PS/SS Chapter 9 Summary and Discussion Q's

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 28074

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., linman6868 at a... wrote:
> This has turned out to be a really complex chapter, 
> narratologically.

What a wonderful word you've invented! I will seek an opportunity to 
use it myself.
> Instantly, he discovers that he's a natural at flying, (snip)
> Harry dives steeply, catches the ball, and pulls his broom
> straight with a foot to spare.

I wonder if Harry got his ability as a Seeker the same place he got 
his Parseltongue. CoS didn't tell us whether popular, charming, 
intelligent, young Tom Riddle was also a star Seeker...

> McGonagall tells Harry that he is following in the footsteps of his
> father, 

But later, in a Chat, JKR said that James had been a Chaser rather 
than a Seeker. G'rrr. Why did she have Oliver say that Harry is the 
right build for a Seeker, if his father with the same build wasn't a 
Seeker, and Cedric with quite a different build was?

> This opens it up for Malfoy to issue a challenge to a one-on-one 
> duel.  Ron jumps to second Harry, and arrangements are made to meet
> at midnight. 

When my Tim was listening to the tape the first time (I bought him 
the tape to listen in the car because he wouldn't read the book), as 
soon as Malfoy said to meet at midnight, Tim said, as if it were 
obvious: "He has no intention of going there himself; he's just going 
to tip off [Filch] to catch Harry breaking curfew." How did Tim know? 
Is that a common part of male schoolhood?

> Discussion Questions:

> 2. The narrator explains that Harry considers Draco Malfoy to be a 
> worse enemy than Dudley.  Why?  Malfoy's threats to Harry are
> hardly more sophisticated than Dudley's;

It seemed to me that Harry was pretty good at getting away from 
Dudley and even to occasionally turn the tables on Dudley, due to 
Dudley being too stupid to learn from experience. It seemed to me 
that Harry found Draco worse than Dudley because Draco isn't as 
stupid as Dudley and is much more knowledge about the world they are 
living in (the wizarding world) than Harry is, and therefore Harry  
feels like he won't be able to escape Draco.