PS/SS Chapter Ten Summary and Questions

[M. Barnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 28334

I have to go to work tonight, so I won't be able to post at a normal 
time tomorrow, so, here ya go :) 

If they (chp. 10 & 11 summaries) suck, I'm sorry!  Here goes nothing!

Chapter Ten – Hallowe'en

Much to Malfoy's chagrin, Harry and Ron turn up at breakfast the 
morning after the supposed duel.  Meeting three-headed dogs appears 
to be their idea of a good time.  Harry had told Ron about his first 
trip to Gringotts where Hagrid removed a very small parcel from a 
vault.  They decided all they knew about it was that it was about two 
inches long and was either very valuable or very dangerous or as 
Harry points out, "
both."  Hermione and Neville didn't share their 
enthusiasm and appeared to have no desire to meet the dog again and 
Hermione was now speaking to neither of them.

While trying to think of something to get back at Malfoy, the 
opportunity drops in to Harry's lap a week later; Owl Post delivers 
him a long skinny package and a letter.  Fortunately, he opens the 
letter first (from Prof. McGonagall) that tells him not to open the 
package at the table, which is his new Nimbus Two Thousand 
broomstick, and to meet Oliver Wood on the quidditch pitch that 
evening.  As he and Ron attempt to jet upstairs to open it, they are 
met by Malfoy and his cronies, who point out that first years aren't 
allowed to have broomsticks and Harry would be quite in for it.  As 
words are exchanged, Prof. Flitwick shows up and Malfoy wastes no 
time pointing out Harry's broomstick.  Prof. Flitwick who had prior 
knowledge of the delivery smiles and asks what kind it is.  As Harry 
replies, he also points out that it is thanks to Malfoy that he got 
it in the first place.  He and Ron head upstairs where they encounter 
Hermione who chastises them for being pleased about a reward for rule 
breaking.  Ron blows her off and they head to classes.

Harry spends the entire day thinking about his new broomstick and 
when they finally get the chance to open it, both he and Ron are 
deeply impressed by it.  Leaving Ron behind, Harry heads off to the 
quidditch pitch for the first time.  Before Wood arrives, Harry takes 
a spin on his new broom, thoroughly enjoying every second.  Wood 
arrives and explains the fundamentals of quidditch to Harry, who 
struggles to retain every ounce of information.  Because it is too 
dark, Wood substitutes golf balls for the Golden Snitch and Harry has 
no problem catching them all, much to Wood's delight.  Wood tells 
Harry they're bound to get the Quidditch Cup this year and he 
wouldn't be surprised if Harry was a better player than Ron's older 
brother Charlie.

Hallowe'en finds Harry very busy with homework and quidditch 
practise.  He also reflects on how Hogwarts feels much more like a 
home than Privet Drive ever had.  Harry is enjoying his classes more 
now, since they have mastered the basics.  In Charms class, Prof. 
Flitwick announces they are going to make things fly.  Harry gets 
partnered with Seamus Finnigan and much to Ron's dismay he gets 
Hermione.  They start the lesson and Hermione points out to Ron that 
he is doing it wrong.  He tells her to do it, which she does and 
catches the attention of Prof. Flitwick who is delighted.  As they 
leave class, Ron says not-so-nice things about Hermione, which she 
overhears.  Harry notices that she is crying and this makes Ron 
uncomfortable, but he tries to blow it off.  Hermione doesn't appear 
at their next class and isn't seen the rest of the day.

That evening on the way to the Hallowe'en feast, Harry and Ron 
overhear 2 girls saying that Hermione was in the girls toilets and 
was crying.  Ron's feeling of discomfort disappears as soon as they 
enter the Great hall.  The Hall is extravagantly decorated and they 
being to dine.  During the meal, Prof. Quirrell runs in, tells Prof. 
Dumbledore there is a troll in the dungeons and passes out cold.  
Dumbledore instructs the prefects to lead their houses back to the 
common rooms.  Harry and Ron suddenly remember Hermione, sot hey set 
off to find and warn her.

Harry and Ron encounter Snape heading toward the third floor, when 
they smell the troll nearby.  They see it at the end of the hall, it 
heads into a room that has a key in the lock.  Harry and Ron lock the 
troll in and then realize they have locked it in the girls toilets 
with Hermione inside.  They open the door back up and proceed to get 
the trolls attention away from Hermione so she can get out.  She is 
terrified and doesn't move.  They manage to get the troll knocked 
out, with Ron using the charm they had just learned.  

The Prof.'s show up and before Ron and Harry have the chance to think 
they are going to be expelled, Hermione says they were looking for 
her because she had gone looking for the troll herself.  Prof. 
McGonagall admonishes Hermione and takes away points, and praises 
Harry and Ron, who are given points.  

They all head back up to the common room where we find the famous 
line: "
from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend.  
There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each 
other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."

Questions

1. Do you think it is in this chapter that Malfoy decides Harry is 
the bane of his existence and why or why not?

2. Where does Wood get a bunch of golf balls?  There is no mention of 
wizards playing golf anywhere and he doesn't know about basketball, 
why would he know about golf.

3. Why do you think Ron felt badly about what he said about 
Hermione?  Is it one of those 3rd grade things 
 I like you so I'll 
beat you up?

4. Prof. Quirrell tells Dumbledore about the troll and then faints.  
If you were in his DADA class, would you really be able to respect 
him as an authority on Dark Arts/Creatures anymore?

5. Ron is able to perform the spell in the toilets he wasn't able to 
perform in class.  Is this a case of `talent appears in stressful 
situations' or just pure luck?

6. Hermione has endured a lot of hurtful remarks and treatment from 
Ron, why does she defend he and Harry?