Chapter 13 Summary

[Trina]

No: HPFGUIDX 20119

Chapter 13:  Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

Ron and Hermione are furious at each other.  Ron, because Hermione 
had never taken Crookshanks's attempts on Scabber's life seriously 
and Hermione, because Ron had nothing but circumstantial evidence 
with which to blame her sweet kitty and he had been biased against 
Crookshanks since he had landed on Ron's head in the Magical 
Menagerie.  Ron takes the loss of Scabbers hard and Fred eulogizes 
Scabbers in true twin fashion, "His finest hour. Let the scar on 
Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory."  

To cheer Ron up, Harry invites him to Quidditch practise with the 
promise of flying the Firebolt afterwards.  Madam Hooch, like 
everyone else, is enamoured with the Firebolt and spends some time 
comparing it to Great Racing Brooms of the Past before Wood convinces 
her to let Harry have it back.  Wood informs the team of Ravenclaw's 
new Seeker--a fourth year named Cho Chang who has had some injuries, 
but is back in the game now, with her Comet Two Sixty, "...a joke 
next to the Firebolt."

The Gryffindors have an excellent practise, inspired by Harry's new 
broom, which handles like a dream.  Afterwards, Ron gets a chance to 
fly and, after Madam Hooch wakes up, they walk back to the castle.  
Halfway there, Harry sees something that worries him--a pair of 
gleaming eyes in the darkness. It turns out to be Crookshanks near a 
tree, but Harry worries it might have been the Grim.  He does not 
tell Ron.  

The next day is the Quidditch match.  The Firebolt gets an honor 
guard of Gryffindors on the way to breakfast.  Percy and Penelope 
have a 10 Galleon bet riding on the outcome.  Harry has his wand with 
him just in case the dementors come again. When the teams shake hands 
prior to mounting their brooms, Harry feels "a slight lurch in the 
region of his stomach" when he first sees Cho Chang. Madam Hooch 
blows the whistle and thy're off!  Lee Jordan makes his usual 
entertaining commentary, with a one or two or twenty comments about 
the superiority of Harry's broom.  Cho seems to be trying to distract 
Harry and marking him instead of searching for it herself.  After a 
merry search, he sees it and goes after it.  Cho screams and points.  
Down on the ground are three dementors.  Harry doesn't 
hesitate.  "Expecto Patronum!" he shouts, pointing his wand at the 
dementors.  He goes on to capture the Snitch.  Gryffindor has won.  
Lupin congratulates him on his Patronus.  "They didn't affect me at 
all!" Harry tells him.  It turns out that the dementors weren't 
dementors at all, but Slytherins.  Crabbe, Goyle, Flint, and Malfoy 
are being told off in no uncertain terms by McGonagall and 50 points 
are taken from Slytherin.  It is a wonderful end to the game.

The Gryffindors party late into the night, except Hermione who has 
422 pages to read by Monday.  Ron makes a comment about Scabbers 
liking Fudge Flies and Hermione bursts into tears and runs from the 
room.  Harry asks Ron to give her a break, but Ron is 
inexorable.  "If she just acted like she was sorry, but she'll never 
admit she was wrong, Hermione."  McGonagall busts up the party at 
1:00 am, clad in hairnet and tartan dressing gown, like our own dear 
FFA, and they all go to bed.  But not for long.

A scream wakes up Harry and the others in his dorm.  Ron is sitting 
upright in bed with a look of "utmost terror".  Sirius Black has come 
to call with a knife.  They all run back down to the common room, the 
other Gryffindors as well.  Percy comes in pinning his Head Boy badge 
on his jammies.  McGonagall returns.  Percy claims Ron has had a 
nightmare, but Ron declares it was Black. When McGonagall asks him 
how Black could have gotten through the portrait hole, Ron tells her 
to ask Sir Cadogan.  She does.  It appears that Sirius Black had a 
list of passwords.  She then asks the assembled students "which 
abysmally foolish person" had the list and left it lying around.  A 
small squeak and then a hand is raised.  It is Neville.

1. Why does Hermione not exhibit the least bit of sympathy for Ron on 
the loss of Scabbers? Does Ron just have it in for Crookshanks 
because he jumped on his head in Diagon Alley?

2.  Did Harry see the Grim on the way back to the castle or was he 
just imagining things?  Why doesn't he tell Ron?

3.  Do you like the descriptions of the Quidditch matches?  Are they 
just a waste of pages? 

4.  Only 50 points from Slytherin for the dementor trick?  (Harry, 
Hermione, and Neville lost 150 in the Norbert aftermath.)  Should it 
have been more?  less?  detention?

5.  What did the spectators see when the patronus charged down Malfoy 
and gang?

6.  Why did Percy pin his HB badge to his jammies?  Is he afraid the 
others will forget he *is* Head Boy?

7.  Neville: brave, or "abysmally foolish"?

8.  How did Sirius Black get into the castle?


The other discussion topic (animal characters) will be submitted 
later this week to give Amy Z time to get her topical summary posted.

Trina (a South Carolinian whose only agenda is to make sure Lady Jane 
gets her amoxicillin for the day.)