CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter Seven, The Ministry of Magic

[KathyK]

No: HPFGUIDX 86780

There is a lot of detail in this chapter.  I left in as much as 
possible without making it too long.  It's still too long. <g> I 
hope it suffices.  Questions appear at the end of the summary.

Summary:

Harry wakes up at 5:30 on the day of his hearing.  He dresses and 
goes to the kitchen, occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, 
Lupin, and Tonks, all talking and all dressed with the exception of 
Mrs. Weasley, who immediately sets about making breakfast for 
Harry.  Harry tries to eat the toast and marmalade she places before 
him as she fusses over his shirt but he finds eating impossible.  
Mr. Weasley tells Tonks he'll cover her mysterious duty the next 
night.  

Mr. Weasley tells Harry the hearing will take place in Amelia
Bones' office.  The adults do their best to assure Harry that 
everything will be fine and offer him advice as Mrs. Weasley 
unsuccessfully attempts to control Harry's hair.  Mr. Weasley 
decides it'stime to go, a little early, but he feels it's better 
than waiting around Grimmauld Place.  The adults offer Harry a few 
more words of encouragement and a hug from Mrs. Weasley.  Then Harry 
and Mr. Weasley leave.

Mr. Weasley usually apparates to work but obviously this is not 
possible as Harry is there.  Additionally Mr. Weasley tells Harry he 
thinks it will make a better impression if they reach the Ministry 
in a non-magical fashion given the nature of the offense of which 
Harry is accused.  Mr. Weasley marvels over the broken automatic 
ticket machines in a small Underground station and Harry buys their 
tickets.  Once on the train, Mr. Weasley constantly checks the map 
to see they're going to the right stop.  He knows the directions 
although he admits to never using the Visitor's Entrance.  After 
getting off the Underground they move away from the imposing 
buildings, finally traveling a road with shabby offices, a pub, and 
an overflowing dumpster.  This is not what Harry had expected for 
the Ministry of Magic.  

Mr. Weasley ushers Harry into an old telephone box and follows Harry 
in.  Despite Harry's concerns Mr. Weasley seems to know what
he's doing.  He picks up the telephone receiver and dials, 6-2-4-4-
2. [MAGIC, if you haven't already heard <g>]  Mr. Weasley announces 
them.  Harry takes the visitor's badge and pins it to his tee
shirt as instructed.  The silver badge reads, "Harry Potter, 
Disciplinary Hearing."  The telephone booth sinks slowly into the 
ground.  When it finally stops Harry gets his first glimpse into the 
Ministry of Magic.

The hall is long and splendid with a polished dark wood floor and a 
peacock blue ceiling with gleaming golden symbols that change.  The 
walls are a dark wood with gilded fireplaces along the hall.  On the 
left side witches and wizards arrive every few seconds and on the 
right they're lined up for departure, the Floo Network at work.

Halfway down the hall is a fountain with golden statues in the 
middle of a pool.  A wizard and witch are surrounded by an adoring 
goblin, centaur, and house-elf.  As Mr. Weasley directs Harry away 
from the fountain, Harry notices the sign, "All Proceeds from the 
Fountain of Magical Brethren will be given to St. Mungo's
Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries," and desperately 
promises ten galleons if he's not expelled from Hogwarts.  

They reach a bored Security Guard named Eric, who passes a long 
golden rod up and down Harry.  Harry then hands over his wand and 
the guard places it on an instrument that looks like a set of scales 
with only one dish.  Eric reads the piece of parchment that pops 
out, describing Harry's wand.  He hands the wand back to Harry
and finally notices to whom he is speaking.  Before Eric has a 
chance to comment, Mr. Weasley ushers Harry to the gate at the end 
of the hall.  They enter one of the lifts beyond the gate and begin 
their ascent.  As they reach each level, the cool, female voice 
announces what can be found there.

Level Seven:  Department of Magical Games and Sports—British and 
Irish Quidditch league Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club, and 
Ludicrous Patent Office.
Level Six:  Department of Magical Transport—Floo Network
Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, Apparation Test 
Center.

At this point, paper airplanes zoom into the lift.  Mr. Weasley tell 
Harry they're interdepartmental memos used instead of messier
owls.  

Level Five:  Department of International Magical Cooperation—
International Magical Trading Standards Body, International Magical 
Offices of Law, International Confederation of Wizards, British Seat.
Level Four:  Department of Regulation and Control of Magical 
Creatures—Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison
Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau.
Level Three:  Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes—
Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, Muggle-
Worthy Excuse Committee.
Level Two:  Department of Magical Law Enforcement—Improper Use of 
Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, Wizengamot Administration Services.

Harry's hearing is to take place on this floor.  Mr.
Weasley's office is also there.  Although they are underground the 
windows show sunlight streaming in.  Magical Maintenance is 
responsible for what sort of weather the Ministry experiences.  

They meet Kingsley Shacklebolt in Auror Headquarters, a large open 
area full of cubicles.  Kingsley and Mr. Weasley pretend they barely 
know one another and Mr. Weasley steps on Harry's foot to prevent 
him from greeting Kingsley.  The three go to Kingsley's cubicle, 
which is covered in clippings and photos of Sirius.  Kingsley 
informs Mr. Weasley Sirius Black may be using his old motorcycle and 
therefore needs information about flying vehicle sightings.  In 
between these louder exchanges, Mr. Weasley and he hold a whispered 
conversation in which Kingsley hands a magazine article over for 
Sirius and Mr. Weasley invites him to dinner.  

Harry and Mr. Weasley continue their trip until they reach a dead 
end with a broom cupboard and Mr. Weasley's small office, crammed 
with two desks and overflowing with papers.  Among the items Harry 
notes, there is a photograph of the Weasley family that Percy has 
apparently walked out of.  Mr. Weasley reads from the copy of _The 
Quibbler_ that Kingsley gave him.  Before Harry finds out what is so 
amusing, a memo regarding another occurrence of regurgitation 
toilets makes its way into the office.  Anti Muggle Pranksters are 
to blame and this is the third such incident.

Perkins, who shares the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, arrives 
to explain an urgent message arrived ten minutes ago with a change 
of venue and time for Harry's hearing.  It's now at  Eight o'clock 
in Courtroom Ten.  Mr. Weasley and Harry take off running for they 
are already late.  Once back inside the lift, Mr. Weasley keeps 
impatiently jabbing at the number Nine, thinking aloud that 
Courtrooms haven't been used in years and wonders why the hearing 
will be there.

At the atrium level, Harry again glimpses the golden statue in the 
fountain and a sallow skinned wizard named Bode enters the lift 
before it continues.  He stares at Harry.  The cool voice 
says, "Department of Mysteries," with no further elaboration
unlike the other floors.  Mr. Weasley and Harry speed up the bare 
corridor with only a plain black door set at the end.  Harry expects 
to go through the door but Mr. Weasley pulls him to the left, down a 
flight of stairs.  Finally they reach the bottom and head down yet 
another corridor.  They reach Courtroom Ten.  Mr. Weasley points 
Harry inside.  Harry asks if he's coming and Mr. Weasley replies 
that he's not allowed.  Harry opens the door and steps inside.  

Questions:

1. The golden symbols on the ceiling in the Ministry—What are
they and why do they change?

2. Is there any significance to the beings represented in the 
Fountain of Magical Brethren?  Why are the centaur, goblin, and 
house-elf described as looking adoringly at the wizard and witch? 

3. Harry checks in at security.  How long do you think it takes 
security to catch anyone who doesn't check in?  What do you think 
happens to those folks? 

4. The security guard waves a golden rod over Harry's body.  What
is its function? 

5. The Ludicrous Patent Office is on Level Seven of the Ministry.  
What might constitute a "ludicrous" patent?  Where is the not-so-
ludicrous patent office?  Why is this office on the same level as 
the Department of Magical Games and Sports, where it doesn't seem
to fit in as the other offices listed on other levels fit in with 
the Department named?

6. Looking at the Department of Magical Transport, can we assume 
that the only legal, magical means of transportation are the Floo 
Network, Brooms, Portkeys, and Apparation?  Or is it that these are 
the only means that are regulated in any way (unlike thestrals, for 
instance)?

7. How do the paper airplane memos work?  Are they created so that 
once a memo is folded, it will know where to go?  Must one tell it 
where to go?  Is the layout of the Ministry included in whatever 
charm is used on the paper, so no direction is needed?

8. How many wizards does it take to come up with a muggle-worthy 
excuse?  <g>

9. Is the enchantment placed on the windows on Level Two similar to 
the one placed on the Great Hall ceiling at Hogwarts?

10. Why must Kingsley and Mr. Weasley pretend they don't know one 
another?  Yes, it's to keep the Order a secret, but would it be
so out of place for the two to be friends?  

11. Speaking of Mr. Weasley's job, it seems indeed that the
Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office is held in low esteem, as the 
office is smaller than the broom closet across the hall.  Why is his 
office so small and why do only two people work there?  Is the 
offense of misusing muggle artifacts so rare or so insignificant 
that it warrants little attention?  

12. In Mr. Weasley's office, Harry notices Percy has walked out
of the family photo.  How can a photograph mimic a behavior like 
Percy turning his back on the family unless it was already in his 
nature to do so?  How does Harry know Percy was in the photograph in 
the first place?

13. We now know that the Department of Mysteries is beyond the black 
door at the end of the corridor that Harry and Mr. Weasley run down 
to get to Courtroom Ten.  Harry expects to go through the door when 
Mr. Weasley leads him to the left of the door down the stairs.  Does 
Harry expect to go through the door because he doesn't see the 
passage to the left, or does it really have to do with the dreams 
he's already having, and he wants to go through the door even if
he doesn't recognize it yet?  

KathyK

NOTE: For more information on HPfGU's chapter discussions, please see

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/67817 and 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/85829