[HPforGrownups] Weekly Summary: PS/SS Chapters 2 and 3

[devika261 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 27056

In a message dated Tue, 2 Oct 2001 10:35:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time, - Joy - <joyw at gwu.edu> writes:


> ----------------------------------------
> Is Dudley's weight a sign of prejudice against big people, or is it just
> description?
I don't think it's prejudice.  I think it's representative of the fact that Dudley is spoiled rotten by his parents, whereas Harry, being small and skinny, is neglected.

> Where do the Dursleys get the money for Dudley's presents?
I don't think they would spare any expense for their precious Dudleykins.  They seem relatively well-off, so I'm sure they can afford all the presents (and all the food, presumably).  Wasn't there a rumor that the Dursleys would have financial difficulties in the next book(s)?  Maybe Grunnings will go out of business...

> Why is the scar lightening shaped?  Will that be significant?
IIRC, JKR once said that she wanted Harry's scar to symbolize the power of the spell that Voldemort had used.  She also wanted a shape that stood out, so the lightning bolt makes sense, to me, anyway.

> What's up with Mrs. Figg?
She's a witch who is living in the Muggle world under Dumbledore's orders so that she can watch over Harry.  She's also a member of the "old crowd" who is going to be the new DADA teacher. (All IMO, of course, except for the "old crowd" part.)

> Is the cabbage smell in her house an indicator of magic?
Absolutely.  Polyjuice Potion, perhaps?  Or maybe just potions in general.

> Why didn't Petunia recognize Harry's incidents as signs of magic?
She probably did, but she wanted to believe that she could "stamp it out of him."

> Why do the Dursleys hate Harry so much?
He's not like them.  And he probably reminds Petunia of her envy and resentment of Lily.
 
> How did Harry survive their neglect and abuse?
He's a Gryffindor!  Also, it's possible that the protection that Lily gave him by sacrificing herself helped Harry withstand the Dursleys.

> Didn't Harry think it was odd that he could hear the snake?
He was surprised at first, but he probably instinctively knew that talking to the snake was the natural thing to do--at least for him.

> Why is the light green?
The Avada Kedavra curse is green.

> Why isn't Harry more curious about his past?
In SS, I understand that Harry doesn't ask any questions because the Dursleys refuse to answer them.  However, by the end of book 4, I do not see why Harry has never had a long conversation with Sirius about his parents.  I don't think he has ever so much as mentioned his parents to Sirius, although he *knows* that Sirius would be able to answer most of his questions about them.  The only reason I can think of is that we, the readers, know what Harry knows, and JKR doesn't want us to know about Harry's past just yet.  But that's definitely a weak point in the series right now, IMO.

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> Chapter Three - The Letters from No One:
> -------------------------------------

> ----------------------------------------------
> Does Mrs. Figg give Harry chocolate because the Dursleys are like dementors?
I think she's just trying to be nice to him.  She knows he'll be going to Hogwarts soon, one way or another.  There might be some kind of potion in the cake, which is why it tastes a bit funny, but I'm not sure what it would be for.  Maybe it's somehow an extension of Harry's protection, since Mrs. Figg won't be able to watch over him anymore.

> How are the letters delivered?
Hogwarts must have some special kind of delivery service, probably related to Owl Post, that goes to Muggles.  

> Wouldn't Petunia know that the letter was coming?
She probably did know, but she wanted to believe that it wasn't.

> Why did Hogwarts wait to send Hagrid to get Harry?
Maybe they didn't realize just how set against magic the Dursleys were.  I got the impression that Dumbledore had intended the Dursleys to tell Harry about his parents, and he had no reason to believe that they hadn't.  (Except for Mrs. Figg, though.)

> How does the school track Harry's location?
By magic <g>.  (It's late;  I can't come up with anything better.)

> Who did you think was knocking on your first read-through?
My first read-through?!  That was quite a while ago--and there have been a whole lot of other readings since then.  Hmmm...I don't really remember.  I probably didn't think it was anyone in particular, because I wasn't quite used to the style of the books yet and I wasn't analyzing them.  Actually, I didn't even try to analyze GoF on my first reading.  I actually hope I don't try too hard in OotP.  I just want to go along for the ride the first time through.


Devika :)  
> -----------------------------------------------
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> ~Joy~
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