Chapter Discussions: Chapter 3, the Advance Guard

[mongo62aa]

No: HPFGUIDX 76061

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ali" <Ali at z...> wrote:

> Harry first hears a noise in the kitchen and thinks there might be 
> burglars. The crash turns out to be Tonks breaking something.

> Harry's jumps off his bed and makes to his door which magically 
> unlocks, wand in hand. When Harry reaches the top of the stairs he 
> hears Mad-eyed Moody's voice, but doesn't trust him. He only 
> descends the stairs after he has been reassured by Professor Lupin 
> and he has seen a large group of wizards in the hallway.

Me (Bill):

Since I first read this scene, I have thought that the 'rescue 
party' was using an amazingly poorly thought-out plan.  Look at what 
happens from Harry's PoV:

1) He has been attacked by Dementors, and threatened with expulsion 
from Hogwarts.

2) He recieves NO communication for three days; not even from 
his 'friends'.

3) One night, when his relatives are away, he hears noises from 
downstairs.

4) He determines that a large group of unknown people, probably 
wizards, have invaded the house.

What would he be expected to conclude?  A little over a month 
earlier, he witnessed Voldemort's rebirth, and he knows that one of 
his top priorities is killing Harry.  Harry has already faced a 
deadly attack a few days earlier.  In the absence of word from any 
allies, he would have been quite justified in believing that the 
mysterious intruders were Death Eaters.

And the members of the 'advance guard' know this.

They are VERY lucky that Harry did not start throwing curses at 
them; and then where would he be?  If he was almost expelled for one 
Expecto Patronum, then adding a dozen Stupifies and Expelliarmuses 
would have done it for sure - not to mention the possibility that he 
might have escaped the house still believing that they were Death 
Eaters, and gone into hiding.

The MoM does not seem to care that he has moved to a new location, 
so how hard would it have been to send a letter telling him that a 
group of friends was coming to pick him up?

Bill