[HPforGrownups] PS/SS Chapter 8 Summary and Discussion Q's

[SALeathem at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 28053

Hi

>Discussion Questions:
 
> 1. Hedwig comes to Harry with an unsolicited note from Hagrid.  How?  Do 
owls 
> instinctively know when people want to send mail to their owners?  Or did 
> Hagrid go up to the Owlery and choose her, knowing she was Harry's?  Once 
> Hedwig got to know Harry, she did know enough to visit Hermione and pick up 
> Harry's birthday present in PoA.  [side note:  I bet owls would be smart 
> enough to refuse to deliver Anthrax letters.]
 
Magic... heh. I would think they have some kind of homing pigeon thing going 
on, and know where to find everyone their owner wants to send a letter to 
(and where their owners are). When Harry sends letters to Sirius he doesn't 
always use Hedwig, yet the owls still know where to go, and how to get 
back... 


> 2. How does Hagrid know Harry and Ron have Friday afternoons off?  Perhaps 
> all students, or all first-years, do….?

Well, hagrid works at the school. He has close links with Dumbledore, and he 
cares about Harry. I would imgaine he made the effort to find out, maybe 
Dumbledore told him, or maybe he just happend to come across a timetable and 
saw that Harry has the day off. Being the groundskeeper it's fairly likely 
that he'd be able to work it out without too much trouble, just be seeing 
Harry out and about on a friday afternoon would hint that he doesn't have 
lessons then.

>  3. Why is there such enmity between Hagrid and Filch?  Why does Filch put 
> Mrs. Norris up to following Hagrid everywhere inside the castle?
 
Was Filch around when the CoS was originally opened (as a student or 
otherwise)? He knows Hagrid was expelled, he's suspicious? Or maybe Hagrid's 
paranoid...

> 4. Why doesn't Hagrid want Harry to know that Snape hates him?  Why 
couldn't 
> he have just said, "Snape has some Issues.  They'll sort themselves out 
> eventually."  This would not have betrayed Hagrid's confidence in a 
teacher, 
> and it would have satisifed Harry's questions for a while -- maybe.  Of 
> course, it would have taken a bit of impetus from Harry's interest in 
> detective work, but still, I'm curious to know why Hagrid is being coy; it 
> doesn't seem necessary.
 
"Issues" sounds like a very American thing to say (to me anyway). It's just 
not the done thing in the UK to sound like a counsellor. And Hagrid sounds 
about as English as they come, he's got a very northern accent 
(Yorkshire/lancashire perhaps...) and it's really not concievable that he'd 
say such a thing. In keeping with his character, and trying not to worry or 
upset Harry, he just lies and says he (Snape) doesn't hate Harry. Possibly 
cos deep down he knows Snape doesn't really (he did save his life after all, 
and it seems that his real gripe was with James). Also I suspect Hagrid 
didn't want to appear to be stirring things, if Snape had found out it might 
have made things difficult for him. Overall I'd say he was being polite, I 
don't think we hear Hagrid openly bad mouth many teachers at Hogwarts in any 
of the books. 

Sara