you’ve got a broomstick or they’ll all want one”; presumably “I’ve blatantly violated the rules to favour you but don’t let the peons know or they might complain” was considered too blunt.
* Of course, Harry will totally forget this scene come CS, when he gets all superior and self-righteous about Draco’s father buying brooms for the Slytherin team.
* Malfoy feels Harry’s package and works out it’s a broomstick. Because apparently, its being the size and shape of a broomstick wasn’t enough to clue him in.
* Why is Flitwick happy at Harry’s new present? If anything he should be annoyed because McGonagall’s just broken the rules to favour a rival quidditch team.
* I know it’s been said here many, many times before, but it really is ridiculous that catching the golden snitch nets your team 150 points. IMHO the muggle quidditch rules are much more sensible when they make it only worth 30.
* About the only explanation I can think of is that quidditch originally involved only the seekers, but people got bored looking at people just hovering around until the snitch appeared, so the other players were added as a kind of on-pitch entertainment to give the spectators something to watch in the meantime. But because quidditch was really just a game of seekers and people didn’t want to change this, they made sure that the snitch was worth such a vast number of points that the seekers were still the only players who mattered.
* Having those bludgers flying around sounds rather dangerous. Aside from the risk of concussion or broken bones, it’s a wonder there aren’t more injuries from people getting knocked off their broomsticks, especially since there doesn’t seem to be any netting or magic spells to break their fall.
* “I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep.” Well, obviously that game didn’t involve the Gryffindor team, because they never bother with substitutes. Sleep is for the weak!
* I’m surprised that wizards have heard of anything so mundane as golf balls.
* “His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.” Not that we’re ever given any indication as to what “the basics” might consist of - pretty much all magic in this world seems to consist of pointing your wand and saying a few mock-Latin words, with no real sense of connexion or progression between the different spells.
* Also, if I were at Hogwarts, I reckon I’d find even the basics of learning magic to be pretty interesting. Y’know, because I’d be learning actual magic spells.
* “Seamus got so impatient that he prodded [his feather] with his wand and set fire to it - Harry had to put it out with his hat.” Sadly his hat was now too charred and burnt to be wearable, which is why it never appears in the series again.
* Watch out, people, there’s a troll in the dungeons! Man, Hogwarts must have really good Wi-Fi if they can get a signal all the way down there…
* I’m half-surprised Harry and Ron don’t leave Hermione alone with the troll, as punishment for screaming like a coward. Come on, girl, face death like a Gryffindor!
* Given that the troll is supposedly twelve feet tall, Harry must have jumped very high to end up clinging onto its neck. At least we know that, if the auror job doesn’t work out, he can always find a career as a professional high-jumper.
* So the troll is twelve feet tall, and there’s enough space between it and the ceiling for the club (which is presumably several feet long itself) to build up enough momentum to knock out the troll on impact. This room must be unusually large for a toilet cubicle.
* Why on earth does Hermione feel the need to lie about what happened? Just tell the truth - that she was in the toilet so Harry and Ron came to warn her about the troll and take her back to the dormitory. No rule-breaking or recklessness of any kind, and the boys still get to look heroic for saving her.
* “Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules,” until the latter half of the series, when she’ll be kidnapping, blackmailing and scarring people with wild abandon.
* “‘Good of her to get us out of trouble,’ Ron admitted.” Very true, Ron, albeit with the slight difficulty that Hermione didn’t get you out of trouble at all, rendering her lie completely pointless.
* Actually, come to think of it, isn’t compulsive lying one of the symptoms of psychopathy? Is this chapter actually evidence for psycho!Hermione?
* “There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” But forming a secret society in opposition to a sadistic and dictatorial government official isn’t. Sorry, Zacharias.
* I like the way McGonagall says “I don’t want everybody knowing you’ve got a broomstick or they’ll all want one”; presumably “I’ve blatantly violated the rules to favour you but don’t let the peons know or they might complain” was considered too blunt.
* Of course, Harry will totally forget this scene come CS, when he gets all superior and self-righteous about Draco’s father buying brooms for the Slytherin team.
* Malfoy feels Harry’s package and works out it’s a broomstick. Because apparently, its being the size and shape of a broomstick wasn’t enough to clue him in.
* Why is Flitwick happy at Harry’s new present? If anything he should be annoyed because McGonagall’s just broken the rules to favour a rival quidditch team.
* I know it’s been said here many, many times before, but it really is ridiculous that catching the golden snitch nets your team 150 points. IMHO the muggle quidditch rules are much more sensible when they make it only worth 30.
* About the only explanation I can think of is that quidditch originally involved only the seekers, but people got bored looking at people just hovering around until the snitch appeared, so the other players were added as a kind of on-pitch entertainment to give the spectators something to watch in the meantime. But because quidditch was really just a game of seekers and people didn’t want to change this, they made sure that the snitch was worth such a vast number of points that the seekers were still the only players who mattered.
* Having those bludgers flying around sounds rather dangerous. Aside from the risk of concussion or broken bones, it’s a wonder there aren’t more injuries from people getting knocked off their broomsticks, especially since there doesn’t seem to be any netting or magic spells to break their fall.
* “I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep.” Well, obviously that game didn’t involve the Gryffindor team, because they never bother with substitutes. Sleep is for the weak!
* I’m surprised that wizards have heard of anything so mundane as golf balls.
* “His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.” Not that we’re ever given any indication as to what “the basics” might consist of - pretty much all magic in this world seems to consist of pointing your wand and saying a few mock-Latin words, with no real sense of connexion or progression between the different spells.
* Also, if I were at Hogwarts, I reckon I’d find even the basics of learning magic to be pretty interesting. Y’know, because I’d be learning actual magic spells.
* “Seamus got so impatient that he prodded [his feather] with his wand and set fire to it - Harry had to put it out with his hat.” Sadly his hat was now too charred and burnt to be wearable, which is why it never appears in the series again.
* Watch out, people, there’s a troll in the dungeons! Man, Hogwarts must have really good Wi-Fi if they can get a signal all the way down there…
* I’m half-surprised Harry and Ron don’t leave Hermione alone with the troll, as punishment for screaming like a coward. Come on, girl, face death like a Gryffindor!
* Given that the troll is supposedly twelve feet tall, Harry must have jumped very high to end up clinging onto its neck. At least we know that, if the auror job doesn’t work out, he can always find a career as a professional high-jumper.
* So the troll is twelve feet tall, and there’s enough space between it and the ceiling for the club (which is presumably several feet long itself) to build up enough momentum to knock out the troll on impact. This room must be unusually large for a toilet cubicle.
* Why on earth does Hermione feel the need to lie about what happened? Just tell the truth - that she was in the toilet so Harry and Ron came to warn her about the troll and take her back to the dormitory. No rule-breaking or recklessness of any kind, and the boys still get to look heroic for saving her.
* “Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules,” until the latter half of the series, when she’ll be kidnapping, blackmailing and scarring people with wild abandon.
* “‘Good of her to get us out of trouble,’ Ron admitted.” Very true, Ron, albeit with the slight difficulty that Hermione didn’t get you out of trouble at all, rendering her lie completely pointless.
* Actually, come to think of it, isn’t compulsive lying one of the symptoms of psychopathy? Is this chapter actually evidence for psycho!Hermione?
* “There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” But forming a secret society in opposition to a sadistic and dictatorial government official isn’t. Sorry, Zacharias.