Chapter 3 Summarization

[triner2001]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C5070
From: triner2001
Subject: Chapter 3 Summarization
Date: 7/25/00 6:49 pm  (ET)

All righty, since no one else apparently wants to take the wand and
summarize Chapter 3, I'll do it.

Do we really need spoiler space???
W
E
L
L

A

L
I
T
T
L
E

Chapter 3 "The Invitation" starts out with Harry going downstairs to
breakfast, where we find out that ickle Dudleykins has been put on a
strict diet by the Smeltings school nurse, seeing as how he has "become
wider than he was tall." Naturally, Auntie P has put the entire household
on the "rabbit food" plan as well and makes sure Harry always gets less to
eat than Dudley. We also learn that Harry hasn't been follwing the diet,
having sent Hedwig on a food recon mission to all his friends, who have
kept him supplied with cakes and other edibles throughout the summer.

The mailman rings the doorbell to hand deliver a stamp covered letter to
Uncle Vernon. It's from Molly Weasley, asking the Dursleys' permission
for Harry to join them for the Quidditch World Cup and she hopes she
used enough stamps. Uncle Vernon has a brief internal struggle: to let
Harry go and get him out of his hair for the last two weeks, or say
No just to make Harry miserable, which is a popular pastime in this
household. He asks Harry just who this woman is and what does she mean
"send us your answer in the normal way?" Harry answers him using the
W-word (wizard), thereby angering Unkie. But Harry invokes the Magic words
"I want to finish a letter to Sirius, my godfather" which puts the fear
of repercussion by escaped murderer (Harry has forgotten to tell them
he is an innocent man)in Uncle Vernon and gives permission.

Harry goes back to his room to find mail from Ron, saying if the Muggles
say 'yes' we'll be there Sunday at five and if the Muggles say 'no'
we'll be there Sunday at five. Harry responds to Ron, sends off his
letter to Sirius, and settles down to a decent breakfast of cake instead
of grapefruit.

It is in this chapter I think we see a change of attitude in Harry's
behavior towards the Dursley's ("Gone were the days when he had been
forced to take every single one of the Dursleys' stupid rules"). He no
longer obeys them and even refers to them as Muggles in his response
to Ron. I think the past three years of learning his true birthright
and being liked for who he is has given him a self-possession that
wasn't ther before. And having an escaped murderer for a godfather is
an excellent weapon of terror to use against the Dursleys.

Discuss!

Trina