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

[amanitamuscaria1]

No: HPFGUIDX 120230


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Abbi Dorn" <amdorn at h...> wrote:
> 
> 5)  What happened to the thestrals after the group goes into the 
phone 
> booth?  Do they have to be retrieved?

AmanitaMuscaria now:
I just assumed that, once they'd finished scavenging what was in the 
skip (large trashcan) and got bored waiting they would find their way 
home as they have a "'Mazin' sense o' direction".

> 
> 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"?
> 
> 7)  What happened to the person in charge of weighing the visitors' 
wands?
> 
> 8)  Is the Ministry of Magic really deserted after business hours?  
What 
> about aurors?  Shouldn't they work in shifts or be in and out of 
the 
> Ministry at odd hours?
> 
> 9)  Does the Ministry of Magic lack security on all levels?  Could 
the 
> security have been removed by the Death Eaters?  If so, what could 
have been 
> the security measures?
>

AmanitaMuscaria now:
All these questions depend on what was posited some time ago - did 
Harry et al go to the actual Ministry, or maybe the actual Atrium, or 
was that a deception on Voldy's part? As the lift presumably wouldn't 
get much use in office hours, I would imagine it would get virtually 
no use outside of normal hours. So send the kids through a false 
Atrium, then return them to the Ministry on the ninth floor? They 
have to be at the phonebox, because the Thestrals are accurate in 
finding places, and they have to be on the ninth floor, as only Harry 
can pick up the orb. Where they are in between doesn't have to be 
real, and gets round those suspicious security lapses.
 
> 
> 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?
> 
> 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?

AmanitaMuscaria now:
Interesting, isn't it? JKR gives us Dementors, which she's said, 
IIRC, are her idea of depression personified. Now, I feel she's 
giving us the temptation of suicide. It isn't attractive to Hermione 
or Ron, because they've got a healthy sense of self-worth, but Harry, 
Neville, and Ginny all are fascinated. That's my current thought, 
anyways.


> 
> 13)  Why won't Sirius's knife open the door to the locked room?  Is 
this the 
> "love" room Dumbledore speaks of later in the book?  Why does 
Sirius's knife 
> melt?  Can the blade be repaired?

AmanitaMuscaria again:
Harry needs to find a different 'key', I guess. I don't think that 
room can be opened by brute force, or anything but the correct 
approach. A revisit in the 7th book is my guess, as I doubt Harry 
will have the knowledge before then.
 
> 
> 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.
>

AmanitaMuscaria again:
It's got to mean something - JKR doesn't put things like that in for 
nothing... it's _almost_ pi cubed ... I don't think that's good 
enough.

This chapter has so much in it.
Cheers. AmanitaMuscaria