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

[Genevieve Pratt]

No: HPFGUIDX 17924

Andrew, Nice summary :)

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

Yes, I think they should be. Knowing when to use magic and when not to is
just about as important as knowing how to use it. If you can't figure that
out, they you are a meance to their society because you'll start throwing
hexes and charms at the Muggles. I think one of the ways to teach the
students this is by forbidding them to use magic while on vacation. So, for
two months out of a year they have to deal with stuff in a non-magical (or
as best as a wizardly family can do) way.

Now, on the more specific case of what happened with Harry. Well, he is a
teenager. They aren't known for their self-control really. However, I think
there is more to the situation that just that. I don't have book 2 with me
to verify, but I think this is the first time Harry had to deal with someone
majorly insulting his parents since he found the truth about how they died
and about his ability to do magic. (I'm not counting the little jabs that
the Dursleys have done though.) Before he didn't know any better so whenever
someone who say something bad about his parents, he couldn't say they were
wrong. Now, since he knows the truth, it's much worse. He knows it's a lie,
he knows the only reason that it's even being said is because the Dursleys
are a bunch of spineless cowards, and he knows that he's not suppose to
contradict it. I can't blame Harry for what he did, it's the commulination
of years of listening to people talk down to him and about his parents.
Everyone has a breaking point, no matter what the age, and he had reached
his.

> 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, someone has already said, gets memory charmed. As for the Dursley, I
dunno. They may get to the point where they leave Harry alone out of fear
but I don't think they'll ever really tolerate, much less, accept him.
They've seen nothing but the bad side of magic since Harry lived there. I
don't know what Petunia's experience with Lily was like but if they acted
like any normal siblings, it probably wasn't all that pleasant either.

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

No, but he wasn't focusing on where to go. His main thought was get away
right then. Where to go to would be something he could figure out
afterwards. And judging from the people I've known who've run away from bad
home situations, it's about par. They usually were so focused on getting
away from it that where they ended up at didn't matter, it just couldn't be
as bad.

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

Who would he have asked exactly? I've never gotten the impression that the
wizardly world actually knows a lot about Muggles and how to behave like
them at least judging from Arthur.

Well, I suppose he could have ask Hermoine, but that isn't something I think
would have occured to Ron.

Anyways, there's a few of my thoughts.
Genevieve