SUMMARIES: The Worst Birthday and Dobby's Warning

[Zarleycat at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 22881

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., catherine at c... wrote:
 
> 1.	When will JKR stop putting in the annoying reminders about 
> events in past books?    Do her publishers tell her to do so?

Well, I guess it can serve to get people re-familiarized with the 
story line.  Especially people, unlike us, who don't have entire 
sections of all four books memorized...

> 2.	When Mr Dursley says that today is an important day, do you 
> think that he is deliberately and sadistically raising Harry's 
hopes 
> that they have remembered his birthday - and care?

I didn't think so.  I felt that it was coincidence that the dinner 
party happened to be on Harry's birthday.  I think this is indicative 
of the complete disregard the Dursleys show Harry as a person.  He's 
only visible or noticable to them when they think about his magical 
abilities.  They don't think of him as normal, so they don't think 
about normal events, like birthdays.

 
> 3.	Why can't Petunia see that Dudley has a serious weight 
> problem?
 
She equates giving with love.  The more food she gives, the more it 
shows how much she loves Dudley.  IIRC, she doesn't seem to have this 
over-indulgent tendency with Vernon.  Could it be that she doesn't 
love Vernon, or thinks he doesn't love her, and is trying to ensure 
that she keeps Dudley's love by spoiling him rotten?

> 4.	Why are Mr Dursley and Dudley wearing dinner jackets?  Did 
> the Dursleys stipulate Black Tie when they invited the Masons?  
What 
> does this say about them?

They want to make an appearance.
> 
> 5.	Has anyone ever eaten a pudding made of cream and sugared 
> violets?  Is it as sickly and as revolting as it sounds?
 
Umm. I'm not a big pudding fan to begin with and this one sounds 
downright scary.

> 6.	Why is Dudley being so co-operative about the dinner party?  
> Is he being bribed with promises of extra treats if the Dursleys 
> become richer?

I'm sure he's being bribed with something, even though we don't see 
it.  
 
> 7.	Harry notes that he won't be taken on holiday with the 
> Dursleys.  What do they usually do with him when they go away?

Send him to Mrs. Figg.  
 
> 8.	Why does Harry assume that his friends have forgotten him, 
> rather than thinking something may have happened?  Is he very 
> insecure?

I think he's very insecure, so of course he'd decide that the problem 
was with him, and not due to some other unknown cause. 


> 9.	Dobby says that Harry is too important to be put at risk.  
> Why is this?  Is it just because of what Harry stands for among the 
> oppressed, or does it refer to something which is going to happen 
in 
> the future?  Could this be an early reference to Professor 
> Trelawney's first prediction?

I felt that this was Dobby was referring to Harry's double defeat of 
Voldie.  I don't know that Dobby would have been in a position to 
know what Trelawney's first prediction was, unless the Malfoys know 
and let something slip in Dobby's hearing.  

> 10.	What happened to Harry's letters?  Did Dobby take them with 
> him?  Did Lucius Malfoy intercept them?

And how did Dobby get them to begin with?  Has he been lurking on the 
roof at Privet Drive and ambusing the owls?  Wouldn't someone at 
Malfoy Manor notice that Dobby was frequently absent?  Did he somehow 
convince the owls to give him Harry's letters?


> 11.	Why did Dobby drop the pudding?  So it would have the effect 
> it did have, or to try and get Harry immediately expelled?

I don't think this would have been enough to get Harry expelled.  
You'd think Dobby could have performed some other highly noticable 
type of magic to get the MoM's attention at any time during the 
summer.  

 
> 13.	If the MoM knew that magic had been performed in the house, 
> why didn't they also know that it wasn't Harry who had done it?

Well, they also didn't know that it was Peter Pettigrew who blew up 
the street and killed 12 Muggles.  It doesn't appear to me that the 
MoM people "know" who is responsible.  They would assume it was Harry 
because he's the only wizard living at 4 Priviet Drive. 

> 14.	The MoM say that they have "received information" that magic 
> has been performed in the house.  Is it possible that Dobby 
> anonymously tipped them off?

I don't think so.  It seems that there is some sort of observation on 
Privet Drive by wizard types.  I think the MoM realizes pretty 
quickly when something odd happens. 


Marianne