CHAPTER DISCUSSION: CH 2, "A Peck of Owls" (slightly modified repost)

[Kelley]

No: HPFGUIDX 82827

Originals:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/72009 (summary)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/72010 (questions)
~~~

Chapter 2 picks up with some revelations from Mrs. Figg as she, 
Harry, and Dudley make their way back to 4 Privet Drive. Harry is 
utterly non-plussed to learn that she's part of the Wizarding World, 
a Squib, that Mundungus Fletcher has been following him, and that 
Mrs. Figg knows Dumbledore. Arabella takes no notice of Harry's 
shock, as she's consumed with pique at Mundungus for ducking out on 
his post, and worried about what Dumbledore will have to say about it.

(Q1)

Mrs. Figg also mentions that Dumbledore will need to be informed 
immediately, and dismisses Harry's offer of sending Hedwig to contact 
him saying, "Harry, you don't understand! Dumbledore will need to 
act as quickly as possible, the Ministry have their own ways of 
detecting underage magic, they'll know already, you mark my words --"

(Q2)

Mrs. Figg rages to the night about Mundungus, and as she does so, he 
Apparates in front of them. Arabella tells him of the Dementors, 
gives him what for and sends him off to inform Dumbledore. 
They reach the Dursleys' home, and Mrs. Figg hurries off to await 
instruction from Dumbledore before Harry can ask her any further 
questions.

Petunia opens the door and goes into hysterics at Dudley's condition; 
she and Vernon pepper him with questions, but he cannot speak. As 
Harry tries to slip away upstairs, Dudley manages to respond to 
Vernon's question of "Who did it, son?" by answering "Him", 
indicating Harry. They all head into the kitchen.

Before Harry can begin to explain what happened, a screech owl swoops 
in with a message: a notice from the Ministry's Improper Use of Magic 
Office informing Harry that due to his use of magic that evening he 
has been expelled from Hogwarts, a Ministry representative will be 
arriving shortly to destroy his wand, and Harry will also be 
subjected to a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry.

Harry starts to think about making a run for it, but moments later 
another owl arrives, this time from Arthur Weasley, telling him that 
Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry and is working to sort it 
out, and that Harry must remain at Privet Drive, he must not 
surrender his wand, and he must not do any more magic. Harry wonders 
what Dumbledore will be able to do about the situation, but he 
decides to stay there at the Dursleys'.

As they resume discussing what happened that evening, Dudley finally 
begins to speak, once again accusing Harry. He describes how Harry 
pointed his wand at him, everything went dark, and he began 
hearing "things" inside his head. 

(Q3)

Harry begins to explain that it wasn't he, Harry, who caused this, 
but Dementors. Petunia shocks everyone by supplying the information 
that Dementors guard the wizard prison Azkaban. She says that she 
overheard James telling Lily about them years ago.

(Q4)

Before the discussion can continue, another owl arrives from the 
Ministry. Harry may keep his wand, and the decision of whether he 
will be expelled from Hogwarts will be made at his Ministry hearing 
12th August. For now he's just suspended.

Harry continues describing the encounter with the Dementors, and when 
he explains about the Dementor's Kiss, Petunia utters a "soft 
scream". As Harry starts to tell of using a Patronus to repel the 
Dementors another owl arrives, this one from Sirius, reiterating to 
Harry that he must not leave the house. 

(Q5)

Harry is growing more and more frustrated and angry that no one is 
telling him anything, and feels that in their exhortations to remain 
in the house, both Sirius and Mr. Weasley were treating him as though 
he'd misbehaved. (After all the times he's been told how brave he's 
been, how he's performed as well or better than adult wizards, he's 
now being admonished as a naughty child, when he should be praised 
again for his success in fighting off the Dementors. "I'm not a 
child anymore; why are they treating me like one?!" Seems Harry's 
probably feeling this way.) 

Harry tells the Dursleys that Lord Voldemort is back, and must have 
been the one to send the Dementors to Privet Drive; Petunia and 
Vernon's reactions are interesting: while they flinch at any mention 
of 'magic', the name "Voldemort" causes not "the slightest tremor". 
The name starts to ring a bell for Vernon, but he doesn't appreciate 
fully what it means for Voldemort to be back; Petunia does, though. 
She drops the pretense she's always maintained that there is no 
Wizarding World and shows genuine fear at this news. Harry is struck 
by the significance of the realization that Petunia is his mother's 
sister; there's an understanding of the implications of Voldemort's 
return between Harry and Petunia now.

Vernon reaches a not very suprising conclusion: Harry's presence in 
their home is now a threat to his family, so he demands that Harry 
leave.

(Q6) 

Before Vernon can force Harry to go, the last owl of the night 
arrives carrying a Howler. As Harry reaches for the envelope, the 
owl soars past him and drops the Howler on Petunia's head. She's 
surprised that it's addressed to her, and apparently doesn't know 
what a Howler is. As the Howler bursts into flames an "awful" voice 
fills the kitchen. "REMEMBER MY LAST, PETUNIA!"
Finally Petunia says that "the boy will have to stay". Vernon 
sputters "W-what?", but Petunia says with finality, "He stays." She 
rapidly resumes her typical "brisk, snappish manner", and gives the 
excuse that the neighbors will ask awkward questions if they throw 
Harry out.

(Q7)

Petunia ignores Vernon's protests and tells Harry he is to stay in 
his room, he is not to leave the house. Harry asks her many of our 
questions -- "Who was that Howler from? Are you in touch with 
wizards? What did it mean? Remember the last what?" but all Petunia 
will say is "Don't ask questions." Vernon is no longer protesting 
that Harry should leave; he now backs his wife by hollering at 
Harry "YOU HEARD YOUR AUNT, NOW GET TO BED!"

(Q8)

Discussion Questions and Topics: 

Side Note:
Mrs. Figg mentions that luckily she'd thought to have one of 
her "cats", Mr. Tibbles keep watch outside Harry's home, and that Mr. 
Tibbles "came and warned her" that Mundungus had left his post. We 
know from Book One that in the past Harry had spent quite a bit of 
time at Mrs. Figg's, forced to look at pictures of her "cats", Mr. 
Tibbles (though he's just Tibbles in SS), Snowy, Mr. Paws and Tufty. 

"Fantastic Beasts" tells us that Kneazles are "sufficiently unusual 
in appearance to attract Muggle interest" but they "can interbreed 
with cats". One of my pet speculations has been that Arabella is a 
Kneazle-breeder -- breeding them with ordinary cats (though it's just 
as likely that she's just a 'cat person'). So far it seems we've yet 
to see a pure Kneazle in canon; JKR confirmed in an online chat that 
Crookshanks is part-Kneazle. 

Q1: As Arabella's "cats" do not seem to attract interest by having an 
unusual appearance, are they only part-Kneazle as well? Will Harry 
now be able to identify Mrs. Figg's cats if he needs to? Any ideas 
how the Kneazle's ability to "guide its owner safely home if they are 
lost" will come into play in canon? Mrs. Figg and Filch are the only 
Squibs we've met (that we know of); does Mrs. Norris fall into the 
part-Kneazle category, too? Or is she a transfigured person unable 
to change back? (Was that why Filch was taking the Kwik Spell 
course?)

Q2: What ways does the Ministry have of detecting underage magic? 
House Elves or portraits? This doesn't seem likely, so what could it 
be?

Q3: What *does* "spoiled, pampered Dudley" hear when attacked by 
Dementors? 

Q4: Petunia says that she overheard "that awful boy" telling Lily 
about Dementors years ago -- James? Snape? Someone else? What might 
the circumstances have been that Petunia was able to overhear this; 
were they at Lily and Petunia's home where they lived with their 
parents?  Why was this person telling Lily about Dementors and 
Azkaban? Harry assumes Petunia just happens to remember this scrap of 
info from years ago, but how likely is it that Petunia only 
knows "scraps" of information about the Wizarding World?

Q5: When Harry explains about the Dementor's Kiss, Petunia utters 
a "soft scream". Does she know someone who received the Dementor's 
Kiss? Is this what happened to her and Lily's parents? If so, did 
Petunia only know that they were killed due to Lily's connection to 
the Wizarding World, but never knew how (or why)? Could the victims 
of the Dementor's Kiss have been someone other than their parents? 
Who?

Q6: Vernon says "Why we ever kept you in the first place I don't 
know..." Is this just a figure of speech, or does he *really not 
know*? Did Petunia just insist that Harry stay without telling 
Vernon the real reasons why? 

Q7: When Vernon rails against the magical world, Petunia never 
demurs; but while he rants and raves, she stays in the background. 
The concern has always been that they want to live a normal life, 
that they maintain a proper and respectable appearance among the 
neighbors, among family, in Vernon's career; this is probably true 
for Vernon, and maybe to some degree for Petunia as well. But does 
Petunia have another reason for keeping their connection to the 
Wizarding World a secret? Is her behavior all this time is just a 
facade? Is she just playing a role?

Q8: Petunia's often described as 'nosy', keen to know what the 
neighbors are up to. We learn this from Harry's perspective; is this 
actually JKR derailing us? Is Petunia really not watching the 
neighbors, but keeping watch for something or someone else?

Dudley has his father's temper; when Vernon blows his top, Petunia 
doesn't seem overly concerned. However, when Dudley had his childish 
tantrums, Petunia scrambled to placate and soothe him. Is she 
worried he might exhibit some magical tendencies? If this is so, who 
might she most want to hide that from -- Vernon? The neighbors? The 
magical world? Could she be fearful that she may lose her son the 
way she lost her sister (and possibly her parents)? 

*Is* Petunia the person who will exhibit/discover magical ability 
later in life?  Or is it Dudley or someone else?

--Kelley