SUMMARIES: The Worst Birthday and Dobby's Warning

[Allison]

No: HPFGUIDX 22895

--- 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?

I hope she does.  Her publishers are probably to blame - though it's 
not like every kid in the world hasn't already read them...

 
> 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 wouldn't put it past him.  Stupid Muggle.

 
> 3.	Why can't Petunia see that Dudley has a serious weight 
> problem?

Because he's her little angel.  Some mothers have this very annoying 
habit of thinking their children can do no wrong.  Has anyone else 
noticed these mothers tend to have the most annoying kids?

 
> 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?

That they're very concerned with appearances and want to seem really 
rich.  Does Petunia remind anyone else of Hyacinth from "Keeping Up 
Appearances"?

 
> 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?

They probably offered him a new computer or something.  

 
> 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?

Doesn't it say in the first book he stays with Mrs. Figg when they're 
away?

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

Yes, Harry is very insecure.  After all, at this point he's had one 
year of being accepted versus ten years of being "that embarrassment 
we keep under the stairs and pray no one finds out about" to the 
Dursleys.  And he's never had any real birthday presents.

 
> 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 think it's both.  Clearly Harry is very important to the wizarding 
world, though we don't know how.  And Dobby is a very selfless elf - 
he's keeping the improved fortunes of his fellow house-elves in mind.

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

Dobby probably took them.  I don't think Lucius was involved at all.  
According to the twins, house-elves have very powerful magic of their 
own.  So Dobby probably intercepted them magically, then put his 
fingers in the oven and went about his business.

 
> 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 think he wanted Harry expelled.  After all, his whole purpose of 
visiting Harry was to warn him not to go back to Hogwarts.

  
> 12.	If Harry had been expelled, at the end of the year, would 
> Dobby have cleared his name?

I would hope so.  Dobby strikes me as being pretty honorable, though 
he doesn't really think things through...

 
> 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?

Another Flint.

 
> 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?

Maybe they've got spells that alert them if someone uses magic in the 
house.  They've probably already got a boatload of protection spells 
going on, too.

 
> 15.	How did the owl arrive so quickly?  Is it possible that owls 
> can apparate, or did the wizard who sent it apparate close by 
before 
> releasing the owl?

Maybe the MoM office is really close by.  Or maybe they have a wizard 
(or in this case, a witch) who follows Harry around.  Like a secret 
service he doesn't know about.  So a secret secret service.

Great questions!

Allison