[HPforGrownups] The "first" chapter summary PoA 1-2

[Monika Huebner]

No: HPFGUIDX 17919

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew Preston [mailto:ajpresto at yahoo.com]

> Questions:
>
> 1)	Shouldn't most wizards be more self-disciplined than to let
> somebody get
>   under them and then blow them up?

We know from various conversations between Harry and his
friends/fellow students that *untrained* wizards tend to do all
kinds of weird stuff. It's never really specified, we are only told
things like "I never knew that all the weird stuff I could do was
magic", but I bet everything wasn't benign. *Adult* wizards should
of course be able to control themselves, but I am pretty sure
that not fully trained wizards aren't able to do this in stressful
situations. And Harry always does things like that in stressful
situations: Apparating (?) to the school roof when he was
bullied or making grow his hair back after Aunt Petunia shaved
him.

> 2)	How do they get Marge off the ceiling?

You know, I would have *loved* to be there when the ministry
wizards deflated her. <g> There are levitation charms, so there'll
be countercharms that bring the unfortunate victim back to the
ground.

> 3)	What does Marge think? Will the Dursleys ever learn? (They do
> better in
>  Book 4, but will they ever do more than tolerate Harry?)

Marge doesn't think anything because a memory charm is cast on her
as somebody else has already stated. She doesn't remember the incident
at all, and that's good for her. She is already nasty enough to Harry.
The Dursleys will never learn anything. You have only to listen to
Uncle Vernon's nazi paroles when he sees the picture of Sirius Black
at TV. To tell the truth, this was the first time I actually took him
seriously, until then I had always thought of the Dursleys as some
kind of caricatures. I didn't suspect at the time that Sirius could be
innocent, but hearing Vernon condemn him because of his *physical*
appearance was enough for me. I have heard things like that too
often during my childhood. And I don't think that the Dursleys do
any better in book 4, they only treat Harry a bit better because they
are terrified his murderous godfather might turn up and turn them
all into bats (btw I would love to see that).

> 4)	What did Harry think he was doing, running out into the street?
> He can't
>   apparate

I think he is so upset that he doesn't give it a thought. He just wants
to get away from the Dursleys and particularly from Aunt Marge. I
don't think a 13 year old boy will think about the consequences of
running away. Maybe he would have returned after a few hours if
the Knight Bus hadn't picked him up.

> 7)    What's up with the telephone sequence? Couldn't Ron have asked
> somebody,
>      or was he just not thinking?

Same as above. He should have asked Hermione, she knows how to
work a phone. But he was so eager to call Harry that he didn't think
of it.

Monika

------
Book and movie reviews in English and German:
http://sites.inka.de/darwin/indexalt.html