Chapter 27 Padfoot Returns

[Carole Estes]

No: HPFGUIDX 10196

Chapter 27  Padfoot Returns

This chapter begins right after the completion of the Second Task.  Ron is
getting a lot of attention for being one of the hostages and he begins to
make up tall tales about how they got into the lake and how the hostages got
out.  Hermione finally calls him on his largest exaggeration and he goes
back to a more realistic version of events.

Next up is a Potions class.  This week we find that Witch Weekly has
published an article alleging that Harry's heart has been broken by
Hermione.  Apparently "someone" overheard Krum expressing his feelings for
Hermione and asking her to visit him over the summer.  Ron is very jealous
about this.  Snape finds the article and proceeds humiliate Harry and
Hermione by reading it out loud.  Hermione handles it in a very mature way,
Harry is furious.  Snape then separates the trio and has Harry sit up front
by Snape's desk.  Snape threatens Harry with Veritaserum.  Harry worries
about all of his secrets.  Then Karkaroff shows up.  He wants to show Snape
his arm and complains that Snape has avoided him all year.  Harry manages to
stay behind after class and hear this conversation.

The next day they are to meet Sirius in Hogsmeade.  At the appointed time
they meet the large black dog that is Sirius in Hogsmeade.  They follow him
up a mountain to a cave near the top.

We get a lot of background information in Harry, Ron, and Hermione's
conversation with Sirius.  We also see some real differences in the trio's
personalities.

We learn the following:

- Crouch Sr. sent Sirius away without a trial.
- Crouch Sr. used to be Head of Magical Law Enforcement
- Crouch Sr. was supposed to be the next Minister of Magic
- Crouch Sr. (according to Sirius) is powerfully magic and power hungry
- Crouch Sr. authorized the Aurers to kill rather than capture.
- Crouch Sr. authorized the use of "unforgivables"
- Crouch Jr. was caught with some Death Eaters and arrested.
- Crouch Jr. only got a trial so his Dad could show how fair he was.
- Crouch Jr. was sent to Azkaban.
- According to Sirius, Crouch Jr. died in Azkaban, and his mother died
shortly after.
- Crouch Sr. suffered politically after their deaths and was passed over for
Minister of Magic and was pushed aside into the Department for Magical
Cooperation.
- Crouch is obsessed with catching dark wizards.
- Moody was an Aurer with integrity.  Always captured when he could.  Only
killed when he had to.
- Bertha Jorkins was at Hogwarts when the Marauders were.  She was a gossip,
but dim.
- Snape hung out with a bunch of future Death Eaters when they were at
Hogwarts.
- Snape "knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in
seventh year."
- Sirius names Death Eaters:  Rosier, Wilkes, Lestanges, and Avery.


Other plot points:

+  They come to the conclusion that at the Quidditch World Cup, Harry's wand
is stolen from him in the Top Box.
+  Sirius spends some time explaining what it was like when Voldemort was at
the height of his power.
+  We find out that Ron thinks Percy is very ambitious and might not
hesitate to "throw his family" to the dementors if they got in his way.

Character Development:

Harry:  His reaction to Snape's taunting is anger.  He also seems to play
the role of breaking up the bickering between Ron and Hermione in the
discussions in the cave.

Hermione: She shows a lot of maturity in this chapter.  First in how she
limits Ron's boasting, second in her reaction to Snape's taunts, and third
in the cave, she seems much more at ease, self-assured when expressing an
opinion.  This contrasts to Ron who seems to be wanting to impress Sirius
with his ideas.

Ron:  He is being the most typically adolescent of the trio.  He exaggerates
his role in the second task, he's jealous about Hermione and Krum, and he
just seems to try too hard in the conversations with Sirius in the cave.  He
seems to be discounting Hermione's statements so that his own seem more
intelligent and perceptive.  On a plus side, Ron does note that Sirius must
care an awful lot about Harry to eat rats, so that Sirius can be close to
Harry.

Snape:  We learn some about his past, he associated with Death Eaters.
Sirius is confused about Dumbledore trusting Snape.  He's still a cruel
teacher and openly despises Harry.  Willing to subject Harry to a controlled
potion as a threat.

Sirius:  He was back to the gaunt, matted hair look in this chapter, after a
brief respite as a fuller face gentleman with short clean hair just before
the first task.  However we learn he's living off rats.hence the thinner
look.  He's still with Buckbeak.  His role as a surrogate father to Harry is
expounded upon in this chapter.  He is definitely taking the role of
godfather seriously.  He shows that he thinks enough of these kids that he
can explain what the Voldemort years were like.  He trusts them and they
trust him.  He provides them with a history and with some wisdom gleaned
from his years in Azkaban, and his school years.  He also shows he knows a
bit about family priorities when he comments that Crouch Sr.  "Ought to have
left the office early once in awhile.gotten to know his son."

Favorite quotes:

"If you want to know what a man is like, take a good look at how he treats
his inferiors, not his equals."

"Call me snuffles."

Questions for discussion:

1. What do you think the quote above says about the wizarding culture.  I
was uncomfortable when Sirius so casually referred to inferiors and equals.
I know he was speaking in reference to house elves and wizards, but what
might the pecking order of the wizarding world be.  Are house elves on the
same rung as hippogriffs in the world of magical creatures.  Are the
inferiors simply non-humans or are there inferior humans as the Malfoys
believe.  And does Sirius believe there are inferior humans?

2. What do you think of Ron in this chapter.  Was he coming across as trying
too hard to impress everyone, between the other students with his tall tale
about battling the merpeople and trying to discount Hermione's observations
during the cave discussions.

3. What about Hermione.  Is she showing more maturity than typical of her
age?

4. Did anyone pick up any clues that were useful to figuring out the ending
in his chapter?

5. Snuffles!  How cute is that?