CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 34, "The Department of Mysteries"

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 120212


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Abbi Dorn" <amdorn at h...> wrote:
 
> 
> Questions:
>
> 2)  Why didn't Harry and Neville help Ron, Hermione, and Ginny onto 
the 
> thestrals?

Hickengruendler:

I think there are two reasons.

1) Neville was fully occupied in mounting the Thestral himself, let 
alone helping the others.
2) Luna has the ability to sink around the box. I think she is the 
only one who actually considers the possibility to help others 
mounting a beast they can't see, because the deed itself is pretty 
extraordinaire.
 
> 
> 4)  When riding the Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic, could the 
riders be 
> seen?  Can only people who see thestrals normally be able to see 
the riders 
> during flight?

Hickengruendler:

I wondered about this, too. Imagine Dudley in Smeltings seeing Harry 
flying past, without seeing the Thestral.
 
> 
> 6)  Why doesn't the Ministry of Magic have an alarm go off when 
people enter 
> after business hours?  What about security surrounding the 
Ministry?  What 
> about their badges?  Shouldn't some alarm go off when the badges 
were made 
> to say "Rescue Mission"?

Hickengruendler:

Horrible security. I won't be surprised at all if this will have 
awful consequences. Although it was quite funny. Got the Death Eaters 
a badge as well?
  
> 7)  What happened to the person in charge of weighing the visitors' 
wands?

Hickengruendler:
He had finsihed work for this day? To be honest, if everyone can just 
apparate into the ministry, like the Death Eaters seem to have done 
(or am I mistaken), I don't see the sense of this wand registration 
at all. It's not that it would be any help, if the villains simply 
don't use this entrance. It's a surprise that nobody had killed Fudge 
in his sleep, so far. Maybe if he were a more competent minister, he 
would already be dead.
 
> 11)  What is the mystery behind the veil?  Where did the veil come 
from?  If 
> the veil really is that dangerous, why not have the room locked?  
Who are 
> the voices?  Do different people hear different voices when they 
are close 
> to the veil?

Hickengruendler:

I think the veil is an allegory for the Christian view of the 
Afterlife. It is a symbolical entrance for the life after Death. And 
since the Unspeakables are examining the mystery of death, they can't 
lock the door. And while posting this, I finally realized what JKR 
meant, when she said that in book 5 Harry will find out exactly what 
death means, in even closer ways.

> 
> 12)  Why is Hermione not affected by the veil like Harry and the 
others?  
> She is almost hysterical when trying to pry Harry away from the 
veil.  What 
> does she know or understand differently?

Ron isn't affected, too. And I think the reason is, that Harry, 
Neville and Luna all lost someone dear, while Ginny was closer to 
death than everybody else (except Harry). That's why they reacted 
stronger to the veil, and Ron and Hermione, who are comparably more 
innocent, don't react.
 
> 14)  Seems there must be significance to the prophecy being in row 
97, any 
> ideas?  Could it be the year that the prophecy will come true?  
What about 
> row 53, is there significance that this was the first row seen by 
the group 
> upon entering the hall of prophecy.

Hickengruendler:

If (as expected) Harry will defeat Voldemort at the end of his last 
schoolyear, than it is already 1998. And since Voldemort needs some 
time to finally become more dangerous than ever before, I don't think 
he will die before the end of book 7. Therefore I doubt the numbers 
have any special meaning.
 
> 16)  Why was Neville hesitant when Harry reaches for the orb?  Does 
Harry 
> take his friends' intuition for granted?

Hickengruendler:

Because Neville has enough to common sense to realize, that it might 
be a good thing, not to touch everything in a place, where they keep 
brains in bottles and have some scary veil.
 
Potioncat:
> Good question. We've never had a hint before that the Ministry had
> any brains at all.

*ROFL* 

Hickengruendler